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AUPE News & Updates
For immediate release: Saturday, March 6, 2004
AUPE president calls for ‘whistleblower’ law to protect
all public employees
EDMONTON — Alberta needs ‘whistleblower’ legislation
to protect all public employees who blow the whistle on questionable
practices in their workplaces, says the president of Alberta’s
largest union.
“Government employees, and the employees of all government-funded
agencies including health regions, deserve the protection of a strong
whistleblower law,” Alberta Union of Provincial Employees President
Dan MacLennan said today.
“Instead of making silly arguments that employees can take their
concerns to their supervisors, the provincial government should be putting
a whistleblower law on this session’s legislative agenda,”
MacLennan said.
The law should be drafted to include not just direct employees of the
government, but employees of publicly funded educational institutions,
boards, agencies, health regions, commissions and municipal governments,
he said.
“As Alberta’s largest public sector union, it is very clear
to AUPE that all public employees need to be able to bring their concerns
forward without fear of retribution from supervisors, senior officials
and elected officials,” MacLennan said.
“It should be obvious from what has been going on in Ottawa and
in federal Crown corporations that this is a valid concern to public
employees at every level,” he added.
“Well-drafted whistleblower legislation will protect public employees,
and just as importantly, it will protect the public,” MacLennan.
“Taxpayers deserve to know that conscientious public employees
responsible for administering their tax dollars are able to raise concerns
about the way their money is being spent.”
MacLennan vowed that AUPE will continue to push for whistleblower protection
for Alberta public employees. “It’s overdue. The public
wants it. Public employees want it. What’s the problem?”
For more information, contact:
Dan MacLennan, President, AUPE, 780-930-3301 or 780-232-8392 (cellular
phone)
David Climenhaga, Communications Director, AUPE, 780-930-3311 or 780-717-2943
(cellular phone)
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