Information & Ethics committee  If it's a human source, a person, yes. That would be personal information of that person, yes.

Information & Ethics committee  Exactly. They're all covered by the Privacy Act, the CBC more recently, I believe, since 2006.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, that's my understanding. It's one of the exceptions to personal information in the Privacy Act.

Information & Ethics committee  Well, the person could make a complaint and we could investigate. Supposing it had been incorrectly released by CBC, we would deem the complaint well founded, but at that point there is no further sanction. That takes me into the question of Privacy Act review, which this commi

Information & Ethics committee  Not really, honourable member. I believe this is mostly an access to information issue. That's unless you're talking about some personal information, or...?

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, that is.

Information & Ethics committee  No.

Information & Ethics committee  The only liability is that they can be publicly named. If a complaint can be made, well founded, we can go to Federal Court, in fairly limited circumstances, to get an order, but there are no damages, for example. There are no specific sanctions on individuals who misuse personal

Information & Ethics committee  I am not an expert on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Act or on matters pertaining to the rights of journalists. However, it seems to me that, under the wording of the amendment introducing the new subsection 18.2(1) of the act, the CBC would be able to state that such disc

Information & Ethics committee  I believe that is the case. The CBC is not very high on the list of organizations that have been the subject of complaints filed with the Privacy Commissioner.

Information & Ethics committee  No, not in our view or that of the public, since it is the public who file the complaints.

Information & Ethics committee  I can't speak to the practice at CBC, but that's our reading of our obligations in terms of access to information legislation.

Information & Ethics committee  We make relatively little use of those sections. I have learned from reading certain Federal Court decisions that those sections could be drafted more clearly. Perhaps our general counsel can give you a better answer.

Information & Ethics committee  I believe our general counsel is in a better position than I to give you an answer.

Information & Ethics committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair and honourable members, thank you very much for inviting me here this afternoon for your study of Bill C-461, the CBC and public service disclosure and transparency act. As you said, Mr. Chair, the senior general counsel is with me in order to re