Public Accounts committee  She stated that Sheila Fraser, the former AG, “summed up her impression of the [indigenous services department]'s actions after 10 years of audits [as]...'unacceptable'”. Keep in mind that this was in 2011. She continued, referring to the Auditor General at the time and to 15 years after the original audit: “Five years later, my predecessor, Michael Ferguson, used the words 'beyond unacceptable'”.

Finance committee  For context, intangible assets like intellectual property make up 70% of the value of firms listed on the TSX and over 90% on the S&P; 500. As such, Canada should incentivize early investment in IP development and protection so that firms maintain the ability to export into large markets. This is referred to as the freedom to operate, and it is critical for companies looking to scale, export, compete globally and ensure strong economic growth for the Canadian economy.

Science and Research committee  As we say at Western, impact takes many forms, from individual scholars creating and promoting knowledge to collaborative teams developing novel technologies and solutions to grand challenges, from researchers influencing policy to artists creating culture and bringing joy to our lives, and from efforts to understand the fundamental questions that drive curiosity to knowledge that supports the development of our business, legal, health and education systems. This is why I would echo the U15's recommendations to maintain the principle of the independent expert review process for research grant applications based on the established excellence and rigour of the federal granting councils; to invest in the core funding budgets of the federal granting councils and CFI; to increase federal funding for graduate scholarships and doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships by 50% and double the number of awards; and to implement the governance advancements to the research support system proposed in the Bouchard report.

Finance committee  This ignores that technological change is even better at lowering emissions while boosting economic growth, as the U.S. has demonstrated. The credibility of carbon tax advocates was damaged when academics claimed B.C.’s small 2008 carbon tax triggered a sharp drop reduction in gasoline sales. Supporters saw this drop as evidence emissions could be slashed with a small carbon tax, an exercise of hope triumphing over experience that economists are supposed to be immune to.

Justice committee  I'm just going to reread one sentence from there and ask you to comment on it. This is what the chief justice said: “The reality is that without s. 43, Canada’s broad assault law would criminalize force falling far short of what we think of as corporal punishment, like placing an unwilling child in a chair for a five-minute ‘time-out’”.

Justice committee  As mentioned already, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, writing for the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004, said: ...without s. 43, Canada’s broad assault law would criminalize force falling far short of what we think of as corporal punishment, like placing an unwilling child in a chair for a five-minute “time-out”.

Business of Supply  On page 75 of the 2024 B.C. budget, it states, “Budget 2023 implemented annual increases to the tax to align with federal requirements. B.C.’s carbon tax is currently at $65 per tonne, and will increase every April 1 by $15 per tonne until rates are equal to $170 per tonne in 2030.” He is telling us now that B.C.'s carbon tax will increase to comply with the Prime Minister's mandate.

Industry committee  Would you say this amendment, or even what we've offered before, is stronger or weaker than the U.K.'s protection of children in terms of what we have in front of us for this legislation? Do you have an opinion on that?

Industry committee  It goes on: The OECD Guidelines for Digital Service Providers; The Age Appropriate Design Code, or Children's Code, created by the U.K.'s Information Commissioner's Office; The resolution by data protection authorities from around the world on children's digital rights; France's Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés's— Excuse my French.

Government Operations committee  While it is important to focus on the specific, it's akin to managing the symptoms of an underlying problem without treating the underlying problem. If you're looking for the most recent and current example, there is Bill S-211, the child and forced labour private member's legislation. While all of the organizations represented on this panel strongly support the objectives of that bill, there was zero consultation on the guidance that was issued from the public safety department just before Christmas.

Government Operations committee  The proposal is included in our written submission today. Our proposal is modelled after the U.S.A.'s Border Interagency Executive Council, which was initiated under President Obama and continued under President Trump. Our proposed Canadian interagency border council would be responsible for vetting all existing and proposed regulations that could impact Canada's border.

Carbon Pricing  This is a Conservative private member's bill that they can prioritize at any moment and that they can bring to a vote in the House. It is up to them. Bill C-234's fate is decided on the Conservative side of the House.

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to the data security breach at Global Affairs Canada (GAC) which was reported around the end of January 2024: (a) how many users' information was impacted, in total and broken down by (i) GAC employees, (ii) government employees outside of GAC, (iii) the general public, (iv) diplomats from other countries; (b) on what date did GAC become aware of the data breach; (c) on what date were the impacted users informed of the breach; (d) if impacted users were not informed, why were they not informed; (e) for impacted users, what types of information were breached; (f) did the data breach only impact users who accessed the GAC-operated Secure Integrated Global Network (SIGNET) between December 30, 2023, and January 24, 2024, and, if not, what other users, time periods or networks were impacted; (g) what action, if any, did GAC take to prevent data security breaches in response to the December 2022 announcement by the United States Secret Service that entities working on behalf of the government of the People's Republic of China, including APT41, were hacking and conducting espionage; (h) is the actor(s) responsible for the data breach a state or non-state actor(s); and (i) what is the name of the actor(s) responsible for the data breach?

Industry committee  She previously had a role as the information commissioner for the United Kingdom in 2016, where she brought into oversight the board that administered the general data protection regulation, an important part of EU privacy and human rights law, which was also raised consistently at our meetings. While working as the U.K.'s information commissioner, she oversaw the creation of a children's appropriate design code, which has influenced the U.K.'s laws related to privacy. The GDPR's children's code of age-appropriate design assists organizations in creating digital services that cater to children's needs, respect their rights and foster their exploration and growth online.

Petitions  Online verification was the primary recommendation made by stakeholders during a 2017 study by the Standing Committee on Health. These petitioners call upon the House to adopt Bill S-210, the protecting young persons from exposure to pornography act.