Mr. Speaker, the information highway is unquestionably the technological issue of the day. Once completed, the information highway will bring together telephone, cable and computer technology with a view to providing a wide range of interactive services to consumers.
The information highway will alter consumer, work and education habits and impact on the private lives of Canadians and Quebecers.
Therefore, the Minister of Industry must commit publicly to holding public, open, transparent and accessible hearings on this subject, not consultations behind closed doors, as the committee is expected to hold.
As Ottawa prepares to put in place the administrative machinery to manage the information highway, protecting the privacy of Canadians and Quebecers must be one of the federal government's main concerns.