Harassment Prevention Policy

Montreal, October 20th, 2020

La danse sur les routes du Québec declares that respect and dignity for others are fundamental values of the organization and is committed to maintaining an appropriate work environment that is conducive to its mission.

La danse sur les routes du Québec considers that harassment in any form undermines the dignity as well as physical or psychological integrity of the victim. Harassment is directly or indirectly prohibited by several legal instruments, notably the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, the Act Respecting Labour Standards, the Civil Code of Quebec and the Act Respecting Occupational Health and Safety.

Accordingly, any instance of harassment towards persons who work with us or use our services is unacceptable and will result in consequences. Each employee and collaborator is therefore responsible for contributing to maintaining a psychological harassment-free work environment through their behaviour, and La danse sur les routes du Québec is committed to preventing psychological harassment in the workplace and to stopping it when such a situation is brought to the organization’s attention.

Definitions

Definition of harassment

“Discriminatory harassment”– Harassment due to any of the reasons listed in section 10 of Quebec’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, including race, colour, sex, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, civil status, age except as provided by law, religion, political convictions, language, ethnic or national origin, social condition, a handicap or the use of any means to palliate a handicap.
“Psychological harassment” – Any vexatious behaviour in the form of repeated and hostile or unwanted conduct, verbal comments, actions or gestures, that affects an employee’s dignity or psychological or physical integrity and that results in a harmful work environment for the employee. A single serious incidence of such behaviour that has a lasting harmful effect on an employee may also constitute psychological harassment.
“Sexual harassment” – Any vexatious behaviour in the form of repeated and hostile or unwanted sexual conduct, verbal comments, actions or gestures, that affects an employee’s dignity or psychological or physical integrity and that results in a harmful work environment for the employee. A single serious incidence of such behaviour that has a lasting harmful effect on an employee may also constitute sexual harassment.

What isn't harassment:

Relevant interventions associated with company management, performance management or disciplinary actions that do not constitute harassment. Similarly, healthy and respectful social interactions, as well as jokes accepted on both sides with humor and good humor, do not constitute harassment.

Manifestations of harassment

Harassment in any form can occur between people with different or the same status or position.
Harassment can notably include:
1. Intimidation, threats, extortion or coercion;
2. Repeated insinuations, unfounded accusations, insults or other forms of humiliation, repeated attempts to exclude or isolate someone, yelling or shouting;
3. Systematic violations of usual working conditions, sabotaging the workplace or work instruments;
4. Abuse of power or official authority or otherwise to threaten the employment of a person or compromise their performance.
Sexual harassment can notably include:
1. Implicit or explicit promises of rewards made in order to obtain agreement on a sexual request;
2. Implicit or explicit threats of repercussions, regardless of whether they materialize, made in order to obtain agreement on a sexual request or made following the refusal to acquiesce to such a request;
3. Sexual comments or behaviour that could reasonably be perceived as creating a negative work environment.

Submitting a Complaint

Anyone who considers that they have witnessed or been the victim of inappropriate or malicious behaviour or actions as part of La danse sur les routes du Québec’s activities can confidentially speak or write (in French or English) to the Vice-Chair or Treasurer of the Board of Directors to ask them to intervene to quickly resolve the situation.

Anyone who considers that they have been a victim of harassment as part of La danse sur les routes du Québec’s activities can submit an oral or written complaint in French or English to the Vice-Chair or Treasurer to the Board’s attention. Specific information must be provided regarding the vexatious behaviour(s). The complaint will then be submitted to the Board, followed by an internal analysis, after which a decision will be shared no later than 20 business days after the complaint was submitted.

Contact Information for the Designated Resource:

Gabrielle Bertrand-Lehouillier

Treasurer

blgabrielle@hotmail.com

Valérie Cusson

Administrator

valerie@cussonmanagement.com

Responsibilities

Designated Resources:

Handle complaints neutrally, objectively and confidentially;
Call a special meeting of the Board to process a complaint to take temporary or permanent measures (a special meeting may be held by email, videoconference, teleconference or in person);
If it is a serious situation, intervene quickly and implement temporary measures, then the situation will be handled by the Board;
If applicable, maintain the anonymity of the person who submitted the complaint;
Open a file to document complaints and maintain those records for 5 years;
Provide anyone who lodges a complaint with a copy of this policy;
Provide anyone who lodges a complaint with the contact information for Aparté:

https://aparte.ca/en/l-apart
450-396-9449
1833 Laparte
253 Sainte-Catherine St., Suite 200
Saint-Constant, QC, Canada J5A 2J6
aparte@juripop.org;
Intervene and implement measures to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

Board of Directors:

Apply and update this policy;
Handle complaints neutrally, objectively and confidentially;
If applicable, maintain the anonymity of the person who submitted the complaint;
Document the temporary complaint management measures taken by the designated resource persons;
Decide on and apply the measures to be taken to manage the complaint as quickly as possible.

Executive Management:

Implement measures to offer a violence- and harassment-free workplace;
Provide this policy to all employees;
Post the Aparté contact information in the offices:
https://aparte.ca/en/l-apart
450-396-9449
1833 Laparte
253 Sainte-Catherine St., Suite 200
Saint-Constant, QC, Canada J5A 2J6
aparte@juripop.org;
Aparté is a service centre dedicated to preventing and stopping workplace violence and harassment.
Offer employees the opportunity to participate in the Il était une fois… de trop online training session (https://www.unefoisdetrop.ca; in French only), which provides tools to recognize and understand harassment in a cultural context.

Disciplinary Measures

Anyone who violates the harassment policy shall be subject to disciplinary measures up to immediate termination or any other appropriate legal or preventive measure to provide a harassment-free environment. The choice of applicable measures shall account for the severity, consequences and history of the person at fault.

For easier readability and inclusiveness, they/them pronouns have been used. La DSR endeavours to use gender-neutral and inclusive language whenever possible.