1. Sexual Assault Policies in Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada
Sharon Crabb, CFUW Fredericton;
Member of the CFUW Status of Women and Human Rights Sub-Committee of the CFUW Advocacy Committee
CFUW Conference and AGM—June 2017

2. CFUW Status of Women and Human Rights Sub-Committee of the CFUW Advocacy Committee
Pam Love, CFUW Fredericton, Chair
Thelma McGillivray, CFUW Burlington
Anne Cordon, CFUW Peterborough
Judy Pagano, CFUW Edmonton
Sharon Crabb, CFUW Fredericton

3. Across Canada Participation
Province
Number of Institutions
Number/Percentage Reviewed
British Columbia 27
16 = 59.3%
Alberta 20
11 = 55%
Saskatchewan 17
14 = 82.4%
Manitoba 8
8 = 100%
Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon 4
4 = 100%
Ontario 56
33 = 58.9%
Quebec 66
47 = 71.2%
New Brunswick 7
7 = 100%
Newfoundland 2
2 = 100%
Prince Edward Island 3
3 = 100%
Nova Scotia 10
10 = 100%

4. Questionnaire Statistics—National Results post-secondary (public) institutions in Canada questionnaires completed = 70.5% +109 indicated “yes” to having a sexual violence/harassment policy = 70.3% +42 indicated “no” to having a sexual violence harassment policy = 27.1% + 4 indicated “unclear” to having a sexual violence/harassment policy = 2.6%
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5. Top 5 Questions Responding “Yes” (excluding Question 1 re Policy
Question 3—Does the policy include a comprehensive definition of sexual violence and harassment? (103 “yes” responses = 66.5%
Question 4—Has the policy been implemented within the past 5 years? (88 “yes) responses = 56.8%

6. Top 5 Questions continued:
Question 7—Does the policy implementation involve such groups as Administration on campus, Faculty, Students, Human Resources Professionals, Victims? (97 “yes” responses = 62.3%
Question 8—Does the policy stipulate confidentiality in complaint reporting and follow-up process? (102 “yes” responses = 65.8%

7. Top 5 Questions continued
Question 16—Does the policy state that the complainant has the right to representation, a support person or an advocate in mediations, hearings and/or investigations? (83 “yes” responses = 53.5%

8. Top 5 Questions Responding “No”
Question 6—Does the policy address conflict of interest for those tasked with following up on a report of sexual violence or harassment? (66 “no” responses = 42.6%
Question 17—Does the policy state that the lesser violations of school policy on the part of the complainant will be excused in a case of sexual violence or harassment? (97 “no” responses = 62.6%; 43 “NA” responses = 27.7%

9. Top “no” Questions continued
Question 18—Does the policy explicitly prevent irrelevant inquiries into the complainant’s sexual history? (96 “no” responses = 61.9%; 42 “NA” responses = 27.1%)
Question 20—Does the policy say a complainant has the right to appeal the decision of mediation, hearings and/or investigations? (58 “no” responses = 37.4%; 42 “NA” responses = 27.1%

10. Top “no” questions continued
Question 12—When sexual violence or harassment is reported, is mediation pursued automatically? OR (79 “no” responses = 51.0%, 18 “unclear” responses = 11.6%, 44 “NA” responses = 28.4%). Similar responses to Questions 13 and 14.

11. Areas of Concern/Confusion/ Reflection
Is the implementation of the policy as intended or as outlined in the policy?
Is it sufficiently explicit specific to procedures for the complainant?
There are mixed references to policy being easy to locate and known to students compared to not always “user friendly”.
Is there a concern about “legal due diligence”?

12. Areas of Concern . . . continued
Often mediation and appeals and how the complainant is informed of the results are not included in the policy.
There is minimal reference to involvement of students, faculty, counsellors in the policy.
Who administers the policy? What is the level of expertise of person(s) involved in administering the policy?

13. Areas of Concern . . . continued
What options are available to the complainant?
It is sometimes difficult to find relevant information.

14. Conclusion Where do we go from here—what is next?
How might you be involved?
Thank you to CFUW members across Canada who made this research possible.