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Policy
& Platform
SCHEDULE A
Attached to and Forming Part of the
Constitution of Canadian Alliance
1. STATEMENT
OF PRINCIPLES
2. GOVERNING THEMES
3. OBJECTIVES
4. MEMBERSHIP
5. VOTING
6. MEETINGS
7. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
8. OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
9. CANDIDATE SELECTION
10.NOTICES
11.REPORTING
12.AMENDMENTS
13.FISCAL YEAR
14.BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT
15.DUTY TO UPHOLD
16.REGULATIONS AND BYLAWS
17.LIABILITY
CONSTITUENCY
ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION
There are
many Articles within the Alliance Constitution which relate to
Constituency Associations and should be reviewed.
1 NAME
The name
of the Association is Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance Delta/South
Richmond Constituency Association.
2
DEFINITIONS
2.1 In this Constitution:
(a) "Annual term" means the period of time between two
consecutive annual general meetings;
(b) "Annual General Meeting" means: a specific meeting of a
Constituency Association at which the Directors and/or Officers of the
Constituency Association are elected by the Members in attendance to
manage the affairs of the Constituency Association until the succeeding
such meeting.
(c) "Association" means Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance
(insert name of Constituency) Constituency Association;
(d) "Board of Directors" or "the Board" means: the
collective of the Directors selected by a Constituency Association to
manage the affairs of said Constituency Association, subject always to
the provisions of this Constitution and to direction from the
Constituency Association;
(e) "Candidate" means the person selected by the Members of
the Association as the Alliance Candidate for election to Parliament;
(f) "Director" means any member of the Board of Directors and
includes Directors elected by Members of a District and Directors
elected by the Members of the Association;
(g) "Executive Committee" means the committee by that name
established under "Article 8 - Officers and Executive
Committee";
(h) "Filing Requirements" means those documents that the
Alliance deem necessary to have been filed prior to becoming a declared
nominee.
(i) "Member" means a Member of the Canadian Reform
Conservative Alliance who ordinarily resides in the Federal Electoral
District;
(j) "Nominee" means a person standing for selection in the
Constituency to become the Alliance Candidate for election to
Parliament;
(k) "Officer" means: a Member holding the position of
President, Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer of a Constituency
Association;
(l) "Alliance" means Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance;
(m) "Returning Officer" means a Member approved by the
Alliance to supervise the election of a Candidate at a meeting of the
Constituency Association called for that purpose and in accordance with
Article 9 - Candidate Selection" herein.
3
OBJECTIVES
The Objectives of the Constituency Association are:
(a) to support and promote the principles, Objectives and Policies of
the Alliance, and to maintain an effective Constituency organization for
that purpose;
(b) to select a candidate to represent the Alliance in the Constituency
for each federal election and by-election;
(c) to assist and promote the election of the Candidate of the Alliance
in the Constituency for each federal election and by-election;
(d) to raise money and maintain a fund to support the Association and to
assist candidates in federal elections and by-elections;
(e) to recruit membership to carry out the Objectives of the Alliance
and Constituency Association;
(f) to assist the Alliance in developing Policies and election
platforms.
4
MEMBERSHIP
4.1 Membership in the Association is all Members of the Alliance,
pursuant to "Article 3 - Membership" of the Alliance
Constitution, who are ordinarily resident in the Constituency
Association.
4.2 Membership in the Association shall cease if a Member ceases to be
ordinarily resident in the Federal Electoral District or is terminated
pursuant to "Article 3 - Membership" of the Alliance
Constitution.
4.3 An eligible person shall become a Member upon payment of the
applicable fee to a Alliance Official and entry upon the Membership
list.
4.4 A Member whose dues are in arrears by not more than sixty (60) days
shall, upon payment of the applicable fee, be considered reinstated as a
Member in good standing retroactive to the expiry date of the
Membership, with the exception of Membership requirements leading up to
a National Convention.
5
VOTING
5.1 Only Members may vote on matters coming before a general meeting of
the Association. Motions require a majority vote of persons present and
voting to pass. In the event of a tie vote, the President shall cast the
deciding vote.
5.2 Only those who have been Members for at least seven (7) days
immediately prior to the date of voting, shall be entitled to vote on
the election of Directors and Delegates to any National Convention. Only
Members of the Association in good standing shall be qualified to stand
for election for Directors or Delegates.
5.3 All Members shall be eligible voters for the selection of a
Candidate for election to Parliament.
5.4 Voting on matters set out in Article 5.2 and 5.3, shall be by secret
vote.
5.5 The Board of Directors may appoint a Nomination Committee in
relation to the elections referred to in Article 5.2. The Nomination
Committee should strive to identify and recruit qualified persons for
each position and may recommend certain persons to the voters.
Nominations for the positions in Article 5.2 shall not close until
nominations from the floor have been called.
5.6 A meeting for the election of delegates and alternates pursuant to
Article 5.2 should be held at least sixty (60) days prior to the
commencement date of a National Convention.
5.7 Proxy voting within the Alliance is not permitted.
6
MEETINGS
6.1 Meetings of the Association shall be convened by the Executive
Committee as required.
6.2 In each twelve (12) month period, the Association shall hold at
least four (4) meetings of its Board of Directors, not less than one (1)
meeting per quarter, and at least one (1) general meeting of its Members
per year.
6.3 The Secretary shall, within forty-five (45) days of receipt by the
Secretary of a written request signed by not fewer than twenty-five (25)
Members or ten (10) percent of the Membership, whichever is greater,
convene a meeting of the Association.
6.4 National Council may call a meeting of the Constituency Association
if it believes that it is necessary to do so, with notice consistent
with this Constitution.
6.5 Notice of all meetings shall state the matters to be dealt with at
the meetings. No matters shall be dealt with at a Membership or National
Council initiated meeting until those stated in such request have been
dealt with.
6.6 A quorum at meetings of the Association shall be either thirty (30)
Members or one half (1/2) of the Membership, whichever is the lesser,
however not less than ten (10) Members, entitled to vote. Should a
quorum not be present within one-half (1/2) hour of the time called for
a meeting, that meeting, other than a meeting called by the Secretary
pursuant to a request under Article 6.2, shall be set over to the same
time and place one (1) week later, if possible.
6.7 Meetings of the Association should be held within the boundaries of
the Federal Electoral District unless a majority of the Board of
Directors vote to hold the meeting elsewhere.
6.8 The Association shall in each calendar year, and no later than
fourteen (14) months from the last Annual General Meeting, hold an
Annual General Meeting at which the following business shall be
conducted:
(a) report by the Board of Directors;
(b) presentation of financial statements;
(c) election of Directors and, where applicable, Officers;
(d) other business as required.
In the event of a federal election or by-election falling within the
allotted period, an Annual General Meeting may be postponed for up to
ninety (90) days. National Council will decide and advise all
Constituency Associations whenever they are authorized to implement the
compressed timelines dealing with Candidate recruitment and selection.
6.9 The Executive Committee shall formulate all rules, regulations and
procedures to be followed at all meetings which are consistent with this
Constitution.
7
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
7.1 The affairs of the Association shall, subject to the provisions of
the Alliance Constitution and direction from the Members, be managed and
directed by a Board of Directors.
7.2 The Membership at a Meeting of the Association may pass a bylaw,
pursuant to Article 16, to establish Districts within the Association
which may stipulate that a certain number of Directors come from each
established District.
7.3 Directors shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting from the
Members.
7.4 The Board of Directors shall be comprised of:
(a) the Directors; and
(b) the Alliance's Member of Parliament from the Federal Electoral
District. If there is no elected Alliance Member of Parliament from the
Federal Electoral District, the Board shall include the Constituency
Candidate for election to the Parliament and this inclusion shall
terminate one hundred and twenty (120) days following the federal
election or by-election contested by the Candidate.
7.5 Only Members who ordinarily reside of the Federal Electoral District
for at least thirty (30) days immediately prior shall be qualified to
stand for election as a Director.
7.6 The total number of elected Directors shall not exceed thirty (30).
7.7 Notwithstanding this Article, the Board of Directors may appoint up
to three (3) additional members to the Board (to a total of thirty-three
(33) Directors) as circumstances may require.
7.8 The term of office of the Directors is one (1) annual term.
7.9 If a Director ceases to hold office, the Board may appoint a
replacement Director from the Membership.
7.10 A Director appointed by the Board of Directors may be removed from
office at a meeting called for that purpose on approval by not less than
two-thirds (2/3) of the membership of the Board of Directors, present
and voting.
7.11 A Director elected by the Members at a Meeting of the Association,
may be removed from office at a Meeting of the Board of Directors called
for that purpose on approval by not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the
full membership of the Board of Directors.
7.12 The Board of Directors may remove a Director who has missed four
(4) consecutive regularly scheduled Board meetings without reasonable
explanation.
7.13 In the event that there are the same number or fewer persons
standing for election than vacant Director positions, each Member
present and voting shall mark "yes" or "no" opposite
the name of each person on the ballot. Every person receiving more
affirmative than negative, and only those persons, shall be declared a
Director. Any Candidate receiving more negative than affirmative votes
may not be appointed to any vacancy on the Board of Directors.
7.14 Meetings of the Board shall be promptly called by the Secretary at
the direction of the President or at the written request for a meeting,
signed by at least five (5) Directors
7.15 The Board of Directors shall appoint such committees as are
required for the efficient operation of the Association.
7.16 A quorum of the Board of Directors is the greater of forty (40)
percent or six (6) Members.
8
OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
8.1 The day to day affairs of the Association shall, subject to the
provisions of the Alliance Constitution and the direction from the Board
of Directors, be managed and directed by an Executive Committee, which
shall be comprised of the President, Vice-President(s), Secretary,
Treasurer and not more than three (3) additional members of the Board of
Directors.
8.2 The Officers of the Association shall be elected each year either by
the membership of the Association at the Annual General Meeting or by
the Board of Directors from within their numbers. If the Officers are to
be elected by the Board of Directors, the election shall take place
within fourteen (14) days of the Annual General Meeting.
8.3 The Officers of the Association shall be:
(a) a President who shall prepare the agenda and preside at all meetings
of the Association, the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee,
who shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the
Nomination Committee and Candidate Selection Committee, and who shall
ensure that all communications sent to them by National Office that
pertain to specific officers shall be distributed within a timely
matter;
(b) one (1) or more Vice-Presidents, who shall have such duties as the
Board shall assign, one of whom shall assume and perform the duties of
the President in the absence of the President;
(c) a Secretary who shall have custody of all official Association
records, documents and all regulations of the Association, other than
financial, and who shall prepare and maintain minutes of meetings of the
Association, of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee,
call meetings upon the direction of the President or request of members
as laid out in this Constitution, and perform other secretarial duties
as the Board may direct;
(d) a Treasurer who shall administer the financial affairs of the
Association and keep or cause to be kept all such books of account and
financial records as may be required to properly reflect the financial
affairs of the Association.
8.4 If the Officers of the Association are elected by the Board of
Directors, an Officer of the Association may be removed from that
position at a meeting of the Board of Directors called for that purpose
on approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the full membership of the Board of
Directors.
8.5 If the Officers of the Association are elected by the Membership, an
Officer of the Association may be removed from that position at a
meeting of the Association called for that purpose on approval of
two-thirds (2/3) of the membership present and voting.
8.6 Upon ceasing to hold office, Officers shall promptly deliver to
their successors or to the President or Vice-President(s) of the
Association, all records, materials and property in their possession,
which belong to the Constituency Association.
8.7 If an Officer ceases to hold office, the Board of Directors may
appoint a Director to fill the position for the unexpired term.
8.8 The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the President or
upon written request to the Secretary of at least three (3) other
Executive Committee members.
8.9 A quorum of the Executive Committee is a majority of its members.
8.10 Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held either in person
or simultaneous telephone attendance or by a combination thereof.
8.11 All actions of the Executive Committee shall be recorded and the
actions taken since the previous meeting of the Board of Directors shall
be presented for ratification to the next meeting of the Board of
Directors.
9
CANDIDATE SELECTION
9.1 No fewer than three (3) months prior to a prospective Candidate
Selection Meeting, a Candidate Selection Committee shall be appointed by
the Board of Directors, and shall be comprised of two (2) Directors,
plus three (3) other Members and shall appoint a Chairman from its
numbers. Individual Committee members must sign a pledge to not become a
Nominee and not promote or oppose any Nominees.
9.2 The Candidate Selection Committee shall:
(a) organize and administer a candidate recruitment, nomination and
selection program;
(b) conduct a thorough search to find the best available Nominees to
seek selection as the candidate to represent the constituency in
Parliament in accordance with Alliance guidelines;
(c) require the calling of a general meeting of the Association for the
purpose of selecting the Candidate ("the Candidate Selection
Meeting,"); and
(d) provide opportunities for the dissemination or publication of the
platform and priorities of all Nominees.
9.3 A Meeting Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors.
The committee shall organize the Candidate Selection Meeting(s) as
directed and approved by, the Board of Directors, but will work closely
with the Candidate Selection Committee to ensure all their needs are
met. Individual Committee members must sign a pledge to not become a
Nominee and not promote or oppose any Nominee(s).
9.4 Any member of the Board of Directors after filing nomination papers
to seek the nomination as a Candidate in an upcoming federal election or
by-election, shall take a leave of absence as a Director and can only
resume Board duties when the Director is no longer a contender for the
Candidate Selection or the election or by-election, as the case may be.
9.5 All Nominees shall be notified of and invited to attend meetings of
the Board as a guest until the Candidate has been selected.
9.6 Except in the case of a by-election, the Candidate Selection
Committee shall, no more than one (1) year but not less than two (2)
months prior to the prospective Candidate Selection Meeting:
a) declare the start of the official campaigning period for the
nominees;
b) release a copy of the Association's Membership list to each nominee
who has met the Filing Requirements; and
c) provide opportunities for all Nominees to state their platforms and
promote their candidacy.
9.7 At a Candidate Selection Meeting, no business other than the
selection of a Candidate shall be conducted until after the vote for the
Candidate has been held.
9.8 A person seeking nomination as a Candidate shall present to a member
of the Candidate Selection Committee, before nominations are closed, a
nomination paper signed by not fewer than ten (10) Members who are
entitled to vote on the selection of a Candidate. The nomination paper
shall be signed also by the Nominee indicating acceptance of the
nomination and support of the Alliance's Principles. Every Nominee must
have been a Member for at least thirty (30) days immediately prior to
the date of the Candidate Selection Meeting, have a paid up membership
extending to at least the latest possible date of the forthcoming
election, and be eligible to sit as a Member of Parliament.
9.9 Nominations shall close at 5:00 p.m., fourteen (14) days prior to
the date of the Candidate Selection Meeting, or, when Multiple Candidate
Selection Meetings are to be held, at 5:00 p.m., fourteen (14) days
prior to the date of the first such meeting.
9.10 At Candidate Selection Meetings, a Returning Officer approved by
the Alliance, shall:
(a) supervise the voting and vote counting;
(b) declare and announce the winner; and
(c) if so directed by the meeting, destroy the ballots.
9.11 Before the vote is taken, each Nominee shall be given equal time to
address the meeting. The time allotment shall be determined by the
Candidate Selection Committee and communicated to all Nominees in
advance, and may be used by the Nominee and/or the Nominee's introducer
as the Nominee may choose.
9.12 On the ballot, the Nominees shall be named in alphabetical order.
9.13 In order to receive a ballot, a Member must establish current
membership in the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, as well as
further identification as proof of ordinary residence in the Federal
Electoral District where the Member votes.
9.14 Ballots shall be marked in secret by eligible voters. With the
approval of the Returning Officer, any Alliance approved voting methods
may be used.
9.15 The Board of Directors, after consultation with the Candidate
Selection Committee, shall pass a resolution determining whether the
Candidate will be selected by either:
(a) a sequential ballot, where, if after the first vote no Nominee
receives more than fifty (50) percent of the valid votes cast, then the
Nominee receiving the least number of votes shall withdraw and another
vote shall be taken. This process shall be repeated until one (1)
Nominee receives more than fifty (50) percent of the valid votes cast. A
Nominee receiving over fifty (50) percent of the valid votes cast shall
be the Candidate; or
(b) a single preferential transferable ballot wherein the voters
numerically rank the Nominees in the sequence of their choice.
9.16 The Board of Directors, may determine that more than one Candidate
Selection Meeting should be held for a particular federal election or
by-election (herein referred to as "Multiple Candidate Selection
Meetings") whereupon the following rules and procedures shall
apply:
(a) The Board of Directors, after consultation with the Candidate
Selection Committee, shall decide the number of meetings to be held and
the location, date and time of each such meeting.
(b) The same general rules and procedures as relate to a single
Candidate Selection Meeting, shall apply to each Multiple Candidate
Selection Meeting.
(c) Ballots at all Multiple Candidate Selection Meetings held shall be
identical.
(d) At these meetings, voting shall be by way of single preferential
transferable ballot.
(e) No person shall vote at more than one (1) Candidate Selection
Meeting in any election or by-election.
(f) All ballots cast shall be deposited by voters into sealed ballot
boxes, and following the voting at each meeting the integrity of those
ballot boxes shall be maintained unopened by the Returning Officer.
(g) Votes for all Nominees are cumulative, and if no nominee receives
more than fifty (50) percent of the vote on counting the
"first" choices marked on the ballots then the nominee
receiving the lowest number of "first" choice votes shall be
dropped from the contest and their ballots shall be added to those of
the remaining contestants according to their "second" choice
and this process shall be repeated until a Nominee receives more than
fifty (50) percent of the total number of valid votes cast in the
election.
9.17 In the event that there is only one Nominee, that person shall be
the Alliance Candidate, provided that each Member present (at the
Candidate Selection Meeting) and voting marks either "yes" or
"no" opposite the name on the ballot and that no more than
fifty (50) percent of the eligible voters cast negative votes.
9.18 In the event of an unanticipated federal election or by-election,
the time periods in "Articles 9.1, 9.6, 9.9 - Candidate
Selection" and "Article 10.2 - Notices" may be abrogated
by a resolution passed by the Board of Directors. National Council will
decide and advise all Constituency Associations whenever they are
authorized to implement the compressed timelines dealing with Candidate
recruitment and selection.
9.19 Memberships sold during the Candidate Selection process must be
turned in to the President or the Candidate Selection Committee or their
designate within the time parameters established in "Article 5.2 -
Voting" and such Membership application forms must be signed by the
applicant.
9.20 For the purposes of this Article, a mail-in ballot may be used in
those Federal Electoral Districts identified in Schedule III of the
Canada Elections Act, and by other Associations if circumstances warrant
with the approval by National Council, provided that the procedure for
any proposed mail-in ballot is approved by National Council.
9.21 The Candidate Selection Committee shall interview each person
seeking nomination as a candidate within seven (7) days of the filing
requirements being met. In conducting such interview(s), the Committee
shall satisfy itself as to the character and support of Canadian Reform
Conservative Alliance Principles of each person seeking nomination. The
Candidate Selection Committee and National Council, through a joint
decision, shall have the right to disallow the candidacy of any person.
10 NOTICES
10.1 Notice of any meetings of the Association, together
with notice of dates, times and locations of meetings, and items to be
dealt with thereat shall be given by, or under the direction of the
Secretary to each Member of record by one (1) or more of the following
methods:
(a) mailing a copy of such notice to the Member's address of record;
(b) personally delivering a copy of such notice;
(c) mailing to the Member's address of record a copy of a Constituency
Newsletter which prominently displays such notice;
(d) causing such notice to be published in a newspaper or newspapers
having general circulation coverage throughout the entire Constituency;
(e) oral communication to each Member; or
(f) appropriate telephonic and computer technology.
10.2 Notice of Meetings of the Association shall be given to all Members
not fewer than fourteen (14) days and not more than forty five (45) days
prior to the day on which any such meeting is to be held.
10.3 Notice of Board of Directors meetings shall be given to all
Directors by either the President or the Secretary not fewer then seven
(7) days prior to the date of the meeting. Notice of any meeting of the
Board of Directors may be waived with the approval of three quarters
(3/4) of the Directors.
10.4 Notice of District meetings, where applicable, shall be given by
the Secretary of the Association or by the Director elected by the
District to all Members of record ordinarily residing in the District
not fewer than fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the meeting.
11
REPORTING
Copies of the following shall be provided to National
Office by each Constituency within thirty (30) days of the holding of an
Annual General Meeting:
(a) the names of the Officers with their mailing addresses, telephone
and facsimile numbers and email addresses, any change in the Officers'
makeup or personal information to be forwarded in a timely fashion on an
ongoing basis;
(b) the minutes of the Annual General Meeting; and
(c) the annual financial report of the Association.
12
AMENDMENTS
This Constituency Association Constitution may be amended
only in accordance with "Article 16 - Constitutional
Amendments" of the Alliance Constitution.
This Constituency Association Constitution may be amended only in
accordance with "Article 16 - Constitutional Amendments" of
the Alliance Constitution.
13 FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the Association shall be a maximum of
a twelve (12) month period recommended by the Board of Directors and
approved by the Members at a Meeting of the Association.
14 BOUNDARY
ADJUSTMENT
In the event of a legal change to the boundaries of a
Federal Electoral District, one person from each Constituency
Association so affected and one person appointed by National Council
shall meet to decide the fair division of assets of the affected
Constituency Associations and the transfer and co-ordination of
Membership lists.
15 DUTY TO UPHOLD
It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to uphold
and enforce the provisions of this Constitution.
16
REGULATIONS AND BYLAWS
The Constituency Association may pass regulations and
bylaws with respect to the operation of the Association so as to not
conflict with this Constitution or the Alliance Constitution. Copies of
such regulations and bylaws must be kept by the Secretary in the
Constituency Association files and copies thereof shall be sent to
National Office.
17 LIABILITY
When acting within the scope of their authority, no
Director of a Constituency Association shall be liable for any debts,
actions, claims, demands, liabilities or commitments of any kind made by
the Constituency Association. The Constituency Association shall
indemnify and hold harmless each such Director, against any such debt,
action, claim, demand, liability or commitment.
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