Dateline: 06/23/03
George Radwanski Resignation
George Radwanski, Privacy Commissioner of Canada, resigned on June 23, 2003. Radwanski had been under fire from the House of Commons committee on government operations and estimates for misleading the committee with incomplete expense reports on his travel and hospitality expenses.
In a statement on his resignation, Radwanski blamed his problems on "a powerful political backlash from some who would prefer a less forceful Privacy Commissioner."
Government Operations Committee Interim Report
An interim report from the House of Commons government operations committee on June 13, 2003 said that the committee was "no longer able to believe that information provided by the Privacy Commissioner about his activities can be assumed to be accurate and complete." The committee said it had concerns about the financial management practices of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner itself, and asked the Auditor General to do an audit. The committee also asked the Public Service Commission to review hiring practices at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and to ensure that employees did not face negative consequences as a result of testifying before the committee.
The House of Commons committee was expected to table another critical follow-up report in a matter of days.
George Radwanski Says Not at Fault
George Radwanski claimed he was under a "gag order" from the House of Commons committee not to discuss his side of the story with the media. In his resignation statement Radwanski said he "never intentionally misled Parliament or any of its Committees, nor ... committed any other improprieties." However, the Privacy Commissioner is an Officer of Parliament and reports directly to both the House of Commons and the Senate. It was clear that once a parliamentary committee decided that the Privacy Commissioner was being less than open in his dealings with Parliament, it was only a matter of time before he had to go.
Office of Privacy Commissioner Moves On
Robert Marleau, a former Clerk of the House of Commons, was appointed Interim Privacy Commissioner of Canada until a new Privacy Commissioner could be approved by the House of Commons and the Senate. Jennifer Stoddart was appointed Privacy Commissioner of Canada on December 1, 2003.
