Scarborough‑Rouge River Federal Liberal Association

 

CONSTITUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As adopted

 

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

Scarborough‑Rouge River Federal Liberal Association


 

CONSTITUTION

 

The Scarborough-Rouge River Federal Liberal Association shall be governed, in all its affairs, by this Constitution, dated May 22nd, 2007.

 

1. DEFINITIONS

 

1.1        In this Constitution:

1.1.1     SRRFLA means Scarborough-Rouge River Federal Liberal Association and is sometimes described as the Association.

1.1.2     LPC(O) means Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario)

1.1.3     LPC means Liberal Party of Canada

1.1.4     OLP means Ontario Liberal Party

1.1.5     OWLC means Ontario Women's Liberal Commission

1.1.6     OYL means Ontario Young Liberals

1.1.7     Family means a group consisting of an individual or a couple and their respective children under 19 years of age, all of whom are recorded as residing at the same address, and for greater certainty, as is more fully defined in the LPC(O) constitution.

1.1.8          The Party means as is defined under part 1 in the LPC constitution

 

2. OBJECTS

 

2.1        The Objects of this Association shall be:

2.1.1     to promote and make more widely known and understood Liberal principles and policies in the riding;

2.1.2     to provide a means of forwarding to the Leader,  Members of Parliament, the Federal Caucus, the Executive Officers and the Committees of the Party, the opinions of the members of the Association;

2.1.3     to elect, promote and assist a Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding;

2.1.4          to organize the SRRFLA riding for the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario).

 

3. QUALIFICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP AND FEES

 

3.1      Membership in the Party is open without discrimination based on race, nationality or   ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or mental or physical disability. To be eligible for membership in the Party and to be a member in good standing, a person must:

3.1.1   ordinarily live and be a resident in the riding/ electoral district;

3.1.2     subscribe to and support Liberal political principles in writing according to the LPC Constitution and pay the applicable membership fee;

3.1.3     not be a member of any other federal political party within Canada  and not  be a  member of any other federal riding association;

3.1.4   confirm that he or she subscribes to and supports Liberal political principles by properly completing a membership application in the prescribed form or by fully completing an online application at the LPC website or the LPC(O) website and renewing each year;

3.1.5   be at least 14 years of age;

3.1.6   While a member of the Party, not have publicly declared an intention to be a candidate for   election to the House of Commons other than as a candidate of the Party;

3.1.7     while a member of the Party not have publicly supported any other federal political Party Candidate other than a Liberal Party Candidate during an Election.

3.1.8     members may be designated as “inactive” in cases where the mailing address for a member in the records maintained by the National Office is no longer current.

3.2      The Association may authorize one or more of the following classes of membership:

(i) regular,

(ii) youth,

(iii) senior,

(iv) associate member

3.3      The following minimum and maximum annual membership fees shall apply to the Association:

Class                 Minimum      Maximum

Regular              $10.00           $25.00

Senior                $ 5.00            $10.00

Youth                 $ 5.00            $10.00

SRRFLA also offers a family membership fee; the membership fee for a family membership shall be double the membership fee applicable to regular members

3.4      The Association may change its membership fees only at its Annual General Meeting and only after giving thirty (30) days written notice to all members and to the Secretary of LPC(O) of its intention to change the fees. As per the LPC (O) constitution, a riding Association may not change its fees at a meeting other than its Annual General Meeting, and such Association shall not change its fees at an Annual General Meeting if that Annual General Meeting takes place during a leadership contest or during a nomination period.

3.5      Any person who applies for party membership in the Association or for transfer of membership from another riding Association to this Association, and is refused, shall also be entitled to a hearing before the Executive Committee of the Association. He/she shall be entitled to appeal that decision to the appropriate body within LPC (O) or LPC Executive Committee.  In all instances he/she may appear with an agent or counsel.

3.6      The Association shall keep a list of all members of its Executive Committee and all members in good standing, and the Secretary shall forward a copy of these lists to the Secretary of LPC(O) within four (4) weeks after the holding of every Annual General Meeting.

 

3 .7 ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP

 

3 .7.1    Nothing in the LPC constitution or this constitution restricts a riding association from having associate members who do not reside in the electoral district represented by the association.

3 .7.2    Associate members have all the same rights as other members of the Party except the right to vote at any general meeting of the association including a delegate selection meeting or a candidate selection meeting for the association or any Part of the Leadership Vote conducted within the association.

 

3 .8 APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

 

3.8.1     A person may apply for membership in the Party by completing an application form and delivering it to an office designated by the National Executive or submitting it electronically in a manner prescribed by the National Executive.

3.8.2     The Party must promptly admit as a member of the Party each person who has applied in accordance with subsection 3.8.1, has paid the current membership fee and meets the requirements of Section 3.

3.8.3     Despite Subsection 3.8.2, the Party may refuse to admit any person as a member of the Party if it has reasonable grounds to believe that a person does not meet the requirements of Section 3.

    

4. VOTING PRIVILEGES AND ELECTION OF RIDING DELEGATES

 

4.1        All persons are entitled to vote at:

4.1.1     an Annual General Meeting of the Association

4.1.2     a General Meeting of the Association

4.1.3     a General Meeting to elect delegates to an LPC(O) Annual Meeting, LPC (O) Policy convention or LPC Convention ‑ except a Leadership Convention, shall be Party members of the Association for not less than one hundred sixty‑eight (168) hours prior to the start of the meeting; provided that an immediate past member of the Party in the Association may renew his/her membership at such meeting or convention (only between January 1 and March 31 of each year following membership expiry).

4.2        Subject to the LPC constitution all persons entitled to vote at a Nominating Convention or at a Leadership Convention shall be members of the Association for not less than six months prior to the convention. In the event of an Electoral Emergency, the membership cut-off time shall be seventy‑two (72) hours prior to the hour of the commencement of a Nominating Convention.

4.3        Where electoral district boundaries overlap as a result of redistribution, Members of Parliament and duly nominated candidates in the immediately preceding election or by‑election (provided no subsequent nomination has occurred) and Riding Presidents may vote in the Riding Association in which they stood for election and in any Riding Association with a boundary overlapping such electoral district.

4.4        In order to be eligible to stand for election to any office on the Association Executive, or to stand as a delegate to any Party Convention or Meeting, a person must be a member in good standing as described herein.

 

5. PRESIDING OFFICER AT MEETINGS AND NOMINATING CONVENTIONS

 

5.1        The President of LPC(O) shall designate in writing a person to chair that part of any meeting of members or Convention relating to the election of officers, delegates, or candidates. The President of LPC(O) or his said delegate may designate a person or persons to accept applications for membership in the Association and to chair the meeting or Convention, both at the expense of the Association.

 

6. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND GENERAL MEETING  

 

6.1        An Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of all association members shall be held at least once every year. The meeting must take place no more than fifteen months after the previous AGM, at a time and place within the riding fixed by the Management Committee, to elect the members of the Executive Committee and to conduct the business of the Association.

6.2        If an AGM is not called as aforesaid, the Executive Committee of LPC(O), shall have the authority to call such an AGM at such time and place within the riding as it sees fit.

6.3        Written notice of the AGM  shall be delivered or sent by prepaid mail at least fourteen (14) days prior to the AGM, to all current members and  immediate past members (who may subject to  the provisions of the LPC(O) Constitution, renew his or her membership at  the meeting only  between January 1 and March 31 of each year).

6.4        Fourteen (14) days notice shall also be given to the Secretary of LPC(O) . Failure to give such notice to the Secretary of LPC(O) may render the meeting a nullity if the Executive Committee of LPC(O) so declares.  The notice to the Secretary shall include a copy of the current Association Constitution.

   6.5        There shall be written reports from the President, the Treasurer and the Vice Presidents presented at the Annual General Meeting. Members of SRRFLA who intend to seek election or re-election on the Executive Committee shall deliver, in writing, a letter of intent to the “Nomination Committee” no less than seven (7) days prior to the Annual General Meeting. The Nomination Committee shall consist of three members in good standing of SRRFLA selected by the currently sitting Management Committee. Any nominations for a position on the Executive Committee made at the AGM  without the above written notice shall be disqualified

6.6        The election for the members of the Executive Committee shall be conducted by secret ballot if there is a contest. Every member in good standing is eligible to stand for office, subject to the eligibility requirements described hereunder.

6.7       A General Meeting may be called by the President and must be called by the President on being petitioned in writing by at least fifteen (15) members in good standing of the Association. The reason for this General Meeting must be stated in the petition. If this meeting is not called within forty‑eight (48) hours of the presentation of the petition, LPC(O) may call the Meeting.

6.8       Written notice of a General Meeting shall be delivered or sent by prepaid mail, at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting to all members in good standing of the Association and all immediate past members (who may subject to the provisions of the LPC