Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Commissioner, I would like to discuss the issue of retaining metadata for one year.
We have raised this issue with department officials. They set the retention period at one year in what appears to be a rather arbitrary manner. In Australia, it is two years. I have heard that in the United States, no specific period is set.
What does a one-year period mean to you, as an investigator?
We have received recommendations to set this at 90 days or three months, for example, and to make these periods renewable upon request, rather than retaining all Canadians' metadata for a year.
If we reduced this period, under certain conditions, and allowed you to request the data again, could you live with that? I don't really understand the importance of having a one-year retention period.
What is your perspective on this as a police officer and investigator?