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CANQUA's consititution
[French version | version Francais]
Article 1: Name
Canadian Quaternary Association, or CANQUA.
Article 2: Objectives
Advancement and dissemination of knowledge about the Quaternary
period. In furtherance of these objectives the Association,
through its Council, shall have power to (a) hold public meetings
and exhibits; (b) publish newsletters, pamphlets, leaflets,
abstracts, notices of meetings, position papers and papers
resulting from meetings; (c) sponsor lecture series; (d) sponsor
field conferences; (e) co-operate with other Quaternary
associations both in and outside Canada; (f) do all such things
as will further these objectives.
Article 3: Recognized Disciplines
Disciplines embraced by CANQUA are those covered by the
International Association for Quaternary Research at the time in
question. As of May 1, 1982 these Quaternary disciplines consist basically
of Applied Quaternary Studies and Engineering; Archaeology and
Anthropology; Biology; Climatology; Ecology; Geography and
Geomorphology; Geology and Stratigraphy; Glaciology; Hydrology,
Limnology and Oceanography; Palaeontology and Palynology.
Article 4: Regions
For convenience and for purposes of representation on Council,
the Association shall be constituted by the following five
regions:
- Atlantic, consisting of the provinces of New Brunswick,
Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island;
- Eastern, consisting of the province of Quebec;
- Central, consisting of the province of Ontario;
- Great Plains-Arctic, consisting of the provinces of
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and of the Northwest Territories;
- Pacific, consisting of the province of British Columbia and
Yukon Territory.
Regional boundaries can be altered only with majority vote of the
members in each of the regions involved.
Article 5: Administration
Activities of the Association shall be directed by the membership
acting through General Meetings, mail votes, referenda; and
through an elected Council and Executive.
Article 6: Membership
A. Eligibility
- Membership shall be open to any person interested in
furthering the objectives of the Association and who pays the
prescribed membership fee. It is not restricted to disciplines
covered under Article 3.
- The Association may elect honourary Members: these shall
hold membership for life and be exempt from membership fees.
- Membership year coincides with the financial year (Article
13). Members whose subscriptions are more than one year in
arrears may not receive notices, newsletters, or circulars and
are excluded from voting for any purposes. Members whose
subscriptions are two years in arrears will be removed from the
Association roll by the Secretary-Treasurer after a final
reminder has been sent near the end of the second year.
- A member may resign at any time by written notification to
the Secretary. Membership fees are not refundable.
B. Regions
Membership is by the regions outlined in Article 4. A member may
designate the region to which he wishes to belong; otherwise he
shall be deemed to be a member from the region in which he
dwells. A member from outside Canada who does not designate a
region shall be deemed to be a member-at-large, with all
privileges of membership except voting for Councillors.
C. Functions
To elect members of Council (see Article 8)
To approve or otherwise the proposed annual budget and
financial statements from the past financial year.
To approve or otherwise any request by Treasurer for
authority to borrow money.
To set membership fees for the ensuing financial year.
To receive the yearly reports by the Council on its actions.
Items above are normally discharged at the
Biennial General Meeting for those years in which such a meeting
is held (clause D), and by direct reference to the membership
during years in which such a meeting is not held. However, any
item may be referred to the full membership for decision by
mailed ballot.
D. General Meetings
A meeting open to all members shall be termed a General
Meeting.
A General Meeting, termed the Biennial General Meeting,
shall be held at intervals of approximately two years, and
preferably alternately with the meetings of the American
Quaternary Association. However a General Meeting of the
Association may be called by any twenty members upon application
to the Secretary, in which case the meeting must be held within
75 days of receipt of the application.
Members must be given not less than 40 days notice of any
General Meeting. For Special General Meetings the main purposes
of the meeting and agenda must accompany the notice.
Any General Meeting may determine the time and place of the
next General Meeting. If it fails to do so, the next meting will
be at the call of the President.
A quorum for a General Meeting shall consist of any fifteen
members plus at least one member of the Executive (see Article
8). All five regions defined in Article 4 should be represented
directly or by proxy. If a quorum is not present, business is
postponed to a succeeding General Meeting, to be called by the
President.
A majority of those voting at a General Meeting suffices to
pass any motion. The officer chairing the meeting votes only in
case of a tied vote. On decision of the presiding officer, or if
requested by seven or more members, a vote shall be conducted by
written, secret balloting.
Article 7: Council
A. Composition
- The Council shall consist of the Past-President and twelve
other Councillors elected by the members of each region as
follows:
- Two Councillors from each of the Atlantic,
Great-Plains-Arctic, Pacific Region.
- Three Councillors from each of the Eastern and Central
Regions.
- Elections of Councillors shall be by mail vote (see Article
8, c(ii)).
- Terms of office for Councillors shall be four years,
taking effect at the first Biennial Meeting following election.
Terms of office for half (six) of the Councillors, excluding the
incoming Past-President shall lapse every two years.
- A retiring Councillor may be re-elected for one further
term of four years.
B. Functions
The Council has general direction and supervision of the
affairs of the Association. It may, however, delegate most
matters to the Executive (Article 8). Council may set up such
committees as it deems advisable; membership in such committees
is not restricted to Councillors. These and all other committees
of CANQUA report directly to Council.
Council shall elect the Executive (Article 8) from within
its own members, with representation from every region, unless it
is not feasible. Upon election of a new President, the previous
President immediately becomes Past-President and remains a
Councillor as long as he retains that office. Should any
Executive post become vacant, Council shall elect a replacement
to serve the remainder of the term.
Council shall present each year, to the Biennial General
Meeting or directly to the membership, a proposed membership fee
for the ensuing financial year.
C. Council Meetings
A Council Meeting must be held at least once every two
financial years. It may be held in conjunction with the Biennial
or any other General Meeting. A Special Council Meeting may be
called at any time by the President, or by four Councillors upon
written application to the Secretary. In this last case, the
meeting must be held within sixty days of receipt of the
application.
Councillors must be given not less than thirty days notice
of any Council Meeting. For a Special Council Meeting, the main
purpose for the meeting must accompany the notice.
Any Council Meeting may set the time and place of its next
meeting. If it fails to do so, the meeting will be at the call
of the President.
A quorum for a Council Meeting consists of five
councillors, including at least one member of the Executive. If
no quorum is present, all business is either postponed to a
succeeding Council meeting to be called by the President, or else
is referred to Councillors for decision by mail or phone
balloting.
A majority of these voting at a Council Meeting suffices to
pass any motion. The presiding officer votes only in case of a
tied vote.
Any Council matter may be referred to Councillors for
decision by mail or telephone voting.
Article 8: Executive
A. Composition
The Executive shall consist of a President, President-Elect,
Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer.
B. Office
Officers of the Executive are elected for two-year terms,
extending from the report of the Nominating Committee at one
Biennial General Meeting to the next Biennial General Meeting.
Except for the Secretary-Treasurer and subject to the clause
below, no member of the Executive shall hold the same
office for more than one term of two years, but may be re-elected
to that same office after the lapse of one term.
If no candidate for any office is available, the incumbent
retains office until a suitable replacement can be found.
At the end of a term the Past-President retires, the
President succeeds to the post of Past-President, and the
President-Elect becomes President. These changes are normally
proposed by the Nominating Committee (item C below) and must
be approved by Council.
C. Functions
The Executive carries out all duties delegated to it by the
Council.
The Past-President is in charge of nomination. In
preparing the proposed slate of Councillors, he shall consult
with any regional association. He may also agree to undertake
such tasks as Council or Executive request.
The Executive, through the Past-President, shall prepare a
slate of candidates for Council to be presented to the Membership
at least two months prior to each Biennial General Meeting (see
below). This slate may name more than one candidate
for each position. In making nominations, Executive shall ensure
as broad a representation of the various disciplines embraced by
the Association as is feasible. The Executive shall also ensure
that names of candidates nominated by other members appear on the
ballot. To be properly nominated, such candidates must have
agreed to serve, and have been nominated by at least two members
of the region to be represented. Such a nomination must be
received by the Secretary prior to preparation of the ballot.
The President presides at all Executive, Council and
General Meetings, provides general supervision over operations of
the Association. He makes such decisions and takes such actions
for the operation and benefit of the Association as may be
necessary; he reports these actions and the transactions of the
Executive for ratification at the next council Meeting.
The President-Elect is understudy to the President and may
also agree to undertake such tasks as Council or Executive
request.
The Vice-President has primary responsibility for field and
other conferences, for other public meetings, and for maintaining
contact with local organizing committees. If possible, he should
be from the region for which the next major conference or field
trip is planned. He may also undertake to perform other
functions that Executive or Council might request.
In the capacity of Secretary, the Secretary-Treasurer
shall keep or have kept minutes and records of all General,
Council, and Executive meetings, of correspondence, membership,
and of other important matters pertaining to the Association.
In the capacity of Treasurer, the Secretary-Treasurer
shall record Financial Transactions of the Association, and is in
charge of all receipts and disbursements, He shall record
membership fees paid, notify members of fees owing, and note
those members who are more than one year in arrears. He shall
prepare a financial statement showing assets, liabilities, and
general financial position of the Association, as of December 31,
for presentation to the Biennial General Meeting or directly to
the membership.
Article 9: Amendments
The Constitution can be amended by referral to the full
membership for mail vote. A two-thirds majority of votes cast is
required for approval. A minimum period of thirty days must be
allowed between distribution of ballots and tallying of the vote.
Article 10: Voting
Except where otherwise noted in these Articles, a simple majority
of those voting suffices to pass any motion. A member unable to
attend a General Meeting, or a Councillor unable to attend a
Council Meeting may inform the Secretary of his wishes in regard
to any matter, and the Secretary shall record his vote. He may
also appoint any other member or Councillor attending the meeting
as proxy to vote for him.
Article 11: Representation
In all matters relating to nominations to Council and Executive
and Committee membership, cognizance shall be taken of the
various regions and disciplines represented in the Association.
Article 12: Language
French and English may be used at all meetings of the
Association, including Committee Meetings, and in all
communications with the Association.
All official notices and communications of the Association
shall be available in both French or English.
Article 13: Financial Year
The financial year of the Association corresponds to the calendar
year.
Article 14: Dissolution
- Dissolution of the Association can only take place through a
duly passed resolution, which shall be considered as a proposed
amendment to the Constitution in all ways, with a majority of
two-thirds of members voting required for its passage.
- In event of dissolution, all assets of the Association
shall be distributed to the Canadian National Committee for the
International Union for Quaternary Research or to one or more
other organizations associated with Quaternary studies.
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