Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Patrice.
Accompanying me is Myriam Beauparlant, manager of the Respectful Workplace Program in the House of Commons. Ms. Beauparlant and I thank you for the opportunity to talk to you about the harassment prevention framework in place in the House.
First of all, let me confirm our commitment to dealing with any situation of harassment within the organization and to supporting members of Parliament, House officers, research offices and their employees, both in the constituency offices and on the Hill.
Providing a harassment-free workplace for everyone in the parliamentary community is our priority and we are proposing additional steps to reach that goal. Today there is a framework in place with different components, which provides members of Parliament, House officers, research offices and their employees, as well as House administration employees with mechanisms to prevent and resolve alleged harassment situations.
First, in December 2014 the board adopted the first House of Commons policy on preventing and addressing harassment, which applies to members and House officers as employers, as well as their employees and employees of research offices.
Second, in June 2015 the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs adopted the “Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Commons: Sexual Harassment”. It came into effect at the start of this Parliament. It covers member-to-member situations and secures the commitment of members to provide an environment free of sexual harassment. Every member is required to sign the pledge form, and all members have done so.
In addition, the House administration policy on harassment prevention and resolution in the workplace has been in place for several decades and applies to all House administration employees. The latest version was updated in April 2015.
In all the policies there is a process in place for filing informal and formal complaints, investigating and reporting, appealing decisions, communicating findings, and ensuring that corrective action is taken.
Under the policy, I have to submit annual statistical reports to the Board; the reports are then made public. As indicated by the two annual reports I have provided to date, 10 cases of harassment were reported in the first reporting period in 2015-16, and 19 in the second period in 2016-17.
It is important to note that the report identifies two categories of cases: requests for information and complaints. For example, three of the 10 cases in the first reporting period and six of the 19 cases in the following period were complaints.
The policies emphasize impartiality and confidentiality and so protect the rights of both the complainant and the respondent. It is vitally important that we make sure the person feels safe talking about these difficult situations and that we protect the private lives of the individuals who raise these issues and ensure that both parties benefit from fair due process.
What do we do to support this framework and to address issues that arise? During their orientation, members are given information regarding the policy and code and affirm their commitment to supporting a harassment-free workplace by signing the pledge form. As I mentioned earlier, all members of the 42nd Parliament have signed the pledge form.
With the launch of the policy, the House administration offered members and their staff access to an informal conflict resolution program known as the Finding Solutions Together program, for which Myriam is responsible.
Key to this program is access to Myriam, who is available to offer members and their employees counselling on workplace conflicts, including harassment prevention and, if appropriate, mediation. This program has been used by members and employees in the past two years and has been instrumental in resolving some of these cases as early as possible in the process.
Another essential service under the harassment prevention framework is training. An online training session was launched in December 2016 to further raise awareness among MPs and their employees about harassment and about available resources. The one-hour training session features short informative sequences, scenarios and questions to provide additional support for harassment prevention.
At the end of the training session, participants may self-identify by voluntary reporting. As of January 31, 2018, 647 people reported that they completed the training. As it is available online, this training allows employees to schedule the session whenever is convenient for them and also allows constituency staff to participate.
Of course, we also recognize the added value of offering in-person training in a classroom setting. As such, we have been working with an external training expert to develop a three-hour in-class session, which will start shortly. Whips have been very supportive of this initiative and will ensure their respective members are available for the training. We anticipate being able to offer this session to all members before the summer break.
We are also developing additional training sessions, and we will be working with the whips' offices to provide further training to all staff, both on the Hill and in constituencies. The Speaker has asked that we provide the necessary support for staff and members and address any opportunities to improve what is currently in place.
Consequently, we are making the following recommendations: first, that employees of members, House officers, and research officers, including interns and volunteers, be provided with clear, easily accessible information regarding the code and the policy as part of their orientation, more specifically with their letter of offer; and, second, that the classroom training being developed be made mandatory for members and House officers, and that the training sessions be made mandatory for the employees of members, House officers, and research officers, including, of course, interns and volunteers.
Finally, having worked in this field for 25 years, I know that the foundations of our program are strong. That being said, there is always room for improvement.
I'm happy to take any questions from the board members.