A senior federal public servant, who breached conflict of interest rules by influencing the hiring of a peer from university, has taken the unusual step of issuing a statement to explain her actions.
Christiane Fox said she was aiming to promote diversity and bring in outside perspectives when she helped the man, who was working as a gym manager, land a project management job at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in 2023.
An investigation published this week by Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein found that while deputy minister at IRCC, Ms. Fox intervened to help Björn Charles get a management job in its Access to Information and Privacy division, including by forwarding his résumé.
She also gave him an internal briefing document, which was originally prepared for the then-immigration minister’s new acting chief of staff, to help get ready for a job interview.
Mr. von Finckenstein concluded Ms. Fox had “used her position as Deputy Minister to give Mr. Charles preferential treatment, by ensuring he met with departmental officials quickly, seeking updates about his hiring, giving him internal information and pushing for a higher job classification.”
Ms. Fox later served as deputy clerk of the Privy Council and associate secretary to the cabinet, one of the most senior civil service roles in Canada. She became deputy minister of National Defence at the end of January.
Ms. Fox told the Ethics Commissioner that her involvement in Mr. Charles’s hiring process was appropriate and advanced objectives to further anti-racism efforts, and equity and inclusion in the public service – claims the ethics watchdog did not find credible.
In a statement issued Friday, Ms. Fox responded to the ethics watchdog’s findings, saying she respected his role and “the importance of the Conflict of Interest Act in maintaining public trust in our institutions.” She added that she takes “this matter seriously.”
However, in her statement she also said it was important to give “additional context about the intent of my actions.”
Ms. Fox said at IRCC, she had a mandate to lead cultural and organizational change.
“My approach was motivated by a genuine desire to bring in outside perspectives, strengthen the performance of underperforming teams, and help build a public service that better reflects the people it serves,” she said.
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The watchdog’s report said evidence showed that IRCC staff “felt pressured” to hire Mr. Charles “at a level for which he was not qualified.”
Ms. Fox had told the commissioner that she wanted to ensure Mr. Charles was not automatically appointed to an entry-level position, “as is the case with many racialized individuals entering the federal public service whose experience and skills are not recognized due to racism.”
In her public statement on Friday, she emphasized her “efforts were focused on advancing diversity and inclusion across the public service, an objective explicitly set for Deputy Ministers.”
“I recognize how we pursue change is as important as the change itself, and that is something I will continue to carry forward in my work” she said.