Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you so much, Dr. Collinsworth, for your research and the work you've done to make change, positive change, and not just for the women in the United States, because I know we will benefit from your research.
I am most particularly interested in your comments about sanctions. We in this committee want to make a difference for all employees, not just women, but all employees in the federal public service or any related organization, and make sure that we know how to create a better harassment-free workplace, a respectful workplace.
The current status of the federal Government of Canada is that we.... You were just talking about this, so feel free to expound upon your thought with regard to the previous question.
Our current approach, Dr. Collinsworth, is that we protect the harasser in some cases more than we protect the victim. Our government is very interested in protecting victims on every level. Interestingly enough, in the public service of Canada, we erase any trace of harassment from the record of a gentleman or a woman who has harassed, who has either just harassed or sexually harassed an individual. This record disappears in two years, and then that person is free to go on with a clear record, have another job, and harass again in a different work circle.
Your comments, Dr. Collinsworth, about sanctions, and how you have documentary evidence indicating that clear sanctions actually give greater clout to the prevention, is I think a crucial piece for all of us. It's the taxpayer who pays for our public service. I look at your research, and I can see that the cost associated with this is enormous, not just to the person but to the entire system.
If you could expand on the sanctions, then, I would be very grateful.