Global Affairs Canada said it terminated 22 employees over the past year for various types of misconduct including fraud, theft, and providing false documentation.
The report said Global Affairs investigated 125 of the complaints, which involved Canadians at home and abroad as well as locally hired staff, with 120 requiring disciplinary action that ranged from verbal reprimands to termination.
Twenty-two people were fired following investigations, 42 received a written reprimand, another 22 were suspended, 11 were given further training, and seven were given a verbal reprimand, according to the report.
An additional 24 employees were investigated with outcomes ranging from the employee resigning to receiving a letter of expectations.
In one case of fraudulent behaviour spanning seven years, an employee submitted false receipts for claim allowances, according to the report.
Another Global Affairs employee issued salary overpayments to staff, who were then instructed to return the excess funds directly to the employee. The arrangement continued for nearly four years, the document said.
“The employee’s actions demonstrated a serious breach of integrity and resulted in financial losses for the department,” the Global Affairs report said, noting legal steps were being taken to have the money reimbursed to the government.
Another employee was found to have used their position to have friends and family hired.
“An investigation also revealed that the employee engaged in several other inappropriate actions such as trying to influence the salary negotiating process upon initial appointment of a family member, lying to management, and permitting employees to work remotely contrary to on-site requirements,” the report authors said.
Investigations found employees who had misused government-issued fuel cards and credit cards, submitted false documents for expense claims, and failed to disclose conflicts of interest.
In other cases, one employee submitted a false medical note about their fitness to return to the job, while another was found to have provided false education credentials when hired.
Global Affairs Canada said it was implementing a series of “targeted, department-wide measures” to reduce the amount of misconduct.
“A key focus is the revision of the Values and Ethics Code and Code of Conduct, alongside efforts to boost internal awareness through an annual recommitment exercise and mandatory periodic training on values, ethics and conflicts of interest—especially for those in supervisory roles,” the report said.
The department was also creating new training programs with a focus on conflict resolution, performance management, and creating “psychologically safe” workplaces.
It concluded that the 2024–2025 report “reinforces” Global Affairs Canada’s commitment to investigating all allegations of misconduct and wrongdoing.
“The report serves as a testament to the department’s steadfast adherence to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct, in alignment with the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service, the Values and Ethics Code and the Code of Conduct.”
