|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Honours and Recognition
The Golden Whistle Award
|
The Golden Whistle Award is an annual award given by POGG (Peace, Order and Good Government), an Ottawa-based discussion group led by Harry Weldon. The award is sponsored by Canadians for Accountability and will be awarded annually to an individual who has done a service to Canada in the pursuit of truth in government. Past year recipients can be viewed below.
2011 AwardThis year is the fourth year year of the award. The recipient for 2009 is Sean Bruyea. Captain Sean Bruyea (Ret'd) is a veteran of the Gulf War and one of Canada's leading advocates for the fair and just treatment of injured soldiers, veterans and their families. His exceptional efforts resulted in the creation of the position of Veteran's Affairs Ombudsman and in improved treatment for our wounded veterans and for the families of those killed while fighting for Canada. He was a vocal critic of the New Veterans Charter, which sacrifices lifelong benefits for wounded veterans in favour of a lump-sum payment to a maximum of $276,000. Internal Veterans Afairs communications and independent analysis have shown that this was a cynical move to save money at the expense of veterans, and that veterans wounded worst would be the most affected. Sean's advocacy came at a cost, however: Veterans Affairs officials, concerned about the effect Seans advocacy was having, instituted a series of reprisals against him. This included attempts to have him committed to a mental health facility, bogus psychological exams with pre-determined results, threats to end his veteran's benefits and widespread and illegal dissemination of his medical records in an effort to discredit him. A damning report by the Privacy Commissioner and public attention to his plight forced the government to issue an apology and reach a settlement with Sean. He continues to work for improved benefits for veterans, including a funadamental changes to the New Veterans Charter. Captain Bruyea is being recognized by POGG and Canadians for Accountability this year for his courage in stepping up to defend veterans rights and exposing bureaucratic wrongdoing.
Past Year Awards2010 Award
The 2010 Golden Whistle Award winner was Allan Cutler. He was a senior procurement manager at the federal government ministry Public Works and Government Services Canada when, in the mid-1990s, he noticed irregularities in the spending of sponsorship funds in Quebec. (The program was established as an effort to raise awareness of the Government of Canada's contributions to Quebec industries and other activities in order to counter those working to promote Quebec independence.) Allan reported these irregularities to his superiors, who at first ignored him. When he remained persistent, efforts were made to cover up the abuses and a campaign of reprisal against him was initiated. The problems eventually reached the public eye and became known as the Sponsorship Scandal or Adscam. Allan also testified to the Gomery Commission, which was lauched in September 2004 and released its final report in February 2006. The courage and conviction Allan showed in the face of harassment and retribution was instrumental in promoting calls for greater whistleblower protection. This ultimately led to the 2006 Accountability Act and the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act. You can find more information on his web site at http://ascutler.com/.
2009 Award
The 2009 award winner was Bernard Payeur. Bernard, working as a financial systems analyst in the Department of Foreign Affairs during the early 1980s, discovered that Foreign Affairs staff had defrauded the taxpayers of more than seven million dollars, and that the fraud had been going on for some time. He reported his findings to persons senior to him in the expectation that the fraud would be stopped and the guilty persons brought to justice. His allegations were shunted aside and he was subjected to severe reprisals, including his ultimate dismissal. Bernard was a pioneer in Canadian whistleblowing. His actions demonstrated the integrity and honesty that Canadians desire and expect from their government and public service, and his strenuous and noble fight against government employee abuse of taxpayers' money has inspired numerous others to stand up for what is right over the last 30 years. We recommend that you read Bernard's acceptance speech; it provides an excellent description of the kangaroo court process he faced when trying to fight reprisals: PDF Version | RTF Version | Word Version
2008 Golden Whistle Award
The recipient for 2008 was Perry Dunlop, whose courageous actions in exposing the sexual abuse of minors in Cornwall, Ontario, cost him his reputation and his career. They also triggered the Cornwall Public Inquiry. For a fuller description of the events and persons involved in the scandal, as well as Perry's actions, please visit Sylvia MacEachern's website. She also has a blog. Read Perry Dunlop's acceptance speech: |
Created: October 28, 2008 | Last updated: February 25, 2011
