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About us

Respect Forum meetings bring together people from health and social services, all levels of government, universities, community organizations, and peer support organizations. Participants have the opportunity to talk about their organizations, the services they provide, the challenges they face, and their research and community engagement activities — paving the way to explore possibilities for collaboration. By-invitation-only Respect Forum meetings have been held semi-annually since the fall of 2016. With support from Veterans Affairs Canada’s Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, the Respect Forum holds semi annual meetings in locations across Canada, from Victoria BC to Saint John’s NL. In addition we maintain an online directory of organizations dedicated to improve mental health and quality of life of veterans and emergency workers as well as their loved ones.

Mission

To create a network among organizations who support veterans, emergency responders, and their families in meeting the array of challenges, such as transition, mental health issues, and housing instability by promoting collaboration that improves the delivery of services.

RESPECT Forum Values & Principle

  • Mutual Respect
  • Knowledge Sharing
  • Service, Knowledge, and For-Profit Participation
  • Different Perspectives
  • Non-Partisan


In its fight against such phenomena as PTS and homelessness, Respect Forum activities are designed to promote collaborative approaches to service delivery, knowledge sharing, and knowledge development.

There is no membership in Respect Forum and all participants are the guests of the organizers. Each meeting requires an invitation.

Respect Forum Policies

Respect Forum meetings bring together people from health and social services, all levels of government, universities, community organizations, and peer support organizations. Participants have the opportunity to talk about their organizations, the services they provide, the challenges they face, and their research and community engagement activities—paving the way to explore possibilities for collaboration.

Lieutenant-General (Retired) Guy Thibault

Lieutenant-General Guy Thibault retired from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) on 8 August 2016 after 38 years of loyal and dedicated service to Canada, the CAF, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals. He held a wide range of command and staff appointments within the Army, and at National levels. Upon promotion to Lieutenant-General in 2011, he served as the first Canadian Chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) in Washington, DC. This international organization is an entity of the Organization of American States and is the oldest regional defence cooperation organization in the world.

  • Two Respect Forum meetings a year in participating cities
  • A survey to identify participants’ strengths, knowledge gaps, and challenges to inform the planning of Respect Forum meetings
  • Mapping of Respect Forum participants and contact information
  • Creation of an online communication platform to promote collaborative approaches to knowledge sharing, knowledge development, and service delivery
  • A collaborative and sustainable governance and financial model

Three projects have been, in part, an evolution from the RF in Montreal. These are:

  • The Frontline Volunteer Veteran Support Guideline for Interactions with the Homeless as a collaboration with Soldiers Helping Soldiers and frontline shelter workers;
  • The Fondation québecoise des vétérans collaboration with the Old Brewery Mission Sentinel project; and
  • The Fondation québécoise des vétérans “Grand rassemblement” event held on September 29th, 2018.

Respect Forum Governance Committee

  1. To inform Respect Forum Governance Committee members of their roles and responsibilities.
  2. To ensure that the Respect Forum Governance Committee is comprised of individuals who possess the skills, qualities and experience to collectively contribute to effective Respect Forum governance and
  3. To ensure the RFGC represents a diverse cross section of volunteers from a cultural, regional and subject matter expertise perspective

The committee monitors and evaluates the functioning of the Respect Forums as it relates to:
a)   The neutrality (non-advocacy) of the Respect Forums
b)   The invitation of prospective participants and the disinvitation of disrespectful participants
c)   The implementation of communications with disinvited participants if required
d)   The selection of Respect Forum facilitators
e)   The functioning of the Respect Forums and the respect for participants privacy
f)    The promotion of valid collaborations
g)   The Reporting to participants and Founding Members
h)   The implementation of the Fundraising Prospectus

  1. The Committee members must reflect the interests and concerns of the public, private and academic stakeholders of the Respect Forum program and the Respect Campaign Board of Directors. In selecting candidates for the Committee, the Board will seek a balance within the Committee of skills, competencies, experience and diversity of members while considering any unique or special requirements for Respect Forum governance at the current time.
  2. The Respect Campaign Board may delegate the appointment of members to the RFGC Chair and its Board representative.
  1. RFCG members shall be appointed for a 2-year term. Subject to the provisions of the Terms of reference the appropriate number of positions will be staggered to ensure governance continuity.
  2. Members are eligible to be reappointed for consecutive terms at the discretion of the appointing authority.

Twice per year, following the Respect Forum meetings, the committee is to be assembled by telephone to review Management’s assessment of performance for the past Respect Forums and the plans for future forums.

The number of vacancies will be determined every two years and the necessary criteria to fill those vacancies will be identified by conducting a review of the committee composition and its continued reflection of balanced representation as articulated in the Terms of Reference.

This policy may be amended at any time and from time to time by the Board after appropriate consultation.

The Respect Forum Management, Forum Facilitators and the Governance Committee in the commission of their decisions and duties will subscribe to and promote the following values and principles at the heart of all Respect Forums.

  1. Mutual Respect: All participant communications and behaviours must demonstrate respect for one another.
  2. Relationship Building and Collaboration: Given the opportunity to learn about each other, participants may find common ground and identify possible opportunities for collaboration and teamwork. The open sharing of information and experience is essential to collaboration.
  3. Constructive Conversation: The organizers of the forum believe that there is no single, best solution in the fight against PTS or homelessness. As such, it is required that all participants refrain from making public judgements that denigrate the services offered by a fellow participant or organization.
  4. Trust: By bringing stakeholders together in a forum where participants learn about each others’ services with the benefit of facilitated discussions and presentations, stakeholders may develop a foundation of trust that opens the door to collaboration.
  5. Non-Partisan: Respect Forum events are independent, non-partisan gatherings that do not seek to promote any particular interest of any business, group, political party, lobby, or personal interests.

The Respect Forum Program was established to promote relationship building and collaboration. In the complex landscape of service delivery to those suffering from PTS and possibly homelessness, competition between providers exists. The Respect Forums do not play a role in facilitating competition between participants vying to be the resource of choice. Only through collaboration, where and when it can happen between stakeholders, will we as a community find and fill gaps and achieve our common mission.

  • All participants are the guests of the Respect Forum program
  • There is no membership in the Respect Forum
  • Participation in each meeting requires an invitation

The following three key principles will ensure that every participant will be offered continued participation:

  1. The promotion of commercial offerings is welcomed in the context of a formal, pre-planned presentation. Ad hoc selling of services and post meeting solicitation of fellow participants is not welcome and the participant exhibiting this behaviour will not receive an invitation to future meetings.
  2. The Respect Forum is not a place for the public criticism of any organization or stakeholder. Any participant using the Forum to denigrate others will not be invited to future meetings.
  3. Unless by special invitation, organizations or individuals that, at the time of the Respect Forum meeting, are not engaged in serving the target beneficiaries of the Respect Forums will not be considered as candidates for an invitation to a Respect Forum. Special invitations, which require the approval of the Regional Coordinator in writing, will be offered to organizations or individuals who are deemed by the Regional Coordinator to be of significant benefit to the participants of the Respect Forums.

The Respect Forum Governance Committee will review complaints from participants and/or reports of inappropriate behaviour provided by the Respect Forum Facilitators and will determine an appropriate course of action ranging from coaching a participant to disinviting a participant for behaviour deemed by a majority of members of the Respect Forum Governance Committee to be out of alignment with Respect Forum values.

  1. Mutual Respect: All participant communications and behaviours must demonstrate respect for one another.
  2. Relationship Building and Collaboration: Given the opportunity to learn about each other, participants may find common ground and identify possible opportunities for collaboration and teamwork. The open sharing of information and experience is essential to collaboration.
  3. Constructive Conversation: The organizers of the forum believe that there is no single, best solution in the fight against PTS or homelessness. As such, it is required that all participants refrain from making public judgements that denigrate the services offered by a fellow participant or organization.
  4. Trust: By bringing stakeholders together in a forum where participants learn about each others’ services with the benefit of facilitated discussions and presentations, stakeholders may develop a foundation of trust that opens the door to collaboration.
  5. Non-Partisan: Respect Forum events are independent, non-partisan gatherings that do not seek to promote any particular interest of any business, group, political party, lobby, or personal interests.

The Respect Forum Management directs the nature and format of communications delivered to the public and any or all stakeholders by the facilitators.

Public Communications will be undertaken centrally by the Director of Communications and the Social Media coordinator.

Facilitators are only responsible for the preparation of the Respect Forum report using the model provided. Site specific forum reports will include a brief summary of the highlights of the meeting, information regarding any presentations that were provided and a snapshot of the participants small group workshops. Where permissible contact information of the participants will be provided in the report.

The Respect Forum Governance Committee will ensure that external reports are provided to the stakeholder participants following each Forum.

Following the Spring and Fall sessions a comprehensive national report including the survey results, developed by the executive of the Respect Forums will be provided on the Respect Forums website at https://respectcanada.org

Respect Forum representatives in the commission of their duties will subscribe to and promote the following code of conduct. The purpose of this code of conduct is to provide general principles of ethical conduct to guide Respect Forum staff, Co-ordinators and Facilitators in meeting their duties and commitment to the Respect Forum mission and values.

All Respect Forum Facilitators and Coordinators must:

  1. Not advocate for any participant, solution, product, service or opinion when Facilitating or representing Respect Forums and when making opinions known in the context of the Respect Forum, indicate that the opinion is theirs and not the position of the Respect Forum;
  2. Adhere to the mission and values of the Respect Canada Forums and ensure a consistent approach in the conduct of Respect Forums activities;
  3. Protect and maintain the integrity of Respect Forums and ensure they are free of discrimination of any kind with respect to race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, physical or mental disability, sex or sexual orientation;
  4. Ensure they are not engaged in any activities that would be indicative of a perceived or real conflict of interest;
  5. Not engage in any illegal or unethical conduct nor act in a manner that conflicts with the best interests of Respect Forums;
  6. Preserve the confidence of information shared within the context of Respect Forums and any associated activities by protecting the privacy of Respect Forum participants; carry out responsibilities with integrity and in accordance with a high standard of competence.