CANADA
The Minister in charge of the Public Service Commission in the Canadian Federal Territory of Yukon, Richard Mostyn (pictured) has urged whistleblowers to come forward over failures in the Territory’s child protection system.
He said he recognised, however, that he was coping with a “long-entrenched culture of fear” in Yukon’s Public Service.
“This isn’t a new issue; we’re talking about a legacy of fear,” Mr Mostyn said.
“I’ve been dealing with this in the Yukon Civil Service for about 30 years.”
He said Government workers should not be afraid to speak out.
Several workers have voiced concerns to journalists about abuses and mistreatment they have witnessed in the Government’s child protection system, and in youth group homes — saying those abuses show a system failing those it is tasked to protect.
Mr Mostyn said he didn’t want Government workers to fear reprisal if they reported wrongdoing, but he was aware that in a Government as small as Yukon’s it could be difficult to be the one to speak out.
“I understand the fear, but … I am not interested in somebody coming forward with a serious allegation about children [and then] punishing that person,” Mr Mostyn said.
He said employees had been protected under whistleblower legislation since 2014, and a Government employee could lodge a complaint either through Government channels or through the independent office of Yukon’s Public Interest Disclosure Commissioner.
“In either case, an employee cannot be penalised or punished for coming forward under the Act,” Mr Mostyn said.
He said he wanted to fix the problems in the Public Service and foster the trust that has been missing for so long.
“Changing the long, long established culture is going to take a long time, but we’re going to get there,” Mr Mostyn said.
Whitehorse, 30 March 2018
