A former manager with the federal public service in Manitoba has been found to have acted improperly by hiring unqualified candidates and people to whom she was connected.

CBC News has learned that the Public Service Commission investigated two hiring processes involving the manager — one in 2007 and another in 2009 — and concluded that errors were made that affected the fairness of the processes.

"Nepotism is not acceptable in the federal public service," said Kelly Minucci of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union, which represents Service Canada employees.

Service Canada has more than 300 offices across the country, providing Canadians with information on a range of government programs, including employment insurance, pensions and passports.

2007 job competition investigated

In the 2007 job competition, nearly 500 people applied for a citizen service agent position for Service Canada offices in The Pas, Flin Flon, Swan River and Morden, Man.

Two of the successful candidates did not meet education requirements for the job and should have been screened out, according to the commission's investigation.

In addition, one of the two hired candidates was given a job at Service Canada's office in Thompson, Man., even though Thompson was not a location that was advertised in the job posting.

As a result, job hunters in Thompson would never have known a job was available there.

"It's a disservice. I don't think it respects the staffing values of fairness, access, or transparency," Minucci said.

"The citizens of the community should have had an opportunity to apply."

CBC News has learned the manager in question — who has since retired — was found by the Public Service Commission to have acted improperly.

When contacted by CBC News, the manager declined to comment on the investigation findings.

2009 competition also reviewed

The same manager was involved in another case from 2009 that was investigated by the Public Service Commission.

In that case, the successful applicant was well-connected to her.

"We were told that only one person qualified for the job … that one person was residing in the manager's home, had been living there for quite a period of time," said Minucci.

The successful candidate ultimately had a baby with the manager's son.

The manager did declare a conflict of interest, but nonetheless decided what qualities were necessary for the job and made the decision to hire the applicant.

CBC News has confirmed that the Public Service Commission's investigation found the manager had acted improperly in that case as well.

The commission sometimes publishes summaries of investigations on its website, but it has not posted anything concerning these two Manitoba cases.

Yvonne Thompson, the head of the Human Resource Management Association of Manitoba, says the findings should be made public.

"You know when things go wrong, we need to be able to own it and say, 'You know, we've made a mistake here,' and be transparent and open about what has happened," Thompson said.

Service Canada would not comment on the investigations.