Ian Bron named a CFE Senior Fellow

The Centre for Free Expression has named whistleblowing expert Ian Bron as its newest senior fellow. 

“A long-time advocate for more robust whistleblower protection and a former Canadian whistleblower, Mr. Bron brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the work of the CFE,” said James L. Turk, the Centre’s Director.

Bron’s 2022 PhD dissertation at Carleton University, titled Square Peg in a Round Hole? Three Case Studies into Institutional Factors Affecting Public Service Whistleblowing Regimes, is an examination of how whistleblowing is dealt with by the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. 

Previously, Bron served as a Canadian naval officer, an elementary and secondary school teachers, as a regulator at Transport Canada, conducting analysis, consultation, and drafting regulations and other materials for marine and aviation transportation security, and as program evaluation team leader at Transport Canada and Public Service and Procurement Canada, evaluating government policies and programs and assisting in the development of performance measurement frameworks and other tools.

Concerned about the inadequacy of standards being developed by Transport Canada for security in Canada’s ports to prevent terrorist attacks, Bron wrote a formal report detailing the problems he saw and which was ignored by the government and led, seven years later, to him leaving the federal civil service.

In addition to completing his PhD dissertation, Bron has helped the Centre in developing the criteria for assessing the adequacy of whistleblower protection legislation and will be preparing detailed assessments of provincial and federal whistleblower laws to be released starting in the fall of this year.