The Speaker of the House has approved the implementation of a harassment prevention policy after a number of meetings held to address the issue of harassment on Parliament Hill.
In a news release Wednesday morning, Speaker Andrew Scheer said the new policy will come into effect immediately.
“The policy addresses prevention, processes for filing informal and formal complaints, investigating and reporting, appeals, and communicating findings. It also outlines the rights and obligations of the complainant and the respondent as well as the roles and responsibilities of all concerned parties,” read the release.
The framework comes after after two unidentified NDP MPs accused now-suspended MPs Scott Andrews and Massimo Pacetti of harassment. Andrews and Pacetti were removed from caucus by Leader Justin Trudeau last month.
Scheer, who also chairs the secretive Board of Internal Economy, announced Wednesday morning that the harassment prevention policy will apply to MPs as well as house officers and research office employees.
The newly approved policy, formally known as the House of Commons Policy on Preventing and Addressing Harassment, builds upon the framework previously used by the Board. According to Scheer’s office, the policy is also based on “industry best practices.”
“The Board is confident that the policy adopted today places a priority on maintaining confidentiality and impartiality, and the paramount need to protect the rights of complainants and respondents,” read the release.
A new Commons Subcommittee on a Code for Members, under the umbrella of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, was formed to deal with complaints of harassment. It met in-camera for the first time Monday.
