whistleblower laws
The rising tide of global whistleblower regulations
The whistleblowing landscape has changed substantially over the past few years. High profile cases have spurred new whistleblower protection regulations across the globe.
European Union proposes whistleblower protections
A recent EU proposal is only the latest in a string of legislative developments in jurisdictions around the world aimed at strengthening whistleblower protections and encouraging whistleblowers to come forward and report wrongdoing.
Bill 141 – Proposed amendments to the Act respecting the Autorité des marchés financiers with regard to whistleblowing
Following the example of the Ontario Securities Commission, the Authority implemented a whistleblower program in June 2016. Contrary to Ontario, Quebec’s program does not give financial awards to whistleblowers, but it does guarantee a framework that ensures confidentiality and protects whistleblowers against reprisals. However, no legislative amendment guaranteeing these protections has been introduced until now.
Ethics and business conduct
The ethical standards of a company are driven from the top. The ethics policy should be recommended by the president, ratified by the board and rolled out to the company with appropriate explanations and training. Implementing and consistently following a top-down ethics policy—with input from all levels—will help employees, customers, stakeholders and others who interact with the company to understand and relate to the company’s intentions.
Slaw: The state of whistleblowing in Canada
Whistleblowing occurs when employees reveal corporate wrongdoing, usually in their organization, to law enforcement. Unfortunately, it is common for whistleblowers to experience demotion, dismissal and otherwise negative treatment from their employers after they disclose the malfeasance or corruption. In order to deal with this serious issue, some companies have created codes of ethics to ensure that their directors, officers and employees are aware of and adhere to standards of conduct that ensure the company performs and is represented in an honest and responsible manner.
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