Application for assistance or mediation

Mediation

When the Tribunal receives an application or a complaint, it may appoint one of its members or an officer from its own staff to assist the complainant and the respondant, or the parties, in an effort to resolve the issues. Any discussions which take place during this resolution stage are confidential, and no documents or information relating to this stage can be placed in evidence before the Tribunal in the event that it becomes necessary to proceed to the hearing stage.

If the mediation effort is successful, the parties will be asked to sign a memorandum of settlement which will be placed on the Tribunal's case file.

If the mediation effort is unsuccessful, the Tribunal will be advised only that there has been no resolution and that a written or oral proceeding must be held.

To obtain more information on mediation or to request assistance, please contact the Tribunal:

Requesting assistance from the Minister of Labour

Parties to scale agreements under the Status of the Artist Act, or parties trying to negotiate agreements, often need help in clarifying issues and resolving disputes. When this happens, a neutral third party can make all the difference. With the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), that neutral third party can be available to you -- and at no cost.

Under section 45 of the Act, the Minister of Labour may name a mediator to confer with parties who are unable to reach agreement and assist them to enter into a scale agreement. The Minister may do this on his or her own initiative, or at the request of one or both parties. Such mediation is provided at no cost to the parties.

The FMCS provides conciliation and mediation assistance to artists' associations and producers engaged in collective bargaining, and offers preventive mediation and grievance mediation services when an agreement is in force. It also administers the Ministerial appointment of arbitrators when parties request it under section 36 of the Act.

Requests for assistance should be sent to: