History of our Office

An amendment to the Public Service Act established the Office of the Merit Commissioner effective 2001. The Office was introduced to support the government’s commitment to a strong, professional and vibrant public service. At that time, the Commissioner of the Public Service Employee Relations Commission, who subsequently became the associate deputy minister of the BC Public Service Agency, held the role of Merit Commissioner. 

An amendment to the Public Service Act effective November 2005 established the Merit Commissioner as a separate role and as an independent officer reporting to the Legislative Assembly. 

The Merit Commissioner is appointed for a three-year term by the Lieutenant Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly - based on a unanimous recommendation by a Special Committee of the Legislative Assembly.

The current Merit Commissioner is Fiona Spencer, who was appointed February 9, 2010.

Joy Illington was the first independent Merit Commissioner. Joy's term ran from May 2006 to November 2009.

Who does our work

Staff

The Office of the Merit Commissioner operates with a staff of four employees.

Contractors

The majority of the random audits are performed by independent consultants through a contractual arrangement.  Auditors are hired following a process that has assessed the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies that have been identified as essential for an auditor to be considered expert in their service field. Auditors are required to be objective and independent and abide by a Professional Code of Conduct.

Audit Advisory Committee

The Office of the Merit Commissioner has built a quality chain into the audit process by means of consultation, advice, planning, challenge and review. An Audit Advisory Committee was formed in early 2007 for this principal role. Committee members were selected on the basis of their professional qualifications, relevant knowledge about the public service, and expertise with performance audits. 

How we do our work

Office of the Merit Commissioner staff, contractors and advisors are expected to abide by professional codes of conduct.  Objectivity, independence, conflict of interest, confidentiality and audit effectiveness and substantiation are issues this office takes seriously.

Our Vision

A professional and non–partisan public service that is hired and promoted on the principle of merit.

Our Mission

To serve the people of British Columbia through their elected representatives of the Legislative Assembly by monitoring public service appointments to ensure the application of the merit principle in hiring and promotions in the BC Public Service.