Public Servants in the following categories who have knowledge of a potential wrongdoing are encouraged to submit a disclosure of wrongdoing to the Integrity Commissioner:
- Public Servants who believe that it is inappropriate to make a disclosure to their Ethics Executive.
- Public Servants who have already made a disclosure to their Ethics Executive but who are concerned that the matter is not being dealt with appropriately.
- Public Servants in ministers’ offices. (The Integrity Commissioner is the Ethics Executive for Public Servants in ministers’ offices.)
The information contained in the disclosure should be detailed and to the point so that an assessment can determine the best course of action.
A wrongdoing under the PSOA is any of the following (s. 108):
- a contravention by a Public Servant, minister or parliamentary assistant of legislation (federal or provincial),
- acts or omissions by Public Servants, ministers or parliamentary assistants that create a grave danger to life, health or safety of persons, or the environment,
- gross mismanagement (e.g., waste of funds, abuse of authority, abuse of public assets) by a Public Servant, minister or parliamentary assistant, or
- directing or counselling a person to commit a wrongdoing that falls into these categories.
We encourage you to make a disclosure to the Integrity Commissioner in writing. A form has been prepared for your convenience.
There are some restrictions on the subject matter that can be handled by the Integrity Commissioner (s. 117).For example, the Integrity Commissioner is not permitted to deal with a disclosure if the subject matter of the disclosure is an employment or labour relations matter that could be dealt with through a dispute resolution mechanism, including a grievance procedure.
You should not be discouraged from submitting a disclosure if you are not sure if the Integrity Commissioner is mandated to receive your disclosure. After the disclosure is received you will be advised by the Integrity Commissioner if your disclosure falls into one of the categories that the Integrity Commissioner is not able to deal with.