Christiane Ouimet
Christiane Ouimet | |
|---|---|
| 1st Public Sector Integrity Commissioner | |
| In office 2007–2010 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | St. Albert, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Ottawa |
| Website | Public Sector Integrity Commissioner |
Christiane Ouimet (born in St. Albert, Ontario, Canada) was the first Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada.
She left the post on an early retirement on October 18, 2010, four years before her term was due and after an investigation by the auditor general Sheila Fraser was underway.[1]
Canada's Auditor General report released on December 9, 2010, revealed that the former watchdog commissioner intimidated employees and engaged in "retaliatory actions" and may have breached the Privacy Act,.[2][3] During her tenure, of the 228 complaints filed, only five investigations were launched and not one instance of wrongdoing was discovered.
The Auditor General report calls for the reopening of all cases that were ever sent to Ouimet's office.[4]
Career
A graduate of the University of Ottawa, Ouimet has an Honours degree and two Bachelors Degrees in Law (Civil Law and Common Law). A member of the Law Society of Upper Canada since 1982, Ouimet has worked for the federal government for 25 years, in eight different departments and agencies, primarily in the areas of audit, regulatory affairs, policing and enforcement, quasi-judicial functions and machinery of government. She held the position of Executive Director of the Immigration and Refugee Board, the largest administrative tribunal in Canada. She also served as Associate Deputy Minister at Public Works and Government Services Canada and at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Ouimet was appointed by unanimous resolution of the Senate and House of Commons of the Canadian Parliament and took office in August 2007. As an Agent of Parliament, Ouimet reported directly to Parliament. She was responsible for the administration of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, which establishes a procedure for the disclosure of wrongdoings in the public sector, including the protection of persons who disclose wrongdoing. However, during her three year term in office, not one case of wrongdoing was found.
In October 2010 it was announced that the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner was being investigated by the office of the Auditor General of Canada. At the same time, it was announced that Ouimet was retiring. Subsequent reports revealed that 19 out of 22 of her staff had left in the previous year and that complaints from some of them triggered the investigation.[5] The report released in December 2010 found Ouimet's actions to be "inappropriate and unacceptable" citing also that she had failed to meet her mandated functions.[6]After failing to appear before the Public Accounts Committee, in February 2011, Ouimet was again summoned to appear before the Committee, in April[7].
References
- ^ Auditor-General Sheila Fraser to issue report on whistleblower commissioner, Ottawa Citizen, December 6, 2010
- ^ Force disgraced ex-watchdog to appear before Parliament: MP, Ottawa Citizen, December 10, 2010
- ^ Auditor critical of integrity watchdog, Calgary Herald, December 10, 2010
- ^ New interim integrity commissioner named,Ottawa Citizen, December 14, 2010
- ^ Whistleblower watchdog resigns amid AG investigation, Ottawa Citizen, October 20, 2010
- ^ "Integrity commissioner's actions 'unacceptable': Fraser". CBC News. 2010-12-09. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
- ^ "Ouimet will appear at committee in April: Lawyer". CBC.ca. 2011-02-14. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
External links
- Force disgraced ex-watchdog to appear before Parliament: MP
- http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=1&id=1693
- Whistleblower system 'dysfunctional'
- Canadian Government Expenses for Christiane Ouimet
- CPAC - Pierre Donais speaks with Christiane Ouimet
- Federal watchdog resigns 4 years early
- The watchdogs who never bite
- Former integrity watchdog ‘berated, intimidated’ staff, report concludes