You've covered a number of different areas, Mr. Murphy. You talked about the Alberta bill. It's actually not in effect yet. Nor is the one in Ontario. That being said, there are laws in effect in Manitoba and Nova Scotia, and we of course welcome and encourage any cooperation we get in the regulation of this area at the provincial level.
That being said, I'm not quite sure what you meant by your comment that there's “nothing outrageous” in this bill. This is a good bill. This is a good idea to require Internet service providers to report incidents of child pornography they discover, or to pass on information about child pornography that is given to them or brought to their attention.
Again, this complements what is being done. It complements, quite frankly, what is being done in foreign jurisdictions as well. I had long conversations with my counterparts at the attorneys general level from the United States, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand earlier this year. They pointed out to me that the sophistication of child pornography has been growing rapidly or proliferating around the world. It's becoming more sophisticated, and I indicated to them, as you might guess, that we will be cooperative, as we have been, and that there will be sharing of information and that we will work together.
So my suggestion to you is that, no, the provinces haven't taken over the field, but we certainly welcome their initiatives on this. Not only is this not “outrageous” legislation, to use your term, but it's legislation that is very much needed and very much welcomed by the people of this country. So I'm urging you to set aside whatever reservations you may have about this or indeed any other criminal legislation we have or will be bringing in. Let's get this thing passed. This is the next step in the fight against child pornography in this country. It will be welcomed at home; it will be welcomed by all our provincial counterparts, whether or not they have passed regulations or legislation in this area; and it will certainly be welcomed by our international partners, who have the same goal that we have, which is the protection of children.