Committee
Consult the user guide
For assistance, please contact us
Consult the user guide
For assistance, please contact us
Add search criteria
Results: 1 - 15 of 5029
Guy Cormier
View Guy Cormier Profile
Guy Cormier
2019-07-15 15:45
Thank you very much.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security. I'm joined this afternoon by Denis Berthiaume, Senior Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, and Bernard Brun, Vice-President, Government Relations, Desjardins Group.
First, I want to say that, at Desjardins, we were ambivalent about this exceptional committee meeting.
On the one hand, this meeting may seem premature, since we're in the process of managing this situation and the police investigations are ongoing. It's far too early to assess the situation. As such, we intend to tell you everything that we know, but in a way that won't interfere with the ongoing investigations.
On the other hand, we see this special meeting as an opportunity to inform legislators and the public about the security of personal information and the need to rethink the concept of digital identity in Canada. In my reflection process, this point prevailed.
First, I'll state the obvious. What happened at Desjardins has happened elsewhere and could happen again in any private company or public organization whose mission involves personal information management. We can think of several banks around the world, such as the American bank Chase, Sun Trust, the Korea Credit Bureau, or a number of government entities in Canada and the United States, to name a few, that have been the victims of malicious employees.
Desjardins is a leading financial institution and one of the largest cooperative financial groups in the world, with more than $300 billion in assets. In 2015, Bloomberg ranked the Desjardins Group as the strongest financial institution in North America, ahead of all Canadian banks. In other words, even the best aren't immune, and we believe that this message must be heard.
Personally, I've been working at the Desjardins Group for 27 years. I chose this organization at the start of my career because the financial institution has managed, after nearly 120 years, to successfully combine the economic and social aspects of our society.
The malicious actions of one employee led to this deplorable situation. That employee has now been dismissed. He violated all the rules of our cooperative. In this situation, we acted as quickly as possible and as transparently as possible, with the sole objective of protecting the interests of our members. That was our priority.
On June 20, a few days after learning of the extent of the situation, we went public and shared all the information available, in conjunction with the police forces. At that time, we also announced the measures implemented to address the privacy breach.
We've taken all the necessary measures to address the situation. We quickly implemented additional monitoring and protection measures to protect the personal and financial information of our members and clients. We informed all the relevant authorities, including the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec, the Autorité des marchés financiers, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, and the Quebec and federal departments of finance.
We've implemented additional measures to confirm the identity of individuals when they contact us. We're constantly monitoring all our members' accounts. The procedures for confirming the identity of our members and clients when they call the Desjardins caisses, Desjardins Business centres and our AccèsD call centre have also been the focus of additional measures.
We contacted the affected members through the AccèsD private messaging system and by personalized letter, to inform them of the situation and of the steps that they needed to take.
We've also added extra measures to help with the activation of the Equifax monitoring package. The affected members can now register in four ways. They can register on the Equifax website, through the AccèsD telephone service, through the AccèsD web and mobile application, and directly in our Desjardins caisses by speaking with their advisor.
We're actively working with the different police forces. Lastly, we're working with external experts to continue to protect our members' personal information.
I can confirm that we acted diligently. After we received information from the Laval police service, we conducted an internal investigation and quickly traced the source of the breach to a single employee. The employee was suspended and then dismissed.
At this time, our main priority is to reassure, assist, support and protect each and every member affected by the situation.
Again this morning, we announced new protection measures for all our members. In this digital age, we at Desjardins believe that all our members must be protected.
As I was saying, Desjardins announced this morning that, from now on, all members of our cooperative will be protected from unauthorized financial transactions and identity theft. Membership is automatic and free of charge, regardless of whether they've been affected by the data breach. Since this morning, Desjardins has been protecting all its individual and corporate members. This sets a precedent in the financial services world in Canada. We're the first institution to take this step. In this situation, Desjardins is acting with rigour, a sense of duty and the willingness to honour its special relationship with its members.
We've entered an age where data is a resource on par with water, wood and the raw material needed to run entire sectors of our economy. Data is now the raw material for a whole innovative economy that will lead to tremendous productivity gains and make life easier for Canadians.
Canada is a few months away from the implementation of 5G mobile connectivity, which will increase the flow of data tenfold. According to experts, this ultra-fast connectivity will lead to futuristic applications related to artificial intelligence. Canada is already among the world leaders in this area with its three hubs, Montreal, Toronto and Edmonton. In addition, as we speak, the Department of Finance Canada is in the process of conducting a consultation on open banking, which would help open up the transactional sector. Several European countries have already made the shift.
I'll humbly ask you, the legislators, the following questions.
Is Canada currently well equipped to manage these promising technological developments, which also involve new risks? Should our identification systems be adapted to the digital age to ensure the protection of privacy and to better deal with cybercriminals? This issue is the whole notion of digital identity, which I referred to a few minutes ago.
I want to respectfully point out that these are real issues raised by the situation at Desjardins.
In closing, I want to make a proposal. I'd like to invite the committee to recommend to the Government of Canada the creation of an ad hoc multi-stakeholder working group to advise the government on how to regulate the management of personal data and digital identities. We believe that a group that listens to Canadians' concerns should at least include representatives of governments, the financial services and insurance sector, and the telecommunications sector, along with jurists and experts, or any other group that the government deems it appropriate to involve in the reflection process.
The mandate of this committee should consist of advising the government on legislation and regulations; ensuring the protection of the public; encouraging innovative technological development for the benefit of Canadians and communities; and ensuring the strategic monitoring of best practices around the world, so that Canada is always up to date.
I personally believe that Canada can't pursue excellence in digital technology and artificial intelligence without having the same ambition for data and personal information management. We must all learn from the current situation at the Desjardins Group.
Thank you.
View Amarjeet Sohi Profile
Lib. (AB)
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and good afternoon, everyone.
I first of all want to acknowledge something that is on everyone's mind today, which is the passing of a colleague and a friend to many. On behalf of our government and my family, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family of Mark Warawa, my colleague, and to our colleagues from the Conservative Party and many others who have lost a friend today.
I would also like to take a moment to recognize that I am speaking to you from Treaty No. 7 territory. Such acknowledgements are important, particularly when we are meeting to talk about doing resource development the right way. Our government's approach to the Trans Mountain expansion project and the start of the construction season is a great example of that—of resource development done right.
Let me also begin by recognizing that I know this expansion project inspires strong opinions on both sides—for and against—and with respect to both sides of the debate, I want to assure everyone that our government took the time required to do the hard work necessary to hear all voices, to consider all evidence and to be able to follow the guidance we received from the Federal Court of Appeal last August.
That included asking the National Energy Board to reconsider its recommendation, taking into account the environmental impact of project-related marine shipping. It also included relaunching phase III consultations with indigenous groups potentially impacted by the project, by doing things differently and engaging in a meaningful two-way dialogue.
On that note, I would like to take a moment to sincerely thank the many indigenous communities that welcomed me into their communities for meetings over the last several months. I appreciate your openness, your honesty and your constructive ideas and sincerity of views.
Honourable members, no matter where you stand on TMX, this decision is a positive step forward for all Canadians. It shows how in 2019, good projects can move forward when we do the hard work necessary to meet our duty to consult indigenous peoples and when we take concrete action to protect the environment for our kids, grandkids and future generations.
When we came into office, we took immediate steps to fix the broken review system the Conservatives left behind. When the risks made it too difficult for the private sector to move forward, we stepped in to save the project. When the Federal Court of Appeal made its decision back in August of 2018, we made the choice to move forward in the right way.
When we finished this process, we were able to come to the right decision to deliver for workers in our energy sector, for Albertans and for all Canadians, a decision to support a project that will create jobs, diversify markets, support clean energy and open up new avenues for indigenous economic prosperity in the process.
Where do we go from here, now that the expansion has been approved? While these are still early days, we have a clear path forward for construction to begin this season and beyond. The Prime Minister laid out a lot of this on Tuesday afternoon as he announced our decision. Minister Morneau expanded on some of these details when he was in Calgary yesterday, talking about the road ahead and about launching exploratory discussions with indigenous groups interested in economic participation and about using TMX's revenues to ensure Canada is a leader in providing more energy choices.
We have also heard from the Trans Mountain Corporation about both its readiness and its ambition to get started on construction. Ian Anderson, the CEO of the Trans Mountain Corporation, made this very clear yesterday.
That's also what I heard when I visited with Trans Mountain Corporation workers yesterday in Edmonton. There were a number of contractors there. They are ready to proceed on the expansion of the Edmonton terminal, as well as on many of the pumping stations that are required to be built in this expansion.
The message is clear. We want to get shovels in the ground this season, while continuing to do things differently in the right way.
The NEB will soon issue an amended certificate of public convenience and necessity for the project. It will also ensure that TMC has met the NEB's binding pre-construction conditions. The Trans Mountain Corporation, meanwhile, will continue to advance its applications for municipal, provincial and federal permits. We stand ready to get the federal permits moving.
As all of that is happening, our government continues to consult with indigenous groups, building and expanding our dialogue with indigenous groups as part of phase IV consultations by discussing the potential impacts of the regulatory process on aboriginal and treaty rights and by working with indigenous groups to implement the eight accommodation measures that were co-developed during consultations, including building marine response capacity, restoring fish and fish habitats, enhancing spill prevention, monitoring cumulative effects and conducting further land studies.
We are also moving forward with the NEB's 16 recommendations for enhancing marine safety, protecting species at risk, improving how shipping is managed and boosting emergency response.
What is the bottom line? There is no doubt that there are a lot of moving parts. This is a project that stretches over 1,000 kilometres, but it is moving forward in the right way, as we have already proven with our $1.5-billion oceans protection plan, our $167-million whale initiative, our additional $61.5 million to protect the southern resident killer whale, and our investment of all of the new corporate tax revenues, as well as profits earned from the sale of TMX, in the clean energy projects that will power our homes, businesses and communities for generations to come.
Before making a decision, we needed to be satisfied that we had met our constitutional obligations, including our legal duty to consult with indigenous groups potentially affected by the project, upholding the honour of the Crown and addressing the issues identified by the Federal Court of Appeal last summer.
We have done that. We accomplished this by doing the hard work required by the court, not by invoking sections of the Constitution that don't apply or by launching fruitless appeals, both of which would have taken longer than the process we brought in.
While Conservatives were focused on making up solutions that wouldn't work, we focused on moving this process forward in the right way. We have confirmation of that, including from the Honourable Frank Iacobucci, former Supreme Court justice, who was appointed as a federal representative to provide us with oversight and direction on the revised consultation and accommodation process.
I will close where I began, which is by saying that we have done the hard work necessary to move forward on TMX in the right way, proving that Canada can get good resource projects approved and that we can grow the economy and deliver our natural resources to international markets to support workers, their families and their communities, all while safeguarding the environment, investing in clean growth and advancing reconciliation with indigenous peoples.
Mr. Chair, I think this is a good place to stop and invite questions.
Thank you so much once again for having me here today.
View Kent Hehr Profile
Lib. (AB)
Just prior to my asking questions of the minister, I'd like to applaud the chair for his exceptional work and leadership for this committee. You've done excellent work.
Some hon. members: Hear, hear!
Hon. Kent Hehr: Minister, it's a thrill to have you back. I was in Calgary yesterday for Minister Morneau's presentation and his address to the Economic Club of Canada in Calgary. The excitement was present in the air, and there was a hop in the step of people in the room, which was good to see.
I think it's fair to say that last year's Federal Court of Appeal decision came somewhat out of the blue. The court said—and it was clear—that we needed to do our indigenous consultation better and our environmental considerations better.
I was chatting with Hannah Wilson in my office this morning, and I learned that this is happening not only here in Canada but also in the United States. In the case of Keystone XL, Enbridge Line 3 and other energy projects around the United States, the courts have been clear that this is the way things need to be done. Our government is trying to see that through, with indigenous consultation and environmental protections being at the forefront.
What was done differently this time, in consideration of the court decision that we were working with?
View Amarjeet Sohi Profile
Lib. (AB)
The process we put in place this time was quite different from what was done in past consultations.
First of all, we co-developed the engagement process with input from indigenous communities. We provided proper training to our staff and we doubled the capacity of our consultation teams. They worked tirelessly to engage in a meaningful two-way dialogue.
We also provided participation funding to indigenous communities so they could properly participate in the consultation process. We held more meetings and we met with indigenous communities in their communities. I personally held 45 meetings with indigenous communities and met with more than 65 leaders to listen to and engage with their concerns.
I am very proud of the outcome. We are offering accommodations to indigenous communities to deal with their concerns over fish, fish habitat, protection of cultural sites and burial grounds, as well as issues related to oil spills, the health of the Salish Sea, the southern resident killer whales, underwater noise and many others.
The accommodations we are offering, Mr. Chair, actually go beyond mitigating the impact of this project and will also go a long way toward resolving some of the issues and repairing some of the damage that has been done through industrial development in the Salish Sea. They will respond to many of the outstanding issues that communities have identified, related not only to this project but also to many of the other cumulative effects of the development that communities have experienced.
View Jamie Schmale Profile
CPC (ON)
Thank you, Chair.
It seems the Liberals want it both ways here. They want to criticize this process, yet they approved the pipeline a few years ago in 2016.
I cannot understand how you want to have it both ways. You talk about indigenous consultation. Kinder Morgan had 51 indigenous groups that had signed benefit agreements. Because of your government's handling of this file, it went down to 42, and now you're expecting us to pat you on the back because it's at 48. I can't figure this one out.
View Amarjeet Sohi Profile
Lib. (AB)
I think it is very important, and I will encourage the honourable member to look at the Federal Court of Appeal decision. The appeal was very clear that when the decision was made to not undertake the study of tanker traffic and its impact on the marine environment, it was done completely under the Stephen Harper government.
We were in a good process—
View Jamie Schmale Profile
CPC (ON)
We're talking about consultation. You could have used the transport report as your transportation study. You chose not to. We're talking about consultation here.
View Amarjeet Sohi Profile
Lib. (AB)
You cannot do that. You have to discharge your duty to consult, which means that you have to engage in a two-way meaningful dialogue. Relying on a transportation report is not a substitute for discharging your section 35 obligations.
View Pam Damoff Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you, Minister. I have only about a minute left.
When the previous government talked about consultation, it really just meant showing up, telling people what they were doing and then moving ahead anyway. From a number of meaningful conversations I've had with your parliamentary secretary, I know you went into communities, talked to stakeholders and indigenous communities, and took that feedback. How did those consultations result in changes to what we're doing with TMX?
View Amarjeet Sohi Profile
Lib. (AB)
I think one of the fundamental differences is how we engaged with the communities, and also how we responded to their concerns. There are more accommodations offered in this than ever was done in the past. We're actually dealing with the cumulative impacts of development. We are engaging in how we better respond to spills; how we prevent spills from happening; how we protect water, fish, fish habitat, southern resident killer whales; how we protect cultural sites and burial grounds and all of those things that have been identified by indigenous communities.
Another thing that we have done differently is that we have engaged at the political level. You know, pipelines are controversial. The northern gateway was controversial. Energy east was controversial. The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion was controversial and is still controversial, but I compare the effort that we have put in and the effort that I have personally put in through the 45 meetings that I have held with indigenous communities. I compare that effort with the few meetings the Conservative ministers held with indigenous communities. For 10 years under Stephen Harper, ministers made no effort to actually meet with indigenous communities and listen to their concerns and then work with them to resolve those concerns. We have put our time in and we are very proud of the work we have done.
View Karen Ludwig Profile
Lib. (NB)
Thanks Chair, and thank you to all of the witnesses.
My question is for Ms. Citeau.
You had mentioned in your testimony about different committees, a committee on trade, a working group, and a sanitary/phytosanitary group. How does your consultation process work in feeding that consultation back to government?
Claire Citeau
View Claire Citeau Profile
Claire Citeau
2019-06-18 10:42
We are in constant contact with negotiators. We're never at the negotiating table nor do we see the details or have any access to any of the details, but it's a two-way communication with the officials and our members. We're very plugged in. This is why we have gone to all the negotiating rounds and have remained in very close contact with them.
View Karen Ludwig Profile
Lib. (NB)
When we look at international trade or expanding to different markets, is there a skills gap that government can help fill or support within your members?
Claire Citeau
View Claire Citeau Profile
Claire Citeau
2019-06-18 10:43
This is a question which I think would be best addressed directly to some of our members who are really focused essentially on trade liberalization at this time.
View Terry Sheehan Profile
Lib. (ON)
That's very good.
Keeping on the consultation theme, I'm going to go to Angelo from Unifor.
Between February 2017 and November 30, 2018, there were 1,245 stakeholder engagements with first nations, unions, businesses, organizations, etc. How important was that consultation during that 10-month period, and do you believe that was substantial?
Results: 1 - 15 of 5029 | Page: 1 of 336

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
>
>|
Export As: XML CSV RSS

For more data options, please see Open Data