Information & Ethics committee  That's simply because they are still within the time frame that we gave them to answer.

Information & Ethics committee  In part we're trying to determine the legality of the practices of departments, but more importantly we want to obtain this concrete information to inform both parliamentarians and the public about how this legislation is applied so that we can have a more informed public debate on these issues.

Information & Ethics committee  We issued a discussion paper in January on reputation and privacy generally. It is broader than the right to be forgotten, but it includes the right to be forgotten. We have sought the views of stakeholders, academics, experts, and the public regarding the issue, and we are examining the issue.

Information & Ethics committee  You're starting with an easy question.

Information & Ethics committee  Of course, I would start this with the need to balance security and privacy. Privacy here would be in the form of safeguards, in technological terms, to protect the personal information of individuals on the Internet, and these safeguards rely, to an important degree, on encryption.

Information & Ethics committee  Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I am delighted to appear before you today to introduce the work of my office and share with you our priorities for the coming years. The mission of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is to protect and promote the privacy rights of individuals.

Information & Ethics committee  As far as private businesses go, we have held some consultations with telecommunications companies. I would say that the overall response has been rather positive. Most of the companies are willing to release that information, within certain parameters, of course. I think there is some room for improvement in that sense.

Information & Ethics committee  When the budget remains the same and we are given new responsibilities, such as those we will have to assume in the coming months under Bills S-4 and C-51, a choice clearly must be made. My concern is that we will have to do less in other areas. I have a specific example. If we were to prioritize monitoring the implementation of Bill C-51 by carrying out investigations and providing government departments with advice, we would have fewer employees available to provide similar advice on immigration, border control and other issues.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes. We plan, for instance, to provide more guidance to small and medium-sized businesses. We find that although they don't have a perfect record, large companies are better at protecting privacy, particularly in terms of breaches, although there are instances of problems even with large companies.

Information & Ethics committee  I'm not seeking it right now. My point is that—

Information & Ethics committee  My point is this: we have to deal with complaints, and they're growing. We have a number of means to address them efficiently. That's one side of the picture. What I'm referring to when I say we have new responsibilities is mostly new statutory responsibilities, under Bill S-4, to receive and advise on reports that we will receive from companies when there are privacy breaches.

Information & Ethics committee  Sure. When we consulted either the general public or stakeholders, but particularly the general public, the risk of identity theft was one of the biggest concerns among the general population. We certainly plan to have public education initiatives to inform the public about these risks.

Information & Ethics committee  I'll give you a bit of a long answer, as short as possible. The worst consequence, I would say, would be that under the Privacy Act regime the treatment time of complaints is growing because of limited capacity. That said, we closed more files last year than we received so the backlog has decreased in the last year.

Information & Ethics committee  On the whole, I think Bill S-4 is a positive development. It contains a number of positive aspects, including newly granted enforcement powers. Agreements could be applied more directly. Overall, we feel that Bill S-4 is positive. I did recommend a few amendments to the bill that were rejected, especially the ones related to legal access and information disclosure to police authorities by telecommunications companies.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes. In terms of volume, there has been a significant increase in the number of complaints under both the Privacy Act and under PIPEDA, if we look at a period of several years. In the last year the increase under the Privacy Act has been less important, approximately 10%. Under PIPEDA, the private sector legislation, it has been more important.