Canadian Heritage committee  There are obviously a lot of opportunities to produce the content all over the world, given the ready access to those images. They are online so it is a global problem. In Quebec, we often see people who are very close to the victim such as a father, uncle or child-care provider do that kind of thing.

Canadian Heritage committee  Exactly. There is no pre-established network. We have not seen any. They are really crimes of opportunity—

Canadian Heritage committee  Crimes of opportunity that are committed by parents, uncles, aunts and so on, people who are very close to the children and cause irreparable harm.

Canadian Heritage committee  Police organizations have prevention teams that we work with often to create guides. In Quebec, a continuum of prevention efforts begins in grade one to help children learn right from wrong, what can be done and what must not be done, which leads to incidents being reported. The issue of consent and so forth is also discussed.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, that has to be done. Giving a time limit for mandatory removal is a very good idea. In many cases, companies do not respond, especially if they aren't Canadian. We have seen that in the case of removal requests relating to complaints made through the Canadian Centre for Child Protection website, replies are not always received.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, it's international. It includes all policing communities.

Canadian Heritage committee  Honestly, yes, I think we have the right approach. Let me tell you about Quebec. Our prevention work is effective, as I said earlier. The policing community is changing more and more. In Quebec, when we were young, William Bumbray would show up with his big moustache. I see policing communities adjusting to their clientele.

Canadian Heritage committee  I think the detection methods that digital service providers use are improving. Artificial intelligence is used not only for nefarious purposes but also for good reasons. Moreover, prevention efforts in schools also encourage children, teens and adults to report that type of crime.

Canadian Heritage committee  You're right to say that. We've heard that a number of times today. Technologies are constantly improving. They are also improving in terms of searching for this type of image on servers. We're seeing U.S. electronic service providers, big players like Facebook and Google, reporting more images.

Canadian Heritage committee  I think it's a very good start. The solutions will never be perfect, as the technology is advancing so quickly, but I think it's a good idea. That bill proposes a good solution. I believe that people who host computer data should be required to know what they are hosting. We can sort of see the principle.

Canadian Heritage committee  You're right to mention that. It's the principle of consumption. It's the law of supply and demand. If there is consumption, there is definitely production. We see it in all walks of life, both in criminal circles and in legal businesses. There are minimum sentences for child pornography.

Canadian Heritage committee  —who are invited to report any situation of sexual abuse to the police. Thank you for your attention. I look forward to our discussion during the question and answer period.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to begin by greeting all the members of the committee and thanking them for giving me the opportunity to speak to them here today. My name is Marc‑Antoine Vachon. I have been in charge of the Internet child sexual exploitation investigation division at the Sûreté du Québec since 2020.