Whistleblowers pay a high price for speaking out | CBC Go Public
Summary
TLDRThe script discusses the plight of whistleblowers in Canada, highlighting the case of Silvie Tahan, who was fired after revealing her employer's directive to disqualify people from EI benefits to save money. Despite the Office of the Integrity Commissioner's mandate to protect whistleblowers, the system is criticized as ineffective, with a low success rate for those who file complaints. Advocates argue that Canada's whistleblower protection is inadequate compared to other nations, and there's a current push for legislative changes to better safeguard those who expose wrongdoing.
Takeaways
- 🔍 A whistleblower, Silvie Tahan, lost her job and financial stability after exposing her employer's unethical practices.
- 📉 Tahan was tasked with disqualifying people from benefits to save half a million dollars a year, an action she found unjust.
- 🗣️ The government initially denied having AI quotas but later referred to them as targets, which sparked controversy.
- 😥 After being fired, Tahan struggled for five years, facing unemployment and bankruptcy, highlighting the harsh reality for whistleblowers.
- 🏛️ The Office of the Integrity Commissioner, established to protect whistleblowers, declined to investigate Tahan's case, showing a failure in the system.
- 📊 Since its creation, only eight out of 306 public servants who faced reprisals have reached the tribunal stage, with one negative outcome.
- 🌐 Internationally, Canada is criticized for its poor whistleblower protection, lagging behind the U.S., EU, and Australia.
- 📜 Canadian law protects employees from employer retaliation for reporting wrongdoing to law enforcement but not for speaking to the media.
- 🔄 Despite recommendations from a parliamentary committee in 2017, no changes have been made to strengthen whistleblower protection.
- 💡 There's an ongoing campaign by Democracy Watch to push for comprehensive protection for all whistleblowers, regardless of the sector.
Q & A
What was Silvie Taman's job before she became a whistleblower?
-Silvie Taman used to hold a $60,000 a year job investigating fraudulent EI (Employment Insurance) claims.
What was the controversial directive given to investigators by the conservative government?
-The conservative government told investigators to each save half a million dollars a year by disqualifying people from benefits, implying that there was widespread fraud.
How did the government initially respond to the allegations of having AI quotas?
-Initially, the government denied having AI quotas, then later referred to them as targets.
What was the consequence for Silvie Taman after she leaked the story to the media?
-Silvie Taman was fired a few months after leaking the story to the media.
What is the role of the Office of the Integrity Commissioner in Canada?
-The Office of the Integrity Commissioner is meant to investigate wrongdoing in the public sector and protect whistleblowers.
Why couldn't the Office of the Integrity Commissioner look into Silvie Taman's case initially?
-The Office of the Integrity Commissioner claimed they couldn't look at her case while the labor board was investigating.
What was the Federal Court of Appeal's ruling regarding the Integrity Commissioner's ability to investigate?
-The Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the Integrity Commissioner could investigate, but it chose not to.
How effective is the system designed to protect whistleblowers in Canada according to the transcript?
-The system is not effective; since the Office of the Integrity Commissioner was created 11 years ago, out of 306 public servants who filed complaints, only one has received a decision, and that was not in their favor.
What has changed regarding the directive on quotas or targets for individual fraud investigators since the Liberal government took over?
-The Liberal government has stated that there are no longer quotas or targets for individual fraud investigators.
How does Canada's whistleblower protection compare internationally according to the transcript?
-Canada has a reputation as being the 'Titanic of whistleblower protection,' meaning it is disastrous and falls behind the U.S., EU, and Australia in shielding those who blow the whistle on scandals and corruption.
What is the current legal protection for whistleblowers in Canada who report wrongdoing to the media?
-Currently, the Criminal Code provision 25.1 does not protect employees who report wrongdoing to the media from employer retaliation.
Outlines
🚨 Whistleblower's Struggle: Unemployment and Bankruptcy
The paragraph details the plight of a former AI fraud investigator who faced unemployment and bankruptcy after whistleblowing against her employer. The investigator, Silvie Tahan, was tasked with disqualifying people from benefits to save the government money, which she found unethical. After leaking the story to the media, she was fired and has since been fighting to regain her job. Despite submitting a complaint to the Office of the Integrity Commissioner, she faced a long and arduous process with little support. The paragraph highlights the emotional and financial toll on whistleblowers and the inadequacy of the system designed to protect them.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Whistleblower
💡Fraud Investigator
💡AI Quotas
💡Integrity Commissioner
💡Labor Board
💡Federal Court of Appeal
💡Chill Effect
💡Democracy Watch
💡Criminal Code Provision 25.1
💡Parliamentary Committee Hearing
Highlights
An AI fraud investigator, Silvie Tahan, was left jobless and bankrupt after whistleblowing on her employer.
Whistleblowing can be a risky business in Canada, as Erica Johnson found out.
Tahan used to hold a $60,000 a year job investigating fraudulent EI claims.
The government told investigators to save half a million dollars by disqualifying people from benefits.
Tahan leaked the story to the media when the government denied having AI quotas.
The government initially denied quotas, then called them targets, leading to a controversy.
Tahan was fired a few months after whistleblowing and has been trying to get her job back for five years.
She submitted a complaint to the Office of the Integrity Commissioner, which was created to protect whistleblowers.
The Integrity Commissioner declined to discuss why Tahan's case and others are taking years to be addressed.
Whistleblower advocates argue the system to protect those who speak out is not working.
Since the Office of the Integrity Commissioner was created 11 years ago, only one out of 306 reprisal cases reached a tribunal decision.
The directive for individual fraud investigators to disqualify people from EI benefits to save money has been removed.
Canada has a reputation as being the Titanic of whistleblower protection, meaning it's disastrous.
Canada falls behind the U.S., EU, and Australia in protecting whistleblowers.
There is a Criminal Code provision in Canada that doesn't protect employees who report wrongdoing to the media.
A parliamentary committee hearing in 2017 led to recommendations for changes, but none were accepted.
A letter-writing campaign is underway to push for protection for all whistleblowers, public or private sector.
Transcripts
an AI fraud investigator left jobless
bankrupt and looking for help after she
blew the whistle on her employer as go
publics Erica Johnson found out was a
blowing can be a pretty dicey business
in this country and another article
about when you spoke out yes it was big
news when Silvie tahun spoke out she
used to hold a $60,000 a year job
investigating fraudulent EEI claims that
was the first one it was really intense
but when the conservative government
told investigators to each save half a
million dollars a year by disqualifying
people from benefits she leaked the
story to the media they're each required
to find a half a million dollars in
front presumes that there's widespread
fraud and that they're all a bunch of
cheaters and criminals at first the
government denied having AI quotas then
called them targets the controversy made
for a good satire excuse me sir I'm a
service canada pjip eyes but it was no
laughing matter for TN a few months
later she was fired she spent the past
five years trying to get her job back
she's unemployed and bankrupt it's
financially difficult but it's
emotionally difficult toffee n submitted
a complaint to the office of the
integrity commissioner created 11 years
ago to investigate wrongdoing in the
public sector and protect whistleblowers
they said they couldn't look at her case
while the labor board investigated a
Federal Court of Appeal ruled the
integrity commissioner could investigate
but it's chosen not to the process is
like you know it's torturous my name is
Joe Friday and yes it's my real name the
integrity commissioner declined a
request to discuss why Joanne's case and
dozens and dozens of others are taking
years to be addressed this whistleblower
advocate says the system to protect
people who speak out is clearly not
working no one has ever been protected
through this I unders be no changes to
the law no attempt to rectify this and
these are good honest people who are
doing the right thing to protect us
to protect the public and they've lost
everything
Erica joins us now from Vancouver so
Erica we just heard of whistleblower
advocates say the system designed to
protect people hasn't done that at all
so how do we quantify that failure well
it's not really very good news for
public servants that are hoping for
protection if they speak out if you take
a look at the stats since the office of
the integrity commissioner was created
11 years ago 306 public servants who
have suffered reprisals have filed
complaints of those 306 only eight
people have made it to the tribunal
stage and of those only one has received
a decision and that decision was not in
her favor okay so that there you go
there's the chill effect on anyone you
know contemplating blowing the whistle
when it comes to her original objective
of EAJA what's changed inside that
system alright well Phil Vito Han felt
it wasn't right to have a target or a
quota to disqualify people from e-i
benefits simply to save money for the
government and we have contacted the now
Liberal government and asked if that
directive still exists they say there
are no longer quotas or targets for
individual fraud investigators okay some
change listen thanks for this Erica
erica johnson in vancouver good to talk
to you so the man you just saw on
Erica's piece David Hutton who's a
longtime advocate for whistleblower
protection says that internationally
Canada has a reputation as being the
Titanic of whistleblower protection in
other words disastrous there's no real
protection at all
Canada falls behind the u.s. the EU and
Australia and how it shields those who
are brave enough to blow the whistle on
scandals and corruption and wrongdoing
by the powerful so in Canada there is a
Criminal Code provision for 25.1 it
makes it an offence for an employer to
threaten or take action against an
employee as a way to punish them or
steer them away from talking to law
enforcement but here's the kicker the
law does not apply to employees who
report wrongdoing to the media there was
a parliamentary committee hearing in
June
20-17 that led to a raft of
recommendations for changes but none of
them was accepted now there's a
letter-writing campaign underway from
democracy watch to push for protection
for all whistleblowers public or private
sector no matter who they're reporting
the wrongdoing to
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