The rot inside Canada’s federal bureaucracy runs deep. A sprawling order paper question (Q-315) has exposed an alarming pattern of criminal and unethical behaviour among public servants — spanning everything from immigration fraud and sexual misconduct to child pornography and theft.
The revelations came through responses tabled by multiple departments, each quietly admitting to cases that would get private-sector employees fired or even jailed.
Instead, in many cases, the government handed out little more than wrist slaps or simple reassignments.
At Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, one employee was caught aiding immigration fraud, while another was implicated in illegal activity abroad; their “discipline” was a reassignment.
At Crown-Indigenous Relations, several serious allegations — including fraud and theft — remain “under investigation” or have yet to be examined at all.
The National Research Council, which is supposed to house some of Canada’s top scientists, reported incidents of child pornography and break and enter that were referred to police.
The Canada Border Services Agency handed out a five-day suspension to an employee who paid for sexual services, while another staffer with known criminal associates was given a written reprimand.
Shared Services Canada admitted that “fewer than 10” employees were working under fake names, all of whom somehow received security clearance.
Even the Privy Council Office, which serves as the prime minister’s own department, confirmed an employee was caught leaking classified information.
And at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, two employees were caught using illegal drugs in the very office responsible for enforcing federal law.
Perhaps most troubling: across multiple departments, the most common outcome for thieves and fraudsters wasn’t termination or prosecution, it was simply that they “left the department.”
Hellbound and Down 