Hon. Mary Coyle: Thank you very much, Senator Dean, for sponsoring this very important piece of legislation, as well as for hosting the very well-attended and thorough briefing that we received just before coming to the chamber.

As I understand it, this is a modernization of our tool kit. That is how it has been described. I’ve heard that understanding all the parts of this is complicated.

My question is not so much what is in the bill. My question is more to your final point, which is: Canadians are asking us to pass this bill quickly. Let’s assume we do pass the bill. What has to happen between that point and actually implementing the various provisions of the bill that is making us move so very quickly at this time this week?

We want it in place before the next election. Well, hopefully, that’s not until the fall of 2025. So what has to happen between now and then, and is it really going to take all that time? It would be important for us to understand that.

Senator Dean: First, I would say that my knowledge of government process is such that I have seen far less complicated, far less consequential and impactful bills that required longer than the time available for this one.

Let me put it this way to you: The government would like to see this in place, and Canadians would like to see this in place before the next election. Our officials in various departments are going to have to work very hard to develop the mechanisms and to build the architecture. There will need to be the appointment of personnel and the commissioner for the foreign interference act, and that search will have to be under way. This will be a priority for the government, I assume.

Furthermore, I’d say that the government has to do its work in developing regulations, and I’m sure there will be consultations on those regulations. I’m not sure about the notion that once, if approved, this bill is passed, everything goes into a closed box that we don’t hear any more until it’s all announced in one go.

I think what we have here, in some cases, are new provisions and, in many cases, existing ones that we’re relying on. It’s not all brand new. There are some new powers in this legislation. They’re important ones, but they rest on the foundation of our current legal system and the foundation of our national Security Intelligence Review Committee that I would suspect would want to have some input into this as well.

This is going to be work that engages many. I believe that consultations will continue as regulations are developed. I assume that we in this chamber will want to keep an eye on that process as well and see how it’s developed and perhaps want to be briefed on where the government is in the stages of putting in place the various elements of this architecture.

It’s a big job, yes, but this is what governments do, and I have every confidence that the mechanisms here, many of which are pre-existing, can be put in place for the next election, but that would require us to act with haste.

Hon. Jim Quinn: Would the senator take a quick question? Just to build on what Senator Coyle asked, I understand this was introduced in the other place on June 4. There’s a process there. How many days was it in committee being examined?

Senator Dean: In the Senate committee?