Mr. Speaker, with respect to the current allegations against Sustainable Development Technology Canada, or SDTC, there are no current or former employees of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, or ISED, under a non-disclosure agreement, including the minister’s office. Public servants are governed by Treasury Board’s policy on people management and the directive on conflict of interest.
Given SDTC’s status as a shared-governance corporation at arm’s length from the department, the number of non-disclosure agreements with former and current employees is not known.
The Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act gives federal public sector employees a secure and confidential process for disclosing serious wrongdoing in the workplace, as well as protection from acts of reprisal.
The minister is not a party to any non-disclosure agreements between SDTC and its current or former employees.
ISED requested that the Department of Justice appoint a law firm to undertake a fact-finding exercise into recent allegations of labour and employment contraventions, including harassment or abuse, and report the findings to the minister. McCarthy Tétrault was appointed as the legal agent.
To ensure that these issues receive proper focus and that any other current or former employee may come forward without fear of reprisal, SDTC has agreed to allow current and former employees to freely speak to the law firm without violating any applicable settlement agreements or non-disclosure agreements.