LAC CODE OF CONDUCT

Values and Ethics

Methodology

• Two hours of training• Section I - What are Ethics? • Section II - Values and Ethics Code• Section III - Conflict of interest and post-

employment• Questions?

Why a Values and Ethics Code?

The Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector (VECPS) came into effect on April 2, 2012. It was created in accordance with subsection 5(1) of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA), which requires that Treasury Board establish a code of conduct applicable to the public sector.

The VECPS also stipulates that all departments shall establish their own code of conduct to complement the more general VECPS.

LAC Code of Conduct

Objectives of the Presentation

• Understand the concepts of values and ethics in LAC and highlight the importance of being a value-based organization; • Understand personal and organizational values; • Show why the collective organizational values of the employees are essential for overall organizational efficiency.

Section I

What are Ethics?

What are Values?

Values are something intrinsically useful or desirable; something that is considered desirable, valid or fair, such as a belief, standard or moral precept. For the organization, this means recourse to “desirable behaviours” required to fulfill a mandate.

Values help us establish standards, which allow us to choose our behaviour, make decisions, express our needs, and follow our personal path.

What are Ethics?

• Ethics are a reflection of the manner in which values are applied in decision making. They involve distinguishing right from wrong and choosing the best option.

• For LAC, ethics correspond to the implementation of LAC values; they reflect the manner in which these values are applied to the decision-making process as such.

Methods of Behaviour Regulation

HeterogulationSelf-regulation

ETHICS CODE OF ETHICS LAW MORALS MORALE

Methods of Behaviour RegulationSelf-regulation Heteroregulation

ETHICS CODE OF ETHICS LAW MORALS MORALE

Decision Judgment Compliance Submission Conformity Discipline Authority

Shared sense, Engagement and Adherence and Conviction, Conformism, Conviction and Respect for Self-mastery responsibility sanction awareness routine, sanction rules, sanction

and sanction respect for

others,

fear of rejection

Statement Statement of Codes of Legislation, Implicit Scriptures, Transmission,

of Values, ethics, citizenship cultural charters, monitoring

Values, discussion, training, education, system gathering supervision

discussion, dialogue, discipline courts, and customs, places,

dialogue, training, committee, police, rituals and authority

orientation decisions, ethics prison celebrations,

counsel, committee group pressure

mediation and

conciliation

mechanisms

Dynamic

Motivation

Provisions

Personal Values versus Organizational Values

• What is meant by personal values?Personal values are based on family or hereditary values as well as cultural

norms linked to societal values. They are integrated into our habits, personal convictions and assumptions about ourselves and others.

• What is meant by organizational values?Organizational values are made public and are widely visible. They

provide a collective vision of the ideas and behavioural standards expected in an organization, associated with what is appropriate, how it should be done, and the underlying reasons for doing so.

Section II

Values and Ethics Code

Values and Ethics Code

LAC Statement of Principles

• Leadership• Service culture• Compliance• Responsible use of our resources• Exemplary behaviour• Respect• Demonstrate openness

LAC Values and Ethics

• RESPECT FOR DEMOCRACY• RESPECT FOR PEOPLE• INTEGRITY• STEWARDSHIP• EXCELLENCE

RESPECT FOR DEMOCRACY

Public servants uphold the Canadian parliamentary democracy and its institutions by:

• respecting the rule of law and carrying out their duties in accordance with legislation, policies and directives in a non-partisan and impartial manner;

• loyally carrying out the lawful decisions of their leaders and supporting ministers in their accountability to Parliament and Canadians;

• providing decision makers with all the information, analysis and advice they need, while always striving to be open, candid and impartial.

RESPECT FOR PEOPLE

Public servants respect human dignity and the value of every person by:

• treating every person with respect and fairness;• valuing diversity and the benefit of combining the unique qualities

and strengths inherent in a diverse workforce;• helping to create and maintain safe and healthy workplaces that are

free from harassment and discrimination; • working together in a spirit of openness, honesty and transparency

that encourages engagement, collaboration and respectful communication.

INTEGRITY

Public servants serve the public interest by:• acting at all times with integrity and in a manner that will bear the

closest public scrutiny, an obligation that may not be fully satisfied by simply acting within the law;

• never using their official roles to inappropriately obtain an advantage for themselves or others or to put others at a disadvantage;

• taking all possible steps to prevent and resolve any real, apparent or potential conflicts of interest between their official responsibilities and their private affairs in favour of the public interest;

• acting in such a way as to maintain their employer’s trust.

STEWARDSHIP

Public servants use resources responsibly by:• effectively and efficiently using the public money, property

and resources managed by them;• considering the present and long-term effects that their actions

have on people and on the environment; • acquiring, preserving and sharing knowledge and information,

as appropriate.

EXCELLENCE

Public servants demonstrate professional excellence by:• providing fair, timely, efficient and effective services that respect Canada’s official languages;• continually improving the quality of policies, programs and services they provide; • fostering a work environment that promotes teamwork, learning and innovation.

DUTY OF LOYALTY

• Employment in the public service involves certain restrictions. • Public servants owe a duty of loyalty to their employer, the

Government of Canada. This duty derives from the essential mission of the public service to help the duly elected government, under law, to serve the public interest and implement government policies and ministerial decisions.

• The duty of loyalty reflects the importance and necessity of having an impartial and effective public service to achieve this mission.

DUTY OF LOYALTY (continued)

• As public servants, our duty of loyalty to the Government of Canada and its elected representatives extends beyond our workplace to our personal activities. • Public servants must therefore use caution when making public comments, expressing personal opinions or taking

actions that could potentially damage LAC’s reputation or public confidence in the public service and the Government of Canada.

DUTY OF LOYALTY (continued)

With the current proliferation of social media, public servants need to pay particular attention to their participation in these forums.

Example

In a blog with access limited to certain friends, personal opinions about a new departmental or Government of Canada program intended to be expressed to a limited audience can, through no fault of the public servant, become public and the author identified. The public servant could be subject to disciplinary measures. Only authorized spokespersons can issue statements or make comments about LAC’s position on a given subject. If you are asked for LAC’s position, you must refer the inquiries, through your manager, to the authorized LAC spokesperson.

Video (social media)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFqjyB7KDmA

The Duty of Loyalty is Not Absolute

• The Government is engaged in illegal acts.• Government policies jeopardize life, health or

safety.• Criticism of the public servant does not affect

his or her ability to fulfill his or her duties effectively, or the public perception of this ability.

Consultation

• Do you have any comments and / or concerns in relation to Article 4.4.2?

• 2. Do you have any comments and / or concerns regarding the article about loyalty?

• 3. Do you have any comments and / or concerns in relation to other sections of the code?

Section IIIConflict of interest and post-

employment

Conflict of Interest Triangle

Outside activitiesPosition

LAC employee

LAC employee

Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment

• In the public service, the appearance and perception of a conflict of interest present just as much risk and, consequently, are just as important to manage as a real conflict of interest. These considerations extend to employees planning to leave LAC and, in some cases, apply for a one-year period after their departure.

Gifts and Hospitality:What can I Accept?

Acceptance of gifts, hospitality, travel and other benefits for work-related activities is permissible only if these benefits meet all the following criteria:• They are infrequent and of minimal value, such as low-cost promotional objects, simple meals or souvenirs with no cash value;• They arise out of activities or events related to official duties of the public servant concerned;• They are within the normal standards of courtesy, hospitality or protocol; • They do not compromise or appear to compromise the employee’s or the department’s integrity in any way.

Conflict of Interest

In your opinion, to what extent is it acceptable to help a supplier obtain contracts with the Government of Canada?

1. always acceptable

2. sometimes acceptable

3. don’t know

4. unacceptable

Conflict of Interest (continued)

In your opinion, to what extent is it advisable to accept gifts or invitations from LAC suppliers?

1. always acceptable

2. sometimes acceptable

3. don’t know

4. unacceptable

Courses of Action

An employee facing an ethical dilemma or wishing an

interpretation of the VECPS and/or the LAC Code of Conduct

must:

Step 1: Speak to supervisor about a solution or clarification. Resolution, or, if impasse, go to

Step 2.

Step 2: Speak to the conflict of interest administrator for a solution

or clarification. Resolution, or, if impasse, go to Step 3.

Step 3: The Champion, Values and Ethics reviews the issue and provides a decision or

interpretation. Resolution, or, if impasse, go to Step 4..

Step 4: Grievance Procedure (contact union

representative).

Courses of Actionfor Wrongdoing

An employee who believes that there has been wrongdoing in the workplace must:

Step 1: Speak to supervisor about a solution or clarification. Resolution, or, if

impasse, go to Step 2.

Step 2: The Champion, Values and Ethics reviews the issue and provides a decision or interpretation. Resolution, or,

if impasse, go to Step 3..

Step 3: Report the situation to the Office of the Public

Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada.

Questions

?

Resource PersonsMark C. Melanson, CGA

Champion, Values and Ethics

Senior Director General

Services Branch

Laurie-Eve Bergeron, CRHA

Director

Human Resources

550 de la Cité Boulevard

Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0N4

Telephone: 819-918-7451

Sylvie Houle

Manager, Labour Relations, Compensation and HRIS

8-49, 550 de la Cité Boulevard

Gatineau, Quebec K1A ON4

Telephone: 613-808-5874

Fax: 819-934-5393

Email: sylvie.houle@lac-bac.gc.ca

José Vasquez

Values and Ethics Senior Advisor

Labour Relations and Compensation Section

Human Resources Division

Corporate Resourcing Branch

550 de la Cité Boulevard

Gatineau, Quebec K1A ON4

Telephone: 613-410-4852

Fax: 819-934-4428

Email: José.Vasquez@bac-lac.gc.ca