WHAT?

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2019

PURPOSE?

To inform you about 2018 activities and the accomplishments of your country committee + amendments to the Bylaws + election of the DA Canada Board Members for the 2019-21 term.

The AGM agenda and registration link will follow at a later date.

WHEN?

Sunday

31 March 2019

2:00 – 4:00 pm Eastern Time

WHERE?

Via WebEx and possibly in-person at some chapters. Look for announcements from your chapter or contact your local chapter chair. Address all other enquiries to Chair, Democrats Abroad Canada: chair@democratsabroad.ca

WHO?

All Members of Democrats Abroad Canada

HOW?

For Members not yet signed up to WebEx, the video conferencing system used by Democrats Abroad, you will receive information at a later date for a WebEx tutorial and for downloading the necessary software. WebEx has a total capacity of 200 participants so space online is limited.

MORE ELECTION INFORMATION

The electronic ballots will be emailed to members on March 16th. Submit your completed ballot by 11:59PM EDT March 30th. To vote you must have joined Democrats Abroad by 11:59PM EDT March 3, 2019, you must be a member of DACA, a US citizen of voting age and a resident of Canada.

The Nominations & Elections Committee for Democrats Abroad Canada is proud to release the slate of candidates for election to the 2019-21 term.

Ballots will be distributed March 16^th to active members of Democrats Abroad Canada registered as of March 3, 2019. Election results will be announced at the Annual General Meeting on Sunday, March 31, 2019 at 2:00pm EDT. The link to RSVP to attend the AGM will be distributed with your ballot.

Candidate statements may be viewed at this link

Chair

Steve Nardi

Executive Vice Chair

Julie Buchanan

Vice Chair
(2 to be elected)

Marnelle Dragilla

Ed Ungar

Treasurer

Lissette Wright

Secretary

Susan Alksnis

IT Manager

None

Counsel

Danielle Stampley

Membership Secretary

Susan Brennan

Member-at-Large
(3 to be elected)

Louis DeLamarter

Sofia Misenheimer

David Mivasair

Darius Pruss

Chris Shaw

DPCA Voting Representatives
(24 to be elected)

The first 12 DPCA Voting Rep positions will be filled by those elected to the positions from the slate above. Anyone whose name appears above as a candidate for a board seat who is elected will have their name removed from the slate on the right. The remaining 12 will then be elected from the remaining DPCA Voting Rep slate, following Article 15 of DA Canada Bylaws establishing a balance of sexes on the board.

Female slate:

Gena Brummitt

Heidi Burch

Earlene Busch

Ivelisse Castillo

Rachel Eugster

Tracy Hudson

Denise Roig

Heidi Schneiderman

Brooke Scott

Male slate:

Louis DeLamarter

J. David Markham

David Mivasair

Robert J Petrusa

Engin Polar

Darius Pruss

Chris Shaw

Kenneth Sherman

The Board of Democrats Abroad Canada has approved the following proposed Bylaw Amendments to be decided by the membership. Most of the proposed amendments are a change of one word in order to have the Canada Bylaws to be in sync with the recently passed Article 15, and the DPCA Charter.

ELECTION INFORMATION

The electronic ballots will be emailed to members on March 16th. Submit your completed ballot by 11:59PM EDT March 30th. To vote you must have joined Democrats Abroad by 11:59PM EDT March 3, 2019, you must be a member of DACA, a US citizen of voting age and a resident of Canada.

PROPOSED BYLAWS AMENDMENTS

· Articles 4.1, 6.2, 6.4, and 18.3 each need one word adjusted; “gender” to “sex” to synchronize with terminology in recently passed Article 15

· Article 12 [IT Manager] needs to be renamed Article 11 and moved above ‘Other Voting Members of the Board’ following DA Canada members 2018 approval to amend Article 4 Officers to include the IT Manager

· Article 11 [Members at Large] needs to be renamed Article 12

· Article 19.6 [Terms and Removal from Membership or Office] needs to be amended to include violation of the DPCA Code of Conduct

· Article 20 [Vacancies] needs to be amended to confer the full rights of the appointed office until the next AGM

The proposed changes are in bold under each Proposed Article

Current Article 4.1 [Officers]: 1st paragraph needs to be amended

4.1 The Officers of the Organization shall be the Country Chair, Executive Vice Chair, two (2) additional Vice Chairs, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Counsel and IT Manager. The Executive Vice Chair shall be opposite in gender to the Country Chair. These Officers constitute the Executive Committee of DACA, which shall meet at least quarterly.

Proposed Article 4.1 [Officers]

4.1 The Officers of the Organization shall be the Country Chair, Executive Vice Chair, two (2) additional Vice Chairs, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Counsel and IT Manager. The Executive Vice Chair shall be opposite in sex to the Country Chair. These Officers constitute the Executive Committee of DACA, which shall meet at least quarterly.

Current Article 6.2 [Executive Vice Chair]

6.2 The Executive Vice Chair shall be a member who is of the opposite gender to the Chair, as per the bylaws of Democrats Abroad and the rules of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

Proposed Article 6.2 Executive Vice Chair

6.2 The Executive Vice Chair shall be a member who is of the opposite sex to the Chair, as per the bylaws of Democrats Abroad and the rules of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

Current Article 6.4 [Additional Vice Chairs]

6.4 The two additional Vice Chairs shall be elected without consideration of gender. Responsibilities shall be decided among the Officers, but should allow for division of such responsibilities so that the many organizational and policy-making roles are equitably and productively arranged.

Proposed Article 6.4 [Additional Vice Chairs]

6.4 The two additional Vice Chairs shall be elected without consideration of sex. Responsibilities shall be decided among the Officers, but should allow for division of such responsibilities so that the many organizational and policy-making roles are equitably and productively arranged.

Current ARTICLE 12 [IT Manager]

12.1 The IT Manager performs as liaison to manage the domain name, institutional email addresses, and security access to the database and bulk emailing system. With the IT Committee, the IT Manager is responsible for the Board list serve, DACA website postings, wiki updates, and development and support of all types of electronic forms. The IT Manager manages the DACA social media sub-committee and other team members to offer technical solutions, training, and best practices to leaders across DACA.

Proposed to Rename Article 12 to Article 11 and move above “Other Voting Members of the Board”, below “Counsel”

Proposed Article 11 [IT Manager]

11.1 The IT Manager performs as liaison to manage the domain name, institutional email addresses, and security access to the database and bulk emailing system. With the IT Committee, the IT Manager is responsible for the Board list serve, DACA website postings, wiki updates, and development and support of all types of electronic forms. The IT Manager manages the DACA social media sub-committee and other team members to offer technical solutions, training, and best practices to leaders across DACA.

__________________________________________________________

Current ARTICLE 11 [Members at Large]

11.1 The three (3) Members at Large represent the broader membership and bring to the Organization special gifts and talents, which complement those of the other elected officials on the Board. Members at Large shall be elected at the AGM in accordance with 19.1 below.

Proposed to Rename Article 11 to Article 12 [Members at Large]

12.1 The three (3) Members at Large represent the broader membership and bring to the Organization special gifts and talents, which complement those of the other elected officials on the Board. Members at Large shall be elected at the AGM in accordance with 19.1 below.

__________________________________________________________

Current Article 18.3 [Chapters] Chapter Officers should be elected biennially in odd-numbered years at an AGM of the Chapter held prior to the national (DACA) AGM. The Chapter election should include at minimum a Chapter Chair. Though it is not required, it is recommended that each chapter have a Vice-chair, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Membership Secretary.

If a Chapter has a Vice Chair or a Co-chair in addition to a Chair, they shall be opposite in gender in accordance with the policy of the Democratic Party. Each chapter shall appoint a Nominations and Election Committee Officer, not running for elected office, to conduct chapter elections.

Proposed Article 18.3 [Chapters] Chapter Officers should be elected biennially in odd-numbered years at an AGM of the Chapter held prior to the national (DACA) AGM. The Chapter election should include at minimum a Chapter Chair. Though it is not required, it is recommended that each chapter have a Vice-chair, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Membership Secretary.

If a Chapter has a Vice Chair or a Co-chair in addition to a Chair, they shall be opposite in sex in accordance with the policy of the Democratic Party. Each chapter shall appoint a Nominations and Election Committee Officer, not running for elected office, to conduct chapter elections.

__________________________________________________________

Current Article 19.6 [Terms and Removal from Membership or Office]

19.6 Some examples of conduct detrimental to DACA follow: (i) speaking against the host country while purporting to speak on behalf of DACA or DA and (ii) soliciting funds or in-kind services from non-Americans. Volunteering without monetary value by non-Americans is generally acceptable.

Proposed Article 19.6 [Terms and Removal from Membership or Office]

19.6 Some examples of conduct detrimental to DACA follow: (i) speaking against the host country while purporting to speak on behalf of DACA or DA and , or (ii) soliciting funds or in-kind services from non-Americans, or (iii) violating the DPCA Code of Conduct. Volunteering without monetary value by non-Americans is generally acceptable.

__________________________________________________________

Current Article 20 [Vacancies]

20.1 The Country Chair shall appoint a member on a temporary basis to fill a vacancy among elected members of the Board. The appointee shall serve until the next regular AGM where members shall elect the position.

Proposed Article 20 [Vacancies]

20.1 The Country Chair shall appoint a member on a temporary basis to fill a vacancy among elected members of the Board. The appointee shall serve with the full privileges of their office until the next regular AGM where members shall elect the position.