Criticism of the Annual Report of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner

This is a follow-up to the Library Boy post of May 13, 2009 entitled 2008-2009 Annual Report of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner that deals with reports of wrongdoings in the Canadian federal public sector.

The group FAIR (Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform), an organization that seeks to protect whistleblowers, didn't quite like the report and has published a criticism in The Hill Times, a newsweekly that covers the goings on of Parliament Hill in Ottawa [reprinted on the FAIR website]:

"When it comes to protecting whistleblowers, it’s worth noting that in surveys of public service employees, more than 1 in 5 report having been harassed, mainly by their bosses. After the UK implemented its whistleblower law, over 150 cases of alleged reprisal were referred to a tribunal during the first three years. The Canadian tribunal has never sat: in her first two years our Commissioner has not found a single case of reprisal against any public servant."

"The Commissioner appears unfazed by the perception that her office may not be serving any useful purpose. She says that it is far too soon to judge and that she needs at least three years of operation before any conclusions can be drawn. Yet her approach has already failed."

Ouch! As they say in Quebec: "Il va y avoir du sport!". Some vigourous debate can be expected.

The article is written by David Hutton, FAIR executive director, and David Kilgour, former federal secretary of state and a member of the FAIR Advisory Board.