Recently, the House Board of Internal Economy implemented a new process to deal with harassment complaints from Members of Parliament (MP’s) staff.  A separate committee continues to work on developing a process for complaints between MP’s themselves.  The House of Commons Policy on Preventing and Addressing Harassment has some valid points, but some areas still need some work.

David Whitten, Toronto employment lawyer explains that there are some good parts, like the Appeal and Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedure.  Other areas are in need of a spruce up.  The Chief Human Resources Officer should deal with all complaints as a non-partisan party.  We have already seen what happens when complaints go through the ‘Whips’ and it is even more problematic to have MP’s untrained in Human Resources dealing with complaints.  In addition, the required information in a formal complaint should include “desired resolution” as this is invaluable for determining the scope of an investigation.  Lastly, it contemplates an external investigator for every complaint.  There should be some flexibility to conduct an internal investigation when appropriate.

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