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The broad-shouldered man sitting in a front-row chair leaned over and looked fiercely at me.  “I’m a mean guy.” He looked as though he could snap logs in half with his bare hands. When I unexpectedly laughed, his features softened. He said he was also a “helper,” attending what was advertised recently as a “compelled speech” panel, in case security needed support dealing with protesters.  He pointed to the security men, who were wearing suits but standing alertly, at each corner of the large auditorium packed with more than 700 people.

Being a whistleblower in Canada is tough. The Canadian legal framework with respect to whistleblowing is a hodgepodge of different laws and regulations, none of which historically have been very effective. The frameworks differ with respect to whether the whistleblower is in the federal or provincial jurisdiction, in the public or private sector or depending on the type of information being disclosed.

By Ken Rubin July 23, 2018 - Canada's broken access to information system has increasingly become entrenched, complete with backlog specialists and a new Information Commissioner facing her office's own backlog. Parliament did not pass Bill C-58, the government's regressive anti-transparency bill before the summer recess which would give bureaucrats added powers to deny and delay public access and would limit the commissioner's order powers.

The Canadian Association of Journalists, the Centre for Free Expression, News Media Canada and the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression are inviting nominations for the Code of Silence Award for outstanding achievement in government secrecy. The award will be given annually in each of four categories -- federal, provincial, municipal and police services – starting this fall.