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6.
NATIONAL COUNCIL
(a) National Council of the Alliance shall consist of the following
Members:
(i) the Leader of the Alliance;
(ii) the Chairman, who shall be appointed
by National Council;
(iii) three (3) National Councillors resident in each Province or
Combined Territories, which are qualified for representation on National
Council.
(b) The following shall not be National Councillors:
(i) Members of Parliament, except for the Leader of the Alliance;
(ii) Senators;
(iii) employees or contractors of (the
Alliance).
(c) A Province or the Combined Territories shall be entitled to elect a
maximum of three (3) National Councilors provided it has at least one
(1) recognized Constituency Association.
(d) No more than three (3) months, but not less than two (2) months
prior to a National Convention, National Council shall set a voting
date, at which time each province or region shall hold a mail-in ballot
and National Councillors for that province shall be elected by the
Members ordinarily resident in that province. All Members at the time of
the mailing will be entitled to vote.
(e) Candidates for National Council must be Members and must file
nomination papers no later than one (1) month prior to the date on which
the vote is to be taken.
(f) Following each National Convention, National Councillors shall elect
from their numbers a President, a 1st Vice-President, a 2nd
Vice-President, and a Secretary.
(g) Candidates seeking election to National Council, in accordance with
this Article shall be elected by the preferential / alternative vote
method by the Members in the Province or Territory in which that
candidate ordinarily resides. In the event that there are the same
number or fewer candidates standing for election than vacant positions,
each Member present and voting shall mark "yes" or
"no" opposite the name of each candidate on the ballot. Only
the candidate(s) receiving more affirmative than negative votes shall be
declared a Councillor. Any Candidate receiving more negative than
affirmative votes may not be appointed to any vacancy on National
Council.
(h) National Council shall from their numbers or Members of the
Alliance, establish such committees as necessary for the proper and
effective operation of the Alliance. Each Committee shall be accountable
to and report to National Council. Before any meeting of any Committee
of, or established by National Council, there shall be an opening quorum
of a majority of the members thereof.
(i) The term of office for all National Councillors, except the Leader,
shall run from the 3:00 p.m. local time on the last day of the National
Convention following their election until 3:00 p.m. local time on the
last day of the next National Convention. No Councillor, except the
Leader, shall serve more than three (3) consecutive terms.
(j) National Council on approval of two-thirds (2/3) of its membership,
may appoint Members to National Council to fill any vacancy or
replacement between National Conventions. The person appointed shall
ordinarily reside in the Province, or Combined Territories in which the
vacancy exists.
(k) National Council on approval of two-thirds (2/3) of its full
membership, may remove National Councillors where their conduct is
judged improper or unbecoming, or likely to adversely affect the
interest or reputation of National Council or the Alliance at a meeting
called for this purpose.
(l) National Council shall meet at the call of the President, or the
Leader, or upon written request to the Secretary of at least five (5)
National Councillors. Quorum for all meetings of National Council shall
be a majority of its members. A meeting shall be deemed to take place
when National Councillors participate in a telephone conference that
permits all persons participating in the meeting to hear each other. All
members so participating in a meeting shall be deemed to be present at
the meeting and shall be included in the quorum. These provisions
relating to meetings by telephone conference shall apply to each
committee established by National Council.
(m) The minutes of National Council meetings shall be provided to
National Councillors and to the Presidents of the Constituency
Associations.
(n) National Council shall abide by the Principles and implement the
Policies and Objectives of the Alliance and shall act in the interest of
all Members, not just the jurisdiction from which they were elected, and
subject always to the provisions of this Constitution, and to motions
passed at any National Convention or by referenda.
(o) National Councillors, after filing nomination papers to seek the
nomination as a candidate in an upcoming federal election or
by-election, shall take a leave of absence as a Councillor and can only
resume their duties when they are no longer a contender for the
candidate selection or the election or by-election, as the case may be.
(p) National Council will decide and advise all Constituency
Associations whenever they are authorized to implement the compressed
timelines dealing with Candidate recruitment and selection.
(q) National Council, in conjunction with the Parliamentary Caucus, will
create a Liaison Committee with equal representation from both
organizations. The committee shall elect its own Chair and the Leader
will be an ex-officio member. The intent of the committee is to ensure a
close and harmonious working relationship between the Alliance's
grassroots members and the Parliamentary Caucus.
(r) The President of National Council shall be the Chief Operating
Officer of the Alliance.
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