Health, Safety, & Anti-Discrimination Policy

The Foundation for Canadian Comedy (CANCOM) is committed to promoting a safe, harassment-free, and discrimination-free environment that is conducive to respect, dignity, and professionalism for comedians, comedy workers, and industry stakeholders.It is imperative that all parties feel safe and free from the threat of harassment or discrimination when working in comedy environments and interacting with other comedy professionals, including during professional development workshops and training.
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Some of the definitions within this Policy are based on the Canadian Human Rights Code and provincial equivalents. It is CANCOM’s belief that protecting such rights will foster goodwill and trust within the comedy community. Mutual respect, understanding, and co-operation will help ensure behaviour that undermines a safe, harassment-free, and discrimination-free work environment is neither tolerated, nor condoned.

POLICY OBJECTIVES

• To create GUIDELINES to identify behaviour that is considered by CANCOM as not being safe, harassment-free, and/or discrimination-free.
• To clearly communicate these guidelines to all parties and require them to be acknowledged by all parties.
• To ensure that all CANCOM-affiliated producers, partners, collaborators, sponsors, or other industry stakeholders are aware of CANCOM’s commitment to promoting these guidelines.

GUIDELINES

This Policy is intended to apply to behaviour experienced by individual comedians, comedy workers, industry stakeholders, or groups of the aforementioned in the following environments:

-I n work environments when they are preparing to perform, or engage in professional development, as well as during and after their performances and training, (e.g. Comedy Club, one-nighter venue, private function, theatre, festival, training centre, school, workshop etc…)

- In work environments when they are not themselves performing, but attending a comedy performance, festival, event (in-person/online/hybrid), or industry function.

- In non-work environments in which they are expected to be, required to be, or cannot reasonably expect to avoid being in attendance in order to satisfy their work obligations. (e.g. school, training facility, hotel or condo provided by booker, vehicle in transit to engagements, etc…)

‍The Canadian Human Rights Code prohibits harassment or discrimination based on the following grounds, and any combination of these grounds:

• Age
• Creed (Religion)
• Gender identity
• Gender expression
• Family status
• Marital status
• Disability
• Race
• Ancestry
• Disability
• Place of origin • Ethnicity
• Citizenship
• Colour
• Record of offences
• Association or relationship with a person identified by one of the above grounds

The guidelines of this policy refer to the above criteria in identifying the following behaviour as not being safe, harassment-free, and/or discrimination-free*:

REPORTING AND/OR RESOLUTION PROCESS

The CANCOM Comedy Symposium is produced under the IPA with ACTRA.

All incidents of discrimination and harassment on-set during or in direct association with the CANCOM Comedy Symposium by members and permittees fall under the policy guidelines of ACTRA and its respective branches, where additional processes are identified, (see below).

If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.