House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2000, with 56% of the vote.
Human Resources Development May 18th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member does not have to believe in me. Let us review again what the privacy commissioner said. He said: “Certainly, we are not aware, nor has it been brought to our attention, that the database has ever been compromised or access inappropriately obtained by virtue of deficiencies in security safeguards. For that your department should be commended”.
Human Resources Development May 18th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, again I want to make it absolutely clear that what we do is in the context of the laws of this land. There is no breaking of the law in this undertaking.
Surely the hon. member agrees that to use the access to information process, that which comes from an act of this parliament, is the appropriate thing to do when dealing with sensitive information.
Human Resources Development May 18th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, in this regard we have to ensure that the citizen asking for information is indeed the person that he or she purports to be. To use and benefit from the access to information process is the right strategy in this regard.
If the hon. member knows people who want to obtain this information, it is available, but it should be obtained through the access to information system.
Human Resources Development May 18th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, that same audit said that our processes and practices were satisfactory and in fact exceeded those of the private sector.
We all have to be careful when we talk about individual information. On this side of the House we are careful. On this side of the House we protect data.
I am wondering, when we find out that one of the leadership candidates for that member's party has been inappropriately collecting and using lists, if indeed she is talking to him about how appropriate it is to manage personal information in an effective way.
Human Resources Development May 18th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, again the opposition is mixing apples and oranges. It is trying to confuse Canadians. It is suggesting things that really are not there.
In the context of this audit we were looking at an information technology system and network that has nothing to do—nothing to do—with the program that the privacy commissioner focused upon. In that case it is a stand alone system. It is highly secure. There is very limited access to this information. The information is encrypted and it is secure.
Human Resources Development May 18th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, again we see that party fabricating and repeating misinformation.
Human Resources Development May 18th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, there is a Privacy Act in this country and it applies to its citizens. We respect it. The privacy commissioner himself has said that we are not breaking any laws.
The privacy commissioner has looked at the way we operate this file. He has said that there has never been a breach of information.
Indeed, we have to make sure that that secure system maintains itself into the future, and that is why it is important for us to continue to work with the privacy commissioner to ensure that is the case.
Human Resources Development May 18th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, precisely the issue of how Canadians know how the information they provide is used is important. That is one of the issues that the privacy commissioner makes reference to in his report and in the correspondence we have had with him. That is why I would like my department to sit with him and his department in a working group to determine how we can ensure that Canadians do know how their information is being used.
Human Resources Development May 18th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member may be referring to a reference by the auditor general to social insurance numbers. As I have told him and as I have made clear to the committee, we have taken significant action. We have reduced the number of social insurance files within the database. We have taken the references and the actions suggested by the auditor general in this case very seriously. The hon. member knows that.
Human Resources Development May 18th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman refuses to accept the facts. He refuses to accept that the audit was a focus on the administration of grants and contributions and that indeed we are fixing that.
He also refuses to accept, even though there is very evident proof, when we are informed of possible breaches, when there is a possibility that moneys may have been misused, that we take swift action, that we may indeed refer it to other authorities and then those authorities do their job.