I just want to respond to your comments.
I am disappointed. I think the public service is disappointed. You can say that you've consulted with the unions, but I think if you talk to our witnesses and everyone else, you'll hear that.
I want to quote from Mr. Friday, the Public Service Integrity Commissioner. He said, “I am disappointed that the Government response to the Committee's report”, tabled in May, “proposed no legislative changes”. As I mentioned, 25 of our 34 recommendations require legislative amendments. That's not going to be addressed by your response. Mr. Friday said, “I welcome and support”, yes, but also “I am disappointed that the opportunity was not taken to make formal legislative changes to improve the whistleblowing system at this time.”
I want to finish with a quote from one of our witnesses, David Yazbeck. He said:
The last thing I want to say, members of the committee, if I can be a little strong and almost emotional here, is that whistle-blowers are heroes. They risk their families, they risk their careers, and they risk financial stability in order to make the operation of government better and therefore improve the lives of Canadians.
This is not for whistle-blowers. This is for Canadians.
The system...doesn't work. It needs to be fixed. This committee has a golden opportunity to do that. I would urge you to listen to people like us and do that. This is not only better for whistle-blowers. This is also better for Canadians.
We've let these witnesses down and we've let whistle-blowers down, and I'm disappointed.