Information & Ethics committee  If I may add a few words here, I think the Lobbying Act is quite specific about lobbying activities being in relation to payment with public office-holders in relation to the enumerated types of activities—such as changing a statute, changing policy, a grant—that are set out in sections 5 and 7 of the Lobbying Act. The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying has always said, and I think it's clear, that if there are allegations or facts, they are looked into. And that's the policy: to look into everything. I think in the member's question with respect to a lobbyist speaking to a party official who is not a public office-holder, that's not lobbying as contemplated in the act.

Official Languages committee  You say there have been more comments, but there has been an additional campaign, and that probably explains that increase. I don't think it's clear that you can complain; that leaves something to be desired. The little card that we used to have was more effective. It's not just a matter of service; it's also a matter of safety. It's all well and good to have bilingual videos, but I think all passengers have to follow employees' instructions when there's an incident.

Foreign Affairs committee  In a lot of these instances the allegations remain unclarified. It has not been possible to get clear about where the responsibility lies. But there is no question that in these operations we hear of contested claims to land, concerns that indigenous peoples aren't being adequately consulted, and other things.

Information & Ethics committee  On the question of expanded powers, previously the act talked about the fact that I could look into doing investigations under the code of conduct. It wasn't clear under the act that I actually had the ability to look into infractions of the act. You may recall that, as I mentioned in one of my previous appearances, there was a court case that actually questioned the previous registrar's ability to look into infractions of the act.

Information & Ethics committee  This is likely due to the new monthly communications reports. The Lobbying Act provides the Commissioner of Lobbying with a clear mandate for education and outreach so that Parliamentarians, Canadians, departments and agencies, and lobbyists have a better understanding of the act. This annual report provides details on the development and implementation of a comprehensive education and awareness strategy.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  To this end, the FCRO received funding of some $13.7 million over two years in Budget 2009 to support the development of harmonized standards and clear pathways to form credential recognition for targeted occupations beginning overseas; to strengthen the scope of the overseas platform to support and implement the first ministers' commitment; and to develop a pan-Canadian information centre, in essence a website that will showcase and promote the sharing of promising foreign credential recognition practices across the country.

Finance committee  Thank you. I just want to say one thing in response. I think it's important for us to make it clear that we don't want to set these up as competing priorities. We recognize the great importance of enforcement while saying as well that we think more needs to be invested in prevention.

Investigative Powers for the 21st Century Act  Before I conclude, I would like to take a minute to discuss the global nature of many of these issues and the importance of ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime and its additional protocol on xenophobia and racism. As I mentioned before, it is clear that technologies like cellphones and the Internet have had a huge effect on our lives. We also know that these technologies have, in a sense, made the world a much smaller place. Thanks to the Internet, it has become possible to commit a crime in Japan while sitting comfortably in an armchair in Sarnia.

Finance committee  That's not a statistic I have. I'm not entirely clear on the statistic involving intellectual disability versus learning disability versus.... I mean, there are a number of ways it can be sliced up.

Justice committee  Borovoy's concern, I do believe that at the front of the process the language of section 13 appears vague, but I think the reality is that through judicial interpretation.... There are limits to the ability of a body, any body, to provide a clear definition to what counts as hate speech that ought to be prohibited or regulated, but I think it has been significantly narrowed through judicial interpretation. With that said, my problem is not so much with the language as with the location of a prohibition of this kind within a process and with its being given over to a body that's responsible for regulating discrimination more broadly.

Justice committee  Rathgeber that the definition of demonization and dehumanization is subjective. I believe sufficient studies have been done over numerous decades that have provided very clear, objective criteria to determine whether or not there's a pattern of demonization and dehumanization of an identifiable group.

Justice committee  It's also important as an assistance to impressionable people to understand that what's going on here is beyond the realm of all reasonable debate. Would taking down these websites prevent that sort of desecration? It's not clear to me whether it would or it wouldn't. It seems intuitively to be correct that the less the Internet becomes a forum--at least locally--for this sort of incitement, the better, and the more likely it is that people will be respectful.

Investigative Powers for the 21st Century Act  Not only are the new technologies useful and efficient, but they are also unavoidable. They are present in every aspect of our lives. It is clear that criminals are taking advantage of the new technologies as much as anyone else. They use these technologies to facilitate their criminal activities. Criminals use email and websites to distribute child pornography.

Finance committee  Events have overtaken us a little bit with respect to that, because the Minister of the Environment has made it clear that we're not going to see an advanced vehicle scrappage program like they have in the United States with the cash-for-clunkers program. We respect that decision, but we feel it's important to highlight a couple of public policy elements of that decision and the overall need to support getting older vehicles off the road.

Natural Resources committee  Chair. With seven minutes, could you please be succinct in your answers? Dr. Duguay was pretty clear as to what he thought of the CANDU. It was dangerous, unstable, risky, or whatever you want to state about it. This is to Mr. Lamarre, in general, and then also to Mr. MacKinnon, slightly differently.