It’s not easy to report wrongdoing in federal government
OTTAWA—We pick up the story from where we last left off. In trying to report wrongdoing, the employee has already encountered many obstacles that discourage him/her from proceeding. These include a non-responsive management, an ethics advisor more interested in protecting a department and their own career, and the written information that is on the Public […]
Do the right thing, how to blow the whistle on wrongdoing in the government: it’s not easy
OTTAWA—Whistleblowers are not well understood. They are under tremendous pressure and are faced with resolving their own personal belief in doing the right thing with survival. This affects them at work and at home. The whistleblower may be faced with a number of situations: from blowing the whistle perhaps on the use of chemicals that have polluted the water […]
Trudeau can fix our broken whistleblowing system: here’s why and how
OTTAWA—The House Government Operations Committee deserves kudos for taking the bull by the horns in its review of Canada’s failed system for protecting government whistleblowers. This week the committee will hear from no less than four experts representing countries that have much better laws: the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Ireland. The comparisons these experts can […]
Rookie Conservative MP pushes for legislative changes to eliminate ‘culture of fear’ in the civil service
The Trudeau government must improve legal protections for public sector whistleblowers to undermine the “culture of fear” that has developed within the ranks of the federal civil service over the past year, warns Conservative MP Kelly McCauley. Mr. McCauley (Edmonton West, Alta.) said he and his colleagues on the House Government Operations and Estimates Committee have heard “loud […]
Whistleblower protection: who really pulls the strings?
OTTAWA—When examining the sorry track record of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner’s Office, it’s easy to overlook those primarily responsible: it was Privy Council Office (PCO) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), working mostly behind the scenes, who—intentionally or not—set up PSIC to fail. Here’s how it was done. The Role of Treasury Board Treasury […]
Is the public sector integrity commissioner a friend or foe to whistleblowers?
OTTAWA—Last week, I wrote about the shortcomings of our government whistleblower protection system by examining the law itself. But that’s only half of the story: the efficacy of the program depends equally on those managing it, especially the public sector integrity commissioner. This position, created in 2006, is a powerful one: the commissioner is an […]
House Government Operations Committee leaps into action to protect whistleblowers, or does it?
OTTAWA—Whistleblower protection advocates across Canada were celebrating last week when the news broke that Treasury Board President Scott Brison had suddenly asked the House Government Operations Committee (OGGO) to conduct a review of the federal whistleblower protection law (the PSDPA). This review, which by law should have taken place five years ago, has been steadfastly blocked […]
Time to turn a new leaf with whistleblowers
OTTAWA—We are now more than six months into the new Liberal government mandate. It’s a good time to stop and take stock. From a whistleblowing viewpoint, has anything changed under the new regime? There are some indicators of a positive change. In November 2015, scientists were reported to have been “unmuzzled.” We’ve also heard from public […]
