On your first point, I apologize for not having copies of my comments for every member of the committee. I have given one copy to the clerk, who is going to arrange to translate it and distribute it, so I hope that meets your needs.
In terms of the duplication, the principle has already been applied, for example, with freedom of information legislation. The House of Commons and the Senate adopted legislation a number of years ago that dealt with freedom of information and protection of privacy, and it gave the legislatures of the different provincial jurisdictions a certain number of years to bring in their own legislation. If they did and it met at least the level of the federal protections, then they were to govern, but if they didn't, then the federal legislation would apply across the country, and I think that's an appropriate model here.
One of the problems is that governments promise whistle-blower protection. The current Ontario government has promised whistle-blower protection for a number of years. Members of my union have engaged in disclosure of situations where residents of long-term care facilities are not getting the care they need. They are getting disciplined for going public with those disclosures, and the government has not brought in whistle-blower protection.
So it's important for the House of Commons and the Senate to act to give a basic standard of protection for all whistle-blowers across the country.