Responsible governance practices

The CMPA Council is committed to responsible governance practices. As stated in the Terms of reference for Council and councillors [PDF], "the primary purpose of the Council is to foster, through sound governance, the long-term success of the Association consistent with its Strategic Plan and responsibilities to the members."

Responsibilities of Council and councillors

In accordance with the CMPA's Act of Incorporation and by-law, the Council is responsible for overseeing how the business of the Association is conducted and directing management, to whom the Council delegates the responsibilities for the day-to-day conduct of business. Article 4 of the by-law outlines the requirements of the Council.

The Terms of reference for Council and councillors [PDF] sets out the way in which the Council organizes and conducts itself to fulfill its responsibilities, and describes the responsibilities of councillors.

The Council actively displays this commitment through its leadership and participation in a variety of governance activities including:

• Council evaluation—Council performs a biennial evaluation to assess its effectiveness and efficiency.
• Individual personal professional development and support program—Each year, following the first year of their three-year term, new and returning councillors receive feedback on an anonymous basis from their peers. The objective of this program is to support personal development and individual performance improvement through councillor self-reflection and by providing new and returning councillors with feedback from their peers to identify strengths and provide suggestions for enhancing performance in executing duties as a councillor.
• Nominating Committee peer review evaluation—Each year, just prior to the end of their three-year term, incumbent councillors seeking re-election to Council are evaluated by their committee peers and senior governors. The objective of this evaluation is to assist the Nominating Committee in choosing the best candidate for election.
• Committee structure and effectiveness review—To ensure the duties and responsibilities delegated by Council to its committees meet the Association's needs, a biennial review of the committee structure and effectiveness is performed.

Members of Council and all non-Council committee members are required to adhere to the Association's Code of conduct and conflict of interest guidelines for councillors [PDF]. This includes the requirement to review the Code of conduct and sign an acknowledgement form annually.

Responsibilities of the president and vice-presidents

As specified in Article 5 of the CMPA Bylaw, the Council elects the president and one or more vice-presidents. The president provides leadership in guiding the Council and coordinating its activities, and may or may not be its chair. Two vice-presidents assist the president, and have powers and duties that the president may delegate or the council may prescribe.

The president and vice-presidents are elected annually through secret ballot by the council, using an elimination voting method. The president may serve for a maximum of two years; there is no limit on the tenure for vice-presidents.

The mandate, duties, and responsibilities of the president and vice-presidents are provided in the Terms of reference for the president and vice-presidents [PDF].