A special committee of the legislative assembly invites input on the Public Interest Disclosure Act and the public interest disclosure process.

The Public Interest Disclosure Act is B.C.’s whistleblower protection legislation for current and former public-sector employees. The legislation protects whistleblowers who come forward in good faith and supports the principles of public service accountability, integrity and transparency.

The act provides mechanisms for investigating allegations of wrongdoing and the means to address it where wrongdoing is found. It also provides protection for public-sector employees who speak up about serious or systemic wrongdoing within a public body. The Office of the Ombudsperson is mandated under the act to investigate allegations of serious wrongdoing, as well as complaints of reprisals.

The special committee is accepting written input until August 1 at 2 p.m. (Pacific time). The special committee will be reviewing all input with a view to inviting presentations in fall 2025. To participate and for details about the consultation, contact the Parliamentary Committees Office by email at PIDA2025@leg.bc.ca or by phone at 250 356-2933 or 1 877 428- 8337 (toll-free in B.C.) or visit: https://bcleg.ca/consultations

The special committee is comprised of members of the legislative assembly from government and the official opposition. Section 50 of the act requires a special committee to review the act at least once every five years. This is the first review of the act.

The members of the committee are:

* Darlene Rotchford, MLA for Esquimalt-Colwood (chair);

* Rosalyn Bird, MLA for Prince George-Valemount (deputy chair);

* Jennifer Blatherwick, MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville;

* Dana Lajeunesse, MLA for Juan de Fuca-Malahat; and

* Lawrence Mok, MLA for Maple Ridge East.