OTTAWA — The Conservative government wants to create a new "integrity commissioner" who will investigate complaints of corruption and wrong-doing from whistle-blowers.

The new position will be the centrepiece of the government's accountability act that will be unveiled when Parliament resumes in early April.

"The integrity commissioner would be entirely set up to deal with whistleblowing," Pierre Poilievre said.

He is the parliamentary secretary to the Treasury Board, and has been told to study legislation on whistle-blower protection in Canada and the United States.

He says both civil servants and members of the public will be able to lodge complaints to the new office.

"The public servant will have a watchdog to go to and speak out against alleged corruption, and have it investigated. And after that, they'll have someone separate from the government who can protect their jobs and keep their careers on track."

The Conservatives are also considering paying whistle-blowers for information that is deemed to be well-founded.

"That's one of the commitments we made during the campaign," Treasury Board president John Baird said.

Sources say several candidates' names will be presented to Parliament and that all MPs will vote in a secret ballot to choose the new commissioner.

Sources tell CTV News that a leading contender for the new post of "integrity commissioner" is Alan Cutler.

Cutler ran for the Conservatives in the riding of Ottawa-South in the last election but lost to Liberal incumbent David McGuinty.

Cutler was the only civil servant working at the Department of Public Works who blew the whistle on his then-boss, Chuck Guite, and the sponsorship scandal.

Cutler was "downsized" at Public Works, and went on to become a key witness during the Gomery Inquiry and other sponsorship investigations.

Last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told an audience of senior civil servants that he wanted to restore faith in both politicians and the bureaucracy in the wake of the sponsorship scandal.

"Let me be clear," Harper said, "I nor my Government have ever or will ever blame public servants for what happened. You didn't cross the line, your political masters did."

Harper says he wants public servants to feel confident they can root out wrong-doing.

"We want to ensure that those public servants who wish to report unethical or illegal behaviour can do so without suffering retribution," Harper said.

Other elements of the Accountability Act will include:

• A $10 million dollar budget to set up the new "Office of the Integrity Commissioner"
• More money and new powers for the Auditor General of Canada, and
• Requiring Crown Corporations like Canada Post to be subject to access to information legislation

While the Conservatives consulted the NDP about the new ethics package, NDP leader Jack Layton doesn't support the idea of paying whistle-blowers for information.

"Civil servants don't want the public to think that the only reason they'd bring forward a concern about misappropriation is to make a buck, that's not what public service is all about."