Annual Report on the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act 2007-08

Summary

The Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA) is a significant part of the Government's actions to increase the trust and confidence of Canadians in the public sector. While wrongdoing is rare in the Canadian public sector, it is important to have mechanisms in place that allow each case of suspected wrongdoing to be dealt with in a manner that maintains the confidence of Canadians, while allowing effective and efficient operation of public sector organizations.

The Act requires that public sector organizations report annually to the Canada Public Service Agency on activities related to disclosures made under the Act and that the Agency submit a report outlining these activities to the Minister for tabling in each House of Parliament. This is the first such report, and it presents an analysis of initial activities under the Act.

During the first year since the Act came into force, there has been a great deal of progress in implementation throughout the public sector. Organizations have taken significant steps to embody the key concepts of the Act in their activities, and are responding appropriately to allegations of wrongdoing. Likewise, public sector employees have responded by trusting and using the procedures established under the Act.

Nevertheless, more work remains ahead to ensure that all public sector employees are well informed of the protections provided by the Act, and that leaders at all levels clearly understand their responsibilities with respect to disclosure and, more generally, in promoting ethical practices in the workplace.

The Agency will continue to support implementation of the PSDPA and looks forward to the establishment of the new code of conduct for the federal public sector and related codes in federal public sector organizations.