NEWS RELEASE
Ottawa, April 8, 2026
In an investigation report released today, Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein found that Christiane Fox breached a provision of the Conflict of Interest Act while serving as Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Specifically, she breached section 9. It prohibits public office holders from using their position to seek to influence another person's decision to further their private (mostly financial) interests or those of their relatives or friends, or to improperly further the private interests of another person.
The Commissioner found that Ms. Fox used her position as Deputy Minister to influence her Assistant Deputy Minister and other departmental officials to hire an individual, whom she had referred, an individual with no government experience or experience relevant to the work unit, at a management level that departmental officials had advised he was not qualified for.
The evidence showed that Ms. Fox sent the individual's résumé to the department with the expectation that officials would quickly meet with him, sought updates on the hiring process from the individual and the department, and shared an internal document with the individual to help him prepare for an interview.
In using her position to influence the hiring decision, Ms. Fox improperly furthered the private interests of the individual, someone she knew from when they were both athletes at the same university.
Commissioner von Finckenstein investigated Ms. Fox's conduct after receiving a referral from the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner.
Quote from Commissioner von Finckenstein
“This report reminds appointed federal officials at all levels to keep the Conflict of Interest Act in mind whenever there's a possibility of influencing a decision. They're not allowed to use their position to try to influence a decision to further their private interests or those of their relatives or friends, or to improperly further another person's private interests."
Additional facts
The Conflict of Interest Act applies to most people appointed to their positions by the Governor in Council (the Governor General acting on the advice of the Cabinet). They include ministers, parliamentary secretaries, ministerial staff, deputy ministers, associate deputy ministers, members of federal boards, commissions and tribunals, and some senior public servants.
The Public Sector Integrity Commissioner may refer matters to the Commissioner under subsection 24(2.1) of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act. Under section 68 of the Conflict of Interest Act, the Commissioner must issue a public report on each referral, whether or not he investigates.
The Commissioner's Office has reported on 15 referrals from the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, including 5 that resulted in investigations.
For more information, please call 613-995-0721 or email us.
