RCMP repeals harassment standing orders
Commissioner’s Standing Orders Repealing the Commissioner’s Standing Orders (Investigation and Resolution of Harassment Complaints): SOR/2022-5
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has repealed the Commissioner’s Standing Orders (Investigation and Resolution of Harassment Complaints), replacing the 2014 internal harassment-complaint rules with a new process aligned to federal workplace harassment regulations. The repeal was registered and came into force on 2022-01-19, and bargaining agents including the National Police Federation were informed and involved in complementary arrangements.
- Published
- February 2, 2022
- Department
- 1 The Commissioner’s Standing Orders (Investigation and Resolution of Harassment Complaints)
- Section
- Commissioner’s Standing Orders Repealing the Commissioner’s Standing Orders (Investigation and Resolution of Harassment Complaints)
- Comment deadline
- Unavailable
- Effective date
- January 19, 2022
- Publication part
- Part II
Summary
Summary#
These are orders from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that repeal the Commissioner’s Standing Orders (Investigation and Resolution of Harassment Complaints) — the rules the RCMP used since 2014 for handling harassment complaints. The repeal took effect on registration (January 19, 2022) because the RCMP has put in place a new harassment process aligned with the Canada Labour Code Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations (which came into force January 1, 2021).
What it does#
- Removes the existing internal standing orders called Commissioner’s Standing Orders (Investigation and Resolution of Harassment Complaints) (originally published as SOR/2014-290).
- Makes that repeal effective on the day the order was registered (January 19, 2022).
- Notes that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has created a new harassment investigation and resolution process to match the federal workplace harassment regulations.
- Records that bargaining agents, including the National Police Federation, were informed and that a Memorandum of Understanding was agreed to support the new process.
Who's affected#
- Current and former employees and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who raise or respond to harassment complaints.
- Bargaining agents and unions that represent RCMP employees, including the National Police Federation.
- Other people involved in RCMP workplace investigations (for example, investigators and managers).
- It is not clear from the notice whether the change affects people outside the RCMP or changes any rights under other laws.
Why it matters#
- The change replaces the RCMP’s older harassment rules with a process that lines up with federal workplace harassment regulations.
- For RCMP employees and complainants, this can mean different procedures, timelines, or supports when a harassment complaint is made.
- It signals a move to a single, institution-wide approach to workplace harassment that government labour rules now govern.
- The government says there are no new costs to businesses and no identified gender-based impacts.
Key topics
Source: Canada Gazette