The Green Party of Canada

Transcription

1 The Green Party of Canada Policy Management Committee Handbook This document is intended solely for use by the employees and members of, and persons contracted to, the Green Party of Canada. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of the Green Party of Canada The Green Party of Canada. All rights reserved.

2 Table of Contents I. DOCUMENT INFORMATION/STATUS...2 II. SUMMARY...2 III. MANDATE...2 A. AUTHORITY...2 B. MANDATE STATEMENT...2 C. TERMS OF REFERENCE AND/OR RESPONSIBILITIES...3 IV. UNIT/COMMITTEE OPERATIONS...4 A. MEMBERSHIP...4 B. STRUCTURE...4 C. REPORTING...5 D. REMOVAL...5 V. PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES...5 A. STANDARDS...5 B. ACTIVITIES IN RESPONSE TO THE MANDATE...5 C. HANDBOOKS...6 VI. AMENDMENTS...6 VII. REFERENCES...6 VIII. REVISION CONTROL LOG...8-1

3 I. Document Information/Status Policy Management Committee Handbook Status: Approved Revision # 3.00 Date: March 5, 2011 Document Acronyms, Initialisms, and Abbreviations PA PMC Council Cabinet CPDP Policy Assembly Policy Management Committee Federal Council Shadow Cabinet Continuous Policy Development Process II. Summary This Handbook provides the Mandate and describes the role and operations of the Policy Management Committee (PMC) and states its function within the Green Party of Canada (GPC). It is recommended that members also read the GPC Constitution and Bylaws. Any discrepancies between this document and the GPC Constitution and Bylaws are to be resolved in favour of the GPC Constitution and Bylaws. This document, once published, supercedes previous motions, rules and procedures governing this Unit/committee. III. Mandate A. Authority Council Motion:Face-to-Face, Ottawa, March 4/6 (Approval) SC: ,# -Approval of Policy Process Resolutions for 2010 BGM; G10-d08 A Continuous Policy Development Process (and G10-c04: Clarifying the Role of the Cabinet, passed at the 2010 BGM); Article 10.3 and Bylaw 2. B. Purpose To establish a continuous policy development process to operate alongside the current General Meeting process and to create a Policy Management Committee (PMC) to work with submitting members to ensure quality in drafting, coherence, research. etc. The GPC will create an online Policy Proposal Area (PPA) for posting, debate, related communications and policy approval. - 2

4 C. Terms of Reference and/or Responsibilities Overview The Federal Council is accountable to the membership for the governance of the Party which includes ensuring that directives are carried out and that key processes and procedures enhance the progress of the Party in response to the goals as set out in the Constitution. In response to the 2010 BGM Directive to establish a Continuous Policy Development Process (CPDP), Federal Council will collaborate with Cabinet in the creation of the Policy Management Committee (PMC) and in populating the committee to ensure that a system is created to maximize active involvement by Members in Good Standing that will result in policies that are clear, supportive of Green values and directions and, are implementable within federal government jurisdiction. Procedures and tools are to be created such that policies may be initiated, debated and approved by voting on-line via the CPDP, with all members in good standing being eligible. (On-line voting is the preferred method. Since discussions are on-line, debate can be conducted more efficiently and at less cost. However, the PMC will give consideration to voting by mail if this is required to ensure all members have the opportunity to participate.) The Policy Management Committee is to provide overall direction to a more efficient, effective and democratic process for policy development in the GPC via a Continuous Policy Development Process (CPDP). The PMC shall: 1. Work with the Cabinet to develop a detailed component for the GPC Annual Plan 2. Work with the GPC technical staff to develop an intuitive, user-friendly web environment (for the Policy Proposal Area). 3. Work with GPC Communications staff to develop a CPDP Communications Plan in order to promote the introduction of the CPDP and the voting process for policy motions. 4. Create all of the processes and related procedures necessary to support the work of the PMC/CPDP. 5. Ensure a proactive component to the call for resolutions related to policy priorities as determined by Cabinet in collaboration with other relevant committees and units within the Party. 6. Work with submitting members to ensure quality of motions through research, clarity and coherence in drafting, review and finalization of proposed motions. 7. Bring to the Council for review and approval, via the Cabinet, any suggestions for improving the CPDP process and procedures based on the experience of the PMC. This - 3

5 may include any concerns regarding the voting process and, in particular, the minimum number required for a quorum. 8. Facilitate the vetting of any motions, prior to the Bonser Ballot process, that may come to the BGM Motions Receiving Committee. 9. Ensure the Policy Green Book is kept up-to-date and readily available to members. 10. Ensure that all activities and proposed protocols are within the rules/policies of the Constitution and By-laws, and, in exceptional cases where there is a potential conflict, bring this to Council s attention immediately. 11. Conduct all activities in a professional manner to build the professionalism of the Party and relationships with staff and members. 12. Ensure that all products created are made available and kept up-to-date on the GPC website. IV. Unit/Committee Operations A. Membership 1. Members of PMC shall be appointed by Federal Council in collaboration with Cabinet. 2. Membership will include at a minimum, one Member in Good standing not otherwise involve in Central Party activities. 3. The Executive Director of the GPC will appoint an ex-officio member to the Committee to guide staff support. 4. Unless otherwise stated in Section V. Unit/Committee Operations, any GPC member is eligible to be a member of this Unit/committee and will be selected based on merit and availability 5. All Unit/Committee members are official representatives of the Party and, as such, they are expected to be professional in their communications and while executing their duties. Members are also expected to follow the Code of Conduct when interacting with other members and staff, and will be requested to sign a confidentiality agreement. 6. Any member may withdraw from this Committee by advising the Chair by (or in writing) their intention to resign. B. Structure 1. The PMC will be composed of a minimum of six to a maximum of nine members. 2. Central Party representatives may participate as ex-officio members. - 4

6 3. The members of the PMC will choose a Chair in consultation with Cabinet. This selection will be ratified by Federal Council. 4. The PMC Chair will maintain liaison with Federal Council and other units/committees as required 5. The PMC Chair will facilitate meetings (or recommend a Facilitator in his/her place). Party Guidelines for conducting meetings will be followed. Chairs may choose to appoint a co-facilitator to help facilitate meetings, keeping gender equity in mind. 6. The Committee will appoint a Secretary to take minutes and ensure these are uploaded to the PMC web page. 7. Any member of the PMC committee may request a meeting. C. Reporting The PMC Chair is responsible for reporting to Federal Council via the Cabinet Chair on a regular basis, but no less than every three months, unless otherwise agreed by Council. The report format is to be ratified by Council. A schedule of activities and deliverables is to be prepared by the PMC as part of the Annual Planning exercise. D. Removal Membership in the PMC shall terminate upon their ceasing to be a member of the Green Party of Canada or for any other reason, based on the Member Code of Conduct, and as recommended by the PMC, and agreed to by Council. Any additions or removal of members will be reported to Council as part of the regular reporting process. V. Processes and Procedures A. Standards This committee may create templates and guidelines as standards to facilitate the work in documenting best practices including processes and procedures that will describe the activities of the Unit/Committee on behalf of the GPC. These standards and procedures are to be brought to Council for ratification or approval. B. Activities in Response to the Mandate 1. The PMC will develop a set of processes and procedures and work with the GPC technical staff to create a user-friendly environment that invites full membership participation in the creation and approval, (including additions, modifications and deletions) of policies. - 5

7 2. This committee will, on an ongoing basis, review GPC processes related to this Unit/Committee s activities. Any overlaps and/or gaps as highlighted by the creation of the Committee Handbooks will be reported to Federal Council with recommendations for Council advice/decision. Suggestions/concerns from members will be brought to the attention of this Committee and Federal Council with recommendations. C. Handbooks 1. When drafted, the document will be reviewed by the Process and Procedures Committee (PPC) to ensure that this Handbook follows approved standards and to gain from their experience in the development of other Handbooks. 2. When the final draft has been completed, the Chair (or other designated person) of this Unit/Committee and the Chair of the PPC, will indicate their approval of the document. (The status of the Handbook will then be changed from Draft to Working designation.) It is expected that the Handbook will now be adhered to pending final authority approval. The Working version of the Handbook will be forwarded to Federal Council, normally on a no objection basis, for ratification. It is preferred that approval is completed quickly so that the approved version can be uploaded to the Members area of the GPC website. (If there are unexpected delays, it may be necessary to upload an unapproved version to be used as a reference and guideline.) 3. The PMC, in collaboration with the PPC, will ensure the Handbook is kept up to date. VI. Amendments 1. Amendments to this document shall be prepared by this committee and where appropriate, revised in consultation with Council and Cabinet. 2. Handbooks are to be updated immediately when new and/or relevant information becomes available. In addition, this document is subject to review annually by this Unit/Committee. 3. Any updates will be detailed in Section VIII. Revision Log Listing. The latest Revision will be then copied to the Change Control log and made available in the members area of the GPC web site. VII. References A. Policy Motions at the BGM For the immediate future, members may, in parallel to the CPDP, present motion proposals at the BGM. 1. Prior to the Bonser Ballot process, the PMC shall receive policy motions from the Motions Receiving Committee. The PMC shall then: - 6

8 a) Review all policy motions with attention to: repetition of current policies, unclear wording, and policies that may be outside the jurisdiction of the federal government; b) group policy motions by subject matter; c) Identify policy motions that contradict each other; d) Identify policy motions that might be controversial or potentially embarrassing for the Party; e) Provide comments on motions for inclusion along with the motions during the Bonser Ballot process. These comments shall note the following: how the proposed policy fits into the Party's messaging history (i.e. a continuation of a position, a change in messaging direction, etc.), and how the proposed policy might be problematic when it comes time to message. 2. The PMC shall work with policy motion submitters to make improvements in the motions if appropriate and consult with relevant members of the Cabinet as necessary. 3. After the Bonser Ballot process, the PMC shall: (a) identify any Green or Yellow policy motions that contradict each other, and (b) identify any policy motions that might be embarrassing for the Party. 4. The PMC shall report all contradictions and potentially embarrassing policy motions to Cabinet and to the BGM organizing committee in order to advise policy workshop facilitators of the contradictions. - 7

9 VIII. Revision Control Log Revision Level Revision # Revision Date Description of Change Amended By Draft V Initial draft Joe foster Draft V Added reference to possible Motions presented at the BGM Draft V Clarification re on-line and mail voting Draft V To recognize the need for the PMC activity being a component of the Annual Plan and clarifying Cabinet oversight of the PMC in consultation with Council. Working V Add new clause to emphasize focused policy development Joe Foster Joe Foster Adriane Carr Adriane Carr Working V Editing-reformatted only Paul Kompass Working V Revisions to reflect discussions/minutes Working V Revision to reflect discussions Reformatting Joe Foster Dave Kempton Approved Change status and forward to staff for posting Joe Foster - 8