The Canadian Economics Association Code of Conduct
[Approved by the Board of Directors, December 13 2019]
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The Canadian Economics Association (CEA) fosters the advancement of economic knowledge through the encouragement of study and research, the issuing of publications such as the Canadian Journal of Economics and the CEA website and newsletters, and the furtherance of free and informed discussion of economic questions. In these pursuits, CEA endorses the following general principles of professional conduct and expects these to be upheld by its members:
- Intellectual and professional integrity
- Promotion of a diverse and welcoming environment for economic discussion
- Promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment of all members of the profession, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, health condition, marital status, parental status, professional status or personal connections.
The CEA strives to promote these principles through all its activities. To further this purpose, the CEA developed this Code of Conduct to apply to its public events: the Canadian Economics Employment Exchange (CEEE), the Annual Meeting of the association and meetings organized by Study Groups that are funded by the CEA. All participants — including attendees, speakers, sponsors, staff and volunteers — at these events are required to abide by this Code of Conduct. These rules apply to all parts of the event, regardless of location, and sponsored social events.
CEA seeks to ensure its events are free from all forms of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. We are committed to providing an environment where all participants feel included and respected. To this end, the CEA will not tolerate harassment behaviour of any form at these events. Harassment includes but is not limited to (a) offensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion; (b) the display of sexual images in public spaces; (c)deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording; (d) sustained disruption of talks or other events; (e ) inappropriate physical contact or unwelcome sexual attention.
The CEA will enforce this Code of Conduct through the events. Matters that breach the code of conduct will be addressed through the process outlined below.
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Process to Address Code of Conduct Breaches
If Immediate Action is Required
For immediate help with a potential Code of Conduct violation, a representative of the CEA at the event should be notified that misconduct is occurring. The CEA will help contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event. The participants will be informed of the formal process outlined below.Â
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Formal Complaint Process
The CEA will investigate and address concerns, complaints and incidents in a fair and timely manner, while respecting participant privacy as much as possible. Such investigation may involve internal and/or external resources as appropriate.
Complaints should be addressed in writing to the Committee for Code of Conduct (CCC), appointed by the Board of directors of CEA (contact aferrer@uwaterloo.ca). Allegations should be dated and signed and include as many details of the incident as possible
Process
- Upon receipt of an allegation, the CCC will initiate an inquiry to ascertain whether there has been a breach of the code of conduct. The inquiry will include, at a minimum, an opportunity for both parties (Claimant and Respondent) to be heard. Additional relevant information may be provided to the committee at this time by both parties.
- After examining the information gathered, the CCC will report to the Board on their findings. The Board will decide on whether misconduct took place and what would be an adequate response
- If no misconduct is found, the CCC will communicate the decision of the Board in writing to the Claimant and Respondent.Â
- In the case of misconduct, the CCC will communicate the decision of the Board to the Respondent. Â
Penalties
- The Board will decide on an adequate response to allegations that have been found substantiated. This may include an acknowledgement of the allegation and an apology from the Respondent. It may also include revoking the Respondent’s CEA memberships and rights granted by said membership.