Thank you, Chair.
I have concerns about this one. The amendment would ultimately reduce or diminish the ability of the federal government to determine the level of cybersecurity required. I think a good cyber-practice is working with provinces and territories in these areas. That makes a lot of sense.
I would worry that some provinces and territories may not have the cyber-capabilities the federal government has. Some provinces may have excellent capabilities and others may require more time, expertise or technical support. I worry about the current language requiring the federal government to, first, work in accordance with provinces and territories when not all might be at the same level in cyber-capability.
Obviously, some of our agencies, such as CSE, CSIS and the RCMP at higher levels, are specifically federal. It is no fault of the provinces and territories that they wouldn't have access to all of that information. That's where I have some issues with this amendment.
Mr. Chair, I don't know if Mr. MacSween has any comments or concerns in regard to whether this would limit or prevent the federal government from moving forward without first having that provincial buy-in. That could also add time delays. The technical experience might be in some places, but not all.