Effective January 1, 2019, every employer in Quebec must have a policy in place with respect to psychological/sexual harassment prevention and complaints handling. The policy must be made available to all staff members.

To support employers' compliance with this new requirement, Quebec's occupational health and safety commission (CNESST) posted a template policy on its website, which may be used after a minimum amount of information has been provided.

The template policy can be tailored to fit your firm's reality (size, union/non-union, board of directors). A drafting guide is also available on the CNESST's website.

Please note that since June 1, 2004, Quebec employers have been required to take steps to prevent any type of harassment in the workplace. If any such situations are brought to employers' attention, they must take the appropriate steps to put an end to the harassment.

For further information on the provisions governing psychological or sexual harassment or on the amendments to Quebec's Act respecting labour standards, please visit the site respectdesnormes.com or call (844) 838-0808.