Industry committee  I think that by virtue of being a massive piece of legislation, it prevents pure self-regulation through firms. It asks firms to comply in particular ways that cost them and have some cost associated with these new norms. I don't think it puts forward or enshrines pure self-regulation when it comes to privacy and the use of data.

Industry committee  No, I'm not in favour of prolonged self-regulation. Much of the regulatory lack that we've seen is a product of the late 1990s U.S. approach which was famously referred to as permissionless innovation. We took a step back, and I think Canada had a little bit of an echo there. I understand that firms often have their own kinds of policy practices in place, but now it's time for Canada to formalize just where that bar is set, and continue to learn from both the private sector, large businesses, small businesses, and, of course, a range of actors from civil society and—

Industry committee  In terms of our being uncompetitive if we move forward with this legislation, there's a moment of competition in terms of policy design here. I think that, in the future, we should expect to see more policy harmonization or diffusion in the privacy space. What we're seeing now is kind of this global federalist context where different jurisdictions, for a variety of reasons and in their various geopolitical contexts, as MP Rempel was pointing to, are putting forward very particular frameworks.

Industry committee  I share that concern that they may not be empowered enough or have the tools they need and that we want them to have. I also want to say that a lot of the dangers we're talking about are exacerbated during these periods of regulatory lag where, during these periods, new business techniques that the laws are ambiguous on become the new normal.

Industry committee  I see that Andrew has his hand up. Sorry, I don't know who you are directing it to because we're not on the floor.

Industry committee  I will do my best. This is an area where we have complementary tools and levers that would go alongside this legislation right through our Competition Act. We also have provisions in the Competition Act under false and misleading advertising, which I think could be a helpful tool for some of the deception that people see or experience when they are communicated with or receive the result of an algorithmically generated decision or result.

Industry committee  Thank you, and good evening. My name is Vass Bednar. You heard that I run the master of public policy program in digital society at McMaster University, where I'm an adjunct professor of political science. I engage with Canada's policy community broadly as a senior fellow at CIGI, a fellow with the Public Policy Forum, and through my newsletter “Regs to Riches”.

Industry committee  I think that's difficult to speculate on. However, what I appreciate about this moment is that we have more eyes on the street than ever before when it comes to this merger in Canada and more of a watchdog function coming from everyday people, and there's great interest in the data that's shared through Statistics Canada and ISED on costs and how these decisions materially impact people.

Industry committee  Sure. Over time, Canada's geography hasn't changed, so I don't disagree with the arguments that help to explain why Canadian telecom infrastructure, the physical infrastructure, has tended towards oligopoly. I don't see that changing in the future, but we have to remember our telecommunication system is one that we built and that continues to evolve.

Industry committee  It's an interesting thought experiment. I would point to what we heard about the rigorous competition we're anticipating in this space and the opportunity for innovation. I wonder how innovative telecommunications firms have been in Canada over time, when really what they've benefited from is advancements in the products and services they provide Canadians on the physical infrastructure they've built.

Industry committee  I'm comfortable that we have a precedent for reviewing our laws, casting a wide net, going beyond the usual suspects and making sure that the future of Canada's competition law is not shaped just by lawyers and economists, who can be remunerated for exploiting the weaknesses in the law and continuing to perpetuate Canada's weakness.

Industry committee  Good afternoon, esteemed members of the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, my fellow witnesses and all members of the public who may be tuning in. As you heard, my name is Vass Bednar. I'm the executive director of McMaster University's MPP in digital society program.

Finance committee  Good morning. Thank you to the chair and to this committee for the opportunity to appear. We haven't quite met before. You've heard that my name is Vass Bednar and that I am the executive director of McMaster University's MPP in digital society program, where I am also an adjunct professor of political science.

Industry committee  Kaylie, I'm going to jump in. I also want to say, in case I wasn't clear on this, that I'm not trained as a lawyer, so I'm happy to defer to others overall. However, in terms of why we have AMPs, first, fundamentally, it's as a deterrent. Second, it's so that firms can be penalized proportionally to what's happening.

Industry committee  Thanks for the question. I think there's a broader kind of idealized version that many of us hold about how policy change can be achieved and about the best fundamental practices. The reality is that we're so overdue for these changes, as I said in my opening remarks, that I think they should be welcome.