Providing a falsified certificate of a physical abilities assessment during an appointment process

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 committed fraud in an external advertised appointment process, by falsifying a physical abilities assessment result and submitting it to the hiring organization.

Conclusion

The investigation concluded that the candidate committed fraud by falsifying a certificate attesting that they successfully completed a physical abilities assessment and then submitting it to increase their chances of advancing in the appointment process.

Facts

The candidate applied to an external appointment process conducted to staff security-related positions. The job advertisement indicated that the successful completion of a physical abilities assessment, as established by the organization, was a basic requirement for the job. During the appointment process, the candidate completed all the other required assessments before being invited to complete the physical abilities assessment.

The day after completing the physical assessment, the candidate sent a copy of the certificate, by email, to the hiring organization. The certificate indicated that they had successfully completed the assessment.

In this instance, because the hiring organization does not usually receive a certificate directly from a candidate and because some anomalies were identified, the organization contacted the institution responsible for administering the assessment to validate the candidate’s result. That same day, the institution confirmed that the candidate had not passed the physical assessment and that the submitted certificate was not an authentic document.

The institution also responded that they did not know where the candidate obtained the certificate template and confirmed that the candidate did not pass the physical assessment, because they failed a required portion of the assessment, a 20-meter shuttle run.

During the investigation, the candidate admitted sole responsibility and disappointment in themselves for their actions. They indicated that they had submitted a falsified certificate asserting they had successfully completed the assessment because they did not want their efforts during the appointment process to have been wasted. They apologized and expressed regret for their actions.

To conclude that fraud occurred in an appointment process, 2 essential elements must be established: dishonesty and deprivation or risk of deprivation.

The investigation demonstrated that, on the balance of probabilities, the candidate knew it was dishonest to submit a falsified certificate to increase their chances of succeeding in the appointment process. As for the second element, the process could have been compromised if the candidate’s actions had not been detected and they had been found qualified in the process based on the falsified documentation.

Corrective actions

Following the conclusion of fraud, the Commission ordered that:

• the candidate be eliminated from the appointment process
• for a period of 3 years, the individual 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 individual accepts a position or work in the federal public service within the 3-year period, they must complete the Values and Ethics Foundations for Employees course offered by the Canada School of Public Service, and then have a discussion with their director
  • failure to do so will lead to the revocation of their appointment

In addition, the Commission decided to disclose personal information obtained in the course of this investigation to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, pursuant to section 19 of the Public Service Employment Regulations.

File No: 23-24-14