Providing false information about studies and a falsified university diploma

Authority 

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

Issue 

The purpose of the investigation was to determine whether a candidate had committed fraud in a non-advertised appointment process. The allegation received seemed to indicate that a candidate had submitted false information about their studies and a falsified university diploma.

Conclusion 

The investigation concluded that the candidate had committed fraud in the appointment process by knowingly submitting false information about their studies and a falsified university diploma, enabling them to be appointed to the position when they did not meet the merit criteria.

Facts 

Following an ad posted by the candidate on a networking group on a social media platform matching people seeking public service employment with hiring managers, the candidate was approached by a manager looking to fill a position. Assuming that a university degree was needed to be considered for this opportunity, the candidate sent the manager their curriculum vitae, which indicated that they had a bachelor’s degree, and subsequently forwarded a copy of this diploma.

The statement of merit criteria used for the appointment indicated as an educational requirement: “graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization [...]” or “an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience, that is comparable to a degree with specialization relevant to the work to be performed.”

The candidate was considered qualified for the position and was appointed on an indeterminate basis. Following the appointment, the department questioned the validity of the proof of education provided by the candidate and submitted a request for investigation to the Public Service Commission (PSC).

As part of the investigation, the candidate admitted they did not have a university diploma and that they provided a falsified diploma to the department as part of the appointment process. The candidate also admitted knowing their actions were dishonest. Despite this, they accepted the job offer, knowing that the department was relying on false information to determine whether they met the educational requirement for the appointment.

Although it would have been possible to use an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience instead of the requirement of having a degree from a post-secondary institution, the evidence did not show that the candidate was assessed based on this combination. The existence of an acceptable combination was therefore irrelevant to the investigation, since the purpose was not to determine whether the candidate could otherwise meet the essential educational qualification, but rather to establish whether they had committed fraud in the appointment process.

The evidence showed, on the balance of probabilities, that the candidate acted dishonestly by knowingly providing false information about their studies and by resorting to deception when they provided a falsified university diploma as part of the appointment process. These actions compromised the process, as the candidate was appointed to the position without meeting the merit criteria.

The candidate was laid off by the department before the investigation and is no longer employed by the public service.

Corrective actions 

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

• for a period of 5 years, the affected person must notify the PSC before accepting any position or employment in the federal public service
• failure to do so will result in the revocation of the appointment
• if the affected person joins the federal public service during this 5-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 manager
• failure to do so will result in revocation of the appointment

File No. : 23-24-10