Former commissioner's behaviour 'unacceptable for a public servant'
The former public sector integrity commissioner berated employees and failed to do her job, according to a report from auditor general of Canada Sheila Fraser.
The office of the public sector integrity commissioner of Canada (PSIC) was established under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA), which came into force on April 15, 2007. The office and the act provide a means for federal public servants and the public to disclose potential wrongdoing in the federal public sector. The act also protects public servants who make a disclosure or co-operate in an investigation against reprisal.
The auditor general received three complaints against former public sector integrity commissioner Christiane Ouimet between November 2008 and July 2009. (Ouimet retired on Oct. 18, 2010.)
The allegations related to the former commissioner’s conduct as deputy head, including her conduct and interactions with PSIC staff, retaliatory actions she allegedly took against former employees, performance pay decisions and the performance of her mandated functions.
The complainants stated the Ouimet yelled, swore, and also berated, marginalized, and intimidated certain PSIC employees, and that she retaliated against an employee she believed to have filed a complaint against her.
The retaliation included disclosing personal information about the employee to his former employer and senior government officials, as well as circulating information about his character and health to other staff.
The audit found the allegations about Ouimet's conduct and interactions with PSIC staff were founded, as were those about Ouimet's retaliatory actions.
Ouimet's behaviour and actions were "inappropriate and unacceptable for a public servant," stated the report.
The audit also found the allegations that Ouimet failed to properly perform her mandated functions were founded.
In many cases, the nature of the work done or documented on file was insufficient to support PSIC’s decisions not to investigate disclosures of wrongdoing or complaints of reprisal.
