New Democrat bill will protect whistleblowers

OTTAWA – New Democrat Treasury Board critic Mathieu Ravignat (Pontiac) tabled a private member’s bill to strengthen the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act today in the House of Commons.

“Public servants who witness wrongdoings must be able to report them without fear of reprisals—whether those reprisals come from a colleague or superior, or even from the government,” said Ravignat.

Ravignat’s bill will better protect public servants by extending the limitation period for those claiming to be victims of reprisals from 60 days to 18 months.

The bill will also strengthen the investigative powers of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner. The Commissioner would be empowered to question public servants who have left the public service and to seize relevant documents if needed.

At the time of its implementation, the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act was set to be revised within five years. That period elapsed a full year ago, in April 2012, but the Conservatives have proposed no measures to address shortcomings in the Act.

“It’s yet another broken promise from the Conservatives,” said Ravignat. “I hope that MPs will now take the time to study my bill and adopt it.”