Public Safety committee  The consultations on the justice parts of the bill ran from November to February, I believe, and prior to that, there were consultations done by our colleagues in Public Safety on the registry. I believe they started in May 2023, if memory serves.

Public Safety committee  What I would draw your attention to is the definition of “essential infrastructure” in the bill: “a facility or system, whether public or private, that provides or distributes services that are essential”. I think it would be a question of the specific facts and the operational state of that infrastructure.

Public Safety committee  I'll just correct you. It's a maximum 10-year sentence for sabotage when committed by way of indictment.

Public Safety committee  I'll make a few remarks, and if my colleague has more to supplement them, he can do that. I will admit that I am not familiar with your private member's bill, but I'm going to guess, based on how you've described it, that what you're talking about is adding political belief to the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Public Safety committee  Okay. The Canadian Human Rights Act is a bit different, in the sense that it applies to relationships between private individuals and discrimination that may take place there. The stuff we have in the bill would not cover those scenarios unless there is a link to a foreign entity, if that makes sense.

Public Safety committee  Perhaps I'll just clarify the terms. Discrimination, normally, is how you provide goods and services in the sense of the Canadian Human Rights Act. My colleague can supplement this, but I think what could potentially apply here is if, for example, you are doing something as the landlord, the direction and benefit from and association with the foreign entity could potentially be covered by the new general foreign interference offence.

Public Safety committee  As is the normal practice, the Minister of Justice will be tabling a charter statement that will outline the potential implications on rights and freedoms protection under the charter from Bill C-70. I don't believe it's been tabled yet, but as per the practice, that would be our expectation.

Public Safety committee  Thanks, Sarah, As my colleagues have said, the idea in Bill C-70 is to really build the tool kit for the government to respond to foreign interference. The work that Public Safety Canada has done to establish a registry is one piece, and obviously the proposed offences we have in the Security of Information Act are another part of that.

Public Safety committee  Good morning. Thank you very much, Chair. I'm here to speak to the Department of Justice Canada proposals in Bill C-70 that amend the Security of Information Act, the Criminal Code and the Canada Evidence Act. The Security of Information Act, or the SOIA, as I'll call it, is the primary legislation dealing with foreign interference.