PREAMBLE
These By-Laws, in general, pertain to matters of Branch organization not covered by the By-Laws and Regulations of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada and the Quebec Region, 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 Regular and Retired members covered by the geographic area of the Branch, as described by the Institute.
“President” means President of the Branch unless otherwise specified.
“Vice-President” means Vice-President of the Branch unless otherwise specified.
BY-LAW 1 NAME
The name of the Branch shall be PIPSC Saguenay-Lac St-Jean Branch, hereinafter referred to as the "Branch".
BY-LAW 2 AIM
The aim of the Branch shall be to represent Branch interests, to provide a forum for the discussion of Institute affairs, to administer this Constitution and By-Laws, to make recommendations to Regional Council 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
All members located within the geographic area of the Branch shall be members of the Branch.
BY-LAW 4 RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
All 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, vote in Branch affairs, and 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 The Branch Executive shall expend such monies as it considers necessary for the conduct of the business of the Branch.
5.3 Branch Funds Branch funds will be maintained in an account assigned by the Institute.
5.4 Signatures Financial transactions shall require the signature of any two (2) of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and 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.
BY-LAW 6 EXECUTIVE
6.1 Composition The Branch Executive shall be composed of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer and Members-at-Large to the maximum permitted by Institute By-Laws, elected by and from the Branch members at the Branch Annual General Meeting.
6.2 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.
6.3 Meetings The Branch Executive shall meet at least three times 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 the position of President becomes vacant, the Vice-President shall assume the position of the President until the next election.
6.6.2 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 Branch to fill that vacancy until the next election.
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.
6.7 Duties
6.7.1 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.
6.7.2 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.
6.7.3 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.
6.7.4 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.
6.7.5 Members-at-Large: Members-at-Large shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the Executive.
6.7.6 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.
BY-LAW 7 ELECTIONS
7.1 Elections Committee The Executive shall appoint an Elections Committee to receive nominations for 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.
7.2 Procedure for Nominations
7.2.1 A notice calling for nominations for election to the Branch Executive shall be distributed three (3) weeks in advance of the Branch Annual General Meeting.
7.2.2 Nominations may be submitted in writing or may be made from the floor of the Branch AGM.
7.2.3 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 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. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for a position shall be declared elected.
7.3.2 The results of the election shall be announced at the Branch Annual General Meeting and subsequently distributed. The newly elected Branch Executive shall take office at the close of the Branch Annual General Meeting.
BY-LAW 8 BRANCH MEETINGS
8.1 Annual General Meetings
8.1.1 The Branch Executive shall call an Annual General Meeting once each calendar year. The interval between Annual General Meetings shall not exceed fifteen (15) months. Members shall be notified at least three weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
8.1.2 Quorum Quorum at Annual General Meetings shall constitute fifty percent (50%) of the members in attendance at the beginning of the meeting.
8.1.3 Agenda The agenda shall include the following items:
Roll Call (members of the Branch 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
Report of the Elections Committee
New Business, including By-Law amendments
8.1.4 Voting All members present at the Annual General Meeting are eligible to vote. Voting for positions on the Branch 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.
8.1.5 Filing of Documents Each year, following the Annual General Meeting, the Branch 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 Branch shall be called by the Branch Executive or at the written request of at least 10% of Branch members and shall be held within six (6) weeks of such decision or request.
8.2.2 Only the matter for which the Special General Meeting was called shall appear on the agenda.
8.2.3 The same provisions shall apply to the notice, quorum and voting at a Special General Meeting as is prescribed for the Annual General Meeting.
BY-LAW 9 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 10 CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
10.1 These By-Laws may be amended at an Annual or Special General Meeting of the Branch. 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 Branch Executive. Proposed amendments may be submitted by any member of the Branch. 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.
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 appropriate Regional Executive for review.
10.4 This Constitution and By-Laws and any amendments thereto shall take effect upon approval by the Institute and ratification by the Branch membership.
BY-LAW 11 REGULATIONS
11.1 Branch 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 Branch.
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 Branch 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 Branch, 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
March 28, 2009