ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Committee wishes to express its gratitude to all those who appeared before it in the course of its study of privacy rights and new technologies. In particular, we would like to extend thanks to all those who participated in the townhall meetings held across the country for their great contribution to our understanding of the impact that new technologies are having on Canadians from coast to coast. The Committee thanks especially all those who acted as facilitators during the townhall meetings, for their logistical assistance, their expertise and for sharing their considerable knowledge with us.

The efforts of the Committee staff, especially in the organization of our cross-country hearings were instrumental to the carrying out of this study. We would like to thank especially the Clerk of the Committee, Wayne Cole, who was ably assisted by Roger Préfontaine. Invaluable assistance was provided by the administrative support staff of the Committees Directorate, notably Fiona Bladon, Elizabeth Fex, France Lewis, Kim Nolet, Karen Titley and Linda Tremblay.

The Committee thanks its research staff from the Library of Parliament, Susan Alter, Nancy Holmes and Bill Young for their dedication and professionalism in assisting the Committee. The Committee especially appreciates their assistance in ensuring that the often complex technologies we examined were never permitted to obscure the fundamental rights issues. The draft report they presented for our consideration aided us greatly in arriving at our final statement in this report.

Valerie Steeves, who worked for us on contract as coordinator of the hearings deserves special thanks. Her work both in identifying and inviting witnesses and in assisting in the running of the townhalls was instrumental to their success. We thank her as well for her assistance in the drafting of this report.

The Committee is grateful to Jean-Yves Durocher for his work as media relations officer and for his assistance with the Montreal townhall.

The Committee thanks the many people on the House of Commons staff who provided services and support, particularly those who made possible the teleconferencing sessions and the broadcasting of our hearings.

We would also like to express our appreciation to CPAC for their generosity in agreeing to televise our cross-country hearings and for the professionalism of the staff who were assigned to that task.

Finally, the Chair wishes to thank her colleagues on the Committee for their dedication and commitment in dealing with these important issues.