Integrity office lacks teeth

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Canadian Alliance MP Germant Grewal believes public servants that aren't willing to keep government corruption and mistakes secret should be treated with a little respect.

So far, that isn't happening in Canada despite the fact the Liberal government recently created a position that appears the government has decided it's going to offer protection to whistle blowers.

The member for Surrey Central has taken an interest in areas where democratic principles are lacking in the way the federal government operates. He has put forward a private members' bill that would provide legal protection for whistle-blowers in government.

"The whistle-blowers in Canada, they are muzzled and harassed by the government," he said. "In the United States of America, they are given a reward when they blow a whistle on anything. For example, if the whistle blowers expose some wrongdoing in the government or mismanagement, they are given a certain percentage as a reward."

So far, the government of Canada "has completely ruined the career" of any Canadian bureaucrat who spoke out about improprieties, Grewal said.

The government appointed Dr. Edward Keyserlingk, a former medical ethics professor at McGill University, to the position of Public Service Integrity Officer on Nov. 8, 2001. In early February the office at 60 Queen St. South in Ottawa opened for business.

The position is not backed up with legislation that defines its powers-that gives it the teeth it needs to take on powerful people in government-but comments published in the Hill Times suggest Keyserlingk doesn't see that as a problem. Several positions that only appear to have the power to oversee government already exist in Ottawa.

"In Canada, whistle blowing is not legislated yet so I have a private member bill. It was the first bill introduced in this House, in the new session. The bill is 201. I'm still waiting for when the bill will be debated in the House," Grewal said.

The Liberal government promised to create legislation to protect whistle blowers before the 1993 election. The appointment of someone without legislative power to act is seen as a poor attempt to keep that promise.

"We have given them almost nine years. Nothing has happened so far," the Alliance MP said.

He added that the government's tepid response to the idea of having someone with power oversee the public service will not encourage anyone to step forward on serious matters.

"No. Encouragement is one thing. Leaving them alone is another thing. But muzzling them is the third degree. So they are completely trying to suppress the whistle-blowing intent," he said.