Review of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act
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Advisory Task Force
On November 29, 2022, the President of the Treasury Board announced the appointment of an external task force that would explore revisions to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA).
The task force’s review is considering opportunities to enhance the federal disclosure process and strengthen protections and supports for public servants who come forward to disclose wrongdoing. The task force will produce a public report that provides the government with recommendations on possible amendments to the act to further support and protect federal employees who come forward to disclose wrongdoing. Their work began in January 2023 and their report is expected by the end of 2024.
Members of the Advisory Task Force
The task force consists of senior officers for internal disclosure, academics, bargaining agent representatives and individuals with experience in other Canadian jurisdictions.
Suzanne Craig (Co-Chair)
Ms. Craig is the Integrity Commissioner for the City of Vaughan. She has more than 15 years of legal, management and policy experience in the public and private sectors, including various leadership positions at the Province of Ontario.
Mary McFadyen (Co-Chair)
Ms. McFadyen served as the Ombudsman and Public Interest Disclosure Commissioner for the Province of Saskatchewan from April 2014 to May 2022. She has significant experience in the public sector, having held senior positions at the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of Justice Canada.
Dr. Stephen Maguire
Dr. Maguire is an Adjunct Research Professor in the Ethics and Public Affairs Doctoral Program and Executive Director of the Centre on Values and Ethics at Carleton University. He founded and also teaches in the Certificate Program in Organizational Values and Ethics.
Professor Basil Alexander
Professor Alexander is a legal academic who has taught at Osgoode Hall Law School, the Université de Sherbrooke and the University of New Brunswick. He has several years of professional experience in public interest law and significant experience serving universities and communities in various roles.
David Yazbeck
Mr. Yazbeck is the Director, National Labour Relations, at the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC). As Director, he runs the Negotiations and Compensation Services sections of PIPSC. Prior to this, he practiced labour and human rights law for 29 years, representing workers and a number of unions, mostly in the federal public service.
Scott Chamberlain
Mr. Chamberlain is the Director of Labour Relations and General Counsel at the Association of Canadian Financial Officers (ACFO). In that capacity, he also leads contract negotiations and many of ACFO’s policy research and advocacy initiatives with a particular focus on tax fairness and whistleblower protection.
Raymond Kunze
Mr. Kunze is the Ombudsperson at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. He previously served as the Chief Audit Executive at Global Affairs Canada; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; and Infrastructure Canada, as well as the Senior Officer for Disclosure at the 2 departments.
Professor Geneviève Cartier (former member – November 29, 2022 to October 3, 2023)
Professor Cartier is a Professor of Law and Director of the PhD program at Université de Sherbrooke. She teaches and researches administrative law and legal theory.
Consultations
Note to readers
The questionnaire is now closed! Thank you for your contribution to this important initiative.
The task force is engaging in a wide-ranging consultation process with internal and external stakeholders, including any individuals interested in improvements to the PSDPA. We are seeking input on:
- protections and supports for public servants who disclose wrongdoing
- enhancements to the federal disclosure process
- improvements to the operation and administration of the PSDPA
Feedback provided during this process will be considered as the task force prepares its final report on recommendations to the government.
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