Clearly, the whistle-blower has to be protected right from the get-go; as soon as they come forward, they should have the opportunity to have someone with them, so that they're not standing alone before any superior in divulging information. I think they need that right from the start, so they themselves have their own witness of what they're bringing forward. It then has to be documented, it has to be carried through, and it has to be an open process in which they feel very comfortable.
With respect to representation, that's our job, and we do it very well; we appear before labour boards, and when we don't address the labour board we appear before the courts. We have the capacity to do all of those things in protecting the rights of members we represent. So the unions have to be recognized as an integral part of this whole process. If you want people to come forward.... This is something that we want as well: if there's wrongdoing in government, our members want this brought to task. It always reflects on them, because if they're working in a section of government or in procurement, or wherever there is wrongdoing, the fact that they're there, whether they actually witness it or not, puts the spotlight on them as individuals, and they feel bad about it. If they go out and they're with their friends and they mention their work, the friends say, oh, it's your place that was in the newspaper this week. It makes them feel like they're part of any wrongdoing. So they would rather be front and centre, and be able to bring it forward and have protection. Clearly, that's what needs to happen here.