Research and clinical teams are obligated to provide quality service. If you feel thatyour rights were violated or that you were treated inappropriately during your participation in a research project, you may file a complaint with the Montréal West Island CIUSSS Service Quality and Complaints Commission. This right is outlined in all consent forms. Please consult the Complaints Commissioner’s webpage to learn more about the complaint procedure to follow. 

There is a code of conduct that must be followed by all those involved in conducting research and which is shared by all academic institutions and funding agencies. Violations of this code can have serious consequences. To report a breach, please contact the person in charge of responsible conduct at the Montréal West Island CIUSSS, Dr. Willine Rozefort, at willine.rozefort.med@ssss.gouv.qc.ca or 514-761-6131 extension 2755,  and to the Office of Scientific Integrity at McGill University if the individual in question is affiliated with that institution. Our Policy on Responsible Conduct in Research (French only, English version coming soon) outlines possible breaches. The process for handling allegations is described in the section entitled Processing Allegations of Breaches.

The evaluation of a research project is a multi-step process involving administrative tasks and decision-making, some of which may be unpleasant for those submitting projects. The RRASU and regulatory bodies act in accordance with the regulatory framework, however, if you believe your project has not been evaluated adequately or fairly, you can file a complaint by writing to the head of RRASU, Dr. Mathieu Brodeur, and to the management of your research centre. If deemed necessary, an evaluation of the situation will be undertaken to determine the source of the issue, and a report will be filed and shared. You and your team may be contacted as part of this investigation. The procedure to follow and the steps involved are described in detail in the SOP – Handling Complaints Related to Research Projects(French only, English version coming soon).

It is possible that you may be approached to participate in or collaborate on a research project you have never heard of, since research projects are often not publicized. If you are invited to join as a research participant, know that you are free to accept or decline and that you must sign a consent form. If you are approached to collaborate on the project, i.e., to work on ityou typically do not need to sign a consent form, but your supervisor must have approved your involvement, so check with them first. Whether you are a participant or a collaborator, the project must have been authorized by the Montréal West Island CIUSSS and not solely by a research ethics board or another CIUSSS. Please do not hesitate to ask to see the letter of authorization from our institution or to write to us at recherche.comtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca especially if you have reason to believe the project has not been authorized.

We are always committed to improving our services and are willing to adjust practices where the changes benefit all of our clients, does not disproportionately increaseRRASU’s workload, and, most importantly, does not conflict with our obligations and regulatory framework. You can always write to recherche.comtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca to share your comments and suggestions.