The Liberal government, striving to clean up its image in the wake of the sponsorship scandal, introduced legislation yesterday to protect federal bureaucrats who blow the whistle on wrongdoing. But the opposition quickly criticized the bill, saying it doesn't go far enough. The proposed law, long sought by public service unions and others, provides that public servants won't be demoted, fired or otherwise disciplined for calling attention to waste, corruption or mismanagement. The bill won't cover all federal workers. It excludes, most notably, police and intelligence officers and members of the armed forces. It was also unclear whether people who go outside established channels -- for example, by talking to journalists or their MPs -- would be protected to the same extent as those who play by the bureaucratic book. And there were questions about the newly created public service integrity commissioner, who will investigate complaints. The commissioner will be able to give reports to Parliament, but only through a cabinet minister -- not directly, as advocates of more open government have long demanded. Denis Coderre, president of the privy council and sponsor of the bill, told a news conference he's open to amendments if opponents can persuade him they are needed. Protection for whistleblowers has been a key theme in the sponsorship scandal that saw millions in federal funds flow to Liberal-friendly ad agencies, often without adequate financial safeguards. One former Public Works bureaucrat, Allan Cutler, has said his complaints to superiors about the program put his career in jeopardy. Olympic medal winner Myriam Bedard has also maintained she was forced out of her job at Via Rail after voicing similar misgivings. The new legislation covers most federal departments, as well as Crown corporations such as Via Rail. It will not apply -- for national security reasons -- to the RCMP and CSIS, or to uniformed soldiers. Coderre insisted the government will require those organizations to create "comparable" protection for whistleblowers within their ranks. But New Democrat MP Pat Martin pointed to another loophole. He noted that 4,000 employees of the House of Commons, many of whom have access to sensitive information, are also excluded from the bill. "Those people would still be putting their jobs at risk if they came forward, even with (information on) the most glaring criminal activity," said Martin. Employees covered by the bill will be expected, as a general rule, to take complaints to superiors within their departments. They can also complain directly to the integrity commissioner, once that office is up and running. The bill provides that public servants can go outside normal channels to disclose information, but only if they believe "on reasonable grounds" there isn't enough time to follow the usual procedures. -- Canadian Press
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