Starting March 1, employees can blow the whistle on elected officials in the Alberta legislature. It is one of the changes Democratic Renewal Minister Christina Gray introduced as part of the proclamation of the Whistleblower Protection Amendment Act Thursday.

Gray said the tougher legislation will ensure public sector employees are protected when they are reporting misconduct in the workplace without fearing for their job.

“Our government feels strongly that our workplaces need to be safe and healthy; this legislation is a piece of that,” Gray said. “Making sure people feel respected and supported if they need to address any wrongdoings, or if they’re seeing issues like systemic bullying and harassment.”

Staff working for MLAs, ministers and the premier will receive greater safeguards.

“We should not be above the law,” said Gray.

Working towards a culture change

Public Interest Commissioner Marianne Ryan said the goal is to change workplace culture where whistleblowing is embraced, and employers want to detect and fix any wrongdoing.

It will be up to the commissioner to decide whether the public learns details of each investigation.

“We would have to assess whether it is in the public interest,” Ryan said.

“That’s the balance, ensuring we have a substantive allegation that information appears to be warranting an investigation, and making sure we are not damaging someone’s reputation unnecessarily or without merit.”

Key changes to the Act

  • “Wrongdoing” definition changed: Meaning of “wrongdoing” was originally defined as gross mismanagement of public funds or public assets. It has now been expanded to include bullying, harassment or intimidation; and mismanagement or abuse of human resources.
  • Direct disclosure to Commissioner’s Office: A worker can choose to report wrongdoing to an internal designated officer or to the Public Interest Commissioner.
  • Supervisors can provide advice: The Act recognizes some organizations have policies that require employees to report a concern to their supervisor first. If the whistleblower seeks advice from the supervisor, they will also be given the same protections as reporting to an officer or Commissioner.
  • Restitution: If an employer retaliates against a whistleblower by firing or demoting that worker, they may be required to offer financial remedies.