Evidence of meeting #153 for Justice and Human Rights in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was platform.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Michele Austin  Head, Government and Public Policy, Twitter Canada, Twitter Inc.
Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Marc-Olivier Girard

4:15 p.m.

Head, Government and Public Policy, Twitter Canada, Twitter Inc.

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC

To some degree, automated responses should be expected, but it can get carried away. I've heard complaints of bots out there that rummage through the whole Twitterverse and respond in nasty ways and in a very massive fashion.

Are bots allowed on Twitter and do you have standards of behaviour for them?

4:15 p.m.

Head, Government and Public Policy, Twitter Canada, Twitter Inc.

Michele Austin

Yes. Automation is permitted on the platform.

I'll give you two positive examples. If you lose your luggage and you DM Air Canada, a bot will help triage where you are and what your flight number was. In Australia, they have a bot for self-harm, wherein you can text Lifeline Australia for help. Whether you're in a crisis or whether you are a parent who is looking for advice, that is also triaged through a bot. I desperately wish we could bring it to Canada. We're working on that.

Malicious automation is not permitted on the platform. It is something we work on daily to ensure it doesn't happen. However, there are cases where bots are doing a really good job and helping.

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC

Great. Thank you.

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather

Thank you very much.

Before we finish, the clerk has one date to report. It's just to let members know about dates on the dissenting report issue.

May 30th, 2019 / 4:20 p.m.

The Clerk of the Committee Mr. Marc-Olivier Girard

I was looking at the calendar for the upcoming weeks and I discovered that the appropriate deadline for submitting supplementary or dissenting opinions is June 6, rather than June 13.

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather

That's for the HIV report.

4:20 p.m.

The Clerk

That's for HIV.

For online hate, it would remain June 13.

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather

For online hate, it's June 13, and for HIV, it's June 6.

4:20 p.m.

The Clerk

Exactly.

If you want the reason for that—

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather

Yes, please.

4:20 p.m.

The Clerk

In the current calendar, the target tabling date in the House for the HIV report is June 10, so having you submit your dissenting or supplementary opinions on June 13 would not make any sense.

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

Does it have to be translated by June 6, or not?

4:20 p.m.

The Clerk

No. Actually, you submit it in English and in French, and we just insert it at the end of the report.

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

No, my issue is—

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather

He is asking, does he have to translate it? Could it be submitted only in English at that point and then get translated afterwards? I think that's what he's asking.

4:20 p.m.

The Clerk

No. Such opinions need to be submitted to us in English and in French—

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

Well, it's an impossibility, then.

4:20 p.m.

The Clerk

—on June 6, no later than June 6, which is Thursday of next week.

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

It would have been a possibility but being notified on Thursday afternoon—

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather

I understand. What we'll do, because that obviously is not possible, is that because we're sitting that entire week, instead of tabling it on Monday, June 10, we can push the tabling back to, let's say, Wednesday, June 12. Then that will give a couple of extra days to get it translated, perhaps.

4:20 p.m.

The Clerk

Yes, absolutely.

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather

We'll work on it. That week, we're sitting—

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

Raj Saini Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON

Can we allow the witness to leave?

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather

Yes. I was going to thank the witness. There's going to be a very brief discussion.