Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Our parliamentary system is obviously based on trust and respect between parliamentarians, particularly in the context of a minority government. However, I can't consider last Tuesday's exercise to be a model of trust and respect, particularly with regard to these aspects, especially in a context where we're being told about the urgency of passing Bill C‑27 and bringing ourselves in line with European law, specifically with regard to data protection.
This is a bill that was tabled in June 2022, I remind you, that the government only addressed three or four times in the House over one year, last year. We can't claim it's because the legislative agenda was particularly heavy last year.
So I find it worrying that the government is pressuring us and, on top of that, pulling these amendments out of its hat as though they were a done deal upon which we were to rely. If only that were all. We learned through the media—and not through parliamentary collegiality, since the minister was not transparent with his fellow MPs—that there would be a voluntary code of conduct pending legislation. In my opinion, a voluntary code of conduct, given what we are to debate, is the opposite of the highest industry standards. By not announcing this news to his colleagues before it reached the media, the minister has not been transparent.
Of course, in front of industry, it might be a fine show and elicit applause, but the minister is accountable to parliamentarians. I cannot understand why he didn't tell us the day before, on Tuesday. It's another element that adds to the context in which we feel that the bill we will be debating is now obsolete, for obvious reasons. ChatGPT didn't previously exist. Technology has evolved. They talk about fundamental principles, saying that the law they want to replace is over 25 years old, and that Facebook and the iPhone didn't exist back then. Where is Facebook, or Meta, now? These are the people who have taken control of our democracy, who prevent our local media from functioning and who laugh at Canada's Parliament and parliamentarians. They boast about legislation that lasted so long, when it has actually caused major setbacks.
So it seems rather irresponsible to allow things to continue in this manner. We began this study on the wrong footing, and I think there needs to be more transparency and collegiality. Not only will we be asking people for about fifteen meetings to react and draw on their expertise to tell us about the repercussions, but companies also need predictability, and we don't know what we'll be debating.
I therefore urge that we obtain these documents as quickly as possible, and even make them public, because we need to be able to do our job. Right now, however, we're not equipped to do so.
Thank you.