Key Messages
Five things that Canadians should understand about whistleblowing
- There are serious problems of mismanagement and corruption within the Canadian public service
- Corruption and mismanagement strike at the heart of our prosperous, free and democratic way of life
- There is a compelling need for effective public sector reforms
- Whistleblowers play a vital role and need protection
- Focused public attention can force governments to do the right thing
Next: Our Vision And Plans For Change...
Key messages in detail:
There are Serious problems of Mismanagement and Corruption within the Canadian Public Service
In spite of our self-image as an honest and upstanding nation, Canada has a long history of government scandal involving mismanagement and corruption. Recent examples include the Tainted Blood scandal, the Gun Registry budget overruns, and the so-called AdScam that led to the Gomery inquiry. These scandals have taken years and in some cases decades to come to light because of foot-dragging and 'cover up'.
These are just the tip of the iceberg. FAIR has knowledge of numerous other cases of government corruption and mismanagement where those trying to 'blow the whistle' have been effectively silenced and all attempts to investigate have been blocked.
Government bureaucracies are vast: they consume about half of our national income. Though the overwhelming majority of public servants are honest people, there are endless opportunities for theft and blundering on a large scale. The pervasive climate of fear and secrecy makes it easy to cover up mismanagement and wrongdoing. This combination of fear, silence and opportunity allows corruption to grow like an unchecked cancer.
Corruption and mismanagement strike at the heart of our Prosperous, Free and democratic way of life
The central problem of corruption and mismanagement is beyond lost or stolen public money. It is that government fails to deliver important services and that citizens suffer as a result. When bureaucrats and politicians are lining their pockets, pursuing personal agendas or scheming to avoid public embarrassment, they are not focused on serving the public interest.
Then thousands of people die needlessly because of lax regulation of the blood supply . .. Foreign criminals come freely to Canada because of lax security in our immigration offices ... Organized crime thrives and terrorizes citizens because of ineffective police action ... And the lost or stolen money is no longer there for vital public services such as health care and education.
In countries where corruption is endemic, it seems striking to visitors that 'nothing works' – the telephones, the power system, even the water supply. This is not solely because of lack of funds. It is because the bureaucracies charged with providing these services are bloated with employees who lack the necessary knowledge and skills to do the job – people who were hired because of a family relationship, a favour owed, or a bribe paid. These countries are run by elites who rule through their wealth and connections, flout the law, and deny ordinary citizens their share of the wealth or their democratic rights.
Corruption breeds incompetence, and incompetence breeds more corruption. This vicious cycle leads to oppressive, undemocratic societies run by corrupt elites. This is the cycle of corruption that Canada is sliding into and needs your help to break out of.
There is a compelling need for effective public sector reforms
The Conservative government came to power in 2006 on a platform of integrity and accountability in government, and a wide range of reforms is needed. FAIR’s focus is on whistleblower protection since it is a key component of honesty and integrity in government.
Protecting whistleblowers and ensuring that their allegations are properly investigated is not a simple undertaking. The USA has, arguably, the most comprehensive whistleblowing legislation in the world, covering both public and private sectors, and considerable experience in its application. Yet parts of their system have been seriously undermined by the actions of a hostile administration so that few whistleblowers prevail.
Several other developed countries have also introduced meaningful whistleblower protection legislation. In contrast, Canada has performed little more than lip service.
The previous Liberal government that came to power on a platform of greater integrity and accountability, then refused to support whistleblower bills that were brought forward in Parliament, claiming there was 'no need' . Only in their final months and only when forced by public outrage did they work on a so-called 'whistleblower protection' bill. The result – Bill C-11 – proved to be a Trojan Horse. Although MPs and Senators of all parties supported it, believing it to be a step forward, examination of the fine print reveals that this bill is not to protect whistleblowers, but to protect Ministers from whistleblowers.
The new Conservative government's campaign promises on whistleblower protection have been very clear and appropriate. These need to be translated into a properly designed bill.
Whistleblowers play a vital role and need protection
Whistleblowers are usually portrayed in the media either as heroes or 'snitches'. But most are just ordinary people who only want to do their job properly. When asked to do something unethical or illegal, or to 'turn a blind eye', they refuse. This refusal is a risk in itself but if they try to get the wrongdoing stopped – perhaps by drawing the attention of senior management or the media – that's when they find themselves in serious trouble.
Whistleblowers almost always suffer vicious and carefully orchestrated reprisals from those in power. These ruthless acts usually ruin not only their careers but their personal lives and health as well.
Furthermore, most whistleblowers are never vindicated. Most never see the wrongdoing disclosed or the wrongdoers brought to justice. Most never receive any kind of acknowledgement or thanks and for most, the reprisals never stop – even after they have been crushed and silenced. In Canada there are virtually no mechanisms to protect whistleblowers from such ill treatment. In the current climate, it's very dangerous to be a whistleblower, so it is no surprise that many scandals have remained hidden for years, even decades.
In cases like the Tainted Blood scandal, dozens, possibly hundreds of employees must have known or suspected that the system was failing. Yet no one spoke up about what was going on until there were so many deaths that it became impossible to hide the dreadful truth. Given the grim personal consequences of breaking ranks, who can blame those who remained silent? Yet this is precisely the kind of high stakes situation in which whistleblowers need to be encouraged, protected, thanked, and even rewarded for coming forward at an early stage.
The purpose of protecting whistleblowers is to help ensure that corruption and mismanagement are identified and rooted out quickly before innocent people are harmed or public money is wasted .
Focused public Attention can force governments to do the right thing
Canadians are becoming increasingly disillusioned with government and many feel powerless to change it. Yet history shows that public outrage can force governments to act and that sustained and informed public pressure can force them to do the right thing.
Our goal is to provide a focal point for concerned Canadians to translate their concern into action. We will do this by:
- Helping concerned citizens to educate themselves – including journalists, academics, politicians and bureaucrats.
- Providing information and expert comment on pending legislation and progress on other fronts.
- Publishing our plans for change and inviting participation and support to implement these.
By acting together we can make a difference.
