Of course.
In the answers you have provided to some of my colleagues, you discussed the mandate of the CSE. Ms. Bossenmaier, the CSE chief, appeared before us, and I asked her specific questions on the proposed subclause 24(1), the first paragraph of which presents exceptions for cases of publicly available information. This concerns us, as do the paragraphs that follow. Ms. Bossenmaier mentioned that the mandate of the CSE essentially affects foreign entities, and not Canadians. I would like to ask you a number of questions about that.
First, is the mandate legal or is it understood as such by the CSE?
Also, these types of exceptions are included in the bill, but we really have yet to hear why. For example, it reads: “The Minister may, by order, designate any…electronic information or information infrastructures as…of importance to the Government of Canada.” All these matters are unclear, and we are not able to justify the scope.
I have touched on several questions, some of them in the form of comments. I would simply like to know your point of view on these subjects.
What is the mandate of the CSE? Is the bill widening its scope without us being able to justify the concrete reasons for doing so and the intended objective?