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 the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the term whistleblowing is referred to as a "disclosure of wrongdoing."

DND employees or CAF members should report a wrongdoing when they become aware of it. 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 (CAF DP).

The following three tabs contain information and instructions on submitting a disclosure of wrongdoing to the Internal Disclosures Office (IDO):

• Before You Submit Your Disclosure …

  You should consider whether your allegation meets the definition of wrongdoing under the PSDPA or the CAF DP. So what is considered wrongdoing under legislation?

  For DND Public Servants

  For public servants, the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, S.C. 2005, c. 46 (PSDPA) wrongdoing is defined as:

  1. a contravention of an Act of Parliament or of the legislature of a province, or any regulation made under any such Act. (e.g., Financial Administration Act);
  2. a misuse of public funds or a public asset (e.g., contracting irregularities);
  3. a gross mismanagement in the public sector (e.g., abuse of authority);
  4. 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. (e.g., circumventing safety protocols);
  5. a serious breach of a code of conduct – Values and Ethics Code (e.g., ethical scenarios); and
  6. knowingly directing or counselling a person to commit a wrongdoing as described above.

  For CAF Members

  For CAF members, the Canadian Armed Forces Disclosure Process (CAF DP) defines a wrongdoing as:

  1. a contravention of an Act of Parliament or of the legislature of a province, or any regulation made under any such Act (e.g., Financial Administration Act);
  2. a misuse of public property or non-public property (e.g., contracting irregularities);
  3. a gross mismanagement (e.g., abuse of authority);
  4. 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 (e.g., circumventing safety protocols);
  5. a serious breach of the Code of Service Discipline (CAF members). (e.g., ethical scenarios); and
  6. knowingly directing or counselling a person to commit a wrongdoing as described above.

  
  

  If you are not sure whether or not your allegation is considered a wrongdoing under legislation and would like to receive a consultation before you submit your disclosure, please contact our office.

  Please note: the PSDPA and CAF DP are intended to address wrongdoing that could impact the public’s confidence in the integrity of the DND and CAF. These mechanism are not intended to address matters that are primarily of a personal nature, which includes, for example, individual harassment or violence complaints, or individual workplace grievances. These matters should continue to be addressed through existing processes and mechanisms that are available to deal with such concerns.

  Do you think inappropriate conduct or unfair treatment at work has taken place, but doesn’t meet the threshold of what constitutes wrongdoing by definition?

  Learn about other types of inappropriate conduct and mechanisms you can use to submit a complaint or report an incident.

  Alternatively, for additional assistance or support, you can also visit:

  • Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (PSIC) of Canada
  • National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman
  • Canadian Forces Grievance Authority
  • Military Grievances External Review Committee
  • Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS)
  • Military Police Complaints Commission
  • Sexual Misconduct Response Centre
  • Administrative Response Centre
  • Conflict Solutions and Services
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Labour Relations (only accessible on the DND network)
  • Canadian Human Rights Commission
  • Defence Ethics Programme
  • Director of Official Languages (only accessible on the DND network)
  • Directorate Access to Information and Privacy (DAIP)
• Submitting Your Disclosure …

  Please complete the Disclosure of Wrongdoing Form.

  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.

  Once you have completed the form:

  1. We would kindly ask that you review all of the information, to ensure that all sections of the form are accurate and complete. Your disclosure should be detailed enough to explain the specific wrongdoing, including: date; location; individual(s) involved; and any significant documentation to support your allegation(s) should also be provided with the Disclosure of Wrongdoing Form.
  2. You can submit the Disclosure of Wrongdoing Form using one of two available options:

  
  

  Option 1: via email to the following email address: IDO-BDI@forces.gc.ca

  Note: you can submit the form:

  1. Without attachments: automatically using the ‘submit’ button, which can be found at the bottom right hand corner within the form itself. 
  2. With attachments or accompanying documentation: you can prepare an email and enclose the form as an attachment, along with any accompanying documentation that supports your allegation(s).

  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)

  
  
  

  Option 2: via regular mail service, to the following mailing address:

  Directorate of Internal Disclosures (DID)
  Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services)
  Department of National Defence
  National Defence Headquarters (Carling)
  60 Moodie Drive
  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  K1A 0K2

  Are you a public servant from an 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.

• Once You’ve Submitted Your Disclosure of Wrongdoing …

  Members of the Defence Team who blow the whistle on wrongdoing can be confident that any allegation(s) of wrongdoing are dealt with in a thorough and professional manner, always respecting individuals’ privacy considerations.  The rights to procedural fairness and natural justice of all persons involved in investigations are respected throughout the entire disclosure process.

  The IDO is required to ensure that strong safeguards are in place to protect the privacy and confidentiality of anyone involved in a disclosure or matter of reprisal. This includes ensuring that:  

  • the right to procedural fairness and natural justice of all persons involved in investigations is respected, including persons making disclosures, witnesses and persons alleged to be responsible for wrongdoings;
  • subject to any other Act of Parliament, protect, to the extent possible in accordance with the law, the identity of persons involved in the disclosure process, including that of persons making disclosures, witnesses and persons alleged to be responsible for wrongdoings; and
  • procedures are established for processing disclosures and ensuring the confidentiality of information collected in relation to disclosures and investigations.
    

  The following graphic shows the general process of how a disclosure is handled by the Directorate of Internal Disclosures:

  

  
  

  Figure 1 Summary

  
  

  IDO Disclosure Process (Alternate Formats).

  PDF Version, (766 KB, 1 page)