Thank you, Chair.
I just want to inform the committee that within the reprisal regime, once an investigation is launched, our investigation service standard foresees one year to complete it. In the case of reprisals, there is a human impact. There is a human cost to the person the reprisal is against. That is why there is a section in the act that allows for conciliation, when we launch an investigation and find that there is merit.
This means that we do not simply offer conciliation at the moment we launch an investigation, but when we begin the investigation and find that there is merit to offering conciliation, it is offered to the parties. If both parties wish to speak and possibly resolve the matter in a quick fashion, or simply sit and see whether there is a resolution, that is accepted by the commissioner and recommended. We move forward. The commission appoints a conciliator, and we pay for the conciliator and all of the services rendered. It is, therefore, at no cost to the parties. We cover the conciliation.
We have had a good number of conciliations that have been very successful early in the process. This has resulted in early return to work by some members who were either suspended or facing termination. Some measures have been rescinded, there has been financial compensation, and there has been opportunity restored.
That was done quickly when both parties had an opportunity to sit down. The settlements have been found by both parties to be very satisfactory, and we've had a great number who have returned to us saying that they appreciated the role we played in the conciliation.
The conciliation itself is confidential and the information provided to the conciliator is confidential. Should the conciliation not be successful, we will continue our investigation. That is why, during the conciliation mode, I am directly responsible for liaison with the conciliator and the party and am no longer the investigator. If it's not successful, the investigator will never know which party was responsible for the conciliation's not passing, and henceforward we continue with a very neutral and very complete investigation.
I just wanted to highlight that we have been very successful in conciliation. Many of these cases never made it to the tribunal because both parties had an opportunity to sit, discuss the matter, and come to a resolution that was both correct and enforceable. It's not a question of saying, “We're going to be nice to each other”; it's “How can we solve the situation?” The commissioner is the person who has the last say and can say, “The resolution you have come up with is a correct resolution and is in the interest of all the parties and the public.”