Policy and Procedure Resolutions are governed by AMAPCEO’s By-law #13 (The AMAPCEO Constitution).
Each year at the Annual Delegates' Conference (ADC), your District Delegates elect Executive Officers of the Board, select members to sit on ADC Committees, approve the union's annual budget, vote on policy and procedure resolutions, and consider any constitutional amendments.
Most policy and procedure resolutions come as a recommendation from the Board of Directors or one of its Committees, but District Executives and individual Delegates may also propose resolutions for consideration. Individual AMAPCEO members who are not Delegates may have an individual Delegate or their District Executive Committee sponsor their proposed resolution.
Resolutions should focus on matters of policy and be relevant to the needs and interests of the union and our membership. See below for more information on resolutions.
The AMAPCEO Resolutions Committee has developed a presentation on resolutions and the process for submitting them and offers information sessions for Delegates each year during the call for submissions period (usually in June).
What is a resolution?
A 'resolution' is another name for a motion, which is the way to formally bring a proposal or recommendation before a decision-making body. The Annual Delegates’ Conference (ADC) is AMAPCEO’s highest decision-making body.
A resolution submitted for consideration by the ADC is a formal statement of a motion, written and submitted by a specified deadline in advance of the ADC and circulated with the agenda to all Delegates before the Conference.
Types of resolutions
- Policy and procedure resolutions are motions that recommend establishing a new AMAPCEO policy or procedure or changing an existing policy or procedure. They are reviewed by both the Resolutions Committee and the Board of Directors and require a simple majority of Delegates voting in favour in order to adopt the proposal.
- Constitutional amendments are special resolutions that propose changing the AMAPCEO Constitution and can only be enacted with a two-thirds vote by Delegates in support. With the Constitution automatically reviewed every five years, amendments are rare, and those in non-review years are typically presented by the Board of Directors. Constitutional amendments are submitted directly to the Delegates and are not reviewed or commented on by the Resolutions Committee. The Board of Directors is able to provide written comments in response to constitutional amendments.
Submitting a resolution
Who can submit a resolution?
Resolutions may be submitted by:
- Governing bodies: Board of Directors and District Executive Committees*
- Bodies of the Board of Directors (i.e., Committees and Caucuses)**
- Individual Delegates***
- Individual AMAPCEO members (who are not Delegates), but only if they are able to persuade an individual Delegate or their District Executive Committee to sponsor the proposed resolution.
* Resolutions submitted by these sponsors must include the date of the meeting on which the sponsoring body agreed to bring the resolution to the ADC and must be submitted by the Chair or Recording Secretary of the sponsoring body.
**Bodies of the Board of Directors must bring their proposed resolutions to the Board for its direct consideration. Such resolutions may be accepted or declined by the Board and those accepted may be acted upon by the Board, or carried forward to the ADC for consideration, at the Board’s discretion.
***Individual Delegates, when submitting a resolution for consideration at the ADC, must first attempt to seek the support of their District Executive Committee (DEC). The DEC may adopt the resolution as its own, or failing the support of the DEC, the Delegate may bring forward the resolution alone, provided the Resolutions Committee can confirm the DEC considered it (e.g., by referring to the minutes of the DEC meeting)
How to write a resolution
The format of a resolution is not complicated. Each resolution includes:
- the title of the resolution, including the topic covered;
- one or more “I/we move” clauses (this is the “resolution proper,” and should specifically designate the actions that you wish to accomplish as this is what Delegates will vote on);
- one or more "reasons" clauses (these statements should represent a brief but persuasive argument as to why Delegates should approve your resolution and should include any background information as to why the resolution is being proposed);
- a rationale; and
- the name of the individual or group moving the motion.
The Board of Directors will provide cost estimates for each resolution, if relevant, as part of the Board’s response to the annual Resolutions Committee report. This report is provided to Delegates as part of their ADC package.
Resolution template
RESOLUTION
I/WE MOVE THAT [action]; and
I/WE ALSO MOVE THAT [action] (if required).
THE REASON(s) FOR [action(s)] is [reason]; and
[reason]; and
[reason] (etc., as required).
----- .
(Be sure to include a rationale statement.)
Approved and adopted the [date] day of [month] [year].
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was adopted by the ______________________.
(Signed by District Director, Secretary or other member of the District Executive Committee)
Resolution examples
Resolution 1:
I move that members of the ADC develop a policy in support of regularly scheduled breaks at all corporate meetings and that the policy include provisions to include food and beverage refreshments at these breaks; and
I also move that the policy reflect the need to provide cake at these meetings.
The reasons for such a policy include: studies and independent research has shown that people in North America enjoy having a break during business meetings; and
It is popularly accepted that refreshments such as food and beverage are positively received during these breaks; and
Studies have shown the positive impact of scheduling breaks with refreshments at business meetings.
Rationale: I believe it would be to the benefit of all members in attendance of these meetings, that breaks be scheduled into the agenda to help keep participants refreshed.
Cost: I support the idea of a cost-per-member budget assigned for meeting refreshments, for example, having a maximum cost of $5/member in attendance of the meeting. Costs related to providing refreshments would be kept to a minimum, for example, providing coffee, tea, and water at the meeting along with cheesecake, truffles, cookies, and cotton candy.
Resolution 2:
We move that any member attending a meeting with the employer be required to wear a hat at all times;
The reason for such a requirement is that hats are a common way to keep a person’s head warm.
Role of the Resolutions Committee
The Resolutions Committee:
- Reviews all submitted resolutions and sets the initial order of discussion for resolutions. Can recommend that Delegates accept, amend, refer, or reject each resolution.
- Has the authority to clarify the intent or meaning of the resolution with the mover and, with the mover’s consent, make changes to the resolution with respect to such clarity, and combine or merge similar separate resolutions into a single resolution in order to assist the Delegates.
- Shall recommend to the Board of Directors an appropriate deadline for the submission of resolutions, which shall normally be the last working day of July each year, and otherwise should be no later than forty-five (45) days prior to the Delegates’ Conference.
For more information
Please contact Chris Sloan, Education Officer, Membership Services, who serves as the staff advisor to the Resolutions Committee, by email at sloan@amapceo.on.ca.