Vanguard Magazine

Vanguard AprMay 2018

Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR

Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/985397

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 19 of 63

20 APRIL/MAY 2018 www.vanguardcanada.com ComplianCe does not eliminate Corruption – but that's changing Anti-BriBery BY PAT POITEvIN T here is not a week that goes by where we do not see a head- line reporting some type of bribery and corruption scan- dal, or yet another example of unethical behaviour by an executive or pol- itician. The defence industry globally has had its share of corruption related scan- dals in the past several years. From the Fat Leonard scandal in Asia to allegations of unethical business practices in defence pro- curement at home, these types of headlines sully corporate reputations, erode public confidence, and often trigger changes in government procurement processes. Having recently retired from the RCMP after a 35-year career, spending several years as the Compliance and Anti-Corrup- tion expert with the Sensitive and Inter- national Investigations Unit, these types of headlines should not really surprise me. The leaks from the Panama and Paradise Papers, along with the increased reporting of corruptions amongst company execu- tives, are highlighting the seriousness and the global impact of corruption. One could easily become jaded and cyni- cal by these constant reminders of how some people let greed and a lack of in- tegrity distort their moral compass. Bom- barded by continual headlines of corporate and government corruption, the general public cannot be blamed for their anger, distrust and frustration at such behaviour. These feelings are further fueled by the be- lief that those actively involved in corrupt conduct are not being made to account for their unethical and criminal behaviour. Technology and a new generation of business leaders is leading us in the right direction Contrary to the prevailing wisdom, how- ever, I see this growing trend of headlines and scandals as a very good sign that we are on the right path to slowly changing the culture and environment that has al- lowed corruption to thrive for so many years. The reality is that ten, even five years ago, we would not have seen these head- lines. Those corruption scandals would have been buried, and the individuals in- volved would have continued to operate

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

view archives of Vanguard Magazine - Vanguard AprMay 2018