New Inter Disclosure Policy for Federal Public Service Employees Means Good Governance for all Canadians

[ Backgrounder ]

June 28, 2001

Ottawa - The Honourable Lucienne Robillard, President of the Treasury Board of Canada, Minister responsible for Infrastructure and Member of Parliament for Westmount - Ville-Marie, announced today the new Government of Canada's Policy on the Internal Disclosure of Information Concerning Wrongdoing in the Workplace (Internal Disclosure Policy). The Internal Disclosure Policy effectively responds to recommendations of the Task Force on Public Service Values and Ethics in its report A Strong Foundation and to those of the Auditor General in two of his reports (1995 and October 2000) dealing with values and ethics in the Public Service. It is part of the government's commitment to reinforce its ethics framework.

"The Government of Canada believes that this policy is the best approach to respond to the way we address the issue of wrongdoing in the workplace. It is flexible and fair. It serves the best interest of both the federal public service and the public," said Minister Robillard. "The Policy reflects the core values of Canadians - values such as justice, honesty and integrity and good governance for which the Public Service of Canada is known world wide. This Policy is not intended to encourage accusations but rather to ensure any serious and well-founded disclosure can be dealt with in an equitable, timely, and confidential manner."

Public service employees play a fundamental role in serving the public interest. The purpose of the Internal Disclosure Policy is to provide a process to federal public service employees to bring forward information concerning wrongdoing in the workplace, and to ensure that they are treated fairly and protected from reprisal.

Under the new Internal Disclosure Policy, all deputy heads are required to designate a Senior Officer responsible for receiving information about alleged wrongdoing in the workplace. Additionally, the Policy creates the position of a Public Service Integrity Officer - a neutral, third party agent who will be available to deal with disclosures an employee believes cannot be raised internally, or have not been dealt with adequately within a department.

The effective date of the Internal Disclosure Policy is November 30, 2001, in order to provide for all departments and agencies to ensure that their own processes to deal with internal disclosures meet the requirements of the new Policy and to allow sufficient time to establish the Office of the Public Service Integrity Officer. An annual report to the President of the Privy Council will be prepared for tabling in Parliament. The Policy will be reviewed in three years.

The Internal Disclosure Policy applies to all departments and other organizations for which the Treasury Board is the employer. Separate employers of the federal government are encouraged to implement similar internal disclosure measures in their organization.

This policy represents one of several important initiatives currently underway to modernize the management of human resources in the Public Service of Canada.

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See attached backgrounder for further details.

For more information, contact:

Russell Milon
Press Secretary
Office of the President of the Treasury Board
of Canada and Minister responsible for
Infrastructure
(613) 957-2666

Edison Stewart
Media Relations
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
(613) 941-0255

IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.

TTY (Telecommunications device for the hearing impaired) - (613) 957-9090

Backgrounder

Policy on the Internal Disclosure of Information Concerning Wrongdoing in the Workplace

The Government of Canada recognizes that while public service employees owe a duty of loyalty to the employer, they also play a fundamental role in serving the public interest. The purpose of the Internal Disclosure Policy is to provide a process to federal public service employees to bring forward information concerning wrongdoing in the workplace, and to ensure that they are treated fairly and protected from reprisal. It is designed to serve the best interest of the public and the public service, reflecting our core values of justice, honesty, integrity and good governance.

Definition

A wrongdoing in the Internal Disclosure Policy is defined as an act concerning:

• a violation of any law or regulation,
• misuse of public funds or assets,
• gross mismanagement, or
• a substantial and specific danger to the life, health and safety of Canadians or the environment.

Key Policy Highlights

The Policy provides employees with various mechanisms within the Public Service when they wish to make a disclosure. These include:

• The appointment of an internal departmental Senior Officer to act as a neutral agent on matters of disclosures. He or she will receive, review and report to the deputy head with recommendations for action.
• Deputy heads and managers are responsible for creating a work environment where issues and concerns can be raised in normal day-to-day interaction and employees can expect that this will continue. The Policy does not take that responsibility away, but it provides employees with an alternative when one is needed.
• The creation of the Office of the Public Service Integrity Officer (PSIO) where employees may go when they have made a disclosure within their organisation but believe that the issue was not resolved satisfactorily or, when they believe that their disclosure cannot be safely raised within their organization. Employees' reports to the PSIO will be treated in confidence.
• The PSIO will investigate disclosures and make recommendations to deputy heads for ways to resolve issues. If required, the PSIO will make recommendations to the Clerk of the Privy Council of the necessary measures. The PSIO, a Governor-in-Council appointment, will prepare an annual report to the President of the Privy Council for tabling in Parliament.

The Office of Values and Ethics of the Treasury Board Secretariat will provide policy support, review the mechanisms established by departments and agencies and monitor the implementation of the Internal Disclosure Policy.

The Policy will be reviewed in three years.