Acts of Founded Wrongdoing
A gross mismanagement in the public sector;
A serious breach of a code of conduct established under section 5 or 6
The Senior Officer for Internal Disclosure for the Department of Justice Canada received a disclosure of wrongdoing by an executive at the Department, pursuant to paragraph 8(b), (c), (e), and (f) of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, S.C. 2005, c46 (the Act)—a misuse of public funds or a public asset, gross mismanagement, a serious breach of a Code of Conduct, and knowingly directing or counselling a person to commit a wrongdoing.
Information obtained during the investigation demonstrated that an executive misused public funds by authorizing work under a contract that was not aligned with the contract, and that the authorized work and invoiced services were not sufficiently supported by accurate contractual documentation. These findings were found to constitute a misuse of public funds, gross mismanagement, and a serious breach of a Code of Conduct pursuant to paragraph 8(b), (c), and (e) of the Act.
The Department has already taken steps to reinforce, among contracting, procurement, and finance personnel, the importance of identifying and raising concerns regarding potential irregularities, red flags, or conduct inconsistent with applicable policies and ethical obligations, and to foster a workplace culture in which employees feel supported in doing so. These expectations will be communicated to all managers with financial signing authority.
The department has also made available to all its employees a tailored workshop on Understanding Wrongdoing in the Federal Public Sector to support a better understanding of wrongdoing under the Act.
The executive was informed of the conclusion of the investigation establishing that wrongdoing had been committed and was advised that the matter would be addressed through a disciplinary process. However, the executive retired from the public service before any administrative measures could be considered or implemented.