I've got nothing to hide. It's very simple, I relied on my own experience as a minister in Quebec City.
We have to be reasonable. This bill is good for employees, but we also have the employers to think of. This change to the Canada Labour Code would have an impact on businesses, even though they are supposed to implement the policy set out in the legislation resulting from Bill C‑65. They need to provide a workplace that is violence and harassment‑free, which is great.
You asked me why I wanted to change the statute of limitations to two years, and it's because Quebec's experience has been positive and conclusive. At the time, stakeholders were very enthusiastic about the idea of having up to two years to file a complaint. Based on what I've heard so far, the two‑year time frame is considered reasonable. In addition, very few people are deprived of their rights for having exceeded the two‑year period.
That's not currently the case with employees that fall under the Canada Labour Code. Three months is okay. It's true that it's better than nothing. However, at some point, a person may realize that what they have been gone through makes them a victim of violence or harassment. By the time the person realizes that, the deadline has already passed.
What I'm saying is so patently true that Parliament has already provided a process or mechanism to offer an extension to those persons to give them more time. Parliament was already of the opinion that the three‑month period might not be enough.