Constitution of the Oshawa Federal Green Party Association
Article 1 The Body Constituted
1.1 The Body being constituted is the Oshawa Federal Green Party Association (the “EDA”), also known as the Federal Oshawa Greens. The EDA is a subsection of the Green Party of Canada (the “Party”), and is bound by the constitution and bylaws of the Party.
2.1 This constitution and the bylaws shall govern the activities of the EDA, all persons operating on behalf of the EDA, and the rights, responsibilities and duties of its recognized units, committees and membership.
2.2 The EDA Constitution shall have precedence over the EDA bylaws, and any bylaw that is inconsistent with the constitution shall be null and void to the extent of the inconsistency.
3.1 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 Oshawa, as those boundaries are set from time to time by the Government of Canada.
3.2 All members in good standing of the Party residing within the boundaries of the District of Oshawa (Appendix A) are members of the EDA. Only members of the EDA are entitled to vote at meetings of the EDA.
3.3 The EDA shall hold an annual general meeting (”AGM”) once per calendar year and not more than eighteen (18) months following the previous AGM.
3.4 The business of the AGM shall include the election of specific Executive Council (“EC”) positions of the EDA and the consideration of resolutions as outlined in the Bylaws.
3.5 Quorum for a general meeting of the EDA shall be thirty percent (30%) of the membership.
3.6 Motions at an AGM shall be passed with a minimum of sixty- six percent (66%) approval of the members present.
4.1 The EC shall be the governing body of the EDA between general meetings.
4.2 The EC of the EDA shall be comprised of:
1. Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
2. Financial Agent (FA)
3. Fundraising Chair (FC)
4. Membership Chair (MC)
5. Organizing Chair (OC)
6. Communications Chair (CC)
7. Administrative Chair (AC)
8. Up to five additional Members At Large (MaL), who may be assigned specific roles by the EC as they see fit.
4.3 In the event of a vacancy on the EC, the EC may appoint a replacement who shall hold office until the position can be filled by election at the AGM of the EDA.
4.4 Quorum for meetings of the EC shall be sixty percent (60%) of the EC’s current membership (vacant positions do not count towards quorum), and no less than four (4) individuals. Though a member of the EC may hold more than one (1) position, each EC member only receives one (1) vote.
5.1 In accordance with Elections Canada requirements, the EDA shall secure an auditor to audit the accounts of the EDA as required by the Elections Act.
5.2 The selection process of the auditor shall be outlined in the Bylaws.
6.1 The EDA shall hold a nomination meeting to select a candidate for the Party in the Electoral District. Members of the EDA who have been members for at least forty-five (45) days prior to the date of the nomination meeting may vote at the nomination meeting.30thirty
6.2 Candidates seeking the party nomination in Oshawa must be nominated, in writing, by at least three members of the EDA and must deliver that written nomination to the CEO of the EC at least fourteen (14) days before the date of the nominating meeting.
6.3 The EC must set the date for the nomination meeting. The EC shall provide notice to all members of the EDA no later than ninety (90) days prior to the nomination meeting, using whatever means of communication they determine to be the most reliable.30thirty
6.4 A vote by the members present will be held between the candidate(s) and “None Of The Above” [NOTA]. In the event that two (2) or more candidates are duly nominated, voting at the nomination meeting will be by preferential ballot. A candidate shall be declared nominated as the Party’s candidate for the Federal Election when he or she receives at least fifty percent (50%) of the total number of the first votes or, if there is no clear majority on the first vote, at least fifty percent (50%) of the sum total of first votes and preferential second or subsequent votes. If NOTA receives more than fifty percent (50%) of the total number of votes, no candidate will be selected at that meeting, and the EC will decide what further course of action to take.
6.5 In the event that a Federal Election has been called before a nomination meeting has been held, the EC may set the nomination meeting as soon as possible and must give notice of the meeting by telephone or email no less than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the nomination meeting. In that event, candidates seeking the Party nomination in Oshawa may be nominated from the floor.
7.1 This constitution may be amended by a seventy-five percent (75%) vote of approval with at least thirty percent (30%) of the members present at a general meeting, except that no change may be considered by the meeting unless notice of the change proposed has been given to the members by regular mail postmarked at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the general meeting.
7.2 Members of the EDA must receive text of the proposed amendments along with their notification. Members may waive their right to a hard copy and opt for an electronic version to save cost.
7.3 Once notification and text has been sent out, the text of the proposed amendments may only be changed through workshops at the AGM. The text will also be available electronically for viewing by members.
7.4 The Bylaws may be amended by a resolution at a general meeting.
8.1 The EDA will continue as long as the Oshawa Electoral District exists with the boundaries at its time of founding. The EDA may not change its name or merge or join with any other political party. Notwithstanding article 7 above, this article may not be amended without 90% consent of the membership.
