General Membership Meetings

Rules as Governance in Accordance with OPSEU Constitution (2025)

Articles 29 and 13 of the OPSEU Constitution prescribes rules and guidelines to conduct General Membership Meetings at the local level. Specifically, Article 29.7 and 13.11.

Local Procedures

To ensure these rules are followed and understood each GMM will have a designated individual whose duty is to ensure all attendees abide by the guidelines. The individual (Monitor) will be recognized at the start of each meeting. Questions or clarifications can be directed to the Monitor prior to and during the meeting. The Monitor will reserve the right to intervene as needed, up to and including muting mics, to ensure meetings are conducted in alignment with the constitutional rules. 

Further, to correspond with the Statement of Respect and ensure all attendees have an opportunity to speak and to facilitate respectful and productive dialogue a (separate) Monitor will oversee discussions and reserve the right to mute microphones where discussions violate the statement of respect and/or become uncivil. The Monitor will be recognised at the start of each meeting. 

Meetings will begin with all non-hosts muted and individuals will be allowed to speak in accordance with Robert’s Rules. The chat feature of the virtual meeting will be reserved solely for those requiring accessibility support. The chat feature will otherwise be disabled as we are unable to conduct the meeting and monitor the chat consistently. Please notify us in advance if you require the chat feature to participate in the meeting. Otherwise, any questions or comments in the chat may not receive a response, nor be noted in the minutes.

This document will be distributed prior to each GMM and will be made available on the local website. 

In accordance with 29.7.1 three (3) GMM will be scheduled for 2026. Agendas, previous minutes and GMM guidelines will be distributed four (4) weeks prior to the scheduled meeting. 

Below is the excerpt from the OPSEU/SEFPO Constitution for your reference (minor changes made for context):

29.7 Membership Meetings

29.7.1 General membership meetings of all members of a Local shall be convened at least twice each year.

29.7.2 The Order of Business at a general membership meeting shall be:

1. Call to order.

2. Territory and/or Land Acknowledgement

3. Statement of Respect

4. Adoption of agenda.

5. Minutes of the previous meeting.

6. Business arising.

7. Treasurer’s report.

8. Correspondence

9. Initiation of new members.

10. Reports of Officers.

11. Reports of Committees.

12. Nominations and/or elections.

13. Unfinished business.

14. New business.

15. Adjournment

In presenting an agenda based on the above Order of Business, the LEC should specify subjects under items 9, 10, 12, and 13. A Local may change the above Order of Business by by-law or for any given meeting by giving reasonable advance notice.

29.7.3 Locals shall follow the Rules of Order laid down in Article 13.11, the necessary changes being made, and shall otherwise be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.

29.7.4 A special general meeting of the Local shall be convened upon the written request of at least ten per cent of the membership.

29.7.5 Attendance and participation at Local meetings shall be exclusive to the members of that Local, except that others may attend at the invitation of the President or Executive of that Local or by assignment by the President of the Union.

29.8 Quorums

29.8.1 This article defines the quorum for meetings of Units, Unit Committees, Local Executive Committees and the general membership of a Local.

29.8.2 The quorum for meetings of the above groups shall be:

Amended 13.11 (for Local 596) 

A General Membership Meeting (hereinafter GMM or meeting) shall be governed by the following rules of order (and in any matter not susceptible to regulation by these rules, Robert’s Rules of Order and O. Garfield Jones’ Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance shall be applied):

1. Before speaking, unless it be on a point of order, a motion for reconsideration or objection to consideration, or a motion for the Orders of the Day, or a question of privilege, a delegate must be recognized by the Chairperson. On being recognized, a delegate shall immediately identify themself by name unit at TMU.

2. When two or more delegates seek recognition simultaneously, the Chairperson shall decide the order in which they shall be recognized.

3. No delegate may speak for more than three minutes on any motion and no delegate may speak twice on the same motion until all other delegates who wish to speak on that motion have had an opportunity to do so.

4. No delegate may interrupt another delegate who has the floor except for the points or motions listed in Rule 1, above.

5. Any delegate who refuses to adhere to the Chairperson’s instruction may, at the discretion of the Chairperson, be suspended from the remainder of the meeting or any part thereof, and if any delegate persistently engages in unparliamentary behaviour, the Chairperson shall name them and remove them from the meeting.

6. The Chairperson may participate in a debate provided they vacate the Chair and do not return until the question has been disposed of.

7. Any motion, once the debate has begun, becomes the business of the meeting and may be withdrawn or replaced by the mover only if there is no objection or, if there be any objection, only with the consent of the membership at the meeting.

8. Where a motion or resolution may be amended, an amendment, and an amendment to the amendment (i.e., a sub-amendment), shall be in order. No further sub-amendment shall be in order until the first has been disposed of.

9. Questions shall normally be decided by a show of hands or other acceptable method. Where reasonable doubt may exist, on demand by at least 5 delegates, another show of hands or equivalent shall be called for. Only then, on demand by at least 5 delegates, shall a counted vote be taken. Abuse of this rule shall be considered unparliamentary behaviour, subject to Rule 5. On a motion, supported by a majority of delegates present and voting, a roll-call vote shall be ordered. The motion for a roll-call vote may be moved at any time prior to the question being called.

10. A majority or a two-thirds majority in any vote shall be calculated on the basis of delegates present and voting, or casting valid ballots (in the case of written votes).

11. The Chairperson may vote on any question. In the case of a tie, they may cast the deciding vote. If they do not break the tie, the motion is lost.

12. A delegate may challenge a decision of the Chairperson. A seconder is required and the issue is not debatable except that the challenger and the Chairperson may each, respectively, state briefly the basis for the challenge and the decision. The Chairperson shall then vacate the Chair and a Vice-Chairperson shall put the question: “Shall the decision of the Chairperson be the decision of this assembly?” A majority vote is required to overturn the decision of the Chairperson.

13. No delegate who has spoken on a question may move or second referral, the previous question, or any other motion that would have the effect of denying or limiting the right of others to speak on the question.

14. A motion to adjourn, table, postpone, or otherwise delay may be repeated after progress.

15. A delegate may move “that the previous question be put.” It is not debatable and, if adopted by a two-thirds majority, has the effect of closing debate on only the immediate motion, amendment, or sub-amendment. 

16. Any committee bringing a resolution or report before the GMM shall move adoption, any recommendation of the committee notwithstanding.

17. Resolutions and reports of committees may not be amended on the floor of the Convention but they may be referred back without instruction, which is not debatable, or with instructions, which is debatable.

18. A motion to reconsider a question may be made by a delegate who voted with the prevailing side on that question. This motion must be made during the same or immediately succeeding session of the GMM at which the question was decided and must be supported by a majority.

19. A notice of motion to reconsider a question may be given by any delegate who voted with the prevailing side and such notice must be given at the same session of the GMM at which the question was decided. The motion to reconsider then stands to be called up at the next session, or within 24 hours. Any delegate may call up the motion, which requires a simple majority vote to be adopted. If not called up within 24 hours, or if final adjournment shall have intervened, the effect of the notice is lost.

20. When debate begins on the substance of a resolution or constitutional amendment, the Chairperson shall give the opportunity to speak first to a delegate chosen by and from the organization(s) that originated it. If this interrupts the established speaking order, the previous order shall be resumed after the delegate speaks.

21. The Rules of Order and the Order of Business, once adopted, may be changed only by a two-thirds vote.

22. Any rule of order and procedure can be temporarily suspended by a two-thirds majority of the delegates registered.