NCR Electoral Reform
UNDER DEVELOPMENT
Point of Contact: NCR Bylaws committee (Chair: Dmitry)
Objective: To enhance transparency and member engagement by establishing more inclusive electoral practices that allow broader member participation in NCR Executive elections. To strengthen democratic representation within PIPSC and ensure that the leadership more accurately reflects the diverse perspectives of its membership.
Key References:
https://pipsc.ca/regions/ncr/bylaws (Approved by the Board of Directors, July 26, 2019)
BY-LAW 6 NATIONAL CAPITAL REGIONAL COUNCIL
6.1 Purpose
6.9 Voting
(NEW) 11 Election Procedure
12 (old 11) ELECTION OF THE REGIONAL EXECUTIVE
https://pipsc.ca/regions/ncr/regulations (Approved by the Board of Directors, July 26, 2019)
R5.2 National Capital Regional Council
https://pipsc.ca/about/governance/committees/blpc
Institute By-Law 17.2.2 – BLPC Mandate:
(d) drafting new policies and amendments to existing policies as required and submitting them to the Board for approval and reviewing all policies, from time to time, to ensure their relevance, clarity and application.The primary purpose of the BLPC is to ensure that the constitutions and bylaws of the constituent bodies are consistent with the PIPSC Constitution and Bylaws.
https://pipsc.ca/by-laws-regulations (APPROVED BY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING NOVEMBER 2-3, 2018)
Institute bylaws: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HYtDuN2nDH7zsZPxF0M28zTQWutOQZah/edit?pli=1n (APPROVED BY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING November 26-29, 2023)
Resolution for 2025 NCR Council - Draft
Last updated; 12 JAN 2025
P-XX NCR Electoral Reform
Whereas:
The National Capital Region (NCR) represents over 50% of the national PIPSC membership (over 40,000 members).
National elections, as well as elections for several Groups (e.g., NRC-RO-RCO, AFS), are conducted electronically. The technological infrastructure for electronic nominations, ballots, and vote counting is already in place and accessible.
Currently, NCR executives are voted by less than 1% of eligible NCR members (delegates attending the NCR Council). Delegates are selected by the current NCR Executive Board. The vast majority of select delegates are from the existing NCR Executive network. The voting happens over 24 hours during the Council.
This participation rate is significantly lower than the voting rate in national elections, where approximately 12% of eligible NCR members participated in the 2024 elections.
The current electoral process creates the risk of conflict of interest or the perception thereof, as well as disengagement among the broader membership
PIPSC aims to enhance transparency and member engagement.
Be It Resolved That:
The election process for the NCR Region Executive be updated to allow all NCR members to:
Vote for candidates using an electronic voting system.Adequate advance notice will be provided to NCR members for nominating candidates and participating in the voting process online.
Full details of the related by-law changes are outlined in the accompanying document, “NCR Electoral Reform” (attached).
ATTACHMENT: “NCR Electoral Reform”