On October 21, 2022, the House of Assembly Management Commission released the Review of the Honourable J. Derek Green of the March 2022 Report of the Citizens’ Representative on Public Interest Disclosures Regarding the Chief Electoral Officer for Newfoundland and Labrador. The Office of the Citizens’ Representative welcomes the public release of the former Chief Justice’s Review whereby seven allegations warranted further action.

The Office of the Citizens’ Representative is statutorily mandated under the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act to investigate public interest disclosures. It received allegations made by whistleblowers in 2021 and thoroughly investigated them over approximately 11 months, making findings. The statutory role of the Office in this regard was completed when it provided its report to the Clerk and Speaker of the House of Assembly. As its statutory role is complete, it would not be appropriate for the Office to give media interviews on this matter.

We agree with the former Chief Justice’s comment in the Executive Summary of his Review that “whistleblower investigators must strike a difficult balance between confidentiality and fairness.” Indeed, the utmost concern of the Office of the Citizens’ Representative is to protect those who blow the whistle about disclosures of wrongdoing.

The Office of the Citizens’ Representative is committed to strengthening accountability and the integrity of the Public Service in Newfoundland and Labrador.

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