CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
PREAMBLE
These By-Laws, in general, pertain to matters of Chapter organization not covered by the By-Laws and Regulations of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada or of the Retired Members Guild, and are made pursuant to those By-Laws and Regulations.
DEFINITIONS
"Institute” and/or “PIPSC" means The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.
“Members” means those who meet the requirements of By-Law 3 Membership.
“President” means President of the Chapter unless otherwise specified.
“Vice-President” means Vice-President of the Chapter unless otherwise specified.
BY-LAW 1 NAME
The name of the Chapter shall be PIPSC Winnipeg and Southern Manitoba Chapter, hereinafter referred to as the "Chapter".
BY-LAW 2 CHAPTER AIM
The aim of the Chapter shall be to represent Chapter interests, to provide a forum for the discussion of Institute affairs, to administer this Constitution and By-Laws, to make recommendations to the Retired Members Guild and to the Institute on topics or matters within the objectives of the Institute.
BY-LAW 3 MEMBERSHIP
Every member of the Retired Members Guild located within the geographic area of the Chapter as described by the Institute shall be a member of the Chapter.
BY-LAW 4 RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
4.1 All members shall be eligible to hold office, nominate members for positions on the Chapter Executive, propose amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Chapter and vote in Chapter affairs.
4.2 All members shall be eligible to attend and speak at General meetings of the Chapter.
BY-LAW 5 FINANCES
5.1 Chapter Finances Chapter finances shall be consistent with Institute policies.
5.2 Fiscal Year The fiscal year of the Chapter shall be the calendar year.
5.3 Expenditures The Chapter Executive shall expend such monies as it considers necessary for the conduct of the business of the Chapter.
5.4 Chapter Funds Chapter funds will be maintained in an account assigned by the Institute.
5.5 Signing Officers Signing officers are elected or appointed by the Constituent Body executive with the decision being recorded in the appropriate minutes. There should be a minimum of three signing officers.
5.6 Signatures All cheques shall have the signatures of two signing officers. A signing officer cannot also be the payee.
5.7 Records A written account shall be kept of all expenditures.
5.8 Auditing As required, auditing and verification procedures shall be carried out by members of the Institute who are not responsible for the administration of funds of the Chapter.
BY-LAW 6 EXECUTIVE
6.1 Role: The Chapter Executive shall exercise the authority of and act on behalf of the Chapter on all matters subject to this constitution between general meetings of the Chapter.
6.2 Composition The Chapter Executive shall be elected by and from the Chapter members. The Chapter Executive shall be composed of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary- Treasurer, and a Member-at-Large, elected by and from the Chapter members.
6.3 Term of Office The term of office shall be two (2) years with the exception of the first election when half the members shall be elected for a two (2) year term and the remainder for a one (1) year term.
- Meetings The Chapter Executive shall meet as frequently as is required, but at least three times a year.
6.5 Quorum A quorum shall consist of a majority of the members of the Chapter Executive.
6.6 Voting Decisions shall be by majority vote.
6.7 Vacancies
6.7.1 If the position of President becomes vacant, the Vice-President shall assume the position of the President until the next election.
6.7.2 If a position, other than that of the President, becomes vacant for any reason, the remaining members of the Executive may select an eligible member of the Chapter to fill that vacancy until the next election.
6.7.3 Any member who is absent from two (2) consecutive meetings of the Executive without valid reason shall be considered to have resigned from the Executive.
6.8 Duties
6.8.1 President The President shall call and preside at all meetings of the Chapter and of the Chapter Executive, and shall present to the Annual General meeting a report on Chapter activities.
6.8.2 Vice-President The Vice-President shall assist the President in the performance of his duties and, in the absence of the President, perform the duties of that position.
6.8.3 Secretary-Treasurer The Secretary- Treasurer shall be responsible for sending notices of all meetings of the Chapter and of the Chapter Executive. The Secretary-Treasurer shall record minutes of meetings, including attendance, maintain records and correspondence of the Chapter and of the Chapter Executive, and shall ensure that a copy of minutes are filed with the Institute. The Secretary-Treasurer shall also be responsible for submitting reports as required by the relevant Institute and Guild By-Laws and Regulations.
6.8.4 Secretary-Treasurer The Secretary-Treasurer shall maintain the financial records of the Chapter as required by Institute policy, prepare a financial report for each meeting of the Chapter Executive and each General Meeting of the Chapter, submit a detailed financial statement to the Institute as required, and prepare the request for the annual allowance of the Chapter. Copies of the financial report shall be available to all Chapter members.
6.8.5 Members-at-Large The Member-at-Large shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the Executive.
6.8.6 Committees The Executive may establish Committees as necessary, with terms of reference and membership to be decided by the body that establishes them. Copies of committee reports shall be filed with the Chapter Secretary7. Committees shall be dissolved by majority vote of the body that established them.
BY-LAW 7 ELECTIONS
7.1 Elections Committee The Executive shall appoint an Elections Committee to receive nominations for positions on the Chapter Executive, and to conduct the elections. Any member of the Committee who becomes a candidate in the elections shall resign from the Committee.
7.2 Procedure for Nominations
7.2.1 A call for nominations for election to the Chapter Executive shall be included with the notice of the Chapter Annual General Meeting. (See 8.1.2)
7.2.2 Nominations may be submitted in writing or may be made from the floor of the Chapter AGM.
7.2.3 Reserved
7.2.4 The Elections Committee shall satisfy itself that the candidates for election are eligible and willing to serve.
7.3 Election Procedure
7.3.1 The election shall be at the Chapter Annual General Meeting (AGM).
7.3.2 The Elections Committee shall serve as Returning Officers and shall establish procedures for the efficient conduct of an election, the counting and tabulating of ballots and all matters directly related thereto.
7.3.3 Reserved
7.3.4 The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for a position shall be declared elected.
7.3.5 The results of the election shall be announced at the Chapter Annual General Meeting and subsequently distributed.
7.3.6 The newly elected Chapter Executive shall take office at the close of the Chapter Annual General Meeting.
BY-LAW 8 CHAPTER MEETINGS
8.1 Annual General Meetings
8.1.1 The Annual General Meeting of the Chapter is its governing body. All members are entitled to attend.
8.1.2 The Chapter Executive shall call an Annual General Meeting once each calendar year. The interval between such meetings shall not exceed fifteen (15) months. Members shall be notified of the meeting and of any proposed changes to this constitution at least three (3) weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
8.1.3 Quorum Fifty percent (50%) of the members in attendance at the beginning of the meeting shall constitute a quorum8.
8.1.4 Agenda The agenda shall include the following items:
Roll Call (members of the Chapter Executive)
Approval of the Agenda
Adoption of the Minutes of the previous Annual
General meeting
Business Arising from the Minutes
Report of the President
Annual Financial Report
Approval of the budget
Report of the Elections Committee
New Business, including By-Law Amendments
8.1.5 Voting on Motions All members present at the Annual General Meeting are eligible to vote. Voting for positions on the Chapter Executive shall be by secret ballot. Otherwise, voting shall normally be by a show of hands. Each member shall have one (1) vote. Decisions shall be by a simple majority vote.
8.1.6 Filing of Documents Each year, following the Annual General Meeting, the Chapter Executive shall submit a copy of the draft AGM minutes, the annual financial report and the elections report to the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Institute prior to end of the calendar year.
8.2 Special General Meeting
8.2.1 A Special General Meeting of the Chapter shall be called by the Chapter Executive or at the written request of at least 10% of the Chapter members and shall be held within six (6) weeks of such decision or request.
8.2.2 Only the matter(s) for which the Special General Meeting was called shall appear on the agenda.
8.2.3 The same requirements shall apply to the notice, quorum, governance, attendance and voting at a Special General Meeting as is prescribed for the Annual General Meeting.
BY-LAW 9 RULES OF PROCEDURE
At any meeting of the Chapter, Chapter Executive or Committees thereof, matters of procedure, insofar as they are not specifically provided for, shall be governed by a majority vote of the members present and voting on the matter of procedure. The Chair of such meeting shall first rule on a matter of procedure or order and shall, in the absence of any By-Law to the contrary, rely upon and be governed by the latest edition of the American Institute of Parliamentarians Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure or “Le code des procédures des assemblées délibérantes” available at the meeting.
BY-LAW 10 CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
10.1 These By-Laws may be amended at a General Meeting of the Chapter. Approval of proposed amendments requires a simple majority of those voting.
10.2 All proposals for amendments to these By-Laws shall be submitted, in writing, to the Chapter Executive. Proposed amendments may be submitted by any member of the Chapter. The notice of the Chapter meeting at which the amendments will be considered, shall include:
- the article to be amended; and
- the new wording.
(See 8.1.2)
10.3 New Constitutions and By-Laws, as well as any amendments, shall be submitted to the Institute By-Laws and Policies Committee and the Retired Members’ Guild Executive for review.
10.4 This Constitution and By-Laws and any amendments thereto shall take effect upon ratification by the Chapter membership and approval by the Institute.
BY-LAW 11 REGULATIONS
11.1 Chapter Executive may make such Regulations, and any amendments thereto, not inconsistent with these By-Laws, as it deems necessary or convenient for the operating of the Chapter.
11.2 All proposed Regulations and amendments thereto shall be submitted to the Institute for review and approval. They shall take effect on a date determined by the Chapter Executive, but not earlier than the date they were approved by the Institute.
11.3 Each such Regulation shall be presented to the next General Meeting of the Chapter, and may be rescinded or amended by such meeting. These constitute changes to the Regulations and shall be subject to Article 11.2.
BY-LAW 12 CONTEXT AND GENDER
In this Constitution and By-Laws, expressions in the masculine or feminine, in plural or in singular, may be substituted to give effect to the true meaning of the Constitution and By-Laws.
Approved by the Board of Directors
June 17, 2017