Madam Chair, if I may, I'll start and then let my colleague join in.
Based on the testimony that was given by the previous witness, I think we need to recognize that these things don't happen in isolation. When incidents occur, there are commonly other witnesses. There are people that friends talk to. When an individual makes the decision to formally lodge a complaint, it can commonly be with the chain of command. There's knowledge and awareness of an incident prior to it going to CFNIS and a formal investigation.
We also recognize that once investigations get started, despite the caution that investigators may give to individuals, they may be talking to others as a result of an interview. One of the problems in all of this is the rumour mill. These things can never remain completely isolated.
I wouldn't suggest that the issue is the internal processes. I know a lot of work is being done by the military police to ensure they conduct very professional investigations, but I think we need to recognize that they don't happen in a vacuum. I think the broader context of colleagues and superiors who may have some knowledge, who are prepared to talk about things.... I would say, quite honestly, we've seen over the last three months that there's been significant speculation in the public domain about senior officers, despite the fact that an investigation has yet to be completed.
We need to put it in a broader social context, and we go back to culture. Part of the culture needs to be a respect for confidentiality. There need to be people who recognize that it's inappropriate to say anything. When I hear a juicy rumour, I'm not going to pass it on to my friends and post it on Facebook. It's that kind of respect for colleagues that needs to be built into the culture so that we can minimize the harm that is created when people speak up and speak out.
Thank you.