The bill allows for the collection and sharing of information for different purposes. In particular, information about Canadians may be used for national security purposes. For example, it is conceivable that radicalized Canadian citizens would want to leave Canada to carry out terrorist activities abroad. I would put that in a category where the public or national interest of Canada is at stake. In that case, the public interest justifies the gathering of information about citizens.
Where the bill crosses a certain boundary is when it permits the collection of information about Canadians for the purpose of the integrity of social programs. Preventing fraud related to these programs is a public policy goal that is important, but may not be at the same level as the goal of national security.
Should Canada collect information on the exits of its citizens to ensure the integrity of its social programs? We have examined this question carefully. The issue is more for social programs than for matters of national security and law enforcement by police. Given the limited amount of information collected and the sensitivity of the information collected, we believe that, even for the purpose of the integrity of social programs, the collection and sharing of information is justified with respect to privacy protection. However, it is less clear in these cases than when national security is at stake.