Acts of Founded Wrongdoing
A serious breach of a code of conduct established under section 5 or 6
The Global Affairs Canada Senior Officer for Internal Disclosure received a disclosure of wrongdoing under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA), alleging wrongdoing under section 8 (b) a misuse of public funds or a public asset and 8 (e) a serious breach of a Code of Conduct.
The investigation revealed that a manager committed a serious breach of the Departmental Values and Ethics Code by demonstrating inappropriate behaviours towards staff and colleagues, which include making sexist comments and aggressively confronting employees. The manager’s actions did not contribute to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace free from harassment and discrimination and did not demonstrate the judgment and leadership expected from a person in a position of authority within the organization.
The investigation also concluded that the manager misused public funds. The manager submitted falsified expense documentation, inaccurately reporting the presence of a local contact at an event. Furthermore, the manager committed a misuse of public assets by directing staff to perform personal tasks for them during working hours.
The breaches to the Departmental Values and Ethics Code are considered serious given the manager’s level of seniority and trust within the organization. Moreover, these actions undermined the integrity of the public service and constitute a serious breach of the Departmental Value and Ethics Code as it relates to the values of Respect for people and Integrity.
The investigation concluded that that the manager committed acts of wrongdoing as described under 8 (b) & (e) of the PSDPA, that being a misuse of public funds and public assets and a serious breach of a code of conduct.
The Senior Officer for Internal Disclosure (SOID) recommended the delegated manager, in consultation with the Labour Relations Centre of Expertise, conduct a disciplinary process to address the findings of wrongdoing and take appropriate administrative measure including the review and reassessment of the manager’s performance assessment rating.
The SOID also recommended that the delegated manager, in consultation with the Canadian Foreign Service Institute, identify training courses related to diversity and gender equality for the manager to undertake, and that the manager’s delegation of financial authority be suspended until they revalidate their knowledge of the delegation of authorities.
Finally, the SOID also recommended that relevant information be shared with the Security and Readiness Bureau to determine whether the manager’s security clearance should be reviewed.