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e-3240 (Employment and labour)

E-petition
Initiated by Pamela Fraser from High River, Alberta

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
  • All Canadians must be free to report any wrongdoing they discover in the course of their work without fear of retaliation;
  • Confidence in public institutions is enhanced by establishing effective procedures for the disclosure of wrongdoing and the protection of public servants who make such disclosures;
  • The Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act (CTAISBA) prohibits the Transport Safety Board of Canada’s (TSB) investigators from finding fault and making criminal referrals to law enforcement, including cases where the TSB investigators find evidence of potential criminal conduct by the transport companies they are investigating;
  • The TSB demoted its incident investigator, Mr. Don Crawford, for disclosing potential criminality to the media regarding the fatal derailment of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s train 301 near Field, British Columbia, on February 4, 2019;
  • To date, TSB has effectively deprived TSB investigators of whistleblower protections and a safe environment to report potential criminal wrongdoing that the investigators have uncovered during their investigations; and
  • Public servants, such as Mr. Crawford, should be lauded, rather than punished, for directing public attention to potential criminal conduct that endangers workers and the public.
We, the undersigned, Canadian citizens, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1. Add a section 33.1 to the CTAISBA that authorizes TSB investigators to make referrals of potential criminal violations to the RCMP, independent police of jurisdiction, and Canada’s attorneys general; and
2. Amend the CTAISBA to expressly include TSB investigators and personnel as “public servants” who are eligible for whistleblower protection under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.
Open for signature
March 8, 2021, at 3:24 p.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
June 6, 2021, at 3:24 p.m. (EDT)
Presented to the House of Commons
Niki Ashton (Churchill—Keewatinook Aski)
June 21, 2021 (Petition No. 432-01179)
Photo - Niki Ashton
Churchill—Keewatinook Aski
New Democratic Party Caucus
Manitoba