Public Feedback and Complaints Policy - Summary

What is it?

This policy outlines how the PPSC will handle feedback and complaints it receives from the public.

The PPSC wants to hear from you

Feedback and complaints help the PPSC to become a better organization. Feedback helps the organization know what it is doing right and complaints help it know what could be better.

The PPSC will handle feedback and complaints in a way that is fair, respectful, and transparent. The organization will work to resolve the complaints quickly and effectively.

What does this policy cover?

This policy covers any feedback or complaint made by a person who has been directly impacted by the actions of a PPSC employee or agent, or by a PPSC service, procedure, practice, or policy. This person can be a victim of crime, a person charged with a crime, or any other member of the public.

Feedback

For the purposes of this policy, feedback means positive comments about the actions of a PPSC employee or agent, or with a PPSC service, procedure, or policy, as well as any suggestion on how we could do better.

Complaints

A complaint means negative comments about the actions of PPSC employees or agents, or with a PPSC service, procedure, practice, or policy. This includes any allegation of discrimination or bias, whether it is through the actions of an individual PPSC employee or agent, or through the application of a PPSC service, procedure, practice, or policy. If you are a victim of a crime, the complaint might be general or relate specifically to your right to information, to protection, to participation, or to restitution. The allegations giving rise to the complaint must have occurred within the previous 12 months unless a valid reason for delay is provided.

What is not covered by this policy?

This policy does not cover feedback or complaints from members of the public who have not been directly impacted by the PPSC. Those members of the public can call or write to the PPSC by using the contact information found on the "Contact Us" page of the PPSC website.

How do I share my Feedback

You can give feedback by:

Public Feedback and Complaints
Public Prosecution Service of Canada
160 Elgin Street – 12th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8

What does the PPSC do with my feedback?

If you informally give your feedback by speaking to a PPSC employee, you may ask that the employee share it with the appropriate regional leader. The employee may also decide to share it if it is appropriate to do so.

If you send your feedback in writing, we will send you a confirmation that summarizes the feedback, and send it to the appropriate regional leader.

How do I make a complaint?

You can make a complaint by:

Public Feedback and Complaints
Public Prosecution Service of Canada
160 Elgin Street – 12th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8

Information you should include

To help us better understand your concerns, provide as much information as possible, including the following:

  1. Your full name;
  2. Your contact information;
  3. Indicate your role in the criminal justice system, particularly if you are the victim of a crime, an accused, or a witness;
  4. A detailed description of the situation; and
  5. A description of what you feel would be the appropriate resolution to your complaint.

You may write the complaint in any official language of a province or territory. This includes English, French, Gwich'in, Cree, Chipewyan (Denesuline), Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Mi'kmaw, North Slavey, South Slavey, and Tlicho (Dogrib). The PPSC will accept complaints written in other languages and will do its best to have the complaint translated. However, the PPSC cannot guarantee that it will be able to provide a response in languages other than one of the official languages of a province or territory.

You can make the complaint yourself or through an authorized representative. To identify an authorized representative, you must:

  1. Provide the name and contact of information of your authorized representative; and
  2. Confirm that you give permission to the authorized representative to act on your behalf. By giving this permission, you are authorizing the PPSC to communicate directly with the authorized representative and share any personal information required to address the complaint.

Examples of persons who can be an authorized representative include, but are not limited to:

How the PPSC addresses complaints

  1. If the complaint is made orally, a PPSC employee will prepare a summary of the complaint, record your contact information, and, if applicable, the identity and contact information of the authorized representative;
  2. If the complaint is made in writing, the PPSC will confirm receipt of the complaint within five business days; and
  3. The complaint will be sent to the appropriate regional leader within five business days.

Depending on the nature of the complaint, the regional leader will then refer you to an informal resolution process, a formal resolution process, or may suggest an alternate option.

The regional leader might reject the complaint if:

  1. You have not been directly impacted by the conduct of a PPSC employee or agent, or a PPSC service, procedure, practice, or policy;
  2. The events resulting in the complaint occurred more than 12 months ago and you did not provide a valid reason for the delay;
  3. The complaint does not relate to the actions of the PPSC, such as if the complaint relates to legislation, a court decision, or the actions of another department or agency;
  4. The complaint is abusive, is made in bad faith, has already been addressed, is clearly unfounded, has no merit, or is incomprehensible;
  5. There is an ongoing investigation or an ongoing criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding relating to the same situation;
  6. The complaint relates to a contractual, employment, or labour issue between the PPSC and one of its current or former employees, contractors, or agents; or
  7. The complaint does not contain enough information after you have been given the opportunity to provide the necessary missing information.

Regardless of the decision, the regional leader will inform you of the screening decision and the reasons for that decision.

What is informal resolution

Informal resolution aims to resolve the complaint quickly.

The regional leader (Chief Federal Prosecutor or their designate) will identify a PPSC employee who will handle the complaint informally. The employee will:

  1. Communicate with you or your authorized representative to discuss the complaint and seek to address your concerns;
  2. Report back to the regional leader about this discussion; and
  3. Work with the regional leader or a designated employee to identify and implement solutions to address your complaint in an appropriate manner.

If a complaint is not resolved within 60 days, the regional leader will refer the complaint to formal resolution unless they grant an extension.

What is formal resolution

Formal resolution involves a thorough and well-documented investigation of a complaint.

The regional leader (Chief Federal Prosecutor or designate) may investigate the complaint themselves or appoint a person for that purpose.

The person investigating the complaint will:

  1. Investigate the events underlying the complaint;
  2. Assess PPSC actions, services, policies, practices, and procedures. For complaints relating to the actions of a PPSC employee or agent, the appropriateness of the actions will be assessed based on the standards found in the PPSC Deskbook, the PPSC Code of Conduct, the Terms and Conditions of Agent Agreements, and the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.
  3. Prepare a written report of their findings.
  4. Send their investigation report to the regional leader.

After receiving the investigation report, the regional leader (Chief Federal Prosecutor or their designate) will decide what steps, if any, will be taken to fix the situation. The regional leader (Chief Federal Prosecutor or their designate) will inform you or your authorized representative of how and why the decision was made, the actions the PPSC will take to fix the situation, as well as explaining your right to request a review by a senior leader of the PPSC.

The formal resolution of a complaint is expected to be completed within six months of the receipt of the complaint or the referral to formal resolution.

How to request a review

If you are not satisfied with the formal resolution of the complaint, you may request a review by a senior leader of the PPSC. In order to request a review, you or your authorized representative must, within three months of being informed about the outcome of the formal resolution of the complaint:

  1. Send a request in writing to the CFP or to PPSC Headquarters, by email to PPSC.ComplaintsandFeedback-PlaintesetRetroaction.SPPC@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca or by mail to:

Public Feedback and Complaints
Public Prosecution Service of Canada
160 Elgin Street – 12th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8

  1. Explain the reasons why you are dissatisfied with the formal resolution of their complaint; and
  2. If applicable, explain why you were not able to send a request within the three months timeframe.

Tracking and Reporting

Keeping records about feedback and complaints is essential for the PPSC in order to learn and become a better and more effective organization. All feedback and complaints will be tracked in a centralized system.

The PPSC will publish data regarding the number of substantiated complaints received and processed through this policy once a year. In addition, the regional leaders will hold a session at least once a year with designated employees who handle feedback and complaints to identify any lessons that can be learned and any improvement that can be made based on the feedback and complaints received during that year.

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