Thank you.
I have several questions. I appreciate your presentation.
My first question is, have you prepared any written document or notes for your presentation today? If you have, have you provided a copy of same to any member of this committee, to a staff of any member of this committee, to a staff of any minister or the President of the Treasury Board, or to a member of the public service who works for Treasury Board or another federal department? That's my first question.
My second question is this. I missed your presentation of Mr. Ian Boyko. Could you repeat what position Mr. Boyko holds in the Canadian Federation of Students?
My third question deals with the issue of.... I think the point you raised about having an avenue for graduate students—or any student who is working on a particular research project and is receiving federal funding, whether it's directly to that student as a grant or through a university because some professor has applied for moneys for research, etc.—to whistle-blow if they see something wrong is excellent.
My question is this. You were asked previously whether you currently have the possibility to file a complaint with the Public Service Staff Relations Board. Obviously you do not. However, Bill C-2 would create a tribunal that would have the authority to deal with whistle-blowers who work in the federal public service and also who work with a variety of crown corporations federally, and it would also be able to deal with complaints coming from contractors, in the private sector, for instance, or in the not-for-profit sector, who contract with the federal government through either requests for proposals or tenders.
We have had submissions from organizations saying they would like the authorities Bill C-2 would give to a new tribunal to be given to the existing board. The existing board's mandate, authorities, and powers would expand to deal with complaints from the private sector, because they say the call for tenders was biased or whatever, or from the non-profit sector, or from a member of the public service.
Given that you're requesting that you have an avenue, if this committee in its wisdom decided you should have an avenue and we carved out the authority with, for instance, the existing Public Service Staff Relations Board—whose name might undergo a change, because it would be expanded—would you feel that, whether it's with that board or another board, the issue is the authority to receive the complaint, to adequately investigate, conduct a hearing, and to actually make orders that would be executory? That's what you're asking for. Is that correct?