Conciliation proceeds informally. Once the conciliator has clarified his or her role at the beginning of the session, he or she will invite you and the representative of the department, agency or municipality to give your respective points of view. He or she will encourage you to dialog and, if need be, will help you to have a discussion and to try to find a solution. There are no witness, cross-examination or even opening or closing arguments at a conciliation session.

During the conciliation session, the conciliator may also propose or agree to discuss certain points in private with you, or with the representative of the department, agency or municipality. This is called a caucus.

The conciliation session has no fixed duration. It may be adjourned so that you can obtain documents, consult an expert or consider offers which are made.

Since conciliation sessions take place in private, the public is not allowed in the room. In principle, they take place in the presence of the conciliator, the representative of the department, agency or municipality whose decision you are contesting, and any other person whose presence is useful or necessary in order to reach an agreement.

If you have a lawyer, he or she may speak on your behalf.