Investigations by the Public Service Commission: Supporting Documentation

Updates

Updates

Date	Dataset	Note
06/21/2019	CFPPSC_AR5A CFPPSC_AR5B	Individual Datasets not Updated – As of fiscal year 2019-2020 the data in these datasets have been combined into one dataset (CFPPSC_INV01).

Background Information

The investigations function plays an important role in the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC)’s accountability to Parliament. Our investigations help safeguard the integrity of appointments and oversee the political impartiality of the federal public service.

Part 5 of the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) provides the Commission with the authority to conduct investigations into appointment processes. This includes:

• Section 66: In any external appointment process, to determine if an appointment was not made or proposed to be made on the basis of merit, or that an error, an omission or improper conduct affected the selection of the person appointed or proposed for appointment
• Subsection 67(1): In an internal appointment process, where appointment authority is not delegated to the deputy head, to determine if an error, an omission or improper conduct affected the selection of the person appointed or proposed for appointment
• Subsection 67(2): In an internal appointment process, at the request of a deputy head, to determine if an error, an omission or improper conduct affected the selection of the person appointed or proposed for appointment
• Section 68: To determine whether an appointment or proposed appointment was not free from political influence
• Section 69: In an appointment process, to determine if fraud has occurred

Part 7 of the Public Service Employment Act provides the Commission with the authority to conduct investigations into allegations of improper political activity. This includes:

• Section 118: In any allegation that an employee has failed to comply with subsections 113(1), 114(1) to (3) or 115(1) of the Act
• Section 119: In any allegation, made by a person who is or has been a candidate in an election, that a deputy head has contravened section 117 of the Act

Dataset documentation

Public Service Commission investigations (CFPPSC_INV01)

• Source: Public Service Commission’s Investigations Management Information System
• Note: For nature_of_issue, 118 includes 113(1), 114(1) to (3) and 115(1) of the PSEA because it is under this section that the Commission finds its authority to investigate improper political activities.
• Note: The Public Service Commission has created a supporting video for the above mentioned dataset, the link to the video is Public Service Commission investigations (CFPPSC_INV01).

PSC investigations into allegations of improper political activity (CFPPSC_AR5A)

• Source: Public Service Commission’s Investigations Management Information System
• Note: As of fiscal year 2018-19, this dataset will no longer be updated as its content can be calculated using the Public Service Commission’s Investigations (CFFPSC_INV01) dataset.

PSC investigations into appointment processes (CFPPSC_AR5B)

• Source: Public Service Commission’s Investigations Management Information System
• Note (Other sections or subsections of the act): These other sections include section 17, 119, subsections 67(1) and 15(3), internal appointments and cases that do not clearly fall into a specific category (other).
• Note: As of fiscal year 2018-19, this dataset will no longer be updated as its results can be calculated using the Public Service Commission’s Investigation (CFFPSC_INV01) dataset.

Glossary