Constitution

Statutes

Adopted June 25, 1980
Amended November 30, 1982
Amended February 22, 1984
Amended December 7, 1999
Amended March 11, 2008
Amended March 5, 2013

1. NAME:

The name of the organization shall be the ‘‘Canadian Group of the Canada-France Inter-Parliamentary Association’’ (hereinafter referred to as the Canadian Group).

2. PURPOSES:

The purposes of the Canadian Group shall be to foster exchanges between Canadian and French parliamentarians, to promote better mutual understanding of national and international problems, to develop co‑operation between the two countries in the political, economic, social, cultural and parliamentary fields and, as required, to propose to the respective governments and Parliaments appropriate initiatives for strengthening relations between the two countries.

3. MEMBERSHIP:

(a) The Canadian Group shall be composed of members of the Senate and the House of Commons who pay the annual dues. The Joint Interparliamentary Council of the Senate and the House of Commons shall set the amount of the annual dues.

(b) The Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons shall be ex officio Honorary Chairs of the Canadian Group.

4. WORKING YEAR: The working year of the Canadian Group shall correspond to the government fiscal year, that is, from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.

5. OFFICIAL BODIES OF THE CANADIAN GROUP:

(a) The Canadian Group’s official bodies are the General Assembly and the Executive Committee.

(b) The General Meeting and the Executive Committee may create sub-committees to consider and report on specific matters.

6. GENERAL MEETING:

(a) A General Meeting shall be held at least once per fiscal year.

(b) The Association shall hold an Annual General Meeting within 60 calendar days of the opening of a new Parliament.

(c) The Executive Committee, or 10 members of the Canadian Group, may convene a special General Meeting by giving at least 10 sitting days’ notice in writing to all members at their Parliamentary offices.

(d) Quorum is one-third of members up to 20 members, provided that the Senate and the House of Commons are both represented.

(e)The rules of order of the Parliament of Canada shall apply to the General Meeting.

(f) In general, votes at the General Meeting shall be taken by a show of hands, unless five members present request a vote by a secret ballot. If there are multiple candidates for positions on the Executive Committee, votes shall be taken by secret ballot.

7. POWERS OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING:

The General Meeting shall:

(a) Elect the members of the Executive Committee and receive the written report from the Chair on the year’s activities;

(b) Receive activity reports and work plans submitted to it for debate and approval by the Executive Committee;

(c) Receive the financial statements of the Canadian Group;

(d) As required, amend the by-laws of the Canadian Group by a two-thirds majority vote among members present, with one week’s notice;

(e) Consider all matters and carry motions in accordance with the purposes of the Canadian Group.

8. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – COMPOSITION:

(a) The Executive Committee shall be composed of 12 members, as follows:

• one Chair;
• two Vice-Chairs (one Senator and one MP);
• and ·nine members (including two Senators if the Chair is from the Senate, or three Senators if the Chair is from the House).

(b) The position of chair cannot be held by the Chair or Co-Chair of another parliamentary association.

(c) To the extent possible, Executive Committee membership shall reflect the representation of the recognized political parties in both Houses of Parliament, provided that the Canadian Group has at least one member in good standing from each of these parties.

9. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – CANDIDACIES AND ELECTIONS:

(a) Members of the Executive Committee shall be elected at the General Meeting to the positions for which they have run.

(b) The Association secretary shall distribute candidacy forms to all members of the Association.

(c) Candidacies shall be received no later than three working days before the Annual General Meeting (AGM), at which time the Association secretary shall report them and they shall then be made public.

(d) To vote, parliamentarians must have been Association members for no less than seven days before the AGM. Once the deadline has passed, the names of all parliamentarians authorized to vote shall appear on a list of voters.

(e) Nominations on the floor of the Annual General Meeting will only be accepted for those positions for which there are no candidates.

(f) The election shall be chaired by a parliamentarian chosen from a list approved by the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons, who is not a candidate for a position on the Association’s Executive. Voting shall be by secret ballot, with the assistance of the Association secretary and employees of the International and Interparliamentary Affairs Directorate.

(g) The ballot box shall be placed in clear view and each parliamentarian shall place his own ballot in the box.

10. POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

The Executive Committee of the Canadian Group shall:

(a) Direct and manage the affairs and budget of the Canadian Group in accordance with the decisions of the General Meeting and directives of the Joint Interparliamentary Council, and report annually on these affairs to these two authorities;

(b) Draw up a work plan and submit it to the General Meeting;

(c) Convene the General Meeting of members;

(d) Maintain relations with French parliamentarians between the Association Annual Meetings;

(e) On a timely basis, draw up a draft budget for the upcoming fiscal year and submit it to the Joint Interparliamentary Council;

(f) Take any initiatives it considers appropriate in accordance with the purposes of the Canadian Group.

(g) The Chair of the Canadian Group or an absolute majority of members of the Executive Committee may convene a meeting of the Executive Committee.

(h) Quorum at Executive Committee meetings shall be one-third of Executive Committee members up to four members, and shall include representation from both Houses of Parliament.

(i) The Executive Committee may replace any member for the remainder of his term if he is unable or unwilling to perform his duties.

(j) The rules of order of the Parliament of Canada shall apply to the meetings of the Executive Committee

11. ROLE AND POWERS OF THE CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIRS:

(a) The Chair shall chair the General Meeting and the meetings of the Executive Committee; if unable to do so, the Chair shall delegate this duty to one of the Vice-Chairs.

(b) The Chair shall head the Canadian delegation at international CFIPA activities; if unable to do so, the Chair shall designate a replacement.

(c) In all cases other than those referred to in by-laws 10(a) and (b), the Chair shall represent the Canadian Group; if unable to do so, the Chair shall designate one of the Vice-Chairs as a replacement if required.

12. SELECTION OF DELEGATES TO ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETINGS:

(a) Once the Joint Interparliamentary Council has approved the budget, the Executive Committee meets to determine the number of participants for each activity on its work plan for the fiscal year.

• The names of the members who will be participating in each of these activities, if known, are recorded at the meeting and forwarded to the Whips for approval.
  
  
• If there is extra space in the delegation, the Executive Committee calls on all members to apply as candidates, so the Whips can designate delegates from each party, given the importance of sending strong Canadian delegations to international activities

(b) The Executive Committee shall select the delegates and their replacements:

• taking into account the representation of the recognized political parties in both Houses of Parliament, and the proportions of 70% MPs and 30% Senators;
  
  
• assessing the candidates’ interest in matters having to do with Canada-France relations; and
  
  
• ensuring some degree of continuity in the composition of delegations from one Association Annual Meeting to another.
  

(c) All delegates selected shall make a commitment to attending the briefing meetings organized for them before each Association Annual Meeting.

13. FINANCIAL PROVISIONS:

The program of activities of the Canadian Group shall be funded out of a Joint Interparliamentary Council budget authorization and members’ annual dues.

14. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT STAFF:

The International and Interparliamentary Affairs Directorate of the Parliament of Canada shall designate an Executive Secretary to assist the Canadian Group. The Library of Parliament shall respond to the research needs of the Canadian Group.

15. DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT: If Parliament is dissolved, the Executive Secretary and the International and Interparliamentary Affairs Directorate shall expedite the routine business of the Canadian Group until a new Executive Committee is elected at the General Meeting.