2021/2023 CLA Call for Board Nominations

Pursuant to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, I am pleased to inform all voting members that an election will be held this fall for the Executive and Directors of our Association for the 2021-2023 term. Individuals can access the By-Laws on the CLA website.

Note – It is important that voting members review their membership profile before submitting a nomination and/or before CLA ballots are issued as some voting is restricted based on the details in your membership profile and to ensure it includes your most current email address (for example, region). For the Women’s Director positions, only eligible voting members that have identified as female in their membership record can vote for these positions. Please review your membership profile to make sure all is current and accurate. Ballots will be issued based on the information listed in membership profiles as of October 11, 2021.

• Sunday, August 1, 2021 – Call for Nominations Opens
• Friday, October 1, 2021 at 5 p.m. – Nomination deadline
• Wednesday, October 13, 2021 – Voting Ballots Issued (online)
• Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 6 p.m. – Voting Closes
• Friday, November 19, 2021 – Annual General Meeting

POSITIONS & nominations received as of September 22, 2021

Nominations will be for a specific position, will be in writing and will be signed by any two nominators who are FULL (ACTIVE) members of the Association in good standing and also by the member accepting the nomination.

• No person may be nominated for more than one position either as a Director or an Officer of the Association.
• Full time employees of Legal Aid Ontario, or Board Members of Legal Aid Ontario are not permitted to seek candidacy for, nor serve on, the Executive of the Association.
• Come October 2, 2021, all nominees will be asked to submit an election platform by October 7. Platforms are to be a maximum of 250 words. Any platform in excess of 250 will be rejected. For all Executive positions, platforms can be up to 500 words. Executive platforms in excess of 500 words will be rejected.

DATES FOR NOMINATIONS

Nominations will open on August 1, 2021 and may be mailed, faxed, emailed or delivered to the Association office using the form found here.  Nominations must be received by 5 p.m., October 1, 2021, at which time nominations will close.

DATE FOR ELECTION

Ballots will be emailed by October 13, 2021. Voting will be conducted online with the final deadline to vote being 6 p.m., November 18, 2021. For members with no email address on file, a voting ballot will be sent via Canada Post. The board will be asked to appoint scrutineers to supervise counting of paper ballots (if any). These completed ballots must be received in the Association office by 6 p.m., November 18, 2021.

ELECTION GUIDELINES

Based on member feedback the current CLA Board has put in place protocols to ensure transparency with the election process. The following guidelines are provided:

• To foster nomination submissions during the call for nominations process, a list of nominations received will be made by 5 p.m. on September 8, September 15 and September 22 on the CLA website.
• Current Directors’ attendance records and voting records are available within the board meeting minutes posted on the CLA website. A summary log of Directors meeting attendance records for the 2019-2021 will be posted on the CLA website by August 31, 2021. Click here to access.
• The member’s office mailing address and email address on file with the CLA office, as at this date, dictates the region of the member for nomination and voting purposes.
• Members will receive either an electronic voting ballot (for those with an email address on file with the office) or a paper ballot.
• Voting tabulation results will remain confidential until announced at the Annual General meeting.
• Electronic voting tabulation will be considered final after the voting deadline.
• The Board appoints two scrutineers who oversee the counting of physical ballots (if any). Final vote counts are reviewed by the scrutineers and signed.
• Paper ballots (if any) will be held by the CLA office for a period of up to 30 days following the election after which they are destroyed.
• Candidates who wish to challenge the vote count can submit a formal request for a recount within 10 days following the annual meeting. Upon receipt the ballots will be re-counted in the presence of the candidates.
• Post election, calls for the individual vote count will be disclosed, upon request, to the candidate(s) for the position to which they were seeking election, with the warranty that the candidate(s) will keep these results confidential.
• Individuals who join/renew after October 13, 2021 will not be eligible to vote.

POSITION DESCRIPTIONS

The CLA Board is a working board. As such Directors will be expected to take on work to advance the interests of the association and its members. Candidates seeking nomination should familiarize themselves with the following position descriptions.

President – The President presides at all meetings of the members of the Association. The President shall make all public statements in regard to the Criminal Lawyers’ Association policy and positions or delegate a member of the Executive to do so. The President frequently attends meetings with key stakeholders and sits on various committees representing the association. The role of President is a significant commitment often exceeding 10 hours per week. As permitted under our By-laws, the President shall receive an honourarium currently valued at $36,000.00 per fiscal year in office. The rate is reviewed on a bi-annual basis to coincide with the Association’s budget process.

Vice Presidents – The Vice Presidents assist the President and other Directors in executing the duties of their office. The Vice Presidents will be expected to participate in various CLA Committees and serve as representatives on external committees. 

Treasurer – The Treasurer is responsible for supervision of the financial activities and transactions of the association. Working with the Association’s management company they will oversee financial reporting, budgeting and expense approval.

Secretary/Assistant Secretary – These two officers shall oversee the recording of all facts and minutes of all proceedings of the association and are responsible for ensuring activities coincide with By-law provisions.  

Regional Directors – These Directors assume responsibility for the following:

• Maintaining contact with the local association and ensuring that there are lines of communication between the local association and the CLA governing body
• Maintaining a presence on local stakeholder committees, such as bench and bar or courthouse committees
• Maintaining a presence on local domestic violence court committees
• Reporting to the CLA governing body any issues of concern to local members and reporting any CLA initiatives which may affect local associations or local members
• Representing the CLA as requested at local events
• Encouraging and maintaining membership by:
  • Following up with lapsed members and report findings to Executive Director
  • Assisting in co-ordinating local events for members and encouraging new members to join
  • Assisting applicants in seeking support for their membership
  • Maintaining contact and liaising with local law schools
  • Assisting members who wish to file complaints against judiciary, justices of the peace or crown attorneys by ordering transcripts and forwarding those complaints to the Executive
  • Attending monthly board meetings, either in person or by zoom/telephone.

If questions arise about the election, please contact the CLA office. Please submit your nominations in good time to avoid any difficulties.

Yours very truly,

John Chagnon
Executive Director

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