In my opinion, when these incidents took place, mechanisms had been put in place but were not in force. There weren't sufficiently strict controls over the way public funds were spent or the way contracts were awarded. I think this bill provides for better control measures, which is reassuring for the people we represent. Indeed, like it or not, the sponsorship scandal had an adverse effect on them, even if the direct decisions and directives were issued by people at much higher levels than themselves.
What is in fact new in this bill is that it makes it illegal to engage in reprisals against people who denounce those engaged in wrongdoing. In the final analysis, it gives public service employees and senior management mechanisms enabling them to exercise better control over the use of public funds.