Our Mission:

Protecting Whistleblowers Who Protect The Public Interest

FAIR (Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform) promotes integrity and accountability within government by empowering employees to speak out without fear of reprisal when they encounter wrongdoing. Our aim is to support legislation and management practices that will provide effective protection for whistleblowers and hence occupational free speech in the workplace.

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Top Stories

CBC "As It Happens": the Conservatives' record on whistleblower protection

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David Hutton
David Hutton

CBC Radio – May 17, 2012

Carol Off interviews David Hutton on the subject of Canada's federal whistleblower protection, the Conservative government's track record on this issue, and the now-overdue five-year review of the law.

Five years ago the government introduced legislation to protect public service employees who come forward with a complaint or a claim of wrongdoing. The law was billed as the “Mount Everest” of whistleblower protection. Well, now the mountain is in danger of becoming a molehill.

David Hutton on delayed Newfoundland legislation

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David Hutton

CBC News – May 17, 2012

Five years after it was promised, the government of Newfoundland still has not introduced whistleblower legislation, and Justice Minister Felix Collins has suggested that it is not needed.

CBC's Nadia Stewart interviews David Hutton about whistleblower laws, why these are needed, what other countries are doing and why politicians may be nervous of this type of legislation.

Create Strong Protection for Whistleblowers, Watchdog Tells Alberta

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Whistleblower protection experiencing a ‘history of decline’ in Canada

Justina Reichel – May 16, 2012

A whistleblower watchdog is vowing to keep an eye on Alberta premier Alison Redford’s promise to introduce whistleblower legislation, and says success depends on the premier setting the right “tone” for her government.

After winning the provincial election and swearing in her new cabinet, Redford promised a sweeping review of laws—“taking the best examples from the world, including whistleblower legislation”—that would help Albertans access information about their government.

Minister calls for investigation of P.E.I. Immigrant Program

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Brodie Fenlon – 10 May 2012

Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has called on his officials to launch an investigation in the wake of a joint probe of P.E.I.'s controversial immigrant nominee program by the Huffington Post Canada and King's College journalism students.

“I have referred these findings to my department for further investigation,” Kenney said.The series, reported by students at the University of King’s College in Halifax, found the now-defunct program offered some foreign nationals a way to purchase entry into Canada by making “investments” they would never recoup, in companies they might not even know.

Alberta premier promises transparency, whistleblower protection

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Karen Kleiss – May 8, 2012

Premier Alison Redford promises a sweeping review of provincial laws that help Albertans access information about their government.

The review will be overseen by Don Scott, a rookie MLA appointed Tuesday as the province’s first associate minister of Accountability, Transparency and Transformation. He will report to Service Alberta Minister Manmeet Bhullar.

FAIR website en français

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David Hutton – April 30, 2012

We are pleased to announce that the FAIR website and Monthly Headlines newsletter are now available en français.

This is a first step in our efforts to provide service to the francophone community. We also hope in future to be able to respond in French to inquiries from whistleblowers and from the media. If you are bilingual and would like to help in some way, please contact us.

Canadian whistleblowers: out on a limb

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Canadian whistleblowers face great obstacles with little or no legal protection—just for doing the right thing

Arnold Amber – May 2012

When it comes to the protection of whistleblowers, Canada ranks near the bottom of western democracies that have taken up the issue. We are deficient when it comes to a strong legal framework and the development and administration of protection protocols in corporations and government.

There is also an extremely aggressive pushback by companies, governments and others against whistleblowers when their institutions are accused of wrongdoing.

Documents reveal hundreds of ‘high-risk misconduct’ cases at CRA

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Daniel Leblanc – April 29, 2012

Allegations of corruption that have rocked the Montreal offices of the Canada Revenue Agency are just a fraction of the total instances of “high-risk misconduct” reported at the federal tax agency every year, records show.

The CRA has dismissed seven officials from its Montreal offices in connection with an RCMP investigation into allegations of fraud and corruption involving senior team leaders and auditors at the tax-collection agency.

Raw courage on display at the Ridenhour

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David Hutton – April 30, 2012

The National Press Club auditorium in Washington D.C. was packed to the rafters – with the crowd overflowing into the upstairs galleries – by a who’s who of people who have fought in various ways to defend the truth and the public interest.

I saw whistleblowers, civil society activists and lawyers, journalists, authors and film-makers, even government officials such as Carolyn Lerner, head of the OSC, who is charged with protecting US government whistleblowers.

Canada’s integrity commissioner: in full pursuit of the inconsequential

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David Hutton – April 23, 2012

This is the story of how Canadian authorities suck up to a powerful industry that has a track record of bad behaviour, how public servants who get in the way are punished, and how the watchdog that’s supposed to investigate suspected wrongdoing is turning a blind eye.

Canada’s Integrity Commissioner Mario Dion, who is responsible for protecting government whistleblowers and investigating their allegations of wrongdoing, recently referred his third case to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal created to examine alleged reprisals against whistleblowers.

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