Submit a formal complaint or report an incident
Submit a grievance or discrimination complaint, or report harassment, violence or misconduct.
If you need immediate emergency assistance, or if you feel unsafe, call for help.
If you are on a base, wing or in a National Defence building, call the military police.
If you are not on National Defence property, call 911.
If you have experienced or observed misconduct such as hateful or sexual misconduct, harassment, violence or discrimination, or you have a grievance, there are various systems and services available to you to submit a formal complaint and/or report an incident.
For help in understanding your options to respond to an issue or incident, and guidance in submitting a formal complaint, you can contact your local Conflict and Complaint Management Services (CCMS) centre for advice. While CCMS will not prepare a complaint on your behalf, they can guide you through the complaint submission process.
Find your nearest CCMS centre or call toll free at 1-833-328-3351.
When you contact a CCMS centre, you can expect a response to your initial inquiry within two working days. The time it will take to process your case will depend on the nature and complexity of your situation.
Conflict Solutions and Services are available to all Department of National Defence (DND) public service employees and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members who:
- have a complaint to make or experienced an incident that needs to be reported
- receive a complaint or report of an incident
- are the subject of a complaint or report
Report sexual misconduct
If you, or someone you know, have experienced an incident of sexual misconduct, there are options available to report the incident or file a formal complaint.
To know more about the reporting process, contact the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre (SMSRC) for a confidential discussion with a counsellor.
Find contact information for domestic and international SMSRC, or call SMSRC toll free at 1-844-750-1648.
Submit a grievance
Where you have been unable to resolve an issue informally (such as through Alternative Dispute Resolution) and at the lowest level, you can submit a grievance, which makes the complaint formal.
CAF members
You can file a formal complaint about a decision, act, or omission that affects you personally, resulting from your service in the CAF.
DND public service employees
If you believe your work duties, entitlements, or work conditions do not align with the terms of your collective workplace agreement or employment, you can submit a labour relations grievance to your supervisor, manager or responsible officer.
If you disagree with a decision made about the classification of the work you’re assigned and described in your job description, you can submit a classification grievance to your supervisor, manager or responsible officer.
Report workplace harassment and violence
If you have experienced harassment and violence in the workplace, you can report the occurrence through the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention (WHVP) program:
The WHVP program’s mandate is to prevent occurrences of harassment and violence, respond to reported occurrences, and support all involved parties in the resolution process.
Submit a complaint about discrimination
If you have experienced discrimination or harassment, based on the prohibited grounds in the Canadian Human Rights Act, you may be able to file a human rights complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.