Thank you for your time.
Mr. Balsillie, first off, thank you for your comments. I really do feel.... I am very concerned about this bill. I think it is broken, primarily because the minister came before our committee and said that he wanted to protect children but didn't define in the legislation what a fundamental right to privacy would be for a child, even though it's a second iteration of this bill itself. That's very problematic for me.
On page three of your report, “Not Fit For Purpose—Canada Deserves Much Better”, regarding this bill, it states, “Most importantly, it fails to address the reality that dominant data-driven enterprises have shifted away from a service-oriented business model towards one that relies on monetizing PI”.
I am so concerned about the mental health crisis you outlined with respect to youth and the vulnerability that children face every day when they go online, even in their own classroom, as was outlined in a Globe and Mail report last year.
Is there any circumstance...? Are we getting to the point that we need to put the hammer down as legislators and go really far in protecting children in this bill, because we have no idea what harms are going to come their way in the next 10-15 years?