National Board of Directors meets in February, 2008
Public Sector Integrity Commissioner
Addresses National Board of Directors
Taking advantage of her first opportunity to address the leadership of a major union, newly-appointed Public Sector Integrity Commissioner Christiane Ouimet addressed the Public Service Alliance of Canada's National Board of Directors on February 5.
Named to the post by the Prime Minister in June, 2007 and subsequently confirmed by both the Senate and the House of Commons, Ouimet is responsible for administering the new Public Servants Dislcosure Protection Act, which came into effect April 15, 2007.
Under the Act, Ouimet's mandate is to conduct independent reviews of disclosures of wrongdoing in the federal public sector. An Agent of Parliament, Ouimet is also charged with investigating allegations of reprisals, enforcing the prohibition against reprisals, determining appropriate remedial action and making reports to Parliament.
In response to questions from the floor, Ouimet implied that she is not vulnerable to the kinds of political interference experienced over the last number of months by the heads of a number of arm's length agencies from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to the Canadian Grain Commission – agencies that have run afoul of the Harper government because they served their mandate by putting the public interest ahead of the government's agenda.
Stressing the independence of her office, Ouimet told the National Board of Directors that she has Part II Inquiries powers – the same as the Gomery Inquiry – and that her seven-year term can only be shortened through the same process that put her in the office, that is, with the consent of both houses of Parliament.
Underscoring the daunting task of administering a complex new Act that governs some 400,000 workers with a staff of only 25, Ouimet said her office will not be “a department of miracles, but I will do my best.”
Likening the six months since the Act came into force as “building the plane while we were flying it,” the Commissioner's office has settled on three priorities. Communication is the first priority says Ouimet, explaining both what the office of the Commissioner is and what it is not. The other priorities are prevention and exploring the potential of alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Noting a novel aspect in the Act that provides a mechanism for individuals to make disclosures in confidence, Ouimet says her office will be guided by the need to protect the public interest and by the need to protect persons who come forward to report wrongdoing.
Ouimet concedes that at this time, the record is “abysmal” with respect to the prospects of whistleblowers. It takes a lot of courage to come forward, she said, and “the costs are high.” However, underlining her mandate to protect those who come forward and the role they play in protecting the public interest, Ouimet said, “I will not do this alone. This is not my legislation, this is our legislation.”
Date Modified : 2010/07/29
