What's the point of government watchdogs if nothing changes?

I work in a department with an ombuds office but I honestly wonder what benefits an office like this brings to employees and leaders. Things don’t seem to change despite complaints.

In your experience, can an ombuds office truly make a difference?  Is there value added in having an ombuds? What can we do to ensure they do actually have impact?

Thanks,
— a public servant who doesn’t see any change

While these kinds of scenarios do happen, and it may seem like government watchdogs aren’t able to effectively penalize wrongdoing, I can assure you that’s not always the reality.

The truth is that the value of ombudspersons and their offices is often invisible.

Over time, ombuds have played an important role during major changes — from workforce adjustment to accessibility and language issues. And there have been situations where intervention is extremely valuable. Greatly distressed individuals have sought and found help from such watchdogs. And their reports have pulled the veil back on wrongdoing in government, fuelling actual change.

Ombuds offices traditionally occupy a space between ordinary management and the formal processes of labour grievances.

In the federal government, there are different kinds of ombuds offices: some are created by legislation or an Order in Council and have a defined external mandate. Others are departmental offices created to give employees an independent, informal avenue for raising concerns and exploring options without necessarily turning every problem into a formal dispute.

And depending on the scope of authority, some offices can typically initiate an investigation without waiting for an individual complaint. This happens when seemingly unrelated complaints expose a pattern and raise questions about flaws within an overall organization.

Several ombudspersons have complained that they need more funding to investigate all the complaints they receive. In 2024 Alexander Jeglic, the procurement ombudsperson warned that his office was underfunded, hampering its ability to fulfil its mandate. He called for the government to top up his funding by $9 million.

And some have questioned whether certain government watchdogs should be given more expansive powers to root out wrongdoing. Last year, Harriett Solloway, the public sector integrity commissioner, told parliamentarians that her office needed stronger investigative powers, as her office is unable to request evidence that is outside of the public sector.

So government watchdogs do have their struggles. And the question of how impactful they are is therefore an important one. If you’re feeling frustrated, here are some steps you can take to help push for more concrete results from your ombudsperson:

1. Take some time to review your ombuds office’s mandate. It might not be the appropriate place for your complaint.
2. Annual reports can be particularly useful in seeing whether the ombud has sufficient independence to identify uncomfortable issues. They can also reveal whether the ombud’s mandate gives it access to the information it needs, whether its recommendations will be available to you, and whether management responds to systemic issues identified. Such reports should tell us considerably more than simply how many complaints were received. When examined collectively, patterns can emerge that would be difficult to see from individual cases.
3. Check to see if there have been evaluation reports on ombuds offices’ functions.
4. Consider asking management to invite the ombudsperson to make a presentation on their work. Take the opportunity to seek answers to your questions. Ask if there is something you can do to support the office.

An ombuds office should not, of course, be regarded as the only avenue available to an employee. Depending on the nature of the concern, a union representative, the chair of an employee network, the Employee Assistance Program, a manager or another departmental resource may be appropriate.

Of course, there is value in communicating your concerns to an ombuds office. Its role goes beyond addressing your complaint but provides a lens for an organization to actually “see” itself. Your complaint may have a larger impact than you thought.

Sincerely,

— V. C. de la Ronde, Public Service Confidential