Appointments process

Embattled head of human rights tribunal steps aside

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Shirish Chotalia

Chris Cobb – April 23, 2012

The embattled head of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has stepped aside in the aftermath of a scathing Federal Court decision that criticized her management of a landmark case involving the welfare of native children.

The Citizen has learned that tribunal chairwoman Shirish Chotalia wrote a brief email to staff on Friday saying she was departing on stress leave. “I am taking stress leave until June 17, 2012. Thank you for your continued support,” she wrote.

Former federal manager implicated in unfair hiring cases

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Radio Canada – February 9, 2012

A former manager with the federal public service in Manitoba has been found to have acted improperly by hiring unqualified candidates and people to whom she was connected.

CBC News has learned that the Public Service Commission investigated two hiring processes involving the manager — one in 2007 and another in 2009 — and concluded that errors were made that affected the fairness of the processes.

Yukon ombudsman out; no explanation provided

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Ashley Joannou – February 2, 2012

The territory’s ombudsman says she wasn’t given any explanation for why her position was not renewed. That has the NDP accusing the government of attempting to stifle independent oversight.

In a statement released Wednesday, Tracy-Anne McPhee, whose term as ombudsman and information and privacy commissioner expires this April, said she is disappointed with the decision.

Clean up your act, government tells federal rights tribunal, embattled chair

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Shirish Chotalia

Chris Cobb – January 9, 2012

The troubled Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is expected to provide a harmonious and professional workplace for its employees, the federal government said Monday.

In an email statement to the Citizen, a spokesperson for Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said the minister expects the Tribunal chair Shirish Chotalia to “address issues” that led to two charges of harassing employees being upheld against her.

Harassment complaints upheld against human rights tribunal head

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Shirish Chotalia

Chris Cobb – January 9, 2012

An independent labour investigator has upheld harassment complaints against the head of Canada’s premier human rights adjudication agency, the Citizen has learned.

The rulings that Shirish Chotalia, the Conservative-appointed chairwoman of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, harassed two subordinates and engaged in “baffling, if not bizarre” behaviour is the latest twist in a series of upheavals since the Edmonton lawyer took charge of the agency on Sept. 9, 2009.

New whistleblower watchdog called 'unwise' pick

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Sean Bruyea

Reject Mario Dion, whistleblower advocates say

Meagan Fitzpatrick – December 14, 2011

Advocates for whistleblowers said the appointment of Mario Dion as the new public sector integrity commissioner is an "unwise" one Wednesday and asked MPs to reject the nomination.

"There are many reasons to fear that Mr. Dion will prove to be an ineffective integrity commissioner, perhaps no better than disgraced former commissioner Christiane Ouimet," David Hutton, executive director of a group called FAIR, said at a news conference on Parliament Hill.

Public Sector Integrity Commissioner nominee fights familiar doubts

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Mario Dion

Kathryn May – December 13, 2011

The Conservatives' nominee to become the next Public Sector Integrity Commissioner told MPs Tuesday that he had the independence and courage to investigate possible wrongdoings of his former bureaucrat colleagues only to find himself accused of the same doubts that dogged his disgraced predecessor.

Mario Dion, who has been interim commissioner for a year, found himself on the hot seat at the Commons government operations committee explaining why a career bureaucrat with his legal experience is ideal for the job and won't be tempted to protect his former colleagues.

Integrity commissioner nominee faces scrutiny

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Mario Dion

Sonya Bell – December 13, 2011

The prospect of a new integrity commissioner being drawn from the ranks of the public service is being met with extreme skepticism from opposition MPs and accountability advocates concerned about giving rise to a second Christiane Ouimet.

Mario Dion, whose nomination to the post was announced last week, took questions Tuesday at the House’s government operations committee about his management credentials and long-term vision for the office.

FAIR's ten questions re appointment of toothless whistleblower watchdog

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FAIR Newsletter – December 12, 2011

Mario Dion, the Prime Minister’s choice for Public Sector Integrity Commissioner will testify before a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. This will be almost the final step in installing a whistleblower watchdog who has demonstrated over the past year that he can be equally ineffective as his disgraced predecessor.

FAIR is calling for proper scrutiny of this appointment before any decisions are made by Parliament. There are many serious questions that must answered before any decision is made: here are 10 for starters.

Feds to appoint another whistleblower watchdog who won’t bite

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Mario Dion

This decision is alarming since it signals the continuation of a strategy that has been pursued consistently for the past five years: ignoring the duty to protect public servants who disclose wrongdoing.

David Hutton – December 12, 2011

With hindsight it seems evident that the Harper government has striven to silence honest public servants from the moment it first came to power in 2006. First, it pushed through whistleblower legislation that was known to be deeply flawed. Then it appointed as its new watchdog, Christiane Ouimet, a hand-picked bureaucrat who seemed hostile to the very people she was supposed to protect.

Perhaps most telling, it also turned its back on the very whistleblowers whose support it had courted during the election, for example, intensifying the legal battle against Joanna Gualtieri, having its lawyers force her to answer more than 10,500 questions, then settling on the courthouse steps—demonstrating that the government never had a case.

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