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David Hutton

David Hutton is a senior fellow at the Centre For Free Expression at Ryerson University and former executive director of FAIR.

Massive military spending needs protection from abuse and fraud

  • This is the appropriate time for the government to beef up oversight and accountability mechanisms, not weaken them.
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 4, 2026
Canada's Public Sector Integrity Commissioner Harriet Solloway, pictured in her Ottawa office on July 29, 2025. Solloway's budget was already inadequate for an agency with its responsibilities, and has been asking for about $20-million to deal with a flood of extra cases, but has been denied, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Massive military spending needs protection from abuse and fraud

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 4, 2026
  • This is the appropriate time for the government to beef up oversight and accountability mechanisms, not weaken them.

Massive military spending needs protection from abuse and fraud

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 4, 2026
  • This is the appropriate time for the government to beef up oversight and accountability mechanisms, not weaken them.
Canada's Public Sector Integrity Commissioner Harriet Solloway, pictured in her Ottawa office on July 29, 2025. Solloway's budget was already inadequate for an agency with its responsibilities, and has been asking for about $20-million to deal with a flood of extra cases, but has been denied, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

OGGO hearing confirms: our government continues to persecute whistleblowers rather than protect them

  • The Liberals need to put in place a system that truly protects whistleblowers and the Canadian public. Perhaps then we can begin to restore
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | November 13, 2025
Public Sector Integrity Commissioner Harriet Solloway poses for a portrait at her office in Ottawa on July 29, 2025. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

OGGO hearing confirms: our government continues to persecute whistleblowers rather than protect them

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | November 13, 2025
  • The Liberals need to put in place a system that truly protects whistleblowers and the Canadian public. Perhaps then we can begin to restore

OGGO hearing confirms: our government continues to persecute whistleblowers rather than protect them

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | November 13, 2025
  • The Liberals need to put in place a system that truly protects whistleblowers and the Canadian public. Perhaps then we can begin to restore
Public Sector Integrity Commissioner Harriet Solloway poses for a portrait at her office in Ottawa on July 29, 2025. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Team Trudeau seeking to kill whistleblower bill?

  • Regardless of ego and ambition, why can’t our leaders understand the harm being done to others by the current, deeply flawed so-called whistleblower protection
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | June 19, 2023
Greg Fergus, the prime minister’s parliamentary secretary, while repeatedly avowing his good intentions, is delaying and obstructing the clause-by-clause process at the House Government Operations Committee at every turn, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Team Trudeau seeking to kill whistleblower bill?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | June 19, 2023
  • Regardless of ego and ambition, why can’t our leaders understand the harm being done to others by the current, deeply flawed so-called whistleblower protection

Team Trudeau seeking to kill whistleblower bill?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | June 19, 2023
  • Regardless of ego and ambition, why can’t our leaders understand the harm being done to others by the current, deeply flawed so-called whistleblower protection
Greg Fergus, the prime minister’s parliamentary secretary, while repeatedly avowing his good intentions, is delaying and obstructing the clause-by-clause process at the House Government Operations Committee at every turn, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Are the Liberals trying to kill efforts to fix the whistleblowing law?

  • It’s very difficult to believe that the Liberals are still ignorant of the benefits of this internationally accepted successful anti-corruption measure.
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | May 10, 2023
Bloc Québécois MP Jean-Denis Garon introduced C-290, An Act to amend the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, in June 2022 to boost the country’s whistleblower protections. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Are the Liberals trying to kill efforts to fix the whistleblowing law?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | May 10, 2023
  • It’s very difficult to believe that the Liberals are still ignorant of the benefits of this internationally accepted successful anti-corruption measure.

Are the Liberals trying to kill efforts to fix the whistleblowing law?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | May 10, 2023
  • It’s very difficult to believe that the Liberals are still ignorant of the benefits of this internationally accepted successful anti-corruption measure.
Bloc Québécois MP Jean-Denis Garon introduced C-290, An Act to amend the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, in June 2022 to boost the country’s whistleblower protections. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

European Court decision highlights Canada’s Third-World status on whistleblower protection

  • The ball is in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s court: his government has access to all the information, expert guidance and best practices that it
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 20, 2023
With the government facing pressure from all sides and questions in Parliament, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier’s latest move seems little more than a delaying tactic—the announcement of a so-called ‘task force’ to study the law yet again and perhaps recommend some changes in a year or two, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

European Court decision highlights Canada’s Third-World status on whistleblower protection

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 20, 2023
  • The ball is in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s court: his government has access to all the information, expert guidance and best practices that it

European Court decision highlights Canada’s Third-World status on whistleblower protection

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 20, 2023
  • The ball is in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s court: his government has access to all the information, expert guidance and best practices that it
With the government facing pressure from all sides and questions in Parliament, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier’s latest move seems little more than a delaying tactic—the announcement of a so-called ‘task force’ to study the law yet again and perhaps recommend some changes in a year or two, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Why Treasury Board cannot be trusted to fix its own whistleblowing mess

  • The Treasury Board’s track record has repeatedly proven it lacks not only the expertise to produce an effective whistleblowing law, but also any intention
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | December 7, 2022
One wonders whether Treasury Board President Mona Fortier is aware of her department’s track record and whether she approves of such behaviour continuing, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Why Treasury Board cannot be trusted to fix its own whistleblowing mess

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | December 7, 2022
  • The Treasury Board’s track record has repeatedly proven it lacks not only the expertise to produce an effective whistleblowing law, but also any intention

Why Treasury Board cannot be trusted to fix its own whistleblowing mess

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | December 7, 2022
  • The Treasury Board’s track record has repeatedly proven it lacks not only the expertise to produce an effective whistleblowing law, but also any intention
One wonders whether Treasury Board President Mona Fortier is aware of her department’s track record and whether she approves of such behaviour continuing, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Is the federal government preparing to undermine our whistleblowing system, again?

  • A successor to Joe Friday must be appointed who will be motivated to protect the public, not to shield the government from embarrassment.
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | November 14, 2022
The Privy Council Office has issued a call for applicants for Canada's integrity commissioner, which seems designed to achieve the same result again, argues David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Is the federal government preparing to undermine our whistleblowing system, again?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | November 14, 2022
  • A successor to Joe Friday must be appointed who will be motivated to protect the public, not to shield the government from embarrassment.

Is the federal government preparing to undermine our whistleblowing system, again?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | November 14, 2022
  • A successor to Joe Friday must be appointed who will be motivated to protect the public, not to shield the government from embarrassment.
The Privy Council Office has issued a call for applicants for Canada's integrity commissioner, which seems designed to achieve the same result again, argues David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Joe Friday’s report is a reminder: Canada persecutes whistleblowers

  • A rare and notable event took place recently in Parliament, when the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (PSIC) tabled a report revealing
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | October 17, 2022
Integrity Commissioner Joe Friday, pictured in this file photo. Although the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is responsible for overseeing the entire federal public sector with its approximately 400,000 employees spending about $1-billion per day, PSIC rarely finds anything amiss. It has found only 18 cases of wrongdoing in its 15 years of operation, in spite of receiving more than 1,500 disclosures of wrongdoing from whistleblowers, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times file photograph by Jake Wright

Joe Friday’s report is a reminder: Canada persecutes whistleblowers

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | October 17, 2022
  • A rare and notable event took place recently in Parliament, when the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (PSIC) tabled a report revealing

Joe Friday’s report is a reminder: Canada persecutes whistleblowers

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | October 17, 2022
  • A rare and notable event took place recently in Parliament, when the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (PSIC) tabled a report revealing
Integrity Commissioner Joe Friday, pictured in this file photo. Although the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is responsible for overseeing the entire federal public sector with its approximately 400,000 employees spending about $1-billion per day, PSIC rarely finds anything amiss. It has found only 18 cases of wrongdoing in its 15 years of operation, in spite of receiving more than 1,500 disclosures of wrongdoing from whistleblowers, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times file photograph by Jake Wright

The ‘incomprehensible’ Phoenix meltdown: entirely predictable and entirely preventable

  • Calling the project an “incomprehensible failure,” Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s recent report on Phoenix describes not just a litany of outrageously bad and irresponsible
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | June 4, 2018
Calling the project an 'incomprehensible failure,' Auditor General Michael Ferguson's recent report on Phoenix describes not just a litany of outrageously bad and irresponsible decisions, but a stunning level of dishonesty among the senior executives responsible, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

The ‘incomprehensible’ Phoenix meltdown: entirely predictable and entirely preventable

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | June 4, 2018
  • Calling the project an “incomprehensible failure,” Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s recent report on Phoenix describes not just a litany of outrageously bad and irresponsible

The ‘incomprehensible’ Phoenix meltdown: entirely predictable and entirely preventable

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | June 4, 2018
  • Calling the project an “incomprehensible failure,” Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s recent report on Phoenix describes not just a litany of outrageously bad and irresponsible
Calling the project an 'incomprehensible failure,' Auditor General Michael Ferguson's recent report on Phoenix describes not just a litany of outrageously bad and irresponsible decisions, but a stunning level of dishonesty among the senior executives responsible, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Kudos to House committee for sound recommendations on whistleblower protection

  • OTTAWA—The parliamentary committee studying Canada’s federal whistle blowing law for the past five months has unanimously called on the Trudeau government to make sweeping
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | June 26, 2017
Integrity Commissioner Joe Friday boasted before a House committee about his own 'good leadership,' overlooking several indications of serious misconduct within his office, where he has been part of senior management since 2008, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Kudos to House committee for sound recommendations on whistleblower protection

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | June 26, 2017
  • OTTAWA—The parliamentary committee studying Canada’s federal whistle blowing law for the past five months has unanimously called on the Trudeau government to make sweeping

Kudos to House committee for sound recommendations on whistleblower protection

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | June 26, 2017
  • OTTAWA—The parliamentary committee studying Canada’s federal whistle blowing law for the past five months has unanimously called on the Trudeau government to make sweeping
Integrity Commissioner Joe Friday boasted before a House committee about his own 'good leadership,' overlooking several indications of serious misconduct within his office, where he has been part of senior management since 2008, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Trudeau can fix our broken whistleblowing system: here’s why and how

  • OTTAWA—The House Government Operations Committee deserves kudos for taking the bull by the horns in its review of Canada’s failed system for protecting government
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | March 20, 2017
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured in this file photo at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Trudeau can fix our broken whistleblowing system: here’s why and how

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | March 20, 2017
  • OTTAWA—The House Government Operations Committee deserves kudos for taking the bull by the horns in its review of Canada’s failed system for protecting government

Trudeau can fix our broken whistleblowing system: here’s why and how

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | March 20, 2017
  • OTTAWA—The House Government Operations Committee deserves kudos for taking the bull by the horns in its review of Canada’s failed system for protecting government
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured in this file photo at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Whistleblower protection: who really pulls the strings?

  • OTTAWA—When examining the sorry track record of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner’s Office, it’s easy to overlook those primarily responsible: it was Privy Council
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 27, 2017
The five-year review was blocked for another five years, until a few weeks ago, when TBS President Scott Brison suddenly handed the task to a parliamentary committee—without any explanation of this extraordinary delay or the recent change of heart. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Whistleblower protection: who really pulls the strings?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 27, 2017
  • OTTAWA—When examining the sorry track record of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner’s Office, it’s easy to overlook those primarily responsible: it was Privy Council

Whistleblower protection: who really pulls the strings?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 27, 2017
  • OTTAWA—When examining the sorry track record of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner’s Office, it’s easy to overlook those primarily responsible: it was Privy Council
The five-year review was blocked for another five years, until a few weeks ago, when TBS President Scott Brison suddenly handed the task to a parliamentary committee—without any explanation of this extraordinary delay or the recent change of heart. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Is the public sector integrity commissioner a friend or foe to whistleblowers?

  • OTTAWA—Last week, I wrote about the shortcomings of our government whistleblower protection system by examining the law itself. But that’s only half of the
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 20, 2017

Is the public sector integrity commissioner a friend or foe to whistleblowers?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 20, 2017
  • OTTAWA—Last week, I wrote about the shortcomings of our government whistleblower protection system by examining the law itself. But that’s only half of the

Is the public sector integrity commissioner a friend or foe to whistleblowers?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 20, 2017
  • OTTAWA—Last week, I wrote about the shortcomings of our government whistleblower protection system by examining the law itself. But that’s only half of the

House Government Operations Committee leaps into action to protect whistleblowers, or does it?

  • OTTAWA—Whistleblower protection advocates across Canada were celebrating last week when the news broke that Treasury Board President Scott Brison had suddenly asked the House
Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 13, 2017
Whistleblower protection advocates across Canada were celebrating last week when the news broke that Treasury Board President Scott Brison, pictured, had suddenly asked the House Government Operations Committee to conduct a review of the federal whistleblower protection law, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

House Government Operations Committee leaps into action to protect whistleblowers, or does it?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 13, 2017
  • OTTAWA—Whistleblower protection advocates across Canada were celebrating last week when the news broke that Treasury Board President Scott Brison had suddenly asked the House

House Government Operations Committee leaps into action to protect whistleblowers, or does it?

Opinion | BY DAVID HUTTON | February 13, 2017
  • OTTAWA—Whistleblower protection advocates across Canada were celebrating last week when the news broke that Treasury Board President Scott Brison had suddenly asked the House
Whistleblower protection advocates across Canada were celebrating last week when the news broke that Treasury Board President Scott Brison, pictured, had suddenly asked the House Government Operations Committee to conduct a review of the federal whistleblower protection law, writes David Hutton. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright
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