Information & Ethics committee  In our investigation process, we will identify with the departments the issues that we're looking into. We're going to ask them questions. We're going to ask them for documentation, and we're going to look to see if their practices are compliant with the elements in terms of the use, the collection, the disclosure and the safeguards.

Information & Ethics committee  One of the areas in the Privacy Act that I would hope to see changed in future modernization of the act is that I do not currently have the ability to make orders, binding legal orders vis-à-vis a department of the government. I would make recommendations, and I would identify if there are shortcomings.

Information & Ethics committee  Thank you. We're doing a lot of things. We're working very closely with our provincial and territorial partners. This is one of the elements I'm very proud of in terms of our close collaboration. We've issued, for instance, a joint resolution on the responsible use of AI, setting out our expectations in terms of privacy practices vis-à-vis AI.

Information & Ethics committee  Following your letter, on March 19 I announced that I will be investigating allegations of privacy concerns following a complaint against the Canada Border Services Agency related to the development of the ArriveCAN mobile app. The investigation will examine contracting practices related to ArriveCAN and, more specifically, the measures that were in place to protect personal information during the development of the app, in order to assess compliance with the Privacy Act, which applies to federal departments and agencies.

Information & Ethics committee  I do not. We work to complete this investigation in as timely a manner as possible, but we seek answers and submissions. We consider them, and we will be working to complete this as quickly as we can.

Information & Ethics committee  I don't have concerns to raise on that front. There are powers under the act that would allow me to obtain information if I needed it.

Information & Ethics committee  We are examining the contracting practices. We're examining the measures in place to protect personal information during the development of that app, and we're going to be assessing compliance with the Privacy Act provisions. If we see concerns there, we're going to raise those and flag those.

Information & Ethics committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Members of the committee, I'm pleased to be here today to discuss the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's main estimates for fiscal year 2024-25 and to describe the work of my office to protect and promote the fundamental right to privacy of Canadians.

Information & Ethics committee  We are very active in certain communities in Canada and internationally to keep up with developments. Some privacy communities also involve the industry, which presents its products. At our office, we have a technology laboratory that keeps abreast of the latest developments in technology.

Information & Ethics committee  You're right. Young people are very familiar with technology, probably better than older people in some cases. We need to strengthen the awareness of privacy though, among young people and their parents alike. I am thinking of parents who overshare, for instance, since parents often post information on social media.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, and that's one of the things that I would look at also in the context of a privacy impact assessment: getting those details. What's the context? What are the safeguards?

Information & Ethics committee  Thank you. I have taken note of all of those elements, and we will follow up and report back to you.

Information & Ethics committee  In the strategic statement that we published last week and that I will forward to the committee, we talked about three priorities. The first is modernizing the office and maximizing its impact through new legislation. At the very least, if there is no new legislation, we will have to examine how to protect privacy as much as possible.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes. I agree with that.

Information & Ethics committee  In the context of the private sector, I've clearly recommended order-making powers and fines in appropriate cases—and not because I want to issue fines. I want them to be a possibility because it focuses the mind of the decision-maker. In government, I would hope that's not required for government departments, but it always—