Committees Policy/proposed (2017)

Wikimedia Canada's Policy on Committees

1    The objective of this document is to define a policy for Wikimedia Canada (WMCA) in regards to the creation, the operation and the dissolution of committees, sub-committees and working groups with roles, responsibilities and powers delegated from the Board of Directors.

2    From time to time, the Board of Directors may, by a resolution of the Board, create committees, sub-committees and working groups (hereafter collectively named committees) with defined roles, responsibilities and powers. It may impose restrictions on the composition of those committees and the way they operate. The authorities and powers of the committees will be clearly identified by a resolution of the Board, and may be altered or revoked at any time by a resolution of the Board.

3    Those committees work independently but must report to the Board of Directors in a manner defined by the Board. Each committee will have an identified member of the Board of Directors that is in charge of overseeing it and will be the committee’s point of contact and main line of communications with the Board. This Board member may or may not be part of the committee.

4    Each committee must have its own president. Generally this president will be elected by the members of the committee, but the Board reserves the right to appoint a president of a committee. The president of a committee may or may not be a member of the Board of Directors.

5    All active committees must be listed publicly on WMCA’s website and listed in a confidential tracker with more detailed informations managed by the Board of Directors, in a way defined by the Board of Directors.

6    All committees must adhere to all WMCA’s policies. They must follow strict guidelines in regards to finance, as directed by the Executive of the Board of Directors.

7    All committees must appoint a point of contact, in a way decided by the committee, but the Board reserves the right to appoint a point of contact of a committee. Generally this point of contact will be the chair of the committee, but this is not mandatory. This point of contact needs to be responsive to written communications from the Board (i.e. emails) in a period of two (2) days, unless specified otherwise by a resolution of the Board or approved on a temporary basis by the Board member overseeing the committee or a member of the Executive of the Board of Directors. In case of unforeseen, or foreseen on a short notice, circumstances where the point of contact would not be able to be responsive in this period, the committee shall appoint a temporary point of contact in a manner decided by the committee and inform the member of the Board of Directors that is overseeing the committee, as well as the Executive of the Board of Directors if the committee has any financial authorities.

8    Proceedings, including the minutes of the committee’s meetings, shall be made public on Wikimedia Canada’s website.

9    A committee may be dissolved at any time by a resolution of the Board of Directors.

This policy has been adopted by the Board of Directors of Wikimedia Canada on 19 February 2017.