The Commission will then contact your employer. It will ask both you and your employer if you would like a mediator. A mediator is a person who will try and help you and your employer reach a solution that satisfies both of you. Everything you tell the mediator will remain confidential. The Commission can also ask your employer to write down the reason(s) you were dismissed. You can ask for a copy of the reason(s).

If the mediator cannot help you reach an agreement, your complaint will be sent to the Commission des relations du travail (Labour Relations Commission).

The Commission will listen to both sides during a hearing and make a decision. If it decides you were dismissed without good cause, it can:

• order your employer to give you back your job;
• order your employer to pay you the wages you would have earned (up to the date of the decision) had you not been dismissed;
• order your employer to take some other action, such as suspending you instead of dismissing you;
• order your employer to write you a reference letter;
• make any other order it thinks is required.

The Commission’s decision is usually final, which means it cannot be changed. The decision can be contested in court, but only in special situations.

Contact the Commission des normes du travail (Labour Standards Commission) and the Commission des relations du travail (Labour Relations Commission) for more information on filing a complaint when you have been dismissed. See Section 8.3 for contact information.