Ethics officer set to “build trust” with Nunavut civil servants

Jeffrey Schnoor, Nunavut’s first civil service ethics officer, starts his new job April 1. (PHOTO BY PETER VARGA)

Nunavut Finance Minister Keith Peterson introduced the territory’s first ethics officer in the legislative assembly March 16.

Jeffrey Schnoor of Winnipeg, who served as deputy minister of justice and deputy attorney-general for Manitoba until he retired in 2013, said he looks forward to the part-time position, starting April 1.

“I’m happy to come back to do a little bit of public service,” he said at the assembly. “It’s something I find very rewarding.”

Schnoor will work out of Winnipeg, and come to Nunavut on an “as-needed basis,” he said.

As ethics officer, he will handle complaints of wrong-doing within Nunavut’s civil service.

The new position is created by an amendment to the Nunavut Public Service Act, which defines wrong-doing and the actions that civil servants may take to report it.

“The creation of this type of legislation has been something that previous house members have sought since the early days of Nunavut,” Peterson said when he introduced Schnoor to MLAs in a minister’s statement.

“I recall raising the issue when I was co-chair of the standing committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts back in 2004.”

The new legislation “is a mechanism to allow public servants to come forward, without fear of reprisal, when they honestly believe something is wrong,” Peterson said.

“We expect the highest standards of conduct from our employees and we know the vast majority of our public servants serve this government with honesty and integrity,” the finance minister said on behalf of the government.

Department of Finance staff “will make sure the information needed to contact the ethics officer will be readily available to all employees,” Peterson said.

“I’m a little curious to see what volume of calls come forward,” Schnoor said during a break in the assembly’s sitting.

“But I’m hoping I’ll be able to build a level of trust with the public servants in Nunavut, that they can feel comfortable bringing forward allegations of wrong-doing.

“I hope there aren’t many. Because the vast majority of public civil servants work hard, work diligently, and work honestly,” he said.

“I hope this will provide a level of confidence, that in rare situations where that’s not the case, they can feel comfortable bringing forward their allegations — for the protection of taxpayers and all the citizens.”

Schnoor said he will do most of his work from Winnipeg by phone and email, and operate in Nunavut’s three official languages with the help of translators.

“Of course I’ll be coming to Nunavut whenever it’s necessary to do something in person,” he said.