Government Operations committee  I believe that the desire was to give that role to the employer, to one of the central agencies, that being Treasury Board in this case, because of their responsibility for administration of this act, and, as I mentioned earlier, section 4 of our act. But that oversight doesn't exist in my hands.

Government Operations committee  —I was asked by a department to give an opinion on an internal disclosure, and I couldn't do that because they had their own lawyers. The administration or oversight of the internal system is very different from my role, as an independent commissioner, and the rules that apply to me.

Government Operations committee  I will say that section 26 of our act specifically identifies the purpose of an investigation into a disclosure of wrongdoing, and that is to bring to the attention of a chief executive the existence of wrongdoing and to make recommendations.

Government Operations committee  The definition of “wrongdoing” is so broad, there's not always an overseeing agency. We deal with everything from human behaviour and interaction to potential crime. I want to be on the record as saying that I do not have criminal jurisdiction, but I do have the ability to refer a matter to the RCMP.

Government Operations committee  Without having that information, my general counsel advises it was at least four times.

Government Operations committee  Most people who come to us don't believe that we are the police and don't ask us to intervene. We sometimes uncover something, as we recently have, that could point to what we believe to be a potential criminal activity, and we refer that either to the Attorney General's office or the appropriate police force.

Government Operations committee  That is a very good question, Mr. Clarke.

Government Operations committee  We are talking about the independence of an external agency with respect to an internal process. As the independent Commissioner, it is difficult for me to manage an internal regime. But I do understand the very issue of the potential conflict. I often say that the senior officer in a department is the one job I would never want.

Government Operations committee  People come to you, and you are part of that system.

Government Operations committee  According to the information provided on February 14, it was 774 at that time.

Government Operations committee  We've had 13 founded case reports. The concept of wrongdoing is very broad. Sometimes it's more corporate in nature or more organizational in nature, such as a practice that may have occurred over a period of time that not a single person is responsible for. But in my most recent case report, we had a deputy minister, against whom I found a case of wrongdoing, resign during the course of the investigation.

Government Operations committee  I think that reflects the definition of “wrongdoing”. As we discussed the last time I was here, I believe my office was put in place to deal with a level of seriousness that is not otherwise being dealt with, which is reflected in the act. Many of those cases are still before another body or....

Government Operations committee  I don't want to sound like I'm being evasive by saying it goes to the issue of a larger cultural change. I can point to some of the recommendations in the research paper we just released, which I support. They go to changing styles of leadership, styles of communication, creating a different sense of what loyalty means.

Government Operations committee  Okay. The issue of broader and more direct access to the tribunal is one that is currently under discussion, intensely and intently, in my office and will be the subject of some review during a lean process of investigations. How can we satisfy the requirement to carry out an investigation without being told by the court that we didn't do enough and we have to go back and redo it?

Government Operations committee  I completely agree.