PREAMBLE
These By-Laws, in general, pertain to matters of the Branch organization not covered by the By-Laws and Regulations of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada and the National Capital Region, and are made pursuant to those By-Laws and Regulations.
DEFINITIONS
"Institute" means The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.
"Members" means those Regular and Retired members covered by the geographic area of the Branch, as described by the Institute.
“Regulations” means the Gatineau Branch By-Law Regulations.
BY-LAW 1 NAME
The name of the Branch shall be the Gatineau Branch of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, hereinafter referred to as the "Branch".
BY-LAW 2 AIM
The aim of the Branch shall be to represent PIPSC within the geographic area of the Branch; to provide a forum for the discussion of Institute affairs; to administer this Constitution and By-Laws; to make recommendations to Regional Council, Constituent Bodies and to the Institute on topics or matters within the objectives of the Institute, and to nominate delegates to Regional Council and Institute meetings in accordance with the Constitutions and By-Laws of those constituent bodies.
BY-LAW 3 MEMBERSHIP
3.1 Composition: All Regular and Retired members located within the geographic area of the Branch shall be members of the Branch.
3.2 Reorganization: Smaller branches can choose to separate from the Gatineau Branch if they have sufficiently met the requirements of the Institute. In this case, the Branch would reallocate the funding to the branch at the normal rates set out by the Institute. This funding would be pro-rated in accordance with the Branch fiscal period.
BY-LAW 4 RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
Members shall be eligible to hold office, nominate members for positions on the Branch Executive, propose amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Branch, and vote in Branch affairs. All members shall be eligible to attend and speak at General Meetings of the Branch.
BY-LAW 5 FINANCES
5.1 Fiscal Year: The fiscal year of the Branch shall be the calendar year.
5.2 Expenditures: Adoption of the budget by the Branch membership shall not preclude the right of the Branch Executive to expend additional funds should the need arise. Such additional expenditures shall be reported to the Branch membership at the next Branch meeting.
5.3 Bank Account: The Branch Executive shall maintain an account in the name of the Branch at the financial institution of its choice for the deposit of the funds of the Branch.
5.4 Signatures: Financial transactions shall require the signature of any two (2) of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer (or Secretary-Treasurer) of the Branch. A written account shall be kept of all expenditures.
5.5 Auditing: As required, auditing and verification procedures shall be carried out by members of the Branch who are not responsible for the administration of funds of the Branch.
5.6 Additional Funding: Additional funding may be requested by submitting a budget via the Regional Executive for approval and recommendation to Executive Committee.
5.7 External Funding Policy: Regulation R5.7 determines the process by which the Gatineau Branch Executive can make decisions regarding external funding requests to the branch. Approval of a funding request will be made based on its applicability to the core activities of the branch. Such a determination will be based on a recommendation from the Branch Finance Committee.
BY-LAW 6 EXECUTIVE
6.1 Composition: The Branch Executive shall be limited to a maximum of eleven (11) members. The Branch Executive shall be composed of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer (or Secretary-Treasurer) and members-at-large elected by and from the Branch members.
6.2 Term of Office: The term of office shall be two (2) years with the exception of the first election when two (2) officer positions and three (3) members-at-large shall be elected for a two (2) year term and the remainder for a one (1) year term to initiate a staggered rotation.
6.3 Meetings: The Branch Executive shall meet as frequently as required, but at least twice a year.
6.4 Quorum: A quorum shall consist of a majority of the members of the Branch Executive.
6.5 Voting: Decisions shall be by majority vote.
6.6 Vacancies
6.6.1 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 Branch to fill that vacancy until the next election.
6.6.2 If the position of President becomes vacant, the Vice-President shall assume the position of the President until the end of the original term of office. The position of Vice-President shall then be filled in accordance with these By-Laws. Where the remainder of the term of the President is less than the remainder of the term for the Vice-President, the Vice-President has the option of returning to the Vice-President position for the remainder of the term, or running for re-election of the President position.
6.6.3 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.
BY-LAW 7 DUTIES OF THE BRANCH EXECUTIVE
7.1 President: The President shall call and preside at all meetings of the Branch and of the Branch Executive, and shall present to the Annual General meeting a report on Branch activities.
7.2 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.
7.3 Secretary: The Secretary shall be responsible for sending notices of and keeping records of all meetings of the Branch and of the Branch Executive for the period required by Institute policy, and shall ensure that a copy of minutes is filed with the Institute. The Secretary shall also be responsible for submitting reports as required by the relevant Institute and Region By-Laws and Regulations (7.3 and 7.4 to be combined if positions of Secretary and Treasurer are combined).
7.4 Treasurer: The Treasurer shall administer and report on Branch finances, present a budget to Branch members at the first Branch meeting of the calendar year, present a financial statement to the Annual General Meeting and submit a copy to the Regional and National Offices each year, and maintain the financial records of the Branch as required by Institute policy. Copies of the financial report shall be available to all Branch members.
7.5 Members-at-Large: Members-at-Large shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the Executive.
7.6 Committees: The Branch or Branch 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 Branch Secretary. Committees shall be dissolved by majority vote of the body that established them.
7.6.1 Finance Committee: The Finance Committee shall be responsible for the Branch budget, and for review of all funding requests to the Gatineau Branch. This includes ensuring that all pre-requisites are adhered to, and making recommendations to the Gatineau Branch Executive. The Finance Committee shall normally be composed of the Branch Treasurer, The Chair of the Branch By-laws committee, and one Branch Executive member-at-large.
7.6.2 Membership Committee: The Membership Committee is responsible for membership services as defined in the Committee’s Terms of Reference as approved by the Gatineau Branch Executive.
7.6.3 Communications Committee: The Communications Committee is responsible for Branch Communications as defined in the Committee’s Terms of Reference as approved by the Gatineau Branch Executive.
7.6.4 By-Laws Committee: The By-Laws Committee is responsible for By-Laws as defined in the Committee’s Terms of Reference as approved by the Gatineau Branch Executive.
BY-LAW 8 ELECTIONS
8.1 The Executive shall appoint an Elections Committee to receive nominations for particular positions on the Branch Executive, and to conduct the elections. Any member of the Committee who becomes a candidate in the elections shall resign from the Committee.
8.2 The Elections Committee shall ensure the distribution of a request for nominations to all members of the Branch at least three (3) weeks prior to the date of election. Nominations may be made from the floor of the Branch AGM providing those nominated agree to stand and, in cases where more than one (1) candidate is running for the same position, an election by ballot shall be carried out at the Branch AGM. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for a particular position shall be declared elected.
8.3 Officer positions within the executive will be elected based on nominated candidates for a specific position. Candidates can be nominated for one (1) officer position only. Unsuccessful candidates for officer positions may be nominated to run for vacant member-at-large executive positions.
8.4 The newly elected Executive shall take office immediately following the meeting at which the election is held.
8.5 The Elections Committee shall ensure the membership is informed of the results of the election as soon as possible.
BY-LAW 9 BRANCH MEETINGS
9.1 At least one (1) Branch General Meeting per calendar year shall be held. Members shall be notified at least three (3) weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
9.1.1 Quorum The quorum for Branch meetings shall be a simple majority of the members of the Branch eligible to vote, present when the meeting is called to order.
9.1.2 If the quorum is not maintained, the meeting shall be rescheduled by the Executive. Notice of the rescheduled meeting shall be sent within two (2) weeks of the original meeting date. Fifty percent (50%) of the members present when the meeting is called to order shall constitute the quorum.
9.1.3 Voting With the exception of the election of the Branch Executive, voting shall be by a show of hands and each member shall have one (1) vote. Proxy voting shall not be permitted. Decisions shall be by majority vote. Voting shall be by secret ballot upon request of the majority of eligible voting members present.
BY-LAW 10 PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
At any meetings of the Branch, matters of procedure shall be governed by a majority vote of the members present and voting upon the matters of procedure. The Chair of such meeting shall first rule on any 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 Sturgis' Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure available at the meeting.
BY-LAW 11 CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
11.1 Amendment: The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended at any meeting of the Branch. Amendments may be proposed by any two (2) members of the Branch.
11.2 The notice of the Branch meeting at which the amendments will be considered, shall include:
(a) the article to be amended, and
(b) the new wording.
11.3 Approval of proposed amendments shall require a simple majority of Branch members voting.
11.4 This Constitution and By-Laws takes effect upon ratification by the members at a Branch meeting and approval by the Board of Directors. Any amendments thereto shall take effect upon approval by the Board of Directors and ratification by the Branch membership.
BY-LAW 12 REGULATIONS
12.1 The Branch Executive may make such Regulations and amendments thereto, not inconsistent with this Constitution and By-Laws, as it deems appropriate for the operating of the Branch.
12.2 All proposed Regulations and amendments thereto shall be submitted to the Institute for review.
12.3 All additions, changes or deletions to the Regulations shall take effect on a date to be determined by the Branch Executive and shall be reported to the next Annual General Meeting of the Branch which may repeal or suspend any Regulation.
BY-LAW 13 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.
Regulations
PREAMBLE
These Regulations are intended to amplify procedures necessary to meet the requirements of the By-Laws and may be revised as considered necessary from time to time by the Branch Executive. All changes to these Regulations shall be published.
REGULATION 5 FINANCES
R5.7 – External Funding: Any external funding request will conform to the PIPSC Policy on Constituent Body Finances.
Approved by the Board of Directors
August 17, 2013