Workplace harassment and violence prevention

All members of the CAF and DND employees have the right to be treated fairly, respectfully, and with dignity. This means your workplace should be free from harassment and violence.

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.

Reporting an occurrence and available resources

• WHVP Program—The program’s webpage.
• Process for reporting harassment or violence in the workplace—Reporting and resolution process for all involved parties.
• Notice of Occurrence form—Reporting an occurrence in writing.
• Tools and templates—Helpful documents to support the process.
• WHVP assessments—Identify risk factors and implement preventive measures.
• WHVP training—Mandatory training.
• Emergency procedures—What to do if there’s an urgent or dangerous situation.
• Support services—Where to get help if you are affected by harassment or violence.

About the WHVP Program

The Program focuses on prevention and early intervention. It treats harassment and violence as a workplace safety issue rather than a human resources issue. The intent is to understand and address the root causes of the issue—not to punish individuals—and to stop incidents from happening again.

The DND and the CAF may take administrative and/or disciplinary action to address any conduct deficiencies uncovered over the course of a resolution process as separate but parallel processes.

Related documents

• DND/CAF
  • WHVP Policy Manual—This manual provides step-by-step guidance on how to prevent and respond to harassment and violence within the DND and the CAF, including roles, responsibilities, and the resolution process.
  • DAOD 5014-0, Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention—This is the official Defence order that applies to both military and civilian members.
• Government of Canada
  • Canada Labour Code, Part II Occupational Health and Safety—This part of the legislation covers health and safety at work, including how to prevent and respond to harassment and violence.
  • Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations—These are legislative guidelines outlining how federally-regulated employers must address workplace harassment and violence.

Recourse

The WHVP Policy Manual outlines the recourse options available to you while you are involved in the WHVP resolution process.

Depending on the circumstances of an occurrence, you may seek recourse through the grievance procedure under DAOD 5026-0 (civilian grievances) or Queen's Regulations & Orders Chapter 7 (military grievances). Grievances can be processed concurrently with the WHVP resolution process.

For more information on the appropriate mechanisms to use to file a complaint or report an incident, please contact your local Conflict and Complaint Management Services (CCMS) office or visit submit a formal complaint or report an incident.

If you believe your employer (chain of command or manager) or designated recipient has failed to comply with the Canada Labour Code, the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations, DAOD 5014-0 or the WHVP Policy Manual, attempt to resolve the issue internally by notifying your employer or designated recipient.

Should the issue remain, you can make a formal complaint to the Labour Program at Employment and Social Development Canada. The Labour Program's role is to ensure compliance with the Canada Labour Code.

How we can help

The Ombudsman’s Office cannot replace the existing WHVP Program’s process. You must first attempt to resolve your concerns through existing mechanisms.

If you are a represented employee, you can contact your union representative for information and assistance.

If you submit a complaint to the Ombudsman’s Office about the handling of your file, the office will review the process only to ensure your treatment was fair and equitable. We do not have the power to change the outcome of the process. However, with your written permission, we can make recommendations if we believe you may have been treated unfairly throughout the process.