OTTAWA, ON , Nov. 29, 2022 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to promoting a positive and respectful public service grounded in values and ethics. Today, the Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board, announced the appointment of an external task force that will explore revisions to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA).
The nine-member task force's review will consider opportunities to enhance the federal disclosure process and strengthen protections and supports for public servants who come forward to disclose wrongdoing. It will be co-chaired by Suzanne Craig and Mary McFadyen, who each bring significant experience to bear in the field. The task force members bring diverse expertise and include academics, individuals with expertise in other Canadian jurisdictions, Senior Officers for Internal Disclosure, and bargaining agent representatives.
The task force will produce a public report that provides the government with recommendations on possible amendments to the act to further support and protect federal employees who come forward to disclose wrongdoing. Their work will begin in January 2023 and is expected to take 12 to 18 months.
The review will consider the recommendations of the 2017 report issued by the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) as well as Canadian and international research and experience. It will also consider the parliamentary debate, the testimony at committee and the final outcome of the Private Members' Bill C-290, An Act to amend the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act in its report. Experts as well as public servants will also be given an opportunity to participate.
Since the act was first introduced in 2007, several enhancements have been implemented to support disclosure. These include guidance for the internal disclosure process; awareness activities and training for public servants, supervisors and managers; and enhanced reporting of disclosures and acts of founded wrongdoing.
The government is committed to continually improving its disclosure regime so that employees feel confident bringing forward cases of wrongdoing and Canadians continue to have the utmost faith in the integrity of our institutions.
"Those who disclose serious wrongdoing must be protected. The external review task force will recommend improvements to the federal disclosure process to better protect and empower employees to come forward with cases of potential wrongdoing without fear of reprisal. I'm grateful to its distinguished members for their service."
- The Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board
- The PSDPA came into effect on April 15, 2007, replacing the Treasury Board's Policy on the Internal Disclosure of Information Concerning Wrongdoing in the Workplace.
- The PSDPA is one of the recourse options for federal public servants that cover issues such as harassment, discrimination, labour grievances and privacy complaints. These include mechanisms under the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act, the Canada Labour Code, the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations, the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Privacy Act and the Procurement Ombudsman Regulations.
- A key objective of the act is to promote and sustain an ethical workplace culture, and to maintain and enhance Canadians' confidence in the integrity of the federal public sector. The act created the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, and also created the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal to address alleged cases of reprisal.
- The review will build on the study of the PSDPA that was undertaken by the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates in 2017 containing 15 recommendations. In its response to the report, the Government committed to make improvements to the administration and operation of the internal disclosure process and the protection from acts of reprisal.
- Currently, 134 government institutions are subject to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, including departments, separate agencies, Crown corporations and wholly owned subsidiaries, and Agents of Parliament, all of which must establish internal disclosure procedures.
- Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act
- Annual Report on the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act 2021 to 2022
- Open Government Portal, where Canadians can access information about acts of founded wrongdoing within federal institutions.
- Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner
Twitter: @TBS_Canada
Facebook: www.facebook.com/YourGovernmentatWork/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tbs-sct/
SOURCE Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Contacts (media): Monica Granados, Press Secretary, Office of the President, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, [email protected], 343-551-6020; Media Relations: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Telephone: 613-369-9400, Toll-free: 1-855-TBS-9-SCT (1-855-827-9728), Teletypewriter (TTY): 613-369-9371, Email: [email protected]
Share this article