Canadian Archaeological Association Anti-harassment Policy and Procedures

Revised April 24, 2021 in response to member feedback.

The Canadian Archaeological Association (CAA) is committed to fostering a harassment-free professional organization where all members are treated with respect and dignity.

Anyone who feels that they are being harassed or who feels unsafe during the conference can reach out for support or to make a complaint by emailing safety@canadianarchaeology.com. See the Netiquette section on the General Info tab for times during which that email will be monitored during the conference.

The Canadian Human Rights Act protects members from harassment based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability or pardoned conviction.

Harassment within the membership of the Canadian Archaeological Association is not tolerated. Members who are found to have harassed another individual may be subject to corrective actions.

This includes any member who: interferes with the resolution of a harassment complaint; retaliates against an individual for filing a harassment complaint; or files an unfounded harassment complaint intended to cause harm.

Application

This policy applies to all current members of the Canadian Archaeological Association, including student, individual, and honorary members. This policy also applies to any person attending a Canadian Archaeological Association annual meeting, conference, or sponsored event, even if the person is not a current member of the organization.

In situations where harassment complaints are made as a part of an ongoing meeting or sponsored event the guidelines outlined in Appendix A will be followed to ensure support for the immediate safety of the event attendees. These immediate responses are not meant to replace the process outlined in this policy and it is expected that any complaint made at a meeting, conference or sponsored event would additionally be assessed through the process outlined in this policy.   

Definitions

Harassment is:

  • offending or humiliating someone physically or verbally;
  • bullying, threatening or intimidating someone; or
  • making unwelcome jokes or comments on the basis of someone’s race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics, disability, socioeconomic status, political views, language, or pardoned conviction.

Sexual harassment is:

  • offensive or humiliating behaviour that is related to a person’s sex;
  • behaviour of a sexual nature that creates an intimidating, unwelcome, hostile or offensive work environment; or
  • behaviour of a sexual nature that could reasonably be thought to put sexual conditions on a person’s job or employment opportunities.

In both cases, the harassment can be a single incident, repeated incidents, or patterned behaviour. It can occur through direct or indirect interactions, including in print or through digital media.

Responsibilities and Expectations

The Canadian Archaeological Association is responsible for:

  • providing all members with a harassment-free professional organization.

The Canadian Archaeological Association Board of Directors is responsible for:

  • ensuring that this policy is applied in a timely, consistent and confidential manner;
  • determining whether or not allegations of harassment are substantiated; and
  • determining what corrective action is appropriate where a harassment complaint has been substantiated.

The Canadian Archaeological Association Ethics Review Committee is responsible for:

  • the administration of this policy;
  • investigating complaints and reporting on the investigation to the Board of Directors;
  • reviewing this policy annually, or as required; and
  • making necessary adjustments to ensure that this policy meets the needs of the organization.

The Annual Meeting/Conference Committee and/or any Canadian Archaeological Association sponsored Event Organizing Committee is/are responsible for:

  • the administration of this policy with specific attention to the implementation of Appendix A—Conference, Meeting and Event Safety Processes and Guidelines;
  • fostering a harassment-free environment at all annual meetings, conferences, or sponsored events, and setting an example of appropriate professional organization behaviour;
  • communicating the process for investigating and resolving harassment complaints made by members in relation to the relevant annual meeting, conference, or sponsored event;
  • dealing with harassment situations immediately upon becoming aware of them – including the immediate notification of the Canadian Archaeological Association Board of Directors, whether or not a harassment complaint has been officially made;
  • taking appropriate action during a harassment investigation related to an annual meeting, conference, or sponsored event,, including separating the parties to the harassment complaint, the removal of attendees, and/or barring of re-entry when appropriate; and
  • making every effort to ensure that harassment situations are dealt with in a sensitive and confidential manner.

Members are responsible for:

  • treating others with respect within in the professional organization;
  • reporting harassment to either the Ethics Review Committee, the Canadian Archaeological Association Board of Directors, the Conference Organizing Committee, the organizer(s) of a given Canadian Archaeological Association sponsored event, or to the safety email of the CAA—safety@canadianarchaeology.com.
  • cooperating with a harassment investigation and respecting the confidentiality of the investigation process.

Members can expect:

  • to be treated with respect;
  • that reported harassment will be dealt with in a timely, confidential and effective manner;
  • to have their rights to a fair process and to confidentiality respected during a harassment investigation; and
  • to be protected against retaliation for reporting harassment or cooperating with a harassment investigation.

Disclosures

Members of the Canadian Archaeological Association and attendees at all Canadian Archaeological Association annual meetings, conferences, or sponsored events, are required to self-certify as follows:

I am not and have never been the subject of adverse findings from a discrimination or harassment lawsuit or administrative complaint; and

I have not been found at fault in a disciplinary action, such as suspension or termination resulting from a harassment investigation.

Limitations

The Canadian Archaeological Association can only receive and review evidence that the person(s) a complaint or series of complaints was/were made against has/have been found, by a court of competent jurisdiction or an administrative or regulatory body, to have engaged in conduct or actions contrary to the ideals, objectives, and accepted standards of the Canadian Archaeological Association as set out in the policies of the organization.

The Canadian Archaeological Association shall not have the authority to independently receive reports, or to initiate its own inquiry, review, or investigation with respect to any individual or group. This does not preclude the Canadian Archaeological Association Board of Directors, the Annual Meeting/Conference Committee or any Canadian Archaeological Association sponsored event organizers from taking immediate actions to support and protect the membership should a harassment complaint be received at an annual meeting, conference or sponsored event. The guidelines for addressing complaints received at meetings, conferences and sponsored events are outlined in Appendix A—Conference, Meeting and Event Safety Processes and Guidelines. The actions taken to ensure member safety at meetings, conferences and sponsored events are not rulings on the substantiation of received complaints and any resultant corrective actions are subject to the conditions of this policy.   

The Canadian Archaeological Association will make every effort to ensure the confidentiality of the harassment complaint process, but cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality to any party in the complaint. 

Procedures for Addressing a Harassment Complaint

Filing a Complaint

Any member may file a harassment complaint by contacting any member of the Canadian Archaeological Association Board of Directors, the Ethics Review Committee, the Annual Meeting/Conference Organizing Committee or the organizers of any Canadian Archaeological Association sponsored event and/or by submitting an email to safety@canadianarchaeology.com. The complaint may be verbal or in writing. If the complaint is made verbally, the receiving member will record the details provided by the submitting member.

The submitting member should be prepared to provide details such as what happened; when it happened; where it happened; how often; and who else was present (if applicable).

Complaints should be made as soon as possible, but no later than within one (1) year of the last incident of perceived harassment, unless there are circumstances that prevented the member from doing so.

The Canadian Archaeological Association Ethics Review Committee will inform the person that the harassment complaint has been made against, in writing, that a harassment complaint has been filed. The letter will also provide details of the allegations that have been made against them and advise as to the timeline for a response to the allegation(s).

When a complaint is filed outside of the dates of an annual meeting, conference, or sponsored event, every effort will be made to resolve the complaint within 14 days. The Canadian Archaeological Association Board of Directors will advise both parties of the reasons why, if this is not possible.

When a complaint is filed as a result of a perceived harassment during an annual meeting, conference and/or sponsored event, the process set out in Appendix A to this policy will be enacted. In addition to these immediate responses the complaint will additionally be dealt with by the process defined in this policy, and every effort will be made to resolve harassment complaints within 14 days. If this timeline cannot be met, the Canadian Archaeological Association Board of Directors will advise both parties of the reasons why.

If any party to a harassment complaint believes that the complaint is not being handled in accordance with this policy, they should contact the President of the Canadian Archaeological Association.

Investigation

All investigations will be handled by the Canadian Archaeological Association Ethics Review Committee. The Committee shall receive and review evidence that the person(s) the complaint was made against has/have been found, by a court of competent jurisdiction or an administrative or regulatory body, to have engaged in conduct or actions contrary to the ideals, objectives, and accepted standards of the Canadian Archaeological Association as set out in the policies of the organization. The Committee shall not have the authority to independently receive reports, or to initiate its own inquiry, review, or investigation with respect to any individual or group.

The Committee will prepare a report that will include:

  • a description of the allegations;
  • the response of the person the complaint was made against;
  • a summary of the evidence from a court of competent jurisdiction or an administrative or regulatory body, that the person the complaint was made against was found to have engaged in conduct or actions contrary to the ideals, objectives, and accepted standards of the Canadian Archaeological Association as set out in the policies of the organization.

The CAA reserves the right to set aside the requirement of a finding from a court of competent jurisdiction in relation to complaints arising from alleged incidents of harassment during CAA sponsored events. In this circumstance the investigation will include review of the harassment complaint, any corroborating materials and the response received from the person the complaint was made against.

Substantiated Complaint

If a harassment complaint is believed to be substantiated by the Canadian Archaeological Association Ethics Review Committee, the Committee will submit their report to the Canadian Archaeological Association Board of Directors for consideration and determination of appropriate remedies and/or corrective actions. Both parties to the complaint will be given a copy of the report.

Remedies for the member who was harassed may include:

  • an oral or written apology;

Corrective action for the member found to have engaged in harassment may include:

  • a written reprimand;
  • a suspension from membership in the Canadian Archaeological Association, as well as barring from attendance at future Canadian Archaeological Association Annual Meetings, special meetings, events, committees and/or working groups;
  • removal and permanent barring from membership in the Canadian Archaeological Association, as well as attendance at future Canadian Archaeological Association Annual Meetings, special meetings, events, committees and/or working groups; and/or
  • the revocation of previous awards of merit within the Canadian Archaeological Association.

Both parties to the complaint will be advised, in writing, of the decision.

Other Redress

A member who is not satisfied with the outcome of the harassment complaint process may file a complaint with the Canadian Archaeological Association Board of Directors within ten (10) days of receipt of the Board decision and provide arguments as to why the proposed remedies and/or corrective actions should not be adopted.

Privacy and Confidentiality

All parties to a harassment complaint are expected to respect the privacy and confidentiality of all other parties involved and to limit the discussion of a harassment complaint to those that need to know.

Reporting

The Canadian Archaeological Association will share through the annual reports of the Board of Directors and the Ethics Review Committee an aggregated summary each year on incidents of harassment and the remedies and/or corrective actions resulting. These annual reports will maintain the confidentiality of all parties involved.

Education and Communication

The Canadian Archaeological Association will provide members with information about appropriate conduct and prevention of misconduct during the annual meeting. This Anti-harassment policy and all related policies will be posted on the CAA website.

The Canadian Archaeological Association commits to promoting activities that reduce misconduct in the practice of archaeology—and will share resources, training opportunities and workshops as available.

Review

The Canadian Archaeological Association will review this policy and procedures on an annual basis, or as required, and will make necessary adjustments to ensure that it meets the needs of all members.

Enquiries

Enquiries about this policy and related procedures can be made to The President of the Canadian Archaeological Association—president@canadianarchaeology.com.

Effective Date: [May/XX/2021]

PDF icon CAA Anti-harassment Policy and Procedures revised Apr 24, 2021
PDF icon Canadian Archaeological Association Anti-harassment Policy and Procedures: Appendix A revised Apr 24, 2021