Acts of founded wrongdoing
The Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA) came into force on April 15, 2007. This Act replaces the Treasury Board's Policy on the Internal Disclosure of Information Concerning Wrongdoing in the Workplace.
The purpose of the PSDPA is to encourage employees in the public sector to come forward if they have reason to believe that serious wrongdoing has taken place in the workplace. It provides protection against reprisal if they do come forward, and it also provides a fair and objective process for those who are accused of wrongdoing. As such, this legislation represents an important step in supporting ethical conduct in the federal workforce and increasing confidence in government institutions.
At Global Affairs Canada, the Chief Audit Executive is the Senior Officer for Internal Disclosure (SOID) and is responsible for receiving and handling the disclosures of wrongdoing.
Paragraph 11(1) c) of the PSDPA states that information on founded wrongdoing should be made available to the public.
The Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act contain mandatory, permanent exemptions related to the PSDPA. They respectively contain provisions to the effect that records containing information or personal information that was created for the purpose of making a disclosure or in the course of an investigation into a disclosure are permanently protected and cannot be released.
For further information, please consult the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner Web site.
