Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the hon. member, which relates more to the human aspect of this bill.
When reading the amendment we proposed, one realizes that the bill really does little to protect those it covers against possible undue solicitation. I refer, for example, to the fact that the person giving unauthorized sources access to a beneficiary's personal information, for commercial purposes, telemarketing or whatever, would not be liable to prosecution under the Criminal Code. This would open up quite a window of opportunity to those wanting to take advantage of clients who might be more vulnerable to such an approach.
Does the hon. member not fear that, if we adopt this bill, we might create another situation like the one we now face under the Unemployment Insurance Act, concerning the entitlement of related people working for the same employer, for example, and where there is something akin to harassment from Revenue Canada? In these cases, studies and inquiries might be more justified, but in others, they may not be. One thing is certain, this is time-consuming.
Does the hon. member not think that this bill, as presented, might subject the elderly to the difficult situation that UI recipients are now facing? Second, as I said, will we not be subjecting the elderly to a series of solicitations, due to the fact that some people could have a financial interest in communicating the lists of those concerned by the legislation?