Article I - Name
 

This association shall be known as the Canadian Association of Geographers/l'Association canadienne des géographes.

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Article II - Objectives
 

1. The objectives of the Association are to encourage geographical study and research particularly in relation to the Canadian environment. The Association shall provide for the dissemination to the public of the results of research supported by the Association.
 

2. The Association is an educational organization, the activities of which shall be conducted without purpose of gain for its members. Any profits or other gains to the Association shall be used in promoting its objectives.

 

Article III - Languages
 

English and French shall be the official languages of the Association.

 

Article IV - Membership
 

1. Membership in the Association is open to all who share its objectives.
 

2. Persons, institutions or corporations making a substantial contribution towards the objectives of the Association may be designated as Benefactors by the Executive Committee.
 

3. Membership categories shall be determined and dues fixed by the Executive Committee.
 

4. A member in good standing is defined as a member who has paid the membership dues of the current year.

 

Article V – Officers
 

The officers of the Association shall consist of a president, serving a two-year term; a vice-president or a past-president, each term consisting of one year; a secretary-treasurer elected for a period of three years; four national councillors elected at large for a period of three years; one student councillor elected at large for a period of two years; and one regional councillor from each of the Western Division, the Prairie Division, the Ontario Division, Quebec and the Atlantic Division, to be elected or designated for a term specific to their individual constitutions or co-opted by the Executive Committee. The vice-president shall be elected biannually, will normally succeed to the office of the president in the year following the election, and will serve as past-president in the year following the two-year presidential term.  During the year in which there is a vice-president there will not be a past-president; conversely, during the year that there is a past-president there will not be a vice-president. The national councillors shall be elected on the basis of two vacancies per year in two years out of every three. The president, vice-president and councillors shall not be eligible for immediate re-election to the same office.

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Article VI - Executive Duties
 

The officers of the Association shall comprise the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is empowered to:
 

1. transact the business of the Association;
 

2. appoint and delegate responsibilities to standing and special committees;
 

3. appoint the editors of the publications of the Association;
 

4. appoint and designate the duties of the executive secretary and any other appointed posts required to carry out the business of the Association;
 

5. assign responsibilities to members of the Executive Committee;
 

6. determine the time and place of the annual meeting;
 

7. fix the remuneration (including salary and benefits) of the executive secretary, editors and any other remunerated positions;
 

8. appoint, as required, through executive appointment or through election, representatives to act on behalf of the Association to other associations or events;
 

9. six shall be a quorum at Executive Committee meetings.

 

Article VII - Accountability of the Executive
 

1. The president may convene a meeting of the Executive at any time and shall convene a meeting of the Executive Committee on request in writing of no less than five of the officers of the Association.
 

2. An officer or committee chair who is unable to fulfill the duties of the office for a period of a year shall resign.
 

3. The accounts of the Association shall be audited each year by a qualified accounting firm.
 

4. The Executive shall report on the business of the Association at each annual general meeting.

 

Article VIII - Elections
 

1.  Only members of the Association may hold office in the Association and vote in elections.
 

2.  A nominating committee will be elected at the Annual General Meeting.  It will be composed of four members: the Vice-President or Past President as chair, two members elected at the Annual General Meeting, and one member of the Executive Committee to ensure equitable representation.
 

3.  A call for nominations to those positions on the CAG Executive Committee, which will become vacant during the coming year, will be circulated to the membership.  Nominations must be supported by two members of the Association, and the nominee must have indicated in writing her/his acceptance of the nomination.
 

4.  The nominating committee will prepare a slate of candidates with the names of candidates nominated by the membership as well as its own nominations.
 

5.  The Secretary-Treasurer shall conduct the election electronically prior to the annual business meeting.

 

Article IX - Constitutional Change
 

1. Any member in good standing may propose a change in the Constitution providing the signatures of five other members in good standing have been secured.
 

2. The secretary-treasurer will circulate the proposed change to the membership electronically.
 

3. Ratification of the change requires the approval of two-thirds of the members who return the ballot within the specified time.

 

Article X - Annual General Meeting
 

1. A general business meeting shall be held each year at a place and time designated by the Executive Committee.
 

2. All members shall be given two months notice of the date and place of the Annual General Meeting.
 

3. The agenda of the Annual General Meeting will be circulated in advance to all members and specific reference will be made to proposed constitutional changes, increases in membership dues, and proposals to undertake major new commitments.
 

4. All business at the meeting shall be settled by a simple majority of all members in good standing, present and voting.
 

5. A quorum of the Annual General Meeting shall be 25 members in good standing.

 

Article XI - Regional Divisions
 

1. Any group of members in any region may set up a regional division of the Association upon ratification of the proposed constitution by the Executive Committee.

 

Article XII - Study Groups
 

1. The Executive may endorse the formation of a study group on evidence of the support of at least 15 members of the Association in good standing.
 

2. Study groups will have an elected chair and other officers as they may deem appropriate.
 

3. Study groups will submit a report annually to the Executive as evidence of their continued activity.
 

4. Study groups may hold special sessions at the annual general meeting, and may provide material to CAG publications.

 

Article XIII - Awards
 

1. The Executive may constitute awards to further the interests of the Association and of Geography.
 

2. An awards committee shall be appointed annually by the Executive to select appropriate nominees for CAG and other awards to be submitted to the Executive for final approval. 

Adopted 1 January 1995
Amended 1996
Amended 1998
Amended 2000
Amended 2004
Amended 2012
Amended 2013

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