CASCA Resolutions Committee

Procedure for Resolutions from the Membership

Resolutions Committee (RC)

Proceedings

Criteria for Approval

Executive Veto

(adopted at 2004 AGM, London)

Procedure for Resolutions from the Membership.

Below you will find a draft set of procedures for entertaining resolutions emanating from the membership.

Procedural Rules:

1. resolutions must be submitted to the Resolutions Committee (RC) at least three months before the first day of the Annual Conference (AC)
2. resolutions must have a mover and seconder who are members of the association at the time the resolution is submitted
3. resolutions must be accompanied by detailed rationale outlining how the resolution meets the Criteria for Approval
4. resolutions must be accompanied by such information as to fully inform the members of the nature of the resolution and the issues to which it pertains
5. notice of resolutions that are to be brought to the membership for consideration must be made within 1 month of the first day of the AC
6. resolutions are submitted to the Executive of the Association by the RC only
7. the RC shall include in its submission an opinion as to the best method for polling the members on the resolution
8. the executive shall determine the most appropriate method of polling the members on the resolution. In most instances, normal practice shall be to bring the resolutions to a vote at the Annual General Meeting or another meeting of the association called for that purpose during the AC, at the discretion of the Executive
9. the placement location of resolutions on the agenda of the AGM will be at the discretion of the Executive
10. resolutions will be decided by a simple majority vote of the members present at such meeting
11. only members of the association will be entitled to attend and vote
12. any meeting in which resolutions are voted on must meet the requirements for quorum detailed in the by-laws of the association
13. any resolution passed at a meeting which lacks quorum according to the by-laws of the association shall be deemed to be recommendations to the Executive, and shall pass back to the Executive for consideration

Resolutions Committee (RC):

Membership: 

• The RC committee should be made up of four members of the association. 
• Three members shall be appointed by the Executive of CASCA and adopted at the AGM. 
• The fourth member shall be a member of the CASCA Executive (preferably the past president), who shall have the none-voting role of rallying information and resolutions to the Executive. 
  The RC shall have a designated chair that cannot be the member of the Executive.
• Click here for the membership of the RC and other CASCA standing committees.

Length of appointment:

• Members of the RC shall have a 3 years mandate, except for the past president, who shall be changed every year.
  

In its first year, the newly created RC shall:

• review the procedures for entertaining resolutions emanating from the membership
• review the criteria for approval in view of new information about CASCA’s charitable status (see, additional information 2011 and 2012)
• identify areas of concern that would be prioritized by the RC
• propose a procedures for resolutions that need to be adopted quickly and possibly outside of the AGM.

Proceedings:

Resolutions will require approval of at least 2/3 of the RC committee to be submitted to the Executive. The Executive shall be bound by such recommendations (with the exception of veto detailed below), and must bring them to the membership at the next meeting of the association, in accordance with the Procedural Rules above. The RC willprovide a detailed rationale to the AGM for all decisions, with an emphasis on how resolutions meet or do not meet the Criteria for Approval.

Criteria for Approval:

All resolutions emanating from the members of the Association must meet all of the following criteria to be approved by the RC:

1. they must be relevant to the field of anthropology as currently practiced in Canada
2. they must speak to a matter that would be considered within the disciplinary realm or expertise of anthropologists in Canada
3. they must not involve the endorsement of any political candidate, party or position closely allied with either a candidate or a party

The sole authority for determining whether these conditions are met shall be vested with the RC. There shall be no appeals process.

Executive Veto:

The Executive shall retain the power to veto any resolution which it believes would be in violation of the Association’s by-laws, threaten the charitable status of the association, impede or undermine the business of the association or the ability of the Executive to manage the association, or commit the Association to such expenditures that, in the opinion of the Executive, would not be in the best interests of the Association, and in any such case will bring to the members its rationale for doing so. Such a veto would normally be executed upon receiving the resolution from the RC and before it is brought to the attention of members of the Association.