Statistics Canada has disciplined 72 employees over the past year — including 15 who were fired — in what the agency calls an effort to improve accountability and transparency across the public service.Blacklock's Reporter says the figures were revealed in the agency’s first-ever Report On Misconduct And Wrongdoing, which also detailed 21 harassment complaints and 31 cases of lost or stolen government property, mainly cellphones and laptops.Chief Statistician André Loranger said the report is meant to show “key trends and patterns” of workplace behaviour and to reinforce “a culture of ethical conduct.” Employees were disciplined for offences ranging from failure to protect public funds and sensitive information to insubordination and actions that damaged the agency’s reputation.Management said decisions on discipline were based on “natural justice and procedural fairness,” with investigators determining whether misconduct was intentional before penalties were imposed..The federal government began requiring annual disclosures of workplace wrongdoing in 2024 following a Privy Council directive meant to strengthen ethics across departments. Then-Treasury Board President Anita Anand said at the time that Canadians “deserve to know how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent and that they are being spent prudently.”The push for greater transparency came after a 2023 Privy Council report warned of “decreasing confidence in Canada’s democracy” due to perceptions of corruption, incompetence, and a lack of accountability between senior leaders and rank-and-file employees.
