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Results: 1 - 15 of 1860
View David Lametti Profile
Lib. (QC)
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Good morning, honourable colleagues.
To begin, I would like to acknowledge that I'm on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people, in Ottawa.
I would also like to thank the members of the committee, as well as the chair, for convening this special session. As always, your contribution in helping to shape the character of one of Canada's most important and enduring institutions is deeply valued.
I would also like to thank the Right Honourable Kim Campbell for being with us this morning, but also for her work in the process that I'll highlight later.
The Supreme Court of Canada is a place close to my heart. It is the place where, years ago, I began my own legal career as a law clerk to a cherished mentor and friend, the late Honourable Peter deCarteret Cory. His example serves to remind me that our great public institutions depend on the dedication and integrity of those who occupy them.
It is my privilege today to speak in support of the Honourable Mahmud Jamal, a nominee who I am confident will honour the highest ideals of the Supreme Court and help to guide the evolution of Canada’s laws with wisdom, fairness, humility and a deep understanding of the society he serves.
I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Justice Jamal, and I look forward to his appearance before parliamentarians this afternoon.
I would also be remiss not to take this opportunity to acknowledge the lifetime of contribution and service to Canada, and to the rule of law, of Justice Jamal’s predecessor, the Honourable Rosie Silberman Abella. Justice Abella is a trailblazer and a jurist of remarkable intellect and character, and she has left an indelible mark on Canada’s legal landscape. She will be deeply missed on our highest court, but I have no doubt that she will continue to make important contributions to our public life in other roles.
Justice Jamal is the fourth person appointed to the Supreme Court by Prime Minister Trudeau as part of the government's modernized judicial selection process that was implemented in 2016. This process prioritizes individual merit, as well as the values of social representativeness and transparency. It requires every person seeking appointment to our highest court to apply by responding to a rigorous and publicly accessible questionnaire. It requires individuals to demonstrate not only legal and professional excellence, but also how their personal experiences have shaped their views and understanding of Canadian society in all its diversity. This process also requires that all candidates be assessed against consistent, transparent and merit‑based criteria, first and foremost, by an independent advisory board of highly qualified individuals. that reflect the highest standards of communities across Canada.
The independent advisory board for Supreme Court appointments, or IAB, is the heart of the selection process. I am pleased to be joined today by its chair, the Right Honourable Kim Campbell, who has contributed so much to the success of the Supreme Court appointment process through her stewardship of four nominations, including today's. Ms. Campbell never fails to inform and support this committee with characteristic intelligence and candour, and we owe her a deep debt of gratitude. I am looking forward to hearing her remarks today.
I am also deeply grateful to the individuals who served with Ms. Campbell as members of the IAB. These members are nominated not just by the government, but by organizations committed to the rule of law and to serving Canadians. They include the Canadian Bar Association, the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, the Canadian Judicial Council and the Council of Canadian Law Deans. The thoughtful nominees of these organizations and the dedicated service of these individuals on the IAB ensure that the judicial selection process mirrors a critical aspiration for the Supreme Court itself: that it truly reflect our society and be a place in which Canadians can see themselves and their life experiences represented.
The current selection process was initiated by Prime Minister Trudeau on February 19, 2021, to fill the position that will soon become vacant when Justice Abella retires.
As publicly stated in its terms of reference, the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments, or IAB, has been tasked with recommending candidates of the highest calibre who are functionally bilingual and representative of Canada's diversity.
In keeping with the long‑standing regional representation agreement, this selection process was open to all qualified individuals in Ontario. Interested candidates were given six weeks to submit their applications, after which the IAB reviewed them. This review included consultation with the Chief Justice of Canada, references and stakeholders, and personal meetings with some of the candidates. The IAB conducted its work in a confidential manner, as required by its terms of reference, and each member of the IAB signed a confidentiality agreement in advance.
At the end of the process, the IAB provided the Prime Minister with a report containing a shortlist of individuals, all of whom met the publicly announced merit criteria and who were the most distinguished. I then consulted on the shortlisted candidates to provide advice to the Prime Minister.
I consulted with chief justices, including the Chief Justice of Canada, the Attorney General of Ontario, cabinet colleagues, opposition justice critics, members of this committee and the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, and senior members of the bar. The Prime Minister then made his final selection.
I wish to stress, again, the confidentiality of this process, which is essential in ensuring that exceptional candidates come forward and speak to their life experiences and skills with honesty and candour. Members of Parliament, senators, and members of the bar were each required to complete a non-disclosure agreement.
All persons involved in conducting the process, including me, the Prime Minister, and members of the IAB, understand the importance of confidentiality in providing candidates with the fair treatment they deserve and the rigorous scrutiny that an appointment to the Supreme Court demands.
I would like to now invite the Right Hon. Kim Campbell to speak to the process from her perspective.
View John Williamson Profile
CPC (NB)
I have one last quick question. I only have a few seconds left and you only have a few seconds.
What access did the Confucius Institute have to the data on students' private information, curriculum and things like that?
Dominic Cardy
View Dominic Cardy Profile
Hon. Dominic Cardy
2021-06-21 18:43
We had members of the Chinese Communist Party who were working for the Confucius Institute who have access to the databases and student information of New Brunswick students. I heard about that from members of the Chinese diaspora, who are extremely concerned about that fact.
View Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Profile
BQ (QC)
With respect to Bill C‑11, my understanding is that we cannot be against motherhood and apple pie, because steps need to be taken. Clearly, we, as legislators, should quickly put forward the reform. We see reports from other countries that have moved forward, and we are a little behind. What I understand is that, regardless of current events or partisanship, if we are concerned about fundamental rights, we should make this a priority.
There is also the issue of facial recognition, the data and images that are used. I am very concerned as an individual, but also as a legislator. When I'm asked about what we have done to properly protect people, I'm a little embarrassed.
Do you agree?
Daniel Therrien
View Daniel Therrien Profile
Daniel Therrien
2021-06-21 11:51
I certainly agree that it is urgent to better regulate the issue, both in terms of human rights and in terms of having a solid framework regulating the use of data in order to protect privacy. It is urgent.
View Han Dong Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you very much, Chair.
I too would like to congratulate the commissioner for the extension of his appointment.
It's good to see you again here at the committee.
I've been listening carefully, especially when my opposition colleagues brought up the concerns around the vaccine passport being announced. The fact is, it's a measure to better protect Canadians at the border itself.
Naturally I would think that it has a time limit that is sensitive to the pandemic. In fact, the emergency response, if I'm not mistaken, has a timeline on it. As this is part of the emergency measures, I think there's a time limit to it.
However, I take your advice to heart and I'll bring this up with my colleagues. I encourage all members to survey their constituents on their feedback on this measure, as I will do in my constituency.
One of the things that I've been hearing in my constituency are that people are really frustrated by the increase of online and phone scams, especially during the pandemic. People are really worried that these continued attempts on their privacy will result in someday an intrusion into their private information, or even their identity.
Does your office do any work with the Canada Anti-Fraud Centre in an effort to address these concerns? They're actually looking at parliamentarians and federal offices to help in this situation.
Daniel Therrien
View Daniel Therrien Profile
Daniel Therrien
2021-06-21 12:08
We do some, perhaps less than we should or could.
Certainly our role with respect to attempts by ill-intentioned people to access personal information of Canadians mostly has to do with ensuring that government and the private sector have the right security measures in place to protect against these attempts. However, when the level of the attempt reaches a criminal law level, we certainly refer individuals to the authorities, including the fraud centre.
View Han Dong Profile
Lib. (ON)
The fact that they've been around for a long time and there's been an increase in the number of attempts tells me that they are having reasonable success at it, which is a really terrible thing for the public. We've resourced broader and wider public education in terms of prevention, but do you have any advice on what additional measures we collectively should recommend that the government do to combat this phenomenon?
Daniel Therrien
View Daniel Therrien Profile
Daniel Therrien
2021-06-21 12:10
It's a multi-faceted issue. It requires action by a number of actors. Not that long ago, there was an important impetus for advice to individual consumers: Be careful; do not put too much information on the Internet; use strong passwords.
That's all very true. People should be prudent. They should use rigorous passwords. However, I think it would be wrong to put too much responsibility on individual consumers in protecting their data.
Daniel Therrien
View Daniel Therrien Profile
Daniel Therrien
2021-06-21 12:11
An important part of the solution, I think, clearly lies in ensuring that government departments and private sector entities have the right security safeguards to protect their consumers or citizens from these attempts. We have seen many, many privacy breaches in the past years in Canada and elsewhere. I can think of Desjardins being a recent case in point, and other companies, which suggests that although companies, particularly large companies, take measures to protect information, it is not the priority that it should be.
My final point is that in order for companies to pay sufficient attention to this, having a law that provides for significant penalties, so that companies that profit from personal information protect it as they should, is part of the solution too.
View Han Dong Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you. I hope to hear from from you beyond the public education aspect to solve this problem.
View Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Profile
BQ (QC)
Good afternoon again, Commissioner.
It is good to hear about reform and the intention to reframe offences that are difficult to tolerate.
Even before I was elected, there had been many reports looking specifically at the models found in European countries.
I have already heard you say that people have little confidence in what is being done to protect their identity. I am concerned about that. I have given myself the challenge and the mandate to come up with legislation to prevent this, and I hope that we will all work on it. It is not right that private companies have protection models with biometrics, voice recognition, and so on, while the government is faced with so much ongoing fraud.
People keep calling my office, and that worries me. So I'm really glad to see that your concern and your recommendations are actually going to move forward.
With another year in your role, do you plan to do a knowledge transfer in the next Parliament?
I know you have a great team. However, the question must be asked. Do you have a window of opportunity to ensure that your successor has everything they need so that we don't waste any time and can do our job properly?
Daniel Therrien
View Daniel Therrien Profile
Daniel Therrien
2021-06-21 12:14
As you say, my team is extremely talented and knowledgeable about privacy issues.
I inherited a group that was already excellent when I took office. I hope to leave my successor with a group that is just as good. As for a transfer of knowledge to a successor, plenty of people in Canada already very knowledgeable about privacy issues. I'm not sure it's a matter of transferring knowledge from one person to another as such.
I think my role over the next year will be to continue to make comments that I hope will be helpful not only in terms of the principles—remember that privacy is a human right—but also in terms of how to articulate those concepts in a way that protects citizens and allows the use of data for public purposes or even private, but still legitimate, purposes. I think that's what my role will be in the coming year.
It will then be up to the government and Parliament to find—
View Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Profile
BQ (QC)
However, you agree that, when we receive hundreds of calls from victims of fraud, our position and the decisions we have made are not appropriate to ensure that these people are protected from identity theft.
Results: 1 - 15 of 1860 | Page: 1 of 124

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