The chamber said this underscores “why we recommend the committee provide the broad public consultation it urgently needs and that businesses across Canada deserve.”
Following Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne’s proposed changes, the committee examining the bill held only five meetings, at which Canadian companies did not have the opportunity to appear, it said.
With the proposed changes, the bill had effectively become “a fundamentally new law,” the chamber argued.
It said it was “gravely concerned that Canadian businesses, particularly (small and medium-sized businesses), the backbone of the Canadian economy, have not had the opportunity to comment.”
The committee has now completed its investigation and will begin amending the bill in April, with no further witnesses appearing.
Bill C-27 would update Canada’s privacy laws and introduce Canada’s first federal legislation specifically targeting artificial intelligence and would introduce new obligations for “high-impact” systems.
Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, senior director of digital economy, technology and innovation at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said AI is now embedded in business processes.
“I think the majority of companies are using AI in some form,” she said in an interview.
Bahr-Gedalia said smaller businesses would have to comply with the law and it would be “very burdensome” if they had to do so without an opportunity to voice potential challenges they face with the legislation.
Audrey Champoux, a spokeswoman for Champagne, said the government had consulted “academics, experts, civil society and business, including the Chamber of Commerce” in recent months.
She said in an emailed statement that the committee has been studying the bill since fall 2023, “heard from over 100 witnesses and received over 70 written submissions.” We look forward to continuing our work to get this legislation across the finish line bring to.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2024.
Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
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