Thank you very much, Madam Chair, for reminding my colleagues that it's important to respect the Standing Orders of the House of Commons. Sometimes they're not in the habit of doing so.
I felt it was important to read this letter because it shows that parliamentarians aren't the only ones who were concerned about the way the government conducted this public consultation and created separate committees in an attempt to positively influence public opinion. Here again, the government is very skilled at using public communications to manipulate public opinion in its favour. This strategy, which the government says is of critical importance, is yet another example of that.
There were also several questions about commercialization raised during the consultation. According to CUPE, the task force membership “appears to prioritize the interests of AI corporations over the public interest.” Indeed, in its letter to the minister, CUPE noted that, “while economic considerations are important, they should not overshadow social, labour, human rights and community-based concerns.” Therefore, it went on, “a balanced approach is essential to ensure that the updated Canadian AI strategy adequately addresses risks inherent in AI technology.”
In short, CUPE asked the government to extend the consultation period and to ensure a representative consultation process by “increasing representation on AI consultative bodies, including the taskforce and the Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence”. CUPE also asked the government to “[develop] a more comprehensive set of consultation questions that address the varied risks of AI.”
I'll let you guess how the government responded to these requests: zip, zilch, zero. The government didn't extend the consultation period or reconsider the task force membership. It may well have appointed those members itself.
Furthermore, in its submission for the consultation, CUPE made recommendations concerning five key areas in which artificial intelligence clearly plays a significant role. This is no small matter. CUPE, which represents 800,000 members, made these recommendations public.
For CUPE, “before responding to questions in the federal AI strategy survey, it is worth noting what questions are missing from the survey.” Go figure: The government consulted the public, but there were also questions prepared in advance. That's another thing that orients the strategies, and it suggests that the government had preconceived ideas and wanted the findings to line up. It did everything in its power to make that happen.
Anyway, in its brief, CUPE provided answers to several additional questions that, in its view, should have been integrated into the consultation on the artificial intelligence strategy.
The first recommendation in the brief is: “The Federal Government should introduce comprehensive laws and regulations that provide worker protection, ensure data privacy, enact climate change protections, ensure the sustainability of our energy systems and regulate private corporations.”
The second recommendation—