QUÉBEC CITY, Dec. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - Québec Ombudsman Marc-André Dowd today released his special report on public integrity: Notoriété et crédibilité des mécanismes de divulgation au sein des organismes publics québécois. His findings are based on a survey of government employees to assess awareness of disclosure mechanisms, their accessibility and the trust they inspire.
Context
In public bodies, potential whistleblowers are more inclined to denounce wrongdoing by authorities, colleagues or people under contract if they are familiar with existing disclosure mechanisms. They must also trust these mechanisms. In 2017, the Act to facilitate the disclosure of wrongdoings relating to public bodies (whistleblower legislation) came into force to make this process easier and establish a general system to protect against reprisal.
Today, six years later, are these mechanisms known and credible? Do they inspire trust? The Québec Ombudsman, whose mandate includes intervening in matters of public integrity, conducted a survey on this subject.
"The responses reveal that staff members are not all that familiar with the resources available to potential whistleblowers in public bodies. It also appears that many fear reprisal. It's essential to strengthen whistleblowing mechanisms, especially by ensuring they're actively promoted within organizations and are seen as a way of acting in strictest confidence," said Marc-André Dowd. |
In disclosure mode
Under the law, "wrongdoing" within or in...
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