2025–26 Departmental Results Report

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At a glance

This departmental results report details the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada’s (the Office) actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results outlined in its 2025–26 Departmental Plan.

These results align with the priorities outlined in the May 21, 2025, mandate letter from the Prime Minister, as well as with the Office’s raison d’être, vision and values.

Key priorities

The Office identified the following key priorities for 2025–26:

  • Timeliness and effectiveness
    • Optimize internal procedures and resources, as well as promote new operational strategies to better manage the ever-growing influx of new submissions.
    • Review and update the current intake analysis process in order to increase efficiency.
  • Awareness and access to information
    • Participate strategically in events targeted to public servants and stakeholders.
    • Continue a comprehensive redesign of the Office’s website.

Highlights

In 2025–26, the Office strengthened the timeliness and effectiveness of its operations through business transformation initiatives regarding case admissibility analysis by streamlining internal procedures, improving intake automation and the case management system, as well as leveraging data analytics. These measures reduced duplication, supported more efficient decision-making and increased the Office’s capacity to manage the continued growth in the volume and complexity of submissions. Efficiency gains, however, do not match the exponential and sustained increase in submissions. This requires additional capacity for which the Office has submitted a budget proposal.

The Office also advanced awareness and access to information through targeted outreach activities and digital modernization. The Office continued the comprehensive redesign of the website, including the development of accessible interactive forms and instructional resources to better guide users through the disclosure of wrongdoing and complaint of reprisal processes.

Total actual spending (including internal services): $7,379,728
Total full-time equivalent staff (including internal services): 39

For detailed information on the Office’s total spending and human resources, read the Spending and human resources section of this report.

Summary of results

The following provides a summary of the results the Office achieved in 2025–26 under its “core responsibility” (its main area of activity).

Core responsibility: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal

Actual spending: $4,638,811
Actual human resources: 29

The Office achieved the following in 2025–26:

  • Closed 563 disclosure of wrongdoing and complaint of reprisal files and responded to 601 general inquiries;
  • Streamlined procedures and enhanced automation for case management;
  • Continued modernization of its digital services through the development of accessible interactive forms and instructional resources for the redesigned website; and
  • Reached nearly 6,500 participants across 16 successful outreach events, raising awareness of the Office and the federal whistleblowing regime.

For more information on activities related to the Office’s core responsibility, Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal, read the “Results: What we achieved” section of this report.

From the Commissioner

Harriet Solloway
Public Sector Integrity Commissioner

I am pleased to present the 2025–26 Departmental Results Report for the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada (the Office).

The unprecedented surge in the number of submissions continued in 2025–26, as projected in the Departmental Plan, impacting the Office’s ability to provide the level of responsiveness that disclosers and complainants have the right to expect. There is no plateau in sight. This growth demonstrates the importance that public servants place on accountability, transparency and integrity in the federal public sector. I am grateful to all those who come forward and participate in these processes.

In 2025–26, 545 admissibility decisions were rendered, 601 general inquiries received a response and 18 investigations were completed.

The Office has responded to the increasing case load by launching business and technological transformation initiatives, some of which straddle multiple years. In 2025–26, some pilot operational processes and several technological tools were introduced, and their effectiveness will be monitored over time using data and performance analytics.

Our goal remains the timely and fulsome consideration of disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal, always prioritizing due process and procedural fairness.

Sustained and adequate funding remains essential if the Office is to fulfil its mandate effectively and preserve the integrity of the federal whistleblowing regime. At the close of the 2025–26 year, we await a response to the off-cycle budget request that was submitted in January 2026.

We remain dedicated to providing the highest possible level of service to public servants and members of the public, and I am deeply honoured to be part of a team whose professionalism, expertise and commitment to the public interest are evident in everything that they do.

Results: what we achieved

Core responsibilities and internal services

Core responsibility: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal

Description

The Office contributes to strengthening accountability and increases oversight of government operations by:

  • Providing an independent and confidential process for receiving and investigating disclosures of wrongdoing in, or relating to, the federal public sector from public servants and members of the public;
  • Reporting founded cases of wrongdoing to Parliament and making recommendations to chief executives on corrective measures; and
  • Providing a mechanism for handling complaints of reprisal from public servants and former public servants for the purpose of coming to a resolution, including through conciliation and by referring cases to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal.

Quality of life impacts

The domains from Canada’s Quality of Life Hub that relate the most closely to the Office’s core responsibility, Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal, are as follows.

  • Good governance (primary domain): Public servants will have a mechanism to call out wrongdoing. The Office’s core responsibility contributes to this domain and, more specifically, to the subdomain “Democracy and institutions” through all the activities mentioned in the core responsibility description. The indicator of interest for this domain is “Confidence in institutions.”
  • Prosperity: Canadians will be proud of an ethical public sector that ensures good job quality and job satisfaction. The Office’s core responsibility contributes to the subdomain “Employment and job quality,” and the indicator of interest is “Job satisfaction.”
  • Society: A robust whistleblowing regime supports social cohesion by ensuring trust in the public sector. The Office’s core responsibility contributes to the subdomain “Social cohesion and connections”, and the indicator of interest is “Trust in others.”

Progress on results

This section details the Office’s performance against its targets for each departmental result under its core responsibility, Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal.

Table 1 shows the target, the date to achieve the target and the actual result for each indicator under “Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal are dealt with in a timely and effective manner” in the last three fiscal years.

Table 1: Departmental result 1: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal are dealt with in a timely and effective manner
Departmental result indicatorsTargetDate to achieve targetActual results
Percentage of cases addressed within established service standards, which are available on the Office’s websiteService standard targets are met 100% of the timeMarch 2026
  • 2023–24: 75%
  • 2024–25: 25%*
  • 2025–26: 25%*
Percentage of applications addressed within established service standard under the Legal Assistance Request ProgramService standard target is met 100% of the timeMarch 2026
  • 2023–24: 99%
  • 2024–25: 81%
  • 2025–26: 73%*

*Note: The Office has implemented four service standards to provide transparency and an objective means of measuring performance. One of these standards is a statutory requirement and must be met 100%, while the other three have a target of 80%. However, the exponential and sustained surge in submissions since fall 2023 continues to exert considerable pressure on operational resources, resulting in delays in the processing of disclosure files, investigations into allegations, response to general inquiries, and legal assistance requests as reflected in the results.

Table 2 shows the target, the date to achieve the target and actual result for each indicator under the departmental result “Public servants and members of the public are aware of the Office and have access to information to make an informed decision about disclosures of wrongdoing and/or complaints of reprisal” in the last three fiscal years.

Table 2: Departmental result 2: Public servants and members of the public are aware of the Office and have access to information to make an informed decision about disclosures of wrongdoing and/or complaints of reprisal
Departmental result indicatorsTargetDate to achieve targetActual results
Percentage of new website visitors90% of website visitors are new visitorsMarch 2026
  • 2023–24: 94%
  • 2024–25: 77%*
  • 2025–26: 91%
Number of attendees at outreach eventsTotal number of attendees for the combined events, in which the Office participates in a year, is at least 2,500 attendeesMarch 2026
  • 2023–24: 7,470
  • 2024–25: 14,253
  • 2025–26: 6,463

*Note: This percentage represents over 89,000 new visitors to the Office’s website.

The Office’s GC InfoBase Infographic for Results provides additional information on results and performance related to its program inventory.

Details on results

The following section describes the results for the Office in 2025–26 compared with the planned results set out in the Office’s Departmental Plan for the year.

Result 1: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal are dealt with in a timely and effective manner.

Results achieved

In 2025–26, the Office continued to optimize its operational processes and use of resources to support the timely and effective handling of disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal. At the same time, the continued significant and sustained growth in submissions, as well as increasing complexity of files, meant that demand continued to exceed capacity. Specifically:

  • The Office streamlined case management and decision-making processes.
  • Data analytical tools were developed to inform decision making, strategic planning and business transformation.
  • Exponential and sustained growth in the number and complexity of files contributed to greater caseloads and operational pressures. In 2025–26, the Office requested additional resources to support the effective delivery of its mandate.
Result 2: Public servants and members of the public are aware of the Office and have access to information to make an informed decision about disclosures of wrongdoing and/or complaints of reprisal.

Results achieved

In 2025–26, senior officials and the Communications team continued to raise awareness of the Office and its mandate, as well as the protections available under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act. Through speaking engagements, stakeholder outreach and social media, the Office sought to improve understanding of the disclosure of wrongdoing and complaint of reprisal processes, encouraging informed participation in the federal whistleblowing regime.

The redesign of the website remained a key priority. As the primary source of information about the Office and the main channel through which disclosures and complaints are submitted, the website was updated to enhance accessibility, transparency, and the user experience. New interactive forms were developed to guide users more effectively through the submission process and improve operational efficiency. Looking ahead to 2026–27, the Office plans to launch the redesigned website, including the new forms, and assess its impact, while continuing outreach activities to further strengthen awareness and understanding of the federal whistleblowing regime.

  • As part of the redesign of the website, the Office recorded a series of instructional videos to guide visitors through the submission process and provide other pertinent information. These videos were used on social media channels, and they will be part of the redesigned website.
  • The Office reached nearly 6,500 participants across 16 successful events.

Key risks

There is a risk that the Office may not have the capacity to deliver on its statutory mandate. The unpredictable nature of file intake and volume means that, in the event of a sudden increase in cases and investigations, the Office runs the risk of not being able to process files in a timely manner. The recent and sustained trend of increasing numbers of new disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal each year has significantly impacted the Office’s caseload, which continues to outpace the Office’s resource capacity.

The Office’s risk response strategy is to optimize processes for maximum efficiency, closely monitor caseloads as well as human resources (HR) capacity, and support ongoing professional development. In addition, the Office has submitted a request for funding to increase HR capacity to effectively deliver its mandate in the context of growing trends and caseloads.

The Office faces the risk of not being able to attract, retain and develop the right people with the appropriate mix of skills. The Office’s strategy to mitigate this risk includes proactive recruitment, as well as the use of casual employment and contractors when warranted.

The Office relies on external service providers for many of its corporate functions. This dependency subjects the Office to the risk of service providers not having the capacity to meet our operational needs at any given time. To mitigate this risk, the Office ensures that memoranda of understanding are in place with each service provider that detail both the services and levels of service to be provided. Regular monitoring of service delivery and audits of service level agreements are also conducted.

Furthermore, there is a risk that external and internal threats (including malware, hacking, and errors) could compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive information and business systems, disrupt operations and negatively impact the Office’s ability to deliver on its mandate. To mitigate this risk, the Office is updating its outdated information technology infrastructure, using multi-factor authentication across all its critical systems, supporting a new and more reliable case management system, providing quarterly cyber security training for all staff, and reinforcing information technology capacity.

Resources required to achieve results

Table 3 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents (FTEs) required to achieve results.

Table 3: Snapshot of resources required for the Office’s core responsibility, Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal
ResourcePlannedActual
Spending$5,464,249$4,638,811
Full-time equivalents3429

Actual spending was below planned levels by $825,438 (15.1%), mainly due to delays in planned staffing and the deferral of accommodation fit-up activities to 2026–27. Lower-than-planned staffing (29 actual FTEs compared with 34 planned) also contributed to reduced salary expenditures. These factors reflect the timing of planned staffing and accommodation activities.

The Office’s GC InfoBase Infographic for Finances and GC InfoBase Infographic for People provide complete financial and HR information related to its program inventory.

Related government priorities

This section highlights government priorities that are being addressed through this core responsibility.

Program inventory

The Office’s core responsibility, Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal, is supported by the Disclosure and Reprisal Management Program.

Additional information related to the program inventory for the Office’s core responsibility is available on the GC InfoBase Infographic for Results.

Internal services

Description

Internal services are the activities and resources that support a department in meeting its corporate obligations and delivering its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:

  • acquisition management services
  • communications services
  • financial management services
  • human resources management services
  • information management services
  • information technology services
  • legal services
  • material management services
  • management and oversight services
  • real property management services

Progress on results

This section presents details on how the Office performed to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.

Information technology services

In 2025–26, the Office strengthened its information management and technology environment by implementing a new backup infrastructure that improves organizational resilience and supports business continuity objectives. The planned implementation of an additional cloud-based backup layer was deferred to 2026–27 due to capacity constraints.

The Office also enhanced its cybersecurity posture through the implementation of modern cloud-based endpoint and application management capabilities. As part of this work, endpoint antivirus and threat protection coverage was expanded through cloud-based security services, improving security monitoring, device oversight, and software administration across the organization.

In addition, the Office adopted new cybersecurity services provided by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and continued to modernize internal procedures through increased automation, helping improve operational efficiency and security.

Overall, the Office made significant progress toward its planned information technology objectives, strengthening reliability, security, and service delivery while positioning future initiatives for continued advancement.

Human resources management services

In 2025–26, the Office continued to strengthen organizational resilience and operational excellence by enhancing its internal HR capacity. The appointment of a Head of Human Resources enabled the launch of a comprehensive review of HR practices and processes to ensure alignment with the Government of Canada’s policy framework.

This additional internal expertise supported the Office’s response to the risk of not being able to attract, retain and develop the people and skills needed to deliver its statutory mandate by strengthening its capacity for staffing, recruitment, retention and workforce planning. It also provided more timely access to strategic HR advice and expertise across a broad range of functions, including classification, labour relations, talent and performance management, and HR policies and guidance. As a result, more HR advice and services were delivered internally, reducing reliance on external service providers in several areas and supporting a more strategic and integrated approach to HR management.

Other internal services

In 2025–26, the Office strengthened its finance capacity by increasing procurement and administrative support and establishing executive capacity in Corporate Services, including Finance, HR, Information Management and Technology, and other portfolios.

Resources required to achieve results

Table 4 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and FTEs required to achieve results.

Table 4: Resources required for internal services for 2025–26
ResourcePlannedActual
Spending$2,463,975$2,740,917
Full-time equivalents910

Actual spending for internal services exceeded planned spending by $276,942 (11.2%), mainly due to investments in information technology equipment. Higher-than-planned staffing (10 actual FTEs compared with 9 planned) also contributed to increased salary expenditures.

The Office’s GC InfoBase Infographic for Finances and GC InfoBase Infographic for People provide complete financial and HR information related to its program inventory.

Contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Government of Canada departments are required to award at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses every year.

As shown in Table 5, the Office awarded 34.16% of the total value of all contracts to Indigenous businesses for the fiscal year.

Table 5: Total value of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses
Contracting performance indicator2025–26 result
Total value of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses (A)$289,875
Total value of contracts awarded to Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses (B)$848,524
Value of exceptions approved by deputy head (C)$0
Proportion of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses [A / (B−C) × 100]34.16%
Notes

For the purposes of the minimum 5% target, Indigenous Services Canada defines “Indigenous businesses” as:

  • businesses owned and operated by Elders, band and tribal councils

  • businesses registered in the Government of Canada’s Indigenous Business Directory

  • registered on a modern treaty beneficiary business list

A “contract” is a binding agreement for the procurement of a good, service or construction and does not include real property leases. It includes contract amendments and contracts entered into by means of acquisition cards of more than $10,000.

In 2025–26, the Office awarded $289,875 of $848,524 (34.16%) in contracts to Indigenous businesses, exceeding the Government of Canada’s minimum 5% target. No deputy head-approved exceptions were applied. This strong result reflects the Office’s continued efforts to prioritize qualified Indigenous suppliers and strengthen internal contracting processes that support Indigenous participation.

Spending and human resources

Spending

This section presents an overview of the Office’s actual and planned expenditures from 2023–24 to 2028–29.

Budgetary performance summary

Table 6 shows the money that the Office spent in each of the past three years on its core responsibility and internal services.

Table 6: Actual three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Core responsibilities and internal services2025–26 Main Estimates2025–26 total authorities available for useActual spending over three years (authorities used)
Core responsibility: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal5,463,1135,141,765
  • 2023–24: 4,199,622
  • 2024–25: 4,677,242
  • 2025–26: 4,638,811
Internal services2,465,1113,008,553
  • 2023–24: 2,577,345
  • 2024–25: 2,087,521
  • 2025–26: 2,740,917
Total7,928,2248,150,318
  • 2023–24: 6,776,967
  • 2024–25: 6,764,763
  • 2025–26: 7,379,728

The Office’s GC InfoBase Infographic for Finances provides more financial information from previous years.

Planned spending for next three years

Table 7 shows the Office’s planned spending for each of the next three years on its core responsibility and internal services.

Table 7: Planned three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Core responsibilities and internal services2026–27 planned spending2027–28 planned spending2028–29 planned spending
Core responsibility: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal5,428,6765,302,9055,313,561
Internal services2,649,1992,706,0422,711,532
Total8,077,8758,008,9478,025,093

The Office’s GC InfoBase Infographic for Finances provides more detailed financial information related to future years.

Funding

This section provides an overview of the Office’s voted and statutory funding for its core responsibility and internal services.

Graph 1 summarizes the Office’s approved voted and statutory funding from 2023–24 to 2028–29. For the Office, statutory funding consists of the government’s contributions to employee benefit plans, while voted funding consists of operating expenditures authorized annually by Parliament to support the delivery of the Office’s statutory mandate and related internal services.

Graph 1: Approved funding (statutory and voted) over a six-year period

Consult the Public Accounts of Canada for further information on the Office’s voted and statutory expenditures.

Financial statement highlights

This section presents the Office’s financial statements (audited) for the year ended March 31, 2026.

Table 8 summarizes the expenses and revenues for 2025–26, which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers.

Table 8: Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2026 (dollars)
Financial information2025–26 actual results2025–26 planned resultsDifference (actual results minus planned results)
Total expenses8,395,6149,240,677(845,063)
Total revenues87087
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers8,395,5279,240,677(845,150)

The 2025–26 planned results information is provided in the Office’s Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2025–26.

Table 9 summarizes actual expenses and revenues and shows the net cost of operations before government funding and transfers.

Table 9: Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for 2024–25 and 2025–26 (dollars)
Financial information2025–26 actual results2024–25 actual resultsDifference (2025–26 minus 2024–25)
Total expenses8,395,6148,011,398384,216
Total revenues87(5,738)5,825
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers8,395,5278,017,136378,391

Table 10 provides a brief snapshot of the amounts the Office owes or must spend (liabilities) and its available resources (assets), which helps to indicate its ability to carry out programs and services.

Table 10: Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as at March 31, 2026 (dollars)
Financial information2025–262024–25Difference (2025–26 minus 2024–25)
Total net liabilities1,453,867983,027470,840
Total net financial assets902,923561,561341,362
Departmental net debt550,944421,466129,478
Total non-financial assets440,616428,07412,542
Departmental net financial position(110,328)6,608(116,936)

Human resources

This section presents an overview of the Office’s actual and planned HR from 2023–24 to 2028–29.

Table 11 shows a summary in FTEs of HR for the Office’s core responsibility and internal services for the previous three fiscal years.

Table 11: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services for the last three years
Core responsibilities and internal services2023–24 actual full-time equivalents2024–25 actual full-time equivalents2025–26 actual full-time equivalents
Core responsibility: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal24.828.629.0
Internal services8.08.210.0
Total32.836.839.0

Table 12 shows the planned FTEs for the Office’s core responsibility and internal services for the next three years. HR for the current fiscal year are forecast based on year to date.

Table 12: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services for the next three years
Core responsibilities and internal services2026–27 planned full-time equivalents2027–28 planned full-time equivalents2028–29 planned full-time equivalents
Core responsibility: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal363636
Internal services999
Total454545

Note: The figures shown reflect the 2026–27 Departmental Plan.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on the Office’s website:

Federal tax expenditures

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

Corporate information

Definitions