P.E.I. whistleblower eager to see legal protections in wake of court settlement

Three women sued government after private information leaked

P.E.I. whistleblower eager to see legal protections in wake of court settlement
Premier Dennis King said three women will be recognized as a driving force behind whistleblower legislation his government intends to proclaim this fall. Shutterstock

CHARLOTTETOWN (CP) -- A woman who was among three whistleblowers whose private information was leaked by Prince Edward Island's Liberal government eight years ago is eager to see legislation passed that will protect others from a similar fate.

The government of Prince Edward Island announced Friday it has reached a confidential resolution with Susan Holmes, Cora Plourd Nicholson and Svetlana Tenetko.

Holmes says in an interview today it's important the case lead to the enacting of ``some very robust'' whistleblowing legislation so others feel comfortable coming forward when they believe a violation of ethics or some form of wrongdoing has occurred.

The women had sued the provincial government after their private information was leaked in brown envelopes ahead of a news conference they held alleging fraud and bribery in a provincial immigration program.

The three women, who all worked for the province, learned at their 2011 news conference that office emails, personnel records and the government's response to a confidential human rights complaint by Nicholson had been shared with journalists.

Premier Dennis King said in a statement that the women will be recognized as a driving force behind whistleblower legislation his government intends to proclaim this fall.

Six years after the women made their initial complaint, a report by the privacy commissioner concluded the province had breached the women's basic privacy rights.

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