Evidence of meeting #51 for Public Safety and National Security in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was you're.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:55 p.m.
Director, Access to Information, Privacy and Reconsideration, Executive Services, Department of Transport
It will be done yearly.
12:55 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
So we won't get any information until 12 or 15 or 18 months from now?
12:55 p.m.
Director, Access to Information, Privacy and Reconsideration, Executive Services, Department of Transport
If you request it, I'm sure we could do an advance—
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
Mr. Comartin, I'm sure we'll be examining this again in the fall.
12:55 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
I'm not waiting until the fall, Mr. Chair. I would like to have a report on a monthly basis through the summer, including September. I'd like it to go to this committee, and I'd like the clerk to circulate it to the members of the committee.
12:55 p.m.
Director, Access to Information, Privacy and Reconsideration, Executive Services, Department of Transport
I don't anticipate any difficulty with that from the point of view of my office. If my colleagues in the safety and security group have done the work that they've been attempting to do, there shouldn't be that much business anyway.
12:55 p.m.
Chief, Security Policy - Aviation, Security and Emergency Preparedness, Department of Transport
What's your vision of what would be reported?
12:55 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
We obviously want to know about the problems, both in terms of how many people have been rejected at the airports, and I think, Ms. Savoie, in your case, what happened in terms of any appeals or responses from your office to those rejections. Those are the two major areas.
12:55 p.m.
Director, Access to Information, Privacy and Reconsideration, Executive Services, Department of Transport
Our tracking system will clearly have that information handy regarding the number of applicants and the outcome of each review. That would be no problem whatsoever.
12:55 p.m.
Chief, Security Policy - Aviation, Security and Emergency Preparedness, Department of Transport
Again, it just depends on the numbers. I know that statistically if the number is too small, it actually raises privacy issues, but within that context, we don't see that there would be any difficulty.
12:55 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Mr. Chair, whatever is received by the committee I would appreciate having sent out to the members as quickly as possible.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Rick Norlock Conservative Northumberland—Quinte West, ON
On that point, within those statistics can there be an indication of how many people flew during that time?
12:55 p.m.
Chief, Security Policy - Aviation, Security and Emergency Preparedness, Department of Transport
Yes, I think we probably do have those numbers.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Rick Norlock Conservative Northumberland—Quinte West, ON
So we can balance the percentages; otherwise, it may be....
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
If there is a potential for violation of privacy rights, would you then not release that information to the committee?
12:55 p.m.
Chief, Security Policy - Aviation, Security and Emergency Preparedness, Department of Transport
It's the law of Canada. We're subject to the Privacy Act. I'm just saying that I'm aware from other work I've done that depending on your sample and so on, you have to be a little careful if the number is very small. But perhaps again one can work with that. There just has to be an awareness of privacy in this whole thing. My own sense is that we will not have a very large number of those cases, and if there's an ability to report on that globally, then sure.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
I will lay my concern on the table right now. This is a public meeting, and if information is requested at a public meeting, comes to the committee, and is released by me, it becomes public information. If that's what the committee wants, they may not get the information. If it violates privacy rights it probably won't be released to this committee. In other words, you may not get any information unless it can be released--
12:55 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
We're not going to get anything unless it's in keeping with the Privacy Act and all the national security claims.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
I just want you to know that your request carries that proviso.
Thank you very much.
This meeting stands adjourned.
