The Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, announced Monday actions to tackle sexual harassment at work, a scourge described last May by an expert report he had commissioned.
According to this 350-page document, entitled Putting an end to sexual harassment in the workplace: giving yourself the means to act, sexual harassment in the workplace is common in Quebec, but rarely reported or denounced to the employer. Among the 82 recommendations contained therein, 23 are administrative measures concerning the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST). Mr. Boulet and the CEO of the CNESST, Manuelle Oudar, affirmed that 90% of these measures have been put in place in recent months or will be implemented by the end of 2023.
“The CNESST is becoming even more welcoming to people who want to make a complaint or claim,” declared the minister. For example, compensation claims related to sexual violence are now prioritized. “It is important for the victims to be heard quickly,” explained Mr.me Oudar.
In addition, 18 psychological health counselors, hired during the last year, will partially support victims of sexual violence. Mr. Boulet also specified that the CNESST would step up its efforts with companies to verify that the workplaces most at risk have implemented policies to prevent psychological or sexual harassment.
Training will also be offered to hundreds of CNESST employees so that they understand what sexual violence is and know how to properly support people experiencing this problem. These training courses will be given in particular as part of a partnership with the Juripop organization, which is developing expertise in this area.
“We notice that the human responses that people receive from their employer, their loved ones and the CNESST can constitute obstacles to access to justice,” said Ms.e Sophie Gagnon, general director of Juripop. For example, when we ask a victim to repeat their story or minimize what they experienced, this can cause the person to abandon their rights. She may also then provide confusing evidence and have less chance of winning her case. »
A bill in sight
A bill should complete these changes during the next parliamentary session in Quebec, if Minister Boulet is to be believed. Indeed, the expert report highlighted that the victims were “confronted with a complex and fragmented legal framework” which put obstacles in their way. It focused on around thirty recommendations of a legislative nature, in particular the creation of a Division specializing in sexual violence within the Administrative Labor Tribunal. “We are still in consultation and impact analysis on this subject,” said Mr. Boulet.
The committee of experts who wrote the report reacted on Monday by welcoming the “beautiful openness” of the CNESST and “the speed of their response to improve the reception of victims”. “We are still waiting for a bill before deciding on the capacity of the response to our report to bring about real change for the benefit of victims,” commented by email Rachel Cox, professor in the Department of Legal Sciences of UQAM, on behalf of the committee.