A bloke is claiming that his Canadian Food Inspection Agency sacked him because he found a secret document on a shared computer. The Treasury Board document said that the agency would have to look at making five per cent cuts in their operating budgets.

When Luc Pomerleau found it, he sent it to his union to have a look at. He was promptly fired and his "reliability status," a security clearance required for his job, was revoked.

However, the CFIA says due process was followed and when employees sign on with the agency, they agree to comply with the rules relating to the transmission of information.

When those rules are broken, the repercussions can be serious. The Union said that if the rules were followed then guidelines
outlining how confidential documents should have been obeyed. The document was not clearly marked.

She also questioned why such a document would be scanned and placed on a shared drive.