Disclosure of Wrongdoing
You believe you have witnessed wrongdoing and want to blow the whistle to preserve the integrity and trust in the federal public sector. Here’s how you can disclose wrongdoing with the Office.
Five questions to ask yourself before disclosing
Protection from reprisal
Disclose wrongdoing
Reprisal Complaints
You believe you are suffering from reprisal because of a disclosure you made or because you participated as a witness in an investigation. Here are the steps you can take to submit a reprisal complaint and more information about this process.
How am I protected?
The role of the Office
File a complaint of reprisal
Public Sector Integrity Commissioner
Results and Case Studies
Read about the Commissioner's findings of wrongdoing, referrals to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal, and case studies.
Case Reports
Referrals to the Tribunal
Case Studies
Disclosing Wrongdoing in the Federal Public Sector - HTML Captions
You see something at work that seems wrong
You can’t pretend that nothing happened.
So what do you do?
The first step is to learn what the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, often called the Whistleblower Act, defines as wrongdoing.
Still not sure if what you witnessed was wrongdoing?
Visit our Website or call us, the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada.
We’ll help you make an informed decision, and everything you tell us will be confidential.
When you believe you have evidence of wrongdoing, who do you talk to?
You have three options.
You can either talk to us, the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner ; to the senior officer responsible for internal disclosures of wrongdoing in your organization; or to your manager.
Whichever one you choose, what you say will be kept confidential.
So you’ve reported what you believe to be wrongdoing or you’ve participated in an investigation into wrongdoing, and now you think you are being reprised against because of it.
Reprisal can range from getting fired to something more subtle, such as no longer being invited to meetings or having your telework arrangement cancelled without cause.
The Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act helps protect you from reprisals.
You can only make a reprisal complaint to us, the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner.
A tribunal of judges has the power to order appropriate remedies for reprisal victims.
Anyone who takes reprisal action can face a fine of up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to two years.
What can you do about actions you feel are wrong, but don’t meet the Act’s legal definition of wrongdoing?
There are other means of recourse for staffing issues, harassment and personal conflicts.
To learn what your options are, talk to your manager.. your Human Resources advisor … or your union representative.
Taking action when you suspect wrongdoing is the right thing to do.
If you have questions or would like to make a disclosure of wrongdoing, call us.
You can tell us. You are protected.
