Ethic and Values

In working towards and achieving the institution’s mission, every member of the Québec Ombudsman’s team ascribes considerable importance to the values set out in its Declaration of Services to the Public. That is why the Québec Ombudsman has established, among other things, a Code of ethics and conduct for its employees (French version only)(PDF, 2,9 Mo) Ce lien ouvrira une nouvelle fenêtre .

Furthermore, even though they are not legally obliged to do so, the Québec Ombudsperson and the Deputy Ombudspersons have adopted a Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (PDF, 825 Ko) Ce lien ouvrira une nouvelle fenêtre that is in keeping with the Québec Ombudsman’s mission toward the people of Québec.

The values underlying the Québec Ombudsman’s interventions

Justice

Justice involves treating all citizens equally, in accordance with established, socially accepted rules, so as to achieve a balance between individual and collective rights.

Fairness

The notion of fairness completes and reinforces justice, in that it allows for adjustments to reflect the spirit of the rules in specific situations where equal treatment alone does not produce a satisfactory solution. To achieve fairness, rules may be corrected if they are too harsh, added to if they are incomplete, and interpreted if they are obscure.

Respect

Respect is based on the right to dignity and integrity, and on acceptance of differences. To be respectful, the Québec Ombudsman acts with discretion, in an open, courteous and considerate way, in its dealings with the general public, its employees and other interlocutors.

Impartiality

Impartiality forms the very basis of the Québec Ombudsman’s credibility and best illustrates its role as a mediator. To be impartial means avoiding preference and ideological, political, economic, social, racial or cultural prejudice when dealing with people and situations, and the Québec Ombudsman does this by leaving aside all preconceived ideas in its interventions.

Transparency

In the specific context of the Québec Ombudsman, transparency involves communicating the available information, where it is authorized to do so, to the right person, at the right time, in a clear and objective way.

The values underlying our actions

Integrity

Integrity is the ability of our employees to act in an upright and honest way towards the general public and other interlocutors. It has a direct impact on the development of impartiality.

Rigour

Rigour is evidenced in the accuracy and relevance of the sources and references consulted by our employees, and in the facts reported to citizens and the Québec Ombudsman’s other interlocutors.

Empathy

Our employees’ empathy is expressed through their ability to understand a citizens’ experience in an objective way, while maintaining the distance required to be impartial.