Whistleblowers reported 81 cases of fraud in federal hiring last year, according to the Public Service Commission, which is actively investigating 17 of these allegations. Blacklock's Reporter says the complaints reflect ongoing concerns about the integrity of hiring practices in Canada’s public service.“As part of our mandate to oversee the integrity of the staffing system and the political impartiality of the federal public service, we investigate concerns about specific appointment processes and allegations of improper political activities,” the Commission noted in its Annual Report to Parliament.While the report did not specify the nature of current investigations, past cases have included falsified academic credentials and nepotism. Patrick Borbey, the now-retired president of the Commission, acknowledged ongoing challenges in 2022. “There are still areas for improvement,” he said. “The Commission will work with its partners to address areas of concern.”Borbey’s comments coincided with findings from the Staffing And Non-Partisanship Survey, which revealed widespread skepticism about fairness in federal hiring. Among federal employees surveyed, 53% believed “appointments depend on who you know,” while only 47% agreed that hiring decisions were merit-based.Seventeen percent of respondents disagreed with the statement, “We hire people who can do the job.” Perceptions of fairness varied, with women in employment equity groups more likely to believe colleagues were competent. However, 26% disagreed that “the process of selecting a person for a position is done fairly,” and 31% did not feel staffing activities were conducted transparently.“Progress has been made,” Borbey said, referencing slight improvements from previous surveys.Borbey has previously emphasized the Commission’s vigilance against nepotism. In 2018 testimony before the Commons government operations committee, he stated, “That is certainly something we are on the lookout for at the Commission and that we will investigate if there are allegations, if there is evidence there’s been nepotism in a selection process.”Nepotism remains grounds for dismissal in the public service and applies to Members of Parliament. Former Liberal MP Yasmin Ratansi (Don Valley East, Ont.) faced expulsion from the government caucus in 2020 after it was disclosed she had hired her sister as a constituency office aide. An Ethics Commissioner investigation confirmed the breach of the Conflict Of Interest Code For Members, with the Prime Minister remarking at the time, “The vast majority of all MPs follow those rules.”
