I think it's possible. We haven't done the empirical research to really know, but certainly on most of the comparative international research—and I'm sure this is true of Canadians as well—Australians generally come off as a very egalitarian people. There is a general culture of being prepared to say, “There but for the grace of God go I; that could be me”, and this fairness dictates that we value whistle-blowers quite highly, even though we agree that people shouldn't go telling tales on one another for no reason. Nevertheless, it's a great leveller. Australians are happy to challenge authority in all the most constructive and positive ways.
I wouldn't pass judgment on the Canadian people or the Canadian public sector, but I think these are values that we in Australia are pretty proud of, and I think they are one of the reasons we place such value on making sure that we get the whistle-blowing systems right.