Government Operations committee  My approach has been to always use the investigative process to determine whether or not something does constitute wrongdoing. At the—

Government Operations committee  There is the internal route and the external route. They are linked, but they are completely separate.

Government Operations committee  The proposal with respect to the Auditor General is to expand the power they have to deal with a reprisal. They can currently investigate our office under the heading of wrongdoing. We think it's fair that this should be expanded to reprisal, so it's to put a broader or a more complete set of powers into the Auditor General's hands vis-à-vis their oversight of my office.

Government Operations committee  The Treasury Board statistics deal with allegations, not with disclosures. In our office, we analyze disclosures. Each disclosure contains a number of allegations. I feel that it's almost impossible to compare the two because the Treasury Board uses a different method.

Government Operations committee  We received 1,700 allegations.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, our office is always interested in getting the broadest possible input from the broadest possible array of informed voices.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, first I would like to point out that the pamphlet you have, the five questions, is not one that we distribute anymore. That negative message it was sending represented a way of thinking some years ago. That is not distributed. That is not published anymore. We have a new pamphlet, and the new pamphlet is actually included in your binder today.

Government Operations committee  Those are the new five questions.

Government Operations committee  The first five questions, and I agree with you, had almost a dissuasive tone or a discouraging tone. I think the thinking behind that was that we wanted people to understand the importance of whistle-blowing, and the fact is, things have happened. Reprisal is not something that we can pretend doesn't exist in the system, but our new five questions, I think, put a much more positive spin on it.

Government Operations committee  Obviously I hope that would not be the case. I can't think of a single incident in which someone has said they won't come forward because of that. I hope that my statements, my actions, my words, and my decisions as commissioner, which is a position I've held for just less than two years, would go a significant way to dissuading any discouragement that might otherwise be there.

Government Operations committee  Yes, that report was specifically in relation to a delay on two cases, I believe, so it was confined. Following that.... In fact, even before that report was tabled, we were putting in place internal standards to ensure that we have the structures in place and, quite frankly, the people in place—and enough people, which is a recurring challenge—to get the work done and to avoid those kinds of delays.

Government Operations committee  We work with what I would describe as a broad network of people whose input we're interested in taking into account. We've listened to voices, and dissenting voices are of course part of a democracy. I have an advisory committee on which we have significant union and organizational representation.

Government Operations committee  I think that any possible effort to raise awareness and encouragement is important. I would like to see questions asked in the public service employment survey. I would personally be very supportive of having, in every manager's performance assessment, a formal requirement that they raise the issue of whistle-blowing within their organization.

Government Operations committee  I don't know if it would affect the actual investigative process. Departments have the statutory obligation to comply. Failure to do so is a criminal offence. I think the reversal of an onus is relevant before a decision-making body like the tribunal—

Government Operations committee  We can accept a reprisal whether or not a person made a disclosure to our office. The reprisal is not contingent upon there having been a founded case of wrongdoing in any way. It's just anybody who comes forward. Under that broad definition—