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Section 1: Name and
Objectives
Article 1:
Name
The name of the society
shall be the "Canadian Society for Philosophical Practice", hereafter referred
to as the "society".
Article 2:
Objectives
The goal of the Society
is to develop and promote philosophical practices for the benefit of the general
public. By "philosophical practice," the Society understands activities such as
personal philosophical counseling, mediation of public philosophical dialogues,
the writing (including scholarly writing) and publication of material on these
subjects, research and collaboration among practitioners, and various other
possible related activities that also employ philosophy broadly conceived to
ameliorate and enrich the human condition. The society also welcomes the
supportive input of psychologically trained therapists, social workers and other
practitioners with expertise in areas other than philosophy who share an
interest in the philosophical dimensions of human well-being. The Society also
aims to foster good quality in philosophical practices by establishing ethical
standards and supporting measures to enhance the competence and skill of
practitioners.
Section 2:
Membership
Article1:
Eligibility
Membership shall be open
to all persons who subscribe to the objectives of the society and who have
attained the age of 21.
Article 2: Types of
Membership
There shall be two types
of membership in the society:
Regular
Membership:
All members of the
society who share the society's objectives and interests shall be considered
regular members.
Honorary
Membership:
The society may from
time to time appoint honorary members in recognition of outstanding contribution
to the field. Such members may be nominated by means of a petition addressed to
the Secretary, signed by 10% or more members, or by a majority vote of the
Board. If the nominees accepts the nomination, and a two-third majority vote in
favor by the society members is received, then honorary membership shall be
granted. Honorary members will not have any voting privileges nor be able to
hold office.
Article 3: Membership
Dues
Regular members shall
pay annual dues to the society as stipulated in the bylaws of the
society.
Article 4:
Termination of Membership
Membership may be
terminated by:
a) Resignation or
lapsing without return of dues; or
b) Expulsion; where a
two-third majority of members deem it necessary.
Section 3: Board of
Directors
Article 1: Board of
Directors
The Board shall consist
of society members in good standing, to be elected to the positions of
President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer (these last two positions may be
combined) and General Board Membership, of which there shall be
five.
Article 2:
Duties
a) The President shall
preside at all meetings of the Board and the society at which s/he can be
present, and shall have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office
of President in addition to those specified in the society's bylaws. The
President shall prepare an annual report of the activities of the Board, which
shall be signed by those Board members present at the annual meeting. The report
shall be published in the first convenient issue of the society's newsletter
following the meeting;
b) The Vice-President
shall have and exercise the responsibilities of the President in his/her
absence, in addition to reasonable duties requested by the
President;
c) The Secretary shall
keep a record of all meetings of the society and of all votes taken, and of all
matters of which a record shall be ordered by the society. The minutes of the
annual meeting shall be published in the first convenient society newsletter.
S/he shall have charge of the correspondence, notify members of meetings, notify
Board members of their election to office, keep a roll of the members of the
society, and carry out such other duties as are prescribed in the
bylaws;
d) The Treasurer shall
collect and receive all money due or belonging to the society. S/he shall
deposit the same in a bank approved by the Board, in the name of the society. To
withdraw moneys for the society account, s/he and the President must jointly
sign cheques. S/he shall report to the Board, at every meeting, the condition of
the society's finances and every item of receipt or payment not before reported;
and at the annual meeting s/he shall render an account of all moneys received
and expended during the previous year. The Treasurer's report shall be available
at least 14 days prior to the annual meeting. If, in the opinion of the
Treasurer, any item in any bill to the society is excessive, s/he shall
immediately submit a question to the Board for its decision; and
e) Other Board members
shall present to the Board any concerns/suggestions expressed by the members of
the society, and shall assist the Board wherever possible.
Article 3: Terms of
Office
a) The President shall
serve for a period of three years.
b) The Vice-President
shall serve for a period of three years.
c) The Secretary shall
serve for a period of two years that may be renewed three
times.
d) The Treasurer shall
serve for a period of two years that may be renewed three
times.
e) Other Board members
shall serve for a period of two years that may be renewed for an indefinite
number of times.
Article 4:
Elections
a) Election shall be by
ballot solicited from the society's membership prior to the annual general
meeting. The ballots shall be posted at least thirty days before they are due
back. All regular members who are in good standing may vote. A member need not
be present at the meeting in order to vote.
b) Nominations for
vacant positions on the Board shall be solicited from the members well in
advance of the annual general meeting by the Secretary. Nominations submitted to
the Secretary shall include advice that the nominee agrees to serve if elected.
Nominations by 10% of members shall automatically be effective. In all other
cases the Board must approve nominations. Nominations will close 45 days in
advance of the election to allow 15 days for ballot
preparation.
Article 5:
Vacancies
Any vacancies occurring
on the Board during the year shall be filled until the next annual meeting of
the society by a majority vote of all the then members of the Board, except that
a vacancy in the Presidency will automatically be filled by the Vice-
President.
Article 6: Removing
Board Members
A two-third majority
vote of members in good standing is required to remove any Board member from the
Board.
Section 4:
Meetings
Article 1: Annual
Meeting
The annual meeting of
the society shall be held during the period from June 1 through October 30, at a
place, date and time specified by the Board. Written notice shall be mailed by
the Secretary to each member at least 45 days prior to the date of the meeting.
The quorum for the annual meeting shall be ten percent of the members eligible
to vote.
Article 2: Special
Meetings
Special meetings of the
society may be called by the President, by three members of the Board, or by ten
percent of members in good standing. In the latter case, the request shall be
sent to the Secretary who will arrange such a meeting as soon as
possible.
Article 3: Board
Meetings
A meeting of the Board
should be held promptly following the conclusion of the election by means which
are most feasible. Other meetings of the Board may be held at such times and
places as are designated by the consent of the entire Board. The quorum for a
Board meeting shall be a majority of the Board members. The Board may conduct
its business by mail, email, or by other electronic means through the
Secretary.
Section 5: Amendments
to the Constitution
Article 1: Proposing
an Amendment
Amendments to the
constitution, bylaws, and other society regulations may be proposed at any time
to members of the society by a majority decision of the Board or be made by
written request to the Secretary by 50% of members in good standing. A request
by members shall be presented to the membership with the recommendations of the
Board.
Article 2: Method of
Approving an Amendment
Any such proposed
amendments shall be sent by the Secretary to each society member with a ballot
to indicate their approval or disapproval of the proposed amendment. The notice
must specify a date not less than 30 days after the date of mailing by which
date the ballots must be returned to the Secretary to be counted. The favourable
vote of two-thirds of the members in good standing who return ballots within the
time limit shall be required to effect any such amendment which shall be
automatically approved by the Board.
Amendment
One
(i) The interim
president be empowered to open an account in the Society's name for the purposes
of depositing membership fees, and of paying bills and arrears normally incurred
in the process of conducting Society business;
(ii) The interim
president, for the duration of his tenure, has sole signing authority on the
CSPP account, for the purpose of disbursing funds for the payment of bills and
arrears normally incurred in the process of conducting Society
business;
(iii) The interim
president's signing authority terminates at the end of his or tenure, at which
time the regular constitutional requirement, that both the President and
Treasurer must sign for cheques and withdrawals of Society funds for the purpose
of conducting regular Society business, takes effect.
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