Program directory · Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada
Disclosure and Reprisal Management
- Program code
- BTS01 (OPSIC)
- Core responsibility
- Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
The objective of the program is to address disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal and contribute to increasing confidence in federal public institutions. It aims to provide advice to federal public sector employees and members of the public who are considering making a disclosure and to accept, investigate and report on disclosures of information concerning possible wrongdoing. Based on this activity, the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner will exercise exclusive jurisdiction over the review, conciliation and settlement of complaints of reprisal, including making applications to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal to determine if reprisals have taken place and to order appropriate remedial and disciplinary action.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure and Reprisal Management | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $26.3M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Indicators added: Number of attendees at outreach events.; Percentage of application addressed within established service standard under the Legal Access Request.; Percentage of new website visitors | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Indicators dropped: Number of outreach events attended and communications products/items distributed through various means; Number of persons benefiting from Legal Advice Requests to support their involvement in a disclosure of wrongdoing and/or a complaint of reprisal; Number of website visitors; Percentage of recommendations actioned by chief executives following investigation findings | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024 | Budget 2024 measure “Support for the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner”: $5M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match). | Budget 2024, PDF page 369 |
| 2025 | Budget 2025 measure “Support for the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner”: $5M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match). | Budget 2025, PDF page 285 |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Number of attendees at outreach events.
Expected result: Public servants and members of the public are aware of the Office and have access to information to make an informed decision about disclosures of wrongdoing and/or complaints of reprisal
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | ≥ 2,500 | 2021 | 228 The planned face-to-face outreach events did not take place due to public health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of attendees at outreach events refers to virtual events participants. | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 2,500 | 2022 | 3,875 | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 2,500 | 2023 | 3,264 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 2,500 | 2024 | 7,470 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 2,500 | 2025 | 14,253 | Met |
Percentage of application addressed within established service standard under the Legal Access Request.
Expected result: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal are dealt with in a timely and effective manner
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 100% – 100% | 2021 | 100% | Met |
| 2021-22 | 100% – 100% | 2022 | 98% An intake checklist was not completed in the required five days in one instance | Not met |
| 2022-23 | 100% – 100% | 2023 | 100% | Met |
| 2023-24 | 100% – 100% | 2024 | 99% In 2023-24, an intake checklist was not completed in the required five days in one instance. | Not met |
| 2024-25 | 100% – 100% | 2025 | 81% The exceptional and sustained surge in activity the Office has faced since fall 2023 is exerting considerable pressure on the Office's resources, resulting in delays in the processing of files. | Not met |
Percentage of cases addressed within established service standards
Expected result: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal are dealt with in a timely and effective manner
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | — | 2019 | 100% The Office adjusted and created new performance indicators in 2017-18. Results targets and status for 2018-19 are not available as the baseline to establish targets was not completed at the time of writing the report. Service standards are available on the Office website: https://www.psic-ispc.gc.ca/index.php/en/results/service-standards | No result reported |
| 2019-20 | 100% – 100% | 2020 | 100% | Met |
| 2020-21 | 100% – 100% | 2021 | 75% Challenges related to the context of conducting investigations during the COVID-19 pandemic affected our capacity to meet all service standards targets as planned in the 2020–21 Departmental Plan. | Not met |
| 2021-22 | 100% – 100% | 2022 | 75% Challenges related to the context of conducting investigations during the COVID-19 pandemic affected our capacity to meet all service standards targets as planned in the 2020–21 and 2021–22 Departmental Plans. | Not met |
| 2022-23 | 100% – 100% | 2023 | 75% Challenges related to the transition to a hybrid work model, and the still-felt consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have affected our capacity to meet all service standards targets as planned in the 2022–23 Departmental Plans. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | 100% – 100% | 2024 | 75% A surge in the number of new disclosures and reprisal complaints submitted to the Office has affected its capacity to meet all service standards targets as planned in the 2023–24 Departmental Plan. | Not met |
| 2024-25 | 100% – 100% | 2025 | 25% The Office has implemented four service standards to provide transparency and an objective means of measuring performance. One of these standards is a statutory requirement and must be met 100%, while the other three have a target of 80%. However, the exceptional and sustained surge in activity the Office has faced since fall 2023 is exerting considerable pressure on operational resources, result… | Not met |
Percentage of new website visitors
Expected result: Public servants and members of the public are aware of the Office and have access to information to make an informed decision about disclosures of wrongdoing and/or complaints of reprisal
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | ≥ 90% | 2021 | 98% | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 90% | 2022 | 99% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 90% | 2023 | 96% | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 90% | 2024 | 94% | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 90% | 2025 | 77% This percentage represents over 89,000 new visitors to the website. | Not met |
Number of outreach events attended and communications products/items distributed through various means
Expected result: Public servants and members of the public are aware of the Office and have access to information to make an informed decision about disclosures of wrongdoing and/or complaints of reprisal
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | — | 2019 | 5,629 The Office adjusted and created new performance indicators in 2017-18. Results targets and status for 2018-19 are not available as the baseline to establish targets was not completed at the time of writing the report. | No result reported |
| 2019-20 | 5,000 – 5,000 | 2020 | 3,823 The number of educational and promotional items distributed was lower than the previous year, which can most likely be attributed to the preference for accessing documents online rather than in hard copy. This trend is in line with Government efforts to increase sustainability by going paperless, and will be a factor in determining the number of educational items printed in the coming years. | Not met |
Number of persons benefiting from Legal Advice Requests to support their involvement in a disclosure of wrongdoing and/or a complaint of reprisal
Expected result: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal are dealt with in a timely and effective manner
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | — | 2019 | 8 The Office adjusted and created new performance indicators in 2017-18. Results targets and status for 2018-19 are not available as the baseline to establish targets was not completed at the time of writing the report. On average, the Office historically granted funding for legal advice to 15 individuals per year. | No result reported |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 15 | 2020 | 15 In 2019-20, 21 persons benefited from Legal Advice Requests to support their involvement in a disclosure of wrongdoing and/or a complaint of reprisal. | Met |
Number of website visitors
Expected result: Public servants and members of the public are aware of the Office and have access to information to make an informed decision about disclosures of wrongdoing and/or complaints of reprisal
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | — | 2019 | 31,220 The Office adjusted and created new performance indicators in 2017-18. Results targets and status for 2018-19 are not available as the baseline to establish targets was not completed at the time of writing the report. | No result reported |
| 2019-20 | 30,000 – 30,000 | 2020 | 25,285 Data for website visitors are not available from May 11 to September 17 due to a technical problem that occurred when the website was migrated. This period has been pro-rated based on data from the past 5 fiscal years. | Not met |
Percentage of recommendations actioned by chief executives following investigation findings
Expected result: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal are dealt with in a timely and effective manner
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | — | 2019 | 100% The Office adjusted and created new performance indicators in 2017-18. Results targets and status for 2018-19 are not available as the baseline to establish targets was not completed at the time of writing the report. No Case Report was tabled in Parliament in 2018-19. | No result reported |
| 2019-20 | 100% – 100% | 2020 | 100% | Met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Number of attendees at outreach events.
Expected result: Public servants and members of the public are aware of the Office and have access to information to make an informed decision about disclosures of wrongdoing and/or complaints of reprisal
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | The total number of attendees for the combined events, in which the Office participates in a year, is at least 2,500 attendees. | 2027 | — | Planned |
Percentage of application addressed within established service standard under the Legal Access Request.
Expected result: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal are dealt with in a timely and effective manner
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | The service standards will not be met. | 2027 | — | Planned |
Percentage of cases addressed within established service standards
Expected result: Public sector disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal are dealt with in a timely and effective manner
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | The service standards will not be met. | 2027 | — | Planned |
Percentage of new website visitors
Expected result: Public servants and members of the public are aware of the Office and have access to information to make an informed decision about disclosures of wrongdoing and/or complaints of reprisal
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 90% of website visitors are new visitors. | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $4.1M | $3.2M |
| 2019-20 | $3.7M | $3.6M |
| 2020-21 | $3.5M | $3.5M |
| 2021-22 | $3.8M | $3.4M |
| 2022-23 | $3.8M | $3.8M |
| 2023-24 | $3.9M | $4.2M |
| 2024-25 | $3.8M | $4.7M |
| 2025-26 | $5.5M | — |
| 2026-27 | $5.4M | — |
| 2027-28 | $5.3M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $5.3M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 27 | 21 |
| 2019-20 | 29 | 21 |
| 2020-21 | 28 | 23 |
| 2021-22 | 27 | 26 |
| 2022-23 | 26 | 25 |
| 2023-24 | 26 | 25 |
| 2024-25 | 25 | 29 |
| 2025-26 | 34 | — |
| 2026-27 | 36 | — |
| 2027-28 | 36* | — |
| 2028-29 | 36* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $4,124,453 | $4,124,453 | $4,124,453 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $3,674,535 | $3,674,535 | $3,674,535 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $3,539,794 | $3,539,794 | $3,539,794 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $3,755,136 | $3,755,136 | $3,755,136 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $3,843,204 | $3,843,204 | $3,843,204 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $3,885,392 | $3,885,392 | $3,885,392 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $3,807,679 | $3,835,461 | $3,840,938 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $5,464,249 | $5,510,844 | $5,463,207 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $5,428,676 | $5,302,905 | $5,313,561 | ||||||||
| Actual | $3,184,253 | $3,586,396 | $3,511,205 | $3,426,739 | $3,753,393 | $4,199,622 | $4,677,242 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
