Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in my speech, there is a real danger of losing control. The danger is that a restrictive card will turn into a multiple use or multi-purpose card.
I would like to quote the Privacy Commissioner who had the same concerns. He reminded us, not so long ago, and I quote:
Just remember that income taxes were supposed to be a temporary measure to help finance the First World War. And Social Insurance Numbers were only supposed to be used for administering the social insurance system.
So we have to be very careful whenever someone proposes to limit our right to privacy, just for a little while or just because the benefits will be very attractive.
I would also point out that the privacy Commissioner told us, and I will quote only one passage:
I cannot find any justification for establishing a national identity card, especially because it is totally useless in the fight against terrorism.
We must be careful with this kind of card because there is a clear danger of using a restrictive card for multiple purposes. I think that protecting privacy is the underlying foundation of the rule of law, which Canadians and Quebeckers espouse, and I think that this card would be the first step on the slippery slop to invading that privacy.
I do not believe that this kind of card can resolve the various problems that exist, naturally, and I am convinced that it is not the best way for the government to reach its objectives.