A by-law respecting the committees of The Canadian Canon Law Society / La Société canadienne de droit canonique.

Be it enacted as a by-law of the Corporation as follows, in accordance with sect. 26 of By-law number 1:

MEMBERS AND THEIR TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. At an appropriate time before the annual general meeting, the Nomination Committee will invite members from different regions to present names of persons to serve on the committees.
   
   

2. Each committee consists of at least three members, including its ex officio member.
   
   

3. The members are appointed by the Executive Board for a two-year term. The selection is done at the beginning of the President's second year of office.
   
   

4. Each committee selects its own chairperson.
   
   

5. Members are eligible for one second consecutive term of office. Members may be reappointed to a committee after a one-year absence from the committee.
   
   

6. In case of death, incapacity, or resignation of a member of a committee, the Executive Board appoints a replacement to complete the term of office of the member who has left.
   
   

7. A member of the Executive is an ex officiomember of each committee.
   
   

8. As the need arises, each committee may invite other persons as experts or advisors.
   
   BUDGET
   
   

9. Each committee shall prepare an annual budget within the guidelines provided by the Executive if it expects to incur expenses; the budget is submitted before January 1^st of each year to the Executive Board for approval.
   
   REPORTS
   
   

10. No later than one month before the annual general meeting, each committee presents a report of its activities to the Executive Board. The Executive Board may request that the report be presented, in whole or in part, to the annual general meeting.
    
    TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE COMMITTEES
    
    

11. The Nominating Committee -- A Nominating Committee proposes to the members the names of at least two candidates for election to each of the various offices to be filled, except for the office of immediate past president.
    
    

12. In order to carry out this duty, the Committee
    
    

    1. asks the members to nominate fellow members to fill the eventual vacancies on the Executive Board; the Committee can also itself nominate members;
       
       

    2. makes certain that the persons whose names have been proposed meet the conditions for eligibility outlined in sects. 13 and 27 of By-law number 1;
       
       

    3. asks those persons who have been proposed and who are eligible whether they accept to stand for election and if they would be available to assume the responsibility of the office and to participate regularly in the meetings of the Executive Board;
       
       

    4. obtains the curriculum vitae of each of the candidates who has accepted to be nominated;

    
    
    

    5. forwards all the information to the secretariat of the Society, making certain that the members are notified of the proposed candidacies at least one month before the annual general meeting during which the election is to be held;

    
    
    

    6. sees to it that the ballots are prepared and holds the election during the annual general meeting;

    
    
    

    7. proposes names to the Executive Board, before the annual general meeting, of members who might serve on the committees.
       
       

13. The Selection Committee for the Jean Thorn Canon Law Award of Merit -- In order to recognize the outstanding contribution of one of its members in the field of canon law, the Canadian Canon Law Society established the Jean Thorn Canon Law Award of Merit. Those eligible for this award are members of the Society who distinguished themselves in the promotion of canon law or who have made exceptional contributions in the service of canon law.
    
    

14. Nominations for the Award of Merit must be
    
    

    1. submitted by a member and seconded by another member;
       
       

    2. accompanied by a presentation illustrating the candidate's contribution in the area of canon law;
       
       

    3. sent to the Committee within the time limit specified each year by the Committee.
       
       

15. The Committee will consider the nominations; it may also ex officio consider other qualified persons. The Committee is not required to recommend a recipient each year. The Committee will submit its recommendation to the Executive Board before the annual general meeting.
    
    

16. The Executive Board bestows the Award of Merit, but is free to accept or reject the name recommended by the Committee. If it rejects the name submitted by the Committee, the Committee is not asked to submit another name and the Award of Merit is not given in that particular year.
    
    

17. The name of the recipient will be announced during the annual convention.
    
    

18. The Committee is also entrusted with proposing to the Executive Board the names and credentials of persons to be recommended to the membership at the annual general meeting for approval as Honorary members (cf. sections 2-3 of By-law number 1).
    
    

19. Honorary membership can be given to a person who has given exceptional service to the Society or to canon law. This person need not necessarily be a member of the Society already nor be a canonist.
    
    

20. An Honorary member does not pay the annual membership fee (cf. section 4 of By-law number 1) but receives all the mailings of the Society. If the recipient was already a member of the Society before becoming an Honorary member, he or she continues enjoying active and passive voice; if the recipient was not a member of the Society before becoming an Honorary member, he or she enjoys neither active nor passive voice.
    
    

21. The Research Committee -- The Research Committee
    
    

    1. studies any canonical question of general interest, or which has been submitted to it by the Executive Board. It keeps abreast of particular and universal legislation and its implications for the members;
       
       

    2. prepares texts which could be published in the Newsletter of the Canadian Canon Law Society or in other publications;
       
       

    3. prepares and coordinates texts which are published under the auspices of the Society.
       
       

22. The editor of the Newsletter is an ex officio member of the Committee.
    
    

23. The Programme Committee -- The Programme Committee suggests to the Executive Board topics for discussion at annual conventions, speakers who could give presentations, as well as the format of presentations of various themes (conference, round table, workshop, etc.).
    
    

24. The member of the Executive Board who is the ex officio member of the Committee serves as a link with the Research Committee in view of coordinating the proposal of topics at the annual convention.
    
    

25. The Convention Committee -- Once the place where an annual convention will be held has been chosen, a local Convention Committee is established. Because preparation for more than one convention can happen at once, there can exist more than one local Convention Committee at any given time. This Committee
    
    

    1. seeks the most fitting site in which to hold the convention and initiates the necessary negotiations to propose a contract to the Executive Board for approval;
       
       

    2. sees to the material organization of the Convention and, especially, to the preparation of convention kits for the participants, registration, seating arrangements, refreshments, meals, and so forth;
       
       

    3. makes the necessary arrangements to provide simultaneous interpretation in accordance with instructions received from the Executive Board;
       
       

    4. prepares requests for subsidies from appropriate granting agencies, if need be;
       
       

    5. during the convention, tries to respond to needs that may be expressed by members and to solve problems that may arise inasmuch as they are related to the organization of the annual convention;
       
       

    6. examines invoices sent to the Society in relation to the convention and forwards them to the secretariat for payment.
       
       

26. Select Committees -- The Executive Board may establish select committees when it considers it appropriate to do so. The norms of this By-law apply to such Committees, unless in a particular case different norms are established by the Executive Board.