Reform the PSDPA
Petitioners ask Parliament to reform the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act to extend protection to contractors, union representatives and RCMP; create independent binding investigators; simplify evidentiary rules; treat reprisals as violations; require enforceable remedies; ban employer‑controlled processes and NDAs; set deadlines, reporting and disability safeguards; and commission an independent review.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would extend legal protection to contractors, union representatives and RCMP currently excluded, reducing risk for people who disclose wrongdoing.
- Independent, binding investigators and simplified evidentiary standards could speed investigations, strengthen enforcement and increase access to remedies like reinstatement or compensation.
- Banning employer‑controlled processes and NDAs, and requiring deadlines, reporting and disability safeguards would reduce gagging, improve accessibility and increase accountability.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Creating independent binding bodies and guaranteeing enforceable remedies could be costly and complex to implement and require significant resources.
- Extending federal protections across contractors and workers in private, provincial and municipal sectors risks jurisdictional overlap and duplication with existing laws.
- Lowering evidentiary thresholds and broadly banning NDAs might increase frivolous complaints and could conflict with legitimate confidentiality needs of employers.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled Canada’s Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA) is widely criticized as inadequate by accountability experts; Canada tied for last in whistleblower protection among 37 countries, per the 2021 Blueprint for Free Speech report; Real-world cases reveal gaps in protection, enforcement, and remedies, especially for those facing systemic barriers; The PSDPA excludes contractors, union representatives, and RCMP officers, leaving many unprotected; Whistleblower safeguards are limited for private sector, provincial, and municipal workers; and Conflicts of interest, high evidentiary thresholds, delays, and weak remedies chill public interest disclosures; We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to to reform the PSDPA by: 1. Extending protections to contractors, union representatives, and RCMP officers; 2. Creating independent investigative bodies with binding authority; 3. Simplifying evidentiary thresholds and providing legal support; 4. Classifying reprisals as violations for investigation; 5. Mandating enforceable remedies like reinstatement and compensation; 6. Banning employer-controlled processes and suppressive NDAs; 7. Requiring strict deadlines and transparent reporting; 8. Adding safeguards for whistleblowers with disabilities; and 9. Commissioning an independent review of federal whistleblower retaliation.
Government response
No government response is available yet.