Thank you, Madam Chair, and a special thanks to the witnesses who have joined us today.
We certainly have done a lot of work in this area and strongly feel that individuals should know that they have a respectful workplace, free of sexual harassment each day as they go to work.
This is directed first to the LEAF. Your organization intervenes in court cases, but you also provide access to educational tools and training for youth, some of which address the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace. When Canada Post appeared before us earlier in this study, they noted that after a major awareness campaign, they saw a rise in the number of workplace harassment claims, but not in actual incidents of harassment. This was followed by a gradual and continued decrease in the number of claims.
We learned two things from this example. First, the awareness campaigns can have a major impact on the reporting of sexual harassment in the workplace, and second, pure numbers do not always tell the full story, as higher numbers can indicate a willingness to resolve these issues through existing channels.
Could you comment on the impact of awareness campaigns on the reporting of incidents of harassment in the workplace?