Yes, sir. Even though I was a divisional representative for 16 years, there is always a certain fear, if I can say so, in stepping forward to express yourself freely, even in this democracy, especially in a paramilitary organization such as the RCMP. There are repercussions, and we see them every day happening to our members.
We have a lot of members who have unfortunately been hurt on the field. My fellow DSRRP members, who represent all those members on a day-to-day basis, know about this. They know about the harassment going on. They know about the sexual harassment and all those anomalies going on in the field. They know about the cover-ups going on in the field, and they're afraid to come forward.
I wanted to assure myself of this degree of protection because I'm exposing myself by coming here to express myself freely to this committee. I have the same feeling as the members in the field. The only thing is, I have 31 years of background behind me. But I still have a way to go in the organization, and I want to do it with pride. I want this organization to have the same motto and really live up to its motto, Maintiens le droit, which is indicated on each and every member's badge. That's what I want for the future of this organization.
I was listening to Mr. Lewis's comments earlier. He mentioned not having any difficulties. I'll leave it to the transcripts, but I understand that he testified previously before this committee and expressed a lot of frustration about obtaining information and documentation, and about actions by upper management personnel. I was sitting at the back and heard Mr. Lewis mention that.
He talks about the DSRRP being independent, but I'm sorry, it isn't independent. It is a program of the RCMP under the responsibility of the Commissioner of the RCMP, who has the sole responsibility under section 5 of the act for all the programs and their application, including DSRRP.