Public Service school called upon to better protect confidentiality

The Canada School of Public Service (the School) received a letter from the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (PSIC) detailing allegations of wrongdoing against seven employees. The School then hand-delivered copies of this letter, which identified the seven individuals and the alleged wrongdoings, to each of the named employees. One of these employees complained to the OPC, alleging that the disclosure of his name via this letter violated the Privacy Act. The OPC found the complaint to be well-founded, concluding that the School had improperly disclosed personal information. Following the OPC's recommendations, the School developed new procedures to protect the confidentiality of information related to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act and a plan for addressing privacy breaches.