BYLAWS of the VICTORIA GREEN PARTY OF CANADA EDA

BYLAWS OF THE VICTORIA GREEN PARTY OF CANADA ELECTORAL DISTRICT ASSOCIATION

Dated for Reference January 31, 2015

 

  1. NATURE AND PURPOSE
  2. The name of the association shall be the Victoria Green Party of Canada Electoral District Association (the “EDA”).   
  3. The EDA is a subsection of the Green Party of Canada (the “Party”), and is bound by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Party. 
  4. The EDA is formed pursuant to the provisions of the Canada Elections Act. The boundaries of the EDA are the boundaries of the Electoral District of Victoria as set from time to time by the Government of Canada.
  5. The purposes of the EDA are to:

(a) advance the Party’s interests within the Electoral District of Victoria by:

(i) overseeing the nomination of the Party’s candidate within the EDA (the “Candidate”);

(ii) raising, receiving, and managing funds to support the election campaign of the Candidate and the purposes of the EDA;  

(iii) sustaining and growing the Party membership within the EDA through canvassing, events, or other means; 

(iv) maintaining the financial affairs and records of the EDA in accordance with the Canada Elections Act;  

(b) enhance the participation of EDA members in the Party by:

(i) engaging in dialogue with EDA members regarding local political issues of import to the Party’s platform, policies, and positions; and,

(ii) facilitating the participation of EDA members in the development of the Party’s platforms, policies, and positions.

  1. MEETINGS OF MEMBERS
  2. All Party members who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada and who reside within the boundaries of the Electoral District of Victoria are members of the EDA.
  3. No person may vote at a general meeting of the EDA unless that person:

(a) is an EDA member;  

(a) has been a Party member for at least 30 days; and,

(b) is a member in good standing at the time of the general meeting.

  1. Notice of general meetings shall be delivered to all EDA members at least fourteen days prior to the general meeting by regular mail, email, or telephone. Emails sent and messages left on telephone answering machines will be deemed to have been delivered on the day that they were sent or left on the answering machine.
  2. A quorum at general meetings shall be the lesser of five (5) percent of the membership or twenty-five (25) members.
  3. Notice of proposed amendments to these Bylaws shall be included in the notice of any general meeting at which amendments are to be considered.
  4. These Bylaws may be amended by a vote of at least two-thirds of the members present at a general meeting.
  5. Proxy voting is not permitted. 
  6. The EDA shall hold an annual general meeting (“AGM”) no later than fifteen (15) months after the previous AGM.  
  7. The business of the AGM shall include the election of the Executive of the EDA.

III. THE EXECUTIVE

  1. The Executive is the governing body of the EDA and is comprised of at least two (2) and not more than twelve (12) officers, two of whom shall be:

(a) Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”); 

(b) Financial Agent (“FA”).

  1. The remaining officers of the Executive may include: 

(a) Secretary;

(b) Membership Chair; 

(c) Fundraising Chair;

(d) Organizing Chair;

(e) Communications Chair;

(f) the Candidate.

  1. In the event of a vacancy on the Executive, the Executive may appoint a replacement who shall hold office until the position can be filled by election at the next AGM of the EDA. 
  2. The Executive shall ensure that the accounts of the EDA are audited as required by the Canada Elections Act. 
  3. The quorum for all Executive meetings shall be more than fifty (50) percent of Executive officers.   
  4. By vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of those present and voting, a duly constituted quorum of the Executive may remove an Executive officer who has missed four (4) consecutive regularly scheduled meetings of the Executive without reasonable explanation; or whose conduct is judged to be detrimental to the objectives of the EDA. The Executive shall notify an officer at least 48 hours in advance of a meeting at which removal of that officer is to be considered. 
  5. NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES
  6. The Executive shall call Candidate Nomination Meetings as required to select a Green Party Candidate for each Federal election.
  7. The Executive may appoint a Candidate Nomination Committee for the purpose of recruiting contestants for nomination. Prior to their appointment, committee members must agree to maintain neutrality with respect to the nomination process and to all potential contestants for nomination, and they must agree not to seek nomination themselves.
  8. Unless a federal election has been called:

(a) Notice of a nomination meeting shall be given to all EDA members by regular mail, e-mail or telephone, no later than 28 days prior to the nomination meeting. Emails sent and messages left on telephone answering machines will be deemed to have been delivered on the day that they were sent or left on the answering machine.

(b) At least 14 days before the nomination meeting, all persons wishing to be contestants for nomination must deliver to the CEO of the Executive the written endorsements of at least two other members of the EDA.

  1. If the EDA has not yet nominated a Candidate when a federal election is called, the Executive shall convene a nomination meeting as soon as is practical, and: 

(a) notice of the nomination meeting shall be given to all EDA members by regular mail, e-mail or telephone, no later than 48 hours prior to the nomination meeting. Emails sent and messages left on telephone answering machines will be deemed to have been delivered at the time that they were sent or left on the answering machine.

(b) all persons wishing to be contestants for the nomination shall make their intent known in person at the nomination meeting. 

  1. No monies, offices, or facilities of the EDA shall be used to assist any contestant for nomination.
  2. If an officer of the Executive wishes to seek the nomination, he or she must take a temporary leave of absence from the Executive until the Candidate has been elected. 
  3. In the event that there is only one (1) eligible contestant present at the nomination meeting, vote by the members present shall be held between the contestant and “None Of The Above”.
  4. If there are two or more eligible contestants, voting shall be by single transferable vote.  

(a) Members shall vote by preferentially ranking on his or her ballot any number of the contestants.  

If a contestant is the first preference of a majority of the ballots cast, that contestant is elected as the Candidate.  

(b) If no contestant is the first preference of a majority of the ballots cast, the contestant with the fewest number of first preference rankings is eliminated and that contestant’s ballots are redistributed at full value to the remaining contestants according to the next ranking on each ballot.  This process is repeated until one contestant obtains a majority of votes among contestants not eliminated.

  1. Should the Executive have occasion to replace a nominated Candidate, a duly constituted quorum of the Executive may, by vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of those present and voting,remove a Candidate. The Executive shall notify the Candidate at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting at which such a vote is to take place and shall allow the Candidate to address the Executive prior to a calling for the vote.

 

 

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