The best way to approach it, and the way we've been approaching it since probably 2008-09, is through a systems approach. As Assistant Commissioner Woodburn says, it's not one thing that will be the magic bullet to overcome these challenges. C-42 will definitely help, because it will provide the opportunity to overcome, as I was describing before, this structural challenge we have right now. The Treasury Board policy on the prevention of harassment in the workplace is designed to rebuild relationships and help relationships recover within the workplace. There is also an anticipation that if harassment is found, there is a consequence, and oftentimes that's discipline.
However, within the RCMP Act there is only one way to attain or reach the goal of determining whether misconduct has occurred, and that's through part IV of the RCMP Act, which is the discipline system. That's a very different process, a very different target, with a very different intention. It is really focused on determining guilt. It is very adversarial, whereas the Treasury Board policy is much more focused on early resolution and on the accountability of managers and supervisors. It is also focused on bystanders, if I may use the term, getting involved and putting a stop to inappropriate, uncivil behaviour when it happens, rather than letting it build.
The whole systems approach really comes down to needing to make sure that we set expectations, establish responsibilities, and hold people accountable for whether they are taking the action they need to take in response to what we identify as inappropriate behaviour.
Assistant Commissioner Woodburn referred in her opening remarks to the concept of a continuum of respectful behaviours. What we find, and what you will find in the literature as well, is that there is this hesitancy among some people to take action if they're not quite sure that it's inappropriate or not. That hesitancy is what can lead to delay. It can ultimately lead to the frustration of people who feel that, first, they can't report because it won't be taken seriously, because it is not taken seriously at the time, and second, there is an expectation that we're not really sure where it's going to end up and whether it will become discipline or harassment.
To cross the bridge, there is no clear crosswalk. We have to figure it out as we go along. C-42 will help us address that one chunk: the investigation. But the TB policy, especially the new one, will help us address the resolution.