False information about references and employment history

This summary highlights the importance of thoroughly verifying the information provided by candidates to preserve the integrity of hiring in the public service. Candidates can provide fraudulent information that can go unnoticed without diligent follow-up, which may compromise the appointment process.

Authority

This investigation was conducted under section 69 of the Public Service Employment Act, (S. C. 2003, c. 22, ss. 12 and 13).

Issue

The investigation aimed to determine whether a candidate committed fraud in an appointment process by providing false information about their references and employment history.

Conclusion

The investigation led to the conclusion that the candidate committed fraud by providing the assessment board with false references and embellishing their employment history.

Facts

As part of the appointment process, the candidate provided contact information for 2 references. The hiring department contacted these references, but when it asked for their work email addresses, the references did not respond. The department then communicated directly with the 2 employers to validate the candidate’s employment history and obtain work email addresses for the referees.  

Neither employer had any record of individuals by the referees’ names. One of the employers stated that the candidate had never been an employee. The other employer confirmed the candidate’s employment but stated that the referee provided was not the candidate’s former supervisor.

During the investigation, the candidate’s testimony about their employment history and references was inconsistent and contradictory, changed frequently and was found not to be credible. The candidate could not explain why one of the employers had stated that the candidate had never been an employee. The candidate also did not remember the names of their references nor how they had contacted the references in the context of the appointment process. As well, the candidate could not provide any information or documentation to refute the employers’ assertion that the referees had never worked for their organisations.

The investigation found that, on the balance of probabilities, the candidate was dishonest in knowingly providing false information about their employment history and about their references to increase their chances of being appointed to a position.

The evidence also demonstrated that the appointment process could have been compromised if the department had not contacted the employers directly. The assessment board could have relied on false information about the candidate’s employment history when determining whether the candidate had the essential qualifications established for the position.

Corrective actions

Following the conclusion of fraud, the Commission ordered the following:

• for a period of 3 years, the person must notify the Public Service Commission of Canada before accepting any position or work within the federal public service
  • failure to do so will result in the revocation of their appointment
• if the person joins the federal public service during this 3-year period, they will be required to take the Values and Ethics Foundations for Employees course offered by the Canada School of Public Service, followed by a discussion with their director
  • failure to do so will result in revocation of the appointment

Investigation File No.: 25-26-06