“Whistleblowing is a mechanism for accountability. It tells you who is responsible for issues, and who should fix them” – Paloma Raggo, Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration and Director of the Charity Insights Canada Project
By Ty Burke
Whistleblowers shed light on problems that would otherwise remain in the shadows, alerting us to dangers to the public and abuses of public funds.
While vital to a thriving democracy, whistleblowing can come at great personal cost, including losing one’s job, getting hit with retaliatory lawsuits and even threats of violence.
Though Canada tends to see itself as a beacon of democracy and justice, legislative protections for whistleblowers are surprisingly slim and lag many other countries in the world.
Carleton University researchers Paloma Raggo and Ian Bron want to change that, and are using research and advocacy to push Canada to catch up to its peers.
SPPA Researchers Paloma Raggo and Ian Brown