Who is a “whistleblower”?
In the broadest possible terms, any person who exposes or reports wrongdoing is a whistleblower. For example, an employee of a company who reports fraud – whether to his supervisor or to the police – is a whistleblower. Similarly, a bureaucrat who reports mismanagement to the press is also a whistleblower. Some definitions have required that reprisal take place for a person to be considered a whistleblower. This is not the position of Canadians for Accountability. It is obviously preferred that the individual suffer no retaliation, but whether or not this happens cannot be known to the whistleblower before he or she makes the decision to speak out. Thus, it is reasonable that those who do not suffer reprisals be as honoured for their courage as those who do. Much has been said and written about the motives of whistleblowers. For example, it is typical for whistleblowers to be characterized by management as disgruntled individuals may have fabricated elements of their disclosure. Others
