Toronto Sun: Canada’s Integrity Commissioner Should be Fired – Watchdog
In a joint statement yesterday, government accountability groups in Canada – including the Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform (FAIR), a whistleblower rights organization and GAP international partner – called for the removal of Integrity Commissioner Mario Dion. That office was specifically created to allow government employees to safety blow the whistle on public agency corruption.
Earlier this month, Canada’s Auditor General found that Dion’s office treated whistleblower filings with “gross mismanagement” and incompetence. Dion is the second successive Integrity Commissioner accused of wrongdoing. His predecessor “resigned in disgrace in 2010 before a scathing audit found she had failed to fulfill her mandate and had mistreated her staff.”
Key Quote: David Hutton, executive director of Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform, said Tuesday that Dion “has too much discretion” in the handling of complaints, and “he always uses his discretion to protect the government.”
Hutton said FAIR was kicked out of the integrity commissioner’s advisory board for publicly criticizing the office. He said FAIR is in contact with 50 government whistleblowers, many of whom Hutton said have had negative experiences with Dion’s office.
Related Article: FAIR press release
Democracy Now! has aired last week’s Polk Award acceptance speeches of journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras. In their speeches, the journalists cite the actions and courage of NSA whistleblower and GAP client Edward Snowden. The television program also aired a press conference the two reporters gave following the awards.
Key Quote (Poitras): None of us would be here – Bart, Ewen, Glenn, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The New York Times, all the people who are being offered these awards – without the fact that someone decided to sacrifice their life to make this information available. He’s not the first person who’s sacrificed their life, but he came forward with information that allows us to know what’s actually happening. And so this award is really for Edward Snowden. Thank you.
Albuquerque Journal: County to Pay $570K to Settle Whistleblower Suit Against Sheriff
A $570,000 settlement has been reached in a whistleblower case involving a sheriff’s office in New Mexico. The whistleblower alleged mistreatment “after raising concerns of discrimination against Hispanic women.”
Dylan Blaylock is Communications Director for the Government Accountability Project, the nation’s leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization.