Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform
The Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform (FAIR) is a Canadian public interest organization and registered charity whose purpose is to support legislation and management practices that protect whistleblowers.
Mission statement
FAIR's mission is to promote “integrity and accountability within government by empowering employees to speak out without fear of reprisal when they encounter wrongdoing” and to “support legislation and management practices that will provide effective protection for whistleblowers and hence occupational free speech in the workplace.”[1]
History and impact
FAIR was founded in 1998 by Joanna Gualtieri, a well-known whistleblower and a leading authority on Canadian whistleblower law. Under her leadership the organization has played a key role in the shaping of Canadian legislation on whistleblowing and accountability issues. It drafted the first Federal whistleblower protection legislation brought before the Parliament in Canada, which was introduced as a private members bill. It also provided testimony to the House Standing Legislative Committee and Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs on May 10 and September 25, 2006[2] in advance of the passing of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.[3]