Debates of Oct. 23rd, 2018

Democratic Reform

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to say a few additional words about the time allotted for debate on Bill C-76.

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs studied Bill C-76 for a lot of hours, heard from 57 witnesses, including multiple appearances from both the Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Canada and the Minister of Democratic Institutions.

Prior to the introduction of Bill C-76, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs spent hours studying the recommendations from the previous chief electoral officer's report from 2015. As a result of the committee's hard work and study on those recommendations, 84% of the findings that were studied are in this legislation.

The procedure and House affairs committee worked hard on the legislation and as a result of the great collaboration and amendments brought forward from all parties, I look forward to debating this further strengthened bill at report stage very soon.

Consumer Protection

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to follow up a question I asked with regard to digital privacy. It related to the fact there have been data breaches from Canada's major banks that have left 90,000 Canadian customers exposed. That is consistent with the type of problem we have had with the exposure of private information and other problems in the cyberworld.

One of the reasons for my Motion No. 175, a digital bill of rights, is that when I asked the minister a question on this, it was clear that the government's digital strategy is similar to trying to fix potholes. We have a problem with privacy issues and how much consumer protection there will be. There are several problems together, and the government is going through the CRTC, PIPEDA and other types of legislative means with an almost a spotty, fix-it approach to dealing with the new modern digital age. That is setting us back.

In fact, in terms of privacy alone, a number of different situations and breaches have taken place. I mentioned that the banks had exposed the private information of 90,000 Canadians in different ways. However, there are others: Uber, Equifax, Bell, Yahoo, eBay, Home Depot, Sony Pictures, Facebook and Twitter, just to name a few.

What I have been calling for in Motion No. 175, a digital bill of rights, is a way to bring about a set of rules and guiding principles for a new digital age. Any single piece of legislation will not do the job. Again, the government is approaching this in a very piecemeal way at this time, when we need a much more sophisticated and robust discussion with regard to a new digital age. Therefore, with regard to a digital bill of rights, Motion No. 175, which we tabled, there have been consultations with consumer society, with academic society and with the business sector to ensure that the bill of rights would deal with a number of issues.

One of the things we start with is universal affordable access to digital services. This is very important. As we have seen most recently, the CRTC even backs away from allowing the idea and concept of equal services being provided.

Transparency in billing is another issue that is very important so that people know what they are purchasing.

The private sector needs to make sure that information is protected, as we are talking about with regard to cybersecurity as well.

We are also talking about enshrining net neutrality and making sure that our privacy rights in the digital world must be equivalent to those in the physical world. Our individual and family data must also be protected.

We deal with all of those issues in Motion No. 175. I hope the government takes this opportunity to be more robust in its approach to the new digital age, because it is an opportunity that should not escape us.

[David Lametti, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to the comments made earlier by the hon. member for Windsor West concerning consumer protection and privacy.

I very much appreciate the work that the member for Windsor West does on the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology. We are all delighted by his oratorical skills. I admire his passion for the subject.

Our government is perfectly aware of how important it is to establish strong and effective rules to protect personal information. That is becoming more and more obvious in this digital age where every aspect of the economy and global society are becoming interconnected.

I am proud to say that Canada has a robust, internationally recognized privacy regime. The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, or PIPEDA, was implemented to enhance Canadians' confidence in the digital economy.

This law helps us to achieve that goal by establishing robust yet flexible rules to protect personal information that apply both online and off. They strike a balance between individual privacy rights and businesses' need for information in support of their legitimate practices.

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada, who is an independent officer of Parliament, monitors compliance with PIPEDA. The commissioner's office is currently investigating a number of high-profile incidents.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development is responsible for the administration of PIPEDA, including amendments to the act and its regulation.

Our government recently made changes to strengthen PIPEDA. Effective November 1, businesses must inform Canadians of the loss or theft of personal information and their exposure to a risk of harm.

Businesses will also be required to report any data breach and to keep a register of breaches of personal information for two years. These new requirements will allow individuals to take the necessary steps to protect themselves. They will also be an incentive for organizations to implement better information security practices.

In 2017, our Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics colleagues conducted an in-depth study of PIPEDA and released a report on their findings in February 2018. The report included 19 recommendations, including legislative amendments in four main areas. The recommendations had to do with issues around consent, online reputation, the Privacy Commissioner's enforcement powers, and Canada's status in the eyes of the European Union as a government that provides adequate protection for personal information.

In its response, the government recognized that changes are required to ensure that rules around data are clear and enforceable and to support the level of privacy protection Canadians expect. The response also emphasized the importance of enlisting Canadians to help strike a balance, and as the government, that is what we are going to do.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government has moved on some items that have been important and the Privacy Commissioner's office is very important. I appreciate the work that is getting done there and the expansion of their support.

However, the reality is that in the new digital age we require a more robust analysis in development. That is why Motion No. 175, as I have tabled, deals with universal access, fees that are transparent, security issues, cybersecurity, net neutrality, enshrinement, privacy rights, personal data rights, contracts we understand, cyber-bullying as well as open data and all of those things that are important.

I will conclude with a quote from Jim Balsillie, the chair of the Council of Canadian Innovators, that summarizes where we are at. He states:

Canadians need to be formally empowered in this new type of [digital] economy, because it affects our entire lives. For our democracy, security, and economy, Canadian citizens, not unaccountable multinational tech giants, need to control the data that we and our institutions generate.

I would hope we do that.

[David Lametti, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is correct to say that there are many issues on the table, and he has highlighted a large number of them. For the part of the government, there are a number of studies and collaborations ongoing, the largest one being our current consultation on data across the country. This will form another part of the information and evidence we have in front of us to try to manage a great number of these issues. We look forward to working with the hon. member in the future toward the resolution of this balance.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 8:18 p.m.)