Whistleblowing - Submit a Disclosure of Wrongdoing

The term "whistleblowing" refers to the act of calling attention to a questionable or illicit activity in an attempt to have it brought to an end. Within Department of National Defence (DND), the term whistleblowing is referred to as a "disclosure of wrongdoing."

When a DND employee or a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) member becomes aware of wrongdoing, they have a responsibility to report that wrongdoing. Public servants can submit a disclosure under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA), while CAF members can submit a disclosure using the Canadian Armed Forces Disclosure Process.

What is a wrongdoing?

For DND employees and public servants, the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, S.C. 2005, c. 46 (PSDPA) defines wrongdoing as:

a contravention of an Act of Parliament or of the legislature of a province, or any regulation made under any such Act. (eg, Financial Administration Act);
a misuse of public funds or a public asset (eg, contracting irregularities);
a gross mismanagement in the public sector (eg, abuse of authority);
an act or omission that creates a substantial and specific danger to the life, health or safety of persons, or to the environment, other than a danger that is inherent in the performance of the duties or functions of a person. (eg, circumventing safety protocols);
a serious breach of a code of conduct – Values and Ethics Code (eg, ethical scenarios); and
knowingly directing or counselling a person to commit a wrongdoing as described above.

For CAF members, the Canadian Forces Disclosure Process defines a wrongdoing as

a contravention of an Act of Parliament or of the legislature of a province, or any regulation made under any such Act (eg, Financial Administration Act);
a misuse of public property or non-public property (eg, contracting irregularities);
a gross mismanagement (eg, abuse of authority);
an act or omission that creates a substantial and specific danger to the life, health or safety of persons, or to the environment, other than a danger that is inherent in the performance of the duties or functions of a person (eg, circumventing safety protocols);
a serious breach of the Code of Service Discipline (CAF members). (eg, ethical scenarios); and
knowingly directing or counselling a person to commit a wrongdoing as described above.

Founded Wrongdoing within the DND and the CAF

You can read about founded wrongdoings that have occurred in the department since 2009/10.

Before you submit your disclosure…

Protection Against Reprisal

If you are subjected to any form of reprisal for having come forward in good faith to report a wrongdoing, or if, as a witness, you are subjected to any form of reprisal for having provided information during the conduct of an investigation, you should contact the Internal Disclosure Office immediately.

You should consider whether your allegation meets the definition of serious wrongdoing as outlined in the PSDPA or the Canadian Forces Disclosure Process. If there is an existing recourse mechanism available (eg, the grievance or harassment process, alternate dispute resolution), you must avail yourself of this option as it is not within our mandate to replace existing departmental recourse mechanisms. If you are unsure about your disclosure, you can always contact us for advice or assistance via email at ido-bdi@forces.gc.ca or by leaving a voicemail at 1-866-236-4445 (Toll-free in North America).

Please note that frivolous or vexatious complaints may be investigated by DSEI.

Submitting your disclosure

Please Note: To access the form, please right-click on the “Disclosure of Wrongdoing Form” link, select “save link as” to save the document to your computer, then open the form with Adobe Acrobat Reader.

To submit a disclosure of wrongdoing, you can fill out the Disclosure of Wrongdoing Form and submit it automatically using the ‘submit’ button found at the top right of the form, or you can submit an email with a detailed account of the wrongdoing you wish to report. Your disclosure should be detailed enough to explain the specific wrongdoing, and the situation in which the wrongdoing took place, including date, location, parties involved, and any significant documentation to support your allegation. The IDO will assess the information to determine if the information provided warrants a formal Preliminary Assessment by an investigator within the Special Examinations and Investigations (SEI) section. Once complete, you can submit your disclosure in one of the following ways:

Email (preferred option):
IDO-BDI@forces.gc.ca

Mail (some expected delays):
Internal Disclosure Office (IDO)
Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services)
Directorate of Special Examinations and Inquiries
Department of National Defence
National Defence Headquarters Carling Campus
60 Moodie Drive,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K2H 8G1

Once you've submitted your disclosure of wrongdoing...

The IDO will register your disclosure and examine the specifics of the allegation to determine whether the disclosure meets the definition of "serious wrongdoing" under the PSDPA or the Canadian Armed Forces Disclosure Process. We will also determine if there are other recourse mechanisms better suited to resolving your allegation.

If the disclosure meets the definition of ‘serious wrongdoing’ and there are no other suitable recourse mechanisms available…
One of our investigators will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine if a formal investigation is warranted. If the issue in question is best dealt with by management, the allegation will be forwarded to the appropriate level within the chain of command for resolution. The appropriate authority within the chain of command will be required to provide Directorate of Special Examinations and Inquiries (DSEI) with confirmation that the issue has been properly investigated, and that appropriate corrective action (if necessary) has been taken.
If an investigation is warranted…
DSEI will conduct an investigation. Once the investigation has been completed, the Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services) will review and approve the investigation report. Once approved, the Special Examinations and Investigations (SEI) investigator will provide the investigative findings to the respondent and the discloser. The Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services) will advise the chain of command of the results of the investigation as required.
- If an investigation confirms that the allegations are founded…
  DSEI will post the results of the investigation (Founded Disclosures) online, as mandated by the PSDPA. The findings of the investigation will be written in a generic manner, ensuring that your identity, the identity of any witnesses, the identity of persons involved in the investigation, and the identity of the organization in question are not disclosed and cannot be ascertained.
- If your disclosure does not meet the definition of a ‘serious wrongdoing’ under the PSDPA or the CAF DP…
  The IDO will advise the Director, Directorate of Special Examinations and Inquiries that the disclosure has been screened out and the Director will consider the best course of action available to resolve your concern. The Director may determine that:
  1. there is insufficient evidence to suggest that wrongdoing has occurred and therefore there is nothing we can do. We will advise you of this decision and close the file;
  2. the allegation is not within our mandate and therefore you should take advantage of existing recourse mechanisms in order to resolve your concern. We will advise you of this decision and close the file. If you can demonstrate that a specific recourse mechanism was conducted inappropriately, we will consider reviewing the process and the results of the recourse mechanism in question; or
  3. a preliminary assessment is warranted so that the allegation can be examined. In accordance with DAOD 7024-1 (Internal Procedures for Disclosure of Wrongdoing in the Workplace), we can conduct an administrative investigation in response to reports or complaints of: misconduct; impropriety; mismanagement; or other irregularities. We will advise you of this decision.

Are you aware of a wrongdoing, but are not employed by the Government of Canada?

You can still contact the Internal Disclosure Office via email at ido-bdi@forces.gc.ca or by leaving a voicemail at 1-866-236-4445 (Toll-free in North America).

Are you aware of the guidelines for DND/CAF employees?

Guidelines for Department of National Defence (DND) Managers and Employees, and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Supervisors and Members

Are you a public servant, working in another federal department?

You should contact the Internal Disclosure Office within your own department. Every department is required to have procedures in place for employees to submit disclosures of wrongdoing. If you cannot locate your Internal Disclosure Office, we can help.

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Date modified:: 2017-11-17

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