A Department of Public Works manager has been fired for cronyism. The department would not name the person but said in a notice that conflicts of interest would not be tolerated..“Avoiding and preventing situations that could give rise to a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict is one of the primary means by which a public servant demonstrates integrity and maintains public confidence in the fairness and impartiality of the federal public sector,” wrote the department..According to Blacklock's Reporter, the notice was issued under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act. The law is intended to ban reprisals against civil service tipsters who disclose wrongdoing by supervisors..The notice deleted all names, dates and other identification but outlined a brief summary of the breach of Code Of Conduct. One employee was fired, another suspended without pay. “Department employees may not assist or be involved directly or indirectly in any business decision affecting their relatives or their associates,” wrote management..“The investigation found an employee of the department met and developed a personal relationship with an individual; recommended hiring this individual to their manager who has delegation for staffing actions; influenced and was directly and indirectly involved in the process leading to hiring this individual as a casual worker and subsequently a term employee; assigned work, approved training, approved leave and supervised this individual; failed to declare and concealed the conflict of interest,” said the notice..The latest firing followed a March 1 survey by the Public Service Commission that found a majority of federal employees, 53%, “believe appointments depend on who you know.” Findings of the 2021 Staffing And Non-Partisanship Survey were based on questionnaires with 75,440 workers..A federal labour board has repeatedly upheld the firing of managers cited for cronyism. “Conflict of interest is a very serious offence,” Margaret Shannon, an adjudicator with the Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board, wrote in a 2015 ruling. “Public servants must act at all times in a manner that will withstand the closest scrutiny.”.The ruling came in the case of an Immigration and Refugee Board manager fired for attempting to land federal jobs for her son and cleaning woman. “Honesty and integrity are important values expected of all public servants by the people they serve,” wrote Adjudicator Shannon..The House of Commons in 2021 ordered then-Liberal MP Yasmin Ratansi (Don Valley East, Ont.) to pay $9,391 in severance to a constituency staffer who was her sister. The five-term MP was also ejected from the Liberal caucus and cited by the Ethics Commissioner for breaching the Conflict Of Interest Code when she put her sister on the payroll..“We try to do our jobs to better the lives of our constituents and Canadians,” Ratansi said in her June 22, 2021 farewell address to Parliament. “Let us be like eagles and fly high.”
A Department of Public Works manager has been fired for cronyism. The department would not name the person but said in a notice that conflicts of interest would not be tolerated..“Avoiding and preventing situations that could give rise to a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict is one of the primary means by which a public servant demonstrates integrity and maintains public confidence in the fairness and impartiality of the federal public sector,” wrote the department..According to Blacklock's Reporter, the notice was issued under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act. The law is intended to ban reprisals against civil service tipsters who disclose wrongdoing by supervisors..The notice deleted all names, dates and other identification but outlined a brief summary of the breach of Code Of Conduct. One employee was fired, another suspended without pay. “Department employees may not assist or be involved directly or indirectly in any business decision affecting their relatives or their associates,” wrote management..“The investigation found an employee of the department met and developed a personal relationship with an individual; recommended hiring this individual to their manager who has delegation for staffing actions; influenced and was directly and indirectly involved in the process leading to hiring this individual as a casual worker and subsequently a term employee; assigned work, approved training, approved leave and supervised this individual; failed to declare and concealed the conflict of interest,” said the notice..The latest firing followed a March 1 survey by the Public Service Commission that found a majority of federal employees, 53%, “believe appointments depend on who you know.” Findings of the 2021 Staffing And Non-Partisanship Survey were based on questionnaires with 75,440 workers..A federal labour board has repeatedly upheld the firing of managers cited for cronyism. “Conflict of interest is a very serious offence,” Margaret Shannon, an adjudicator with the Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board, wrote in a 2015 ruling. “Public servants must act at all times in a manner that will withstand the closest scrutiny.”.The ruling came in the case of an Immigration and Refugee Board manager fired for attempting to land federal jobs for her son and cleaning woman. “Honesty and integrity are important values expected of all public servants by the people they serve,” wrote Adjudicator Shannon..The House of Commons in 2021 ordered then-Liberal MP Yasmin Ratansi (Don Valley East, Ont.) to pay $9,391 in severance to a constituency staffer who was her sister. The five-term MP was also ejected from the Liberal caucus and cited by the Ethics Commissioner for breaching the Conflict Of Interest Code when she put her sister on the payroll..“We try to do our jobs to better the lives of our constituents and Canadians,” Ratansi said in her June 22, 2021 farewell address to Parliament. “Let us be like eagles and fly high.”
