[ 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
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.
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