Information & Ethics committee  If I may, I think GDPR is an excellent step forward. I think the control elements of personal data and the portability and the consent aspects, and I believe the shift to more algorithmic integrity, are great steps forward. I think that's really powerful. I think all the folks around this committee should reflect on the fact that, I believe, under article 8 of the EU constitution they've drafted GDPR as a universal human right so I, as a Canadian, can demand all my data controlled from Canada under EU law or they're breaking European legislation.

Information & Ethics committee  I'll begin. I'll bookend it. I think you have a forum here where you're learning from each other, and it's too much to ask for each individual to learn by themselves. Plus, these companies are very sophisticated at playing you off one another, so I would encourage you to find a way to institutionalize your forum as something that others can join and preserve so that you can manifest best practices.

Information & Ethics committee  I agree with Roger that it needs to be in both sectors, but if there's one that's uniquely pernicious it's the underpinnings of our democracy. I think there needs to be complete transparency of all activities between political parties and these platforms. I think political parties should be under privacy legislation.

Information & Ethics committee  Sure. I'm talking about those who are buying the ads. Really, the core problem here is that when they're ad driven—you've heard extremely expert testimony on this—they'll do whatever it takes to get more eyeballs. The subscription-based model is a much safer place to be, because it's not attention driven.

Information & Ethics committee  That's the best news possible, because as everyone has attested here, the purpose of surveillance capitalism is to undermine personal autonomy. Elections and democracy are centred on the sovereign self, exercising a sovereign will. Why in the world would you want to undermine the core bedrock of an election in a non-transparent fashion to the highest bidder at the very time your whole citizenry is on the line?

Information & Ethics committee  History will be very kind to those who are taking the leadership, like those around this table, and it will judge very harshly those who succumbed to their personal insecurities to be razzle-dazzled by these folks. Of course you can regulate. You have all the power to regulate. Of course you can.

Information & Ethics committee  I think you create liability, whether it's through class action or an individual or whether it's through regulators. I assure you, if it's corporate, that's one liability, but if it's personal and it ensnares.... The other thing is that it's one thing to be the CEO who is liable.

Information & Ethics committee  One thing I can assure you is that when a board of directors or a CEO has to sign an attestation whereby they're personally liable, whether it's civil or criminal, I guarantee you, that sobers the mind and introduces a form of prudence and conservatism into their behaviour. If you introduce that tort or criminal construct and you get an attestation they have to sign, and if the citizens have the ability to be compensated for that, I assure you, that focuses the mind in the corporate boardrooms of tech companies and others, in my experience.

Information & Ethics committee  Thank you. Co-chairs Zimmer and Collins and committee members, it's my honour and privilege to testify today. Data governance is the most important public policy issue of our time. It is cross-cutting, with economic, social and security dimensions. It requires both national policy frameworks and international coordination.

Information & Ethics committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I will take less than that because I will be giving formal comments to the committee tomorrow. Mr. Chairman and committee members, it's my honour and privilege to testify today to such distinguished public leaders. Data governance is the most important public policy issue of our time.