Status of Women committee  Once again we will provide our recommendation from an external, independent point of view, and then they have to decide if they'll implement those recommendations or what they'll do with them. In some cases they see the problem slightly differently, and they come up with a resolution that is slightly different but that provides satisfaction to the complainant.

Status of Women committee  Are you speaking specifically within the office and how we deal with that?

Status of Women committee  That's an internal question, instead of having the watchdog function. We do the same. We follow public service regulations. We try to create a positive workplace. We try to create a sense that people should not have any fear of bringing a complaint forward. One of the big misconceptions is that if you have a low number of complaints, you must be doing well.

Status of Women committee  There are about 60 to 65.

Status of Women committee  I'm not keeping track, but it's a fairly high ratio. I would say almost 40% to 50%.

Status of Women committee  We have regular training for supervisors and managers, regular group meetings on a monthly basis, open-door discussions, and an annual discussion on ethics, harassment, and discrimination, so policies are very clear for all staff. That's how we go about it.

Status of Women committee  The one we're working most closely with is the veterans' ombudsman's office. They're a much smaller office. We do have some interaction, but most of their staff is located in Charlottetown, so it's limited.

Status of Women committee  I would say we have zero influence over them to tell them how to do it and how to implement the culture. What we can do is raise the issue and raise the notion that there is an issue with the cultural aspect. I think harassment is a very good example of this coming out. It comes out in numbers.

Status of Women committee  They're not happy with an issue within the CF or DND, because we also cover all civilian personnel.

Status of Women committee  I wouldn't say we're the final appeal, because we have no authority to take any decision. Once again, we're there to provide recommendations to either the Canadian Forces or the Department of National Defence. That's about the extent of our mandate. A lot of our work is done to inform, educate, refer, and facilitate conflict resolution with the complainants who are calling us.

Status of Women committee  I would say, out of the 1,500, a very large proportion are resolved within 30 days. Through alternate dispute resolution, communication, or calling the chain of command, we find positive resolutions. There are about 200 cases that are investigated on an annual basis. Out of those 200 cases, we do provide our recommendation to say the person has been treated fairly and we recommend X, Y, and Z.

Status of Women committee  It really depends on the type of complaint. If I go specifically for harassment, for example—

Status of Women committee  —we're not allowed to review the decision of the CF or DND, the decision-maker, to say that this was considered as harassment or it wasn't. The only thing we're allowed to review and make recommendations on is the process, so it's about procedural fairness: was the member treated in accordance with existing regulations?

Status of Women committee  Once again, somebody would call us about an issue with harassment. The first thing we would do is inform them about the process, give them the reference that exists within either DND or the Canadian Forces, guide them through the process, explain that they have to make a harassment complaint—

Status of Women committee  One of the first responsibilities I mentioned is to inform and educate. Once we line it up in the right direction, they have to use existing conflict resolution mechanisms, so if it's a sexual harassment complaint, they have to do a harassment complaint. They need to go through the chain of command using the process to do that.