Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I'd like to thank all the witnesses who have joined us today to help guide the committee through this study.
Ms. Panas, I'd like to start with you.
Thank you for showing up today and explaining just how your previous experience—your life experience—makes this approach a very important thing for our committee to consider. Often, when a party comes forward with a policy idea on regulating the Internet or online spaces, the first charge levelled against policy-makers is that they're taking away freedom of speech and freedom of expression, but I think you have quite clearly explained how, by not doing anything.... The status quo is actually affecting your freedom of expression right now.
I want to talk about this concept of a public space or the public square. When we're in a room, like we are right now, everyone has an equal voice and we can all hear each other equally, but in an online space, especially on social media platforms, the platform itself is not a passive bystander. It can actively promote content, or it can actively put it down into certain corners and it can direct people to certain dark corners of the Internet.
My other committee is the public safety committee. We've been looking at how our foreign adversaries make use of online platforms to spread disinformation, and there's quite a lot of overlap with the subject matter we're dealing with today. We've had witnesses at that committee talking not only about whether we need to take a law approach or a regulatory approach, but also about trying to instill a digital literacy strategy.
Do you have any thoughts on equipping Canadians with the skills they may need to navigate the online space?