It is difficult for me to speculate on the government's motivations, and that is not the purpose of my appearance today.
Keep in mind that the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates produced a report several years ago. What is interesting is that a high level of consensus was achieved regarding this report. It was supported by dozens of briefs, and very credible and knowledgeable witnesses.
The provisions in my bill draw to a great extent on that report. In the opposition, we do not have the same means available to us as the government. There is the matter of expenditures and royal recommendations. We cannot suggest, for example, that lawyers' fees, which can sometimes… As you know, taking a case all the way to the Supreme Court can cost up to a million dollars and push people into bankruptcy. These individuals are effectively helpless. That option wasn't available to us.
Many, if not all, of the measures in the bill achieved consensus within the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.
I'd like to explain, if I may, the reason I brought this bill forward. Shortly after I was elected, in 2021, I was shocked to receive phone calls and emails from whistle-blowers who had witnessed wrongdoings, alleged wrongdoings. As you know, I'm not an investigator. I asked them why they didn't disclose this information themselves, and why they weren't using the processes that were in place. Many of them answered that they knew people who had taken the risk, and that it had ended their career and their life. Their physical and mental health suffered.
Under the current regime, individuals who witness wrongdoing are worried about losing their job, their income, their homes.
When I looked into the act, I came across this committee's report and the reports in which disclosure systems are ranked. When you read these reports, you see how obvious the flaws are. When you want to travel down a road but it's full of potholes, it's impossible to reach the end without falling into at least one of them and suffering serious injury. This is when I said to myself that introducing this bill was in the public's interest.