Christiane Ouimet (born in St. Albert, Ontario, Canada) was the first

Public Sector Integrity Commissioner The Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada is one of the Independent Oversight Offices created as part of the Canadian Federal Accountability Act. The Office investigates wrongdoing in the federal public sector and helps p ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. She retired on October 18, 2010. Canada's Auditor General report released on December 9, 2010, alleged that the former watchdog commissioner intimidated employees and engaged in "retaliatory actions" and may have breached the Privacy Act. This report also stated that "allegations made by the former PSIC employee that the Commissioner undertook a series of retaliatory actions against him because she believed that he had complained about her to the Auditor General and that he had cooperated in our audit are founded."

Career

A graduate of the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...

, Ouimet holds an Honours degree and two bachelor's degrees in Law (Civil Law and Common Law). A member of the

Law Society of Upper Canada The Law Society of Ontario (LSO; french: Barreau de l'Ontario) is the law society responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1797 as the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC; frenc ...

since 1982, Ouimet has worked for the federal government for 25 years, in eight different departments and agencies, primarily in the areas of audit, regulatory affairs, policing and enforcement, quasi-judicial functions and machinery of government. She held the position of Executive Director of the

Immigration and Refugee Board Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

, the largest administrative tribunal in Canada. She also served as Associate Deputy Minister at

Public Works and Government Services Canada Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC; french: Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada)''Public Services and Procurement Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Public Works ...

and at

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC; sometimes Ag-Canada; french: Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada)''Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Agriculture ...

. Ouimet was appointed by a unanimous resolution of the Senate and

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

of the

Canadian Parliament The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...

and took office in August 2007. As an Agent of Parliament, Ouimet reported directly to Parliament. She was responsible for the administration of the ''

Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act The Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (the Act) came into force in Canada on April 15, 2007. The Act creates two distinct processes: a disclosure process and a reprisal complaints process. It also creates two new bodies: the Office of the ...

'', which establishes a procedure for the disclosure of wrongdoings in the public sector, including the protection of persons who disclose wrongdoing. In October 2010 it was announced that the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner was being investigated by the office of the

Auditor General of Canada The Auditor General of Canada is an officer of the Parliament of Canada to aid accountability and oversight by conducting independent financial audits of federal government operations. These audits provide members of parliament with objective e ...

. At the same time, it was announced that Ouimet was retiring. After failing to appear before the political Public Accounts Committee, in February 2011, Ouimet was again summoned to appear before the Committee. She appeared before the Committee to provide sworn testimony on March 10, 2011.

References

External links

Force disgraced ex-watchdog to appear before Parliament: MP

https://web.archive.org/web/20100318123551/http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=1&id=1693

Canadian Government Expenses for Christiane Ouimet

CPAC - Pierre Donais speaks with Christiane Ouimet

The watchdogs who never bite

Former integrity watchdog ‘berated, intimidated’ staff, report concludes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ouimet, Christiane People from the United Counties of Prescott and Russell Living people Franco-Ontarian people 20th-century Canadian civil servants 21st-century Canadian civil servants Year of birth missing (living people)