2024 Annual Report: Independent Centre for Harassment Resolution

Emphasizing informal resolution options

The resolution process following the submission of a Notice of Occurrence (NoO) can be a difficult time for the principal and responding parties. It can be a time of heightened emotions and uncertainty. Informal resolution options allow the impacted employees to stay in control of the process. These resolution options typically result in reduced stress, foster collaborations and facilitate faster and more amicable resolutions. Where appropriate, the ICHR provides opportunities for parties to access informal resolution at various points in the process.

Negotiated resolution

As per section 23 (1) of the Regulations: “An employer or designated recipient, the principal party (PP) and, if contacted under section 22, the responding party (RP), must make every reasonable effort to resolve an occurrence for which notice is provided…”, it is mandatory for the principal party to participate in Negotiated Resolution (NR) before engaging in an investigation.

During NR, the ICHR will guide the principal party in identifying solutions to make every reasonable effort to resolve the occurrence.

In the Spring of 2024, the ICHR updated the NR process to strengthen the role of managers and divisions, with the goal of increasing the number of occurrences resolved informally. As the managers are best placed to engage in NR discussions, in circumstances where it is appropriate to do so, having the principal party identify an appropriate trusted individual in their chain of command or facilitate the NR has proven successful. This evolution to the process has resulted in an increased number of files proceeding through NR.

Process consultations

The ICHR offers process consultations to help employees identify and navigate the various recourse options available to resolve their work place issue(s) before a harassment and violence NoO is submitted. Statistics confirm an approximate 33% increase in the utilization of this service from 2023 to 2024.

As a result of this demonstrated success and demand, a new Resource Advisor position within the ICHR is being dedicated to focus on this process to better assist RCMP employees. The primary responsibility of this role will be to engage with employees looking for support before they submit a NoO, or sometimes, even after, if there is still an uncertainty in the desired resolution process.

This Resource Advisor will be familiar with the resources and services available to support employees experiencing work place conflict, can facilitate referrals to other formal and informal resolution services, and guide employees through the CLC harassment and violence resolution process.

The overall intent is to ensure employees are informed of all recourse options available and assist them in navigating to the most appropriate option.

Investigations

Investigations relating to harassment and violence continue to be an ongoing priority for the ICHR. Extensive work has been undertaken in 2024 to enhance the capacity and processes necessary to manage the volume of reported incidents and related investigations of harassment and violence in the RCMP.

When recruiting work place harassment and violence investigators, the ICHR utilizes the National Master Standing Offer (NMSO), a resourcing vehicle for all federal government departments. It is a catalogue of pre-approved external investigators/firms who have met Public Services and Procurement Canada requirements to contract with the Government of Canada.

It is important to note that the NMSO is not solely for the ICHR’s use. This external investigator catalogue is the same one used by other federal government departments requiring these services. As a result, investigators on the ICHR’s jointly developed list of investigators are not always available to the ICHR, as they may be engaged on contracts with other departments.

Some of the key actions undertaken in 2024 to streamline and improve the investigator engagement process as well as increase accountability include:

• an updated Statement of Work for external investigators, including new/updated forms, templates, and structure for submitting documents. These new requirements for investigators increase investigator accountability by:
  • requiring that an investigations plan be submitted to the ICHR by the investigator upon receipt of the investigation package
  • introducing a feedback mechanism to the Treasury Board Secretariat on each investigation completed, allowing the ICHR to provide feedback on the investigator’s performance
• recommendations are no longer required if the occurrence(s) do(es) not meet the definition of harassment and violence unless risk factors have been identified. This modification helps to focus efforts on implementing recommendations based on founded investigations
• an updated Final Investigation Report (FIR) Template has been introduced, providing more guidance to investigators on what information is being sought, creating consistency in the information and final product

To ensure ongoing assessment of the quality of the process, a survey is being implemented to obtain feedback from investigators. This will be sent periodically to investigators to complete.

As per recommendations 66 and 67 in the 2023 Office of the Auditor General Audit – Inclusion in the workplace for racialized employees, the RCMP must demonstrate action to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment experienced by racialized employees, in addition to progress toward creating an inclusive organizational culture. In response to this commitment, the ICHR began soliciting information from current and new investigators to indicate their related experience, particularly in performing root cause analysis around racism and discrimination. The ICHR also added asset criteria related to experience and training in the area of human rights to their investigator recruitment requirements. Parties who utilize the CLC investigation process are entitled to ask for clear examples of how and when an investigator assigned to their file executed investigations that involved elements of racism.

This information is maintained and updated by the ICHR to further assist in assigning files to investigators with the appropriate experience and skillsets.

Quality assurance

As per the CLC process, once an investigation has been completed, the investigator will deliver an anonymized FIR, which will include root cause analysis of why the alleged behaviours occurred, as well as recommendations on how to prevent reoccurrences of those behaviours within that specific work place. In 2024, the ICHR created and classified a Quality Assurance Specialist position. A structured quality assurance program is being implemented, with improvements ongoing. Before a FIR is issued, it is reviewed by a Quality Assurance Specialist to ensure that the reports consistently align with the NoO and the investigator’s mandate.

Work place assessments and implementation of recommendations

In accordance with the Regulations, the Responsible Building Authority (RBA) and the Work Place Health and Safety Committee/Representative (WPHSC/R) must jointly conduct a work place assessment to identify risk factors, internal and external to the work place, that contribute to harassment and violence in the work place. Every work place must have an initial work place assessment.

In addition, in situations where the responding party is not an RCMP employee, or the principal party chooses to withdraw their complaint, work place assessments are required to be reviewed, and if necessary, updated. The goal of these reviews is to identify any new risk factors in the work place that were not identified in the initial assessment, assess whether the preventive measures in place are sufficient to minimize the risk of reoccurrence, and identify new preventive measures if the current measures are inadequate.

On July 1, 2024, the ICHR commenced the quarterly collection of work place assessment completion rates. As of October 2024, the organization is at 87% compliance for work place assessment completion. Also in October 2024, to help minimize the gaps with the current tool, the ICHR began the development of a new Work Place Assessment Tool that will be used by the organization to conduct work place assessments. The ICHR has updated the tool by tailoring it to the RCMP’s risk factors.

In addition, the ICHR has been delivering tailored information sessions to the RBA community, as well as WPHSC/R members. These sessions aim to highlight their important roles within the CLC process. An RBA education package has also been developed and has been in use since July 2024.

Risk factors of work place harassment and violence in the RCMP

Where occurrences were deemed to have met the definition of harassment and violence, the ICHR is examining and analyzing common themes of behaviors. As well, the ICHR is tracking investigators recommendations, as well as analyzing common trends, what recommendations investigators are making to prevent reoccurrences of those inappropriate behaviours.

This information is being communicated to senior leaders in the RCMP to encourage them to consider activities that can be initiated to counter the risk factors causing harassment at the RCMP. Examples of activities include:

• fostering a culture of open-communication and transparency within work units, ensuring that decisions and changes are clearly communicated to all stakeholders
• ensuring that supervisors have all the tools, support, and skills they need to carry out their supervisory responsibilities
• establishing regular feedback mechanisms to solicit input from employees and address concerns, fostering a collaborative and constructive work environment

Focussing efforts on activities that address these common themes and recommendations contributes to a work place culture that is healthy, inclusive, and trusted by RCMP employees.

The ICHR privacy impact assessment

On June 12, 2024, the ICHR received a closing letter from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) regarding the ICHR Privacy Impact Assessment. While some work remains to be completed, the OPC is satisfied that the ICHR is meeting its privacy expectations and as such has concluded their file.

The year in statistics

This section presents data and insights related to NoOs, investigation outcomes, file status, and reporting trends across the RCMP. While the focus of this report is on the 2024 calendar year, certain data points are reported cumulatively from January 1, 2021, the date the Regulations came into force.

Notices of occurrence submitted

As of December 31, 2024, the ICHR has received a total of 1,566 notices of occurrence since the coming into force of the Regulations on January 1, 2021. The number of NoOs submitted have remained consistent across the four-year period. Of the 1,566, 406 were received between January 1 and December 31, 2024.

Status of files

Between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2024, a total of 1,566 NoOs were submitted. Of these, 1,038 (66%) have been resolved, and 90 were pending conclusion at the end of 2024. Files pending conclusion mean that the implementation of recommendations from the FIRs and/or the review and update of the work place assessments is still required to be considered as resolved. The remaining 438 are proceeding through the resolution process, with 311 of those undergoing an investigation.

Investigations

Of the 1,566 NoOs received, 1,036 (66%) had a request from the principal party for their file to proceed through the investigation process. This investigative activity highlights the continued demand for formal resolution.

As of December 31, 2024, there were 634 FIRs produced, of these, 184 (29%) concluded that at least one allegation met the definition of work place harassment and violence, while 450 (71%) indicated that there were no allegations that met the definition. The final reports received stemmed from allegations filed from various divisions across the RCMP and included employees of all categories representing the RCMP.

Professional relationship

For occurrences received between January 1 and December 31, 2024, 63% of occurrences submitted had work place relationships that were characterized by a supervisee vs supervisor reporting structure, with the responding party typically occupying a supervisory role over the principal party. The second most predominant professional relationship was a peer vs peer, at 23%, followed by supervisor vs supervisee at 9%, and employee vs program manager/policy centre at 2%. The remaining relationships were each featured in 1% of the occurrences and included peer to non-employee, supervisee to non-employee and former employee to supervisor.

Labour program review

The ICHR will consult broadly and collate information from multiple stakeholders to contribute to the Labour Program led legislative review of the Regulations, scheduled for 2026.

Enhance the quality assurance program

A Quality Assurance Specialist position has been created and will be indeterminately staffed within the ICHR structure. In addition to this dedicated position, the intent is to create a fulsome quality assurance program to enable continuous improvement initiatives for the future.

Awareness and prevention of work place harassment and violence

Activities and initiatives that raise awareness to prevent work place harassment and violence will remain a priority for 2025–26.

Communications strategy

The focus for 2025–26 includes working with National Communications and Public Affairs to action and promote the initiatives outlined in the ICHR Communications Strategy. This will include the launch of an inaugural Harassment and Violence Prevention Awareness Week and related awareness sessions, scheduled for November 17 to 21, 2025.

Investigation capacity

Efforts will continue to secure qualified investigators to address reported incidents of harassment and violence.

Foreword

Welcome to the interim Annual Report for the Independent Centre for Harassment Resolution (ICHR), capturing activities between July 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023.

The previous ICHR Annual Reports aligned reporting periods with the launch date of the ICHR, June to June, however, that timeframe was not consistent with other reporting requirements, such as the legislated Annual Report to the Labour Minister. Thus, to ensure consistency in data production, interpretation, and reporting, the ICHR will move to calendar year reporting for all future Annual Reports. This interim report addresses the six-month gap between two reporting periods.

Introduction and background

Ensuring a healthy, inclusive, and trusted workplace, free from harassment, violence, and discrimination is a key priority to support RCMP reform. ICHR was created in June 2021 to facilitate the Canada Labour Code Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations(Regulations)process for all RCMP employees.

The ICHR is a centralized, independent unit that uses externally contracted investigators to investigate occurrences of work place harassment and violence. As the intent of the Regulations is to prevent the reoccurrence of similar work place harassment and violence incidents, investigators are required to identify systemic issues in the work place which contribute to harassment and violence, as well as recommendations for implementation to mitigate the risk of reoccurrence.

The ICHR model is rooted in a trauma-informed approach to ensure that it provides a safe space, with a focus on the needs and experiences of those who access its services. The ICHR conducts quality assurance reviews of investigation reports and monitors the implementation of recommendations from Final Investigation Reports (FIR).

Meeting client needs

Since its establishment, the ICHR has committed that the program will remain responsive and adjust as required to achieve its stated goals, as well as respond to client and stakeholder feedback to improve services.

In addition to seeking client feedback, the ICHR regularly engages with key stakeholders, such as the Management Advisory Board and bargaining agents, to ensure processes and services are realized in a manner that most efficiently serves the organization.

One of the key process changes made during this reporting period was to formalize the workflow structure and dedicate resources to conduct quality assurance reviews of the FIRs. Every FIR is thoroughly reviewed for accuracy, content, and logic.

A Quality Assurance Specialist position has been created in the ICHR to liaise with the Harassment Reviewers and the assigned investigator to ensure that the reports align with the NoO and the investigator’s mandate. In addition to this dedicated position, the intent is to create a fulsome quality assurance program to enable continuous improvement initiatives for the future.

Recruitment

Over the reporting period, the ICHR has been very active in securing additional capacity required to offer timely services to employees, through creating new positions, adjusting roles, and facilitating six staffing actions.

As a result of these efforts, the ICHR is nearing its full capacity, and is close to 90% staffed. The team has proactively commenced a staffing process to create pools of partially cleared candidates to keep ahead of vacancies.

Investigations

Advancements have also been made toward our commitment to improve the investigation process and timeliness.

As noted in previous reports, the ICHR has experienced challenges procuring sufficient investigator capacity to conduct investigations. As of December 31, 2023, the ICHR had increased its roster of active investigators to 55. That said, it is important to note that as contractors, these investigators also conduct work place harassment and violence investigations for other government departments. The ICHR continues to address external investigator capacity issues resulted in the completion of 39 investigations within six months.

To promote consistency in the interactions with investigators, the ICHR has restructured select sections of the delivery service model. Some of the key adjustments include:

• an ICHR analyst has been dedicated to each investigator, resulting in one point of contact to help facilitate communication
• analysts have been cross trained to streamline processes, limiting delays and creating efficiencies
• augmented standard operating procedures have been created to better monitor investigations resulting in better support for investigators
• a detailed, stringent accountability framework for contract management processes has been implemented, where every investigation file is thoroughly examined considering quality assurance and financial forecasting

As per the Regulations, federally regulated employers and their applicable partners must jointly develop and update a list of investigators for work place harassment and violence cases. The ICHR maintains a jointly developed list of qualified investigators to work with the RCMP, and additional candidates are continuously recruited.

While adhering to timelines mandated by the Regulations, and ensuring timely completion of investigations, our primary focus remains on the quality and thoroughness of the investigators’ work.

Awareness and prevention initiatives

The ICHR has focused on delivering education and awareness sessions to inform RCMP employees on the importance of harassment and violence prevention as well as early intervention options. These sessions explain what harassment and violence typically mean, inform on how to access ICHR services and emphasize resolving conflict early and informally. Additionally, the ICHR, in partnership with Learning and Development, reviewed and updated the harassment and violence information presented as part of the Executive/Officer Development Program (EODP) training, ensuring consistency in its delivery to all participants.

In 2023, awareness sessions were delivered to RCMP employees of all levels. Similar to the EODP training, the purpose of these sessions was to educate employees and managers on their roles and responsibilities under the Regulations. This includes information on the role of the ICHR and what the resolution process can offer in terms of an outcome (that is, that it is not a disciplinary process).

The ICHR also informs on domestic violence, bystander intervention as well as the employee responsibility to try to address work place conflict and harassment informally.

The ICHR has been working to develop a culture specific harassment and violence prevention training package for RCMP employees. This training is being developed in consultation with key partners and stakeholders, including the National Policy Health and Safety Committee.

Communication products, such as infographics and guidebooks to increase awareness of the harassment process, have been a key work priority for the ICHR over the past year. The ICHR issues monthly newsletters that are broadly distributed to key stakeholders, which include divisional senior management and bargaining agents.

The ICHR, in partnership with National Communication Services (NCS), updated Divisional and National web pages that contained information on harassment and violence, and on the ICHR, to ensure employees have access to current and accurate information. Furthermore, a link to the ICHR’s home page has been added to most Divisional Infoweb pages.

Also, in partnership with NCS, the ICHR is in the process of updating the existing ICHR internal Infoweb pages. One of the new pages under development is the ICHR Digital Toolkit, where employees can obtain current information on a variety of topics relating to work place harassment and violence.

Data analysis and trends

Conclusion

This interim report provides the key updates for the six-month period of July 1 to December 31, 2023. Moving forward, the ICHR will issue annual reports covering the calendar year. The ICHR will continue to prioritize engagement, consultation, and analysis to improve processes and services, while respecting the Regulations.