Charter & By-Laws

The Association shall be known as the Manitoba Psychiatric Association.   The Association was originally designated as he Psychiatric Section of the Manitoba Medical Association (original Constitution and By-Laws adopted at Portage la Prairie meeting 1959 and amended in 1967).  The name of the Association became known as the Manitoba Psychiatric Association in 1967. The Constitution was amended again in 2001.

In subsequent articles, the Manitoba Psychiatric Association will be referred to as the Association.

The objectives of the Association shall be:

1. To represent the members of the Association in their relationship with the Manitoba Medical Association as the Psychiatric Section of the Medical Association.
2. To represent the members of the Association in their relationship with the Canadian Psychiatric Association as the Manitoba Division of the Psychiatric Association.
3. To represent the members of the Association in their relationship with the Government of Manitoba through its linkage with the Manitoba Medical Association; and when deemed necessary by the Association with other provincial governments, universities, medical association, licensing and certifying bodies, and other associations, organizations and bodies with which the psychiatrists of Manitoba from time to time may have relationships.
4. To advocate, through partnership with Canadian Psychiatric Association and the Manitoba Medical Association, the education of the public regarding mental illness.
5. To advocate for and support initiatives that would enhance psychiatric services in the province.
6. To promote and assist in the professional development of the members of the Association and other Health Care professionals such as Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, licensed Pharmacists, Resident Physicians and Medical Students.
7. To raise monies by membership fees, or other means, that are not contrary to the laws of Manitoba for purposes of carrying out the Objectives of the Association as described.
8. To hold social events that promotes the cohesiveness of the Association.

Members shall comply with the Code of Conduct of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Manitoba.

The Association shall be composed of active members, associate members, members-in-training, and honorary members as laid down in the By-Laws.

The Association shall be empowered, subject to a majority vote of the membership to form affiliations with other organizations.

Meetings of the Association shall be held as provided for in the By-Laws.

The Officers of the Association shall be:  President, Secretary, Treasurer.

The Committees of the Association shall be:

1.  Statutory Committees
2. Standing Committees
3. Ad Hoc Committees

The Association may also establish Sections

Statutory Commitees

1. The Executive Committee
2. The Nominating and Polling Committee
3.       The Executive Committee shall be comprised of the President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Past President, or President elect, Chair-persons of Standing Committees and Sections, Standing Committee representatives to the Canadian Psychiatric Association (four Standing Committees and one Board member), two members-at- large and two members-in-training.
4.       The Nominating and Polling Committee shall be chaired by the immediate Past President; at least two additional members shall be appointed annually by the Executive Committee, to which the Nominating Committee shall report.

Formation of Committees, whether Ad Hoc or Standing, shall be by vote at a general meeting of the Association, the Executive or by decision of the President.  An Ad Hoc Committee shall be dissolved when it has served the purpose for which it was formed, or may be changed to a Standing Committee via any of the processes outlined above.  The Committees shall be dissolved by the same process by which they are formed.

Sections of the Association, groups representing special interests, may be established as provided for in the By-Laws.

Representatives to outside bodies may be appointed by the Executive Committee or elected by a vote of the membership.  Such representation shall function as laid down in the By-Laws. Appointment or elected periods of such representatives shall be until the next annual meeting, at which time the term may be extended.

In the case of vacancy on account of death, resignation, or other causes, in any elected or appointed office of the Association, the Executive may appoint a member to fill in the vacancy.  A member appointed to fill such vacancy shall so serve until the next Annual Meeting of the Association.

Association Year:  The Association Year shall begin when the newly elected Executive assumes office as provided for in the By-Laws.

Fiscal Year:  The fiscal year of the Association shall be the calendar year.

By-Laws:  By-Laws to this Constitution may be established by the membership at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Association only.  Notice of Motion by two or more members for such By-Laws shall be given to the President at least one month before such meeting.  It shall be laid by the President before the Executive for consideration and reported to the regular meeting by the Executive with recommendations.  All proposed amendments must be submitted to the membership at least 14 days prior to the meeting at which they are to be considered and proposed amendments may be further amended at the meeting in question.  Amendments and By-Laws to this Constitution may be established by the membership at the General Meeting or other regularly scheduled meeting of the Association only. The motion shall become an Amendment or By-Law by majority in-person vote of the members present at the General Meeting or regularly scheduled meeting of the Association.  The voting may be conducted at the meeting or by mailed ballot, as described in the By-Laws. Mail balloting regarding Amendments or By-Laws shall be binding if passed by a majority of the respondents. Mail balloting includes electronic balloting.

The Association shall consist of active members, associate members, members-in-training and honorary members.

Must be licensed to practice in Manitoba and be certified in Psychiatry by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or registered as a specialist in psychiatry by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba.

1. Every duly qualified medical practitioner who is licensed to practice in Manitoba and is interested in the aims and objectives of the Association may apply to become an Affliliate.  
2. Every qualified member of regulated Health Professions as defined by The Health Professions Act of Manitoba, and a registered trainee in those Health Professions, may apply to become an Affiliate.
3. Affiliates may not vote or hold office, and may attend Executive meetings and participate in Committees at the invitation of the Executive.

1. A physician who is registered in a postgraduate training program in Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba or at any Psychiatry Training Program in Canada may apply to become a Member-in-Training and may remain such as long as they are registered in such a training program.
2. Any Member-in-Training who achieves Certification in Psychiatry by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada upon payment of appropriate membership dues shall automatically assume privileges and responsibilities of an active member.

1. Any person may be proposed for honorary membership on recommendation of the Executive Committee.  Such persons may be elected to honorary membership at any general meeting of the Association by a majority vote.
2. Honorary Life Members may vote.
3. Honorary Life Members shall not hold office or pay fees.

1. Any member, whose annual fee is not paid by the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting current year, will be suspended from all privileges of membership until such fees are paid.
2. Should any member of the Association be convicted of a criminal offence or have his name removed from the register of the Medical Council of Canada or any provincial medical licensing authority for disciplinary reasons, his membership in the Association shall stand suspended.
3. Non-adherence to the By-Laws of the Association justifies membership termination.
4. Resignation of membership in the Association may be effected by giving notice to the Executive and the termination shall become effective upon its acceptance by the Executive Committee.

The time and place of each meeting shall be decided by the Executive and shall, except in the case of emergency meetings be announced to the membership at least two weeks in advance.  A minimum of one meeting a year shall be held which could be the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM shall be held in the spring as arranged by the Executive.

1. The President shall preside at all sessions of the meetings or in his/her absence the A-Elect will preside. In the absence of both the President and the President-Elect the Secretary will preside.
2. At General Meetings of the Association, 20% of the voting members of the Association shall constitute a quorum.
3. If a quorum is not present for a meeting then the meeting may commence; notices of motion may be passed by the majority but no motion may be passed until there is a quorum.
4. The order of business shall be as laid down by the presiding officer at a particular meeting unless otherwise ordered by the Executive.
5. At every annual meeting the following shall be included:
1. A report by the President
2. A report and statement by the Treasurer
3. The election of Association officers or the announcement of the officers elected by ballot for the subsequent Association year
4. Reports from the various sections, committees, sub-committees or CPA Council representatives may be included
6. The rules of order which govern the proceedings of the House of Commons shall be the guide for conducting all meetings of the Association.
7. At any general meeting of the Association, or by any mail ballot conducted by the Association, each active member shall be entitled to one vote.
8. Every question shall be decided by a majority of the votes cast by the active members present at a meeting unless otherwise required in these By-Laws, and voting shall be by a show of hands unless the President of the meeting directs that some other method of voting be employed. In case of an equality of votes the President shall be entitled to cast a deciding vote.

1. Special meetings shall be called at the discretion of the Executive, the President, or at the written request of a group composed of at least 10% of the membership.
2. Emergency Meetings:  Emergency meetings for which the usual two week notification is waived, may be called by the Executive Committee or the President.

Matters of concern of the Association or policy may be decided by a majority vote either taken at a general membership meeting or determined by general membership ballot, approved by the Executive Committee and in accordance with the By-Laws.

1. The Executive Committee shall be the body of the Association responsible for the transaction of its affairs.
2. The Executive shall inform the candidates for election to the positions as officers of the Association, of the results of the election and make them known to the membership at the next annual meetings.
3. The incoming Executive shall assume duties immediately following the end of the business section of the annual meeting where they have been elected or the results of the election have been announced.
4. The Executive will have the authority to appoint a member (with their acceptance) to any vacant position until the next Annual General Meeting.
5. The Executive shall have the power to appoint additional members to the Executive in such circumstances as the Executive deems necessary to expand its membership.  This shall be decided by majority of the Executive.

1. The Nominating and Polling Committee shall be the responsible body to conduct the nomination and election of the officers of the Association, in accordance with the wishes of the Executive Committee and the By-Laws of the Association.
2. Nominations may be solicited by mail with fifteen days allowed for a response from the date of mailing.  Nominations received after this time shall not be valid.
3. A nominee must be a member in good standing and have been nominated by two members in good standing or the Executive Committee.
4. Election of officers may be by ballot as per the By-Laws or by member vote at the annual meeting.
5. Should the Executive Committee direct that an election or matter of concern be decided by general membership mail ballot, then the Nominating and Polling Committee shall have the nominations for the election or the matter of concern or policy, printed and mailed to each member with two enveloped, such that one envelope may show the name of the member and the second enclosed plain envelope will contain only the duly marked ballot.
6. Fifteen days will be allowed for the ballots to be returned to the Committee from the time of their mailing to the members.  Ballots received after this period of fifteen days shall not be valid for the decision.
7. The Nominating and Polling Committee shall be responsible for appointing scrutineers, receiving returns and making known the results to the Executive.

1. Any individual member of the Association shall have the right to make representations to and to appear before the Executive Committee.
2. Any member of the Association shall be free to attend open meetings of the Executive Committee as an observer.
3. Correspondence and reports presented at meeting, or a summary thereof, should be presented to the Executive as an attachment to the minutes.

1. The President shall be concerned with general policies of the Association.
2. The President shall preside at the meetings and social functions of the Association.
3. The President shall be a member ex-officio of all Sections and committees of the Association.
4. The President shall be a member of the Executive for one year immediately succeeding her/his presidency.
5. The President may or usually shall countersign Association cheques as issued by the Treasurer.
6. The President shall represent the Association at government, public, professional and voluntary organizations.   In the fulfillment of their duties, the President may request a member or members of the Executive Committee, or any other member or members the President deems appropriate to accompany them in the performance of such duties, or The President may delegate such duties to a member of members of the Executive Committee or any other member or members as the President deems fit.

The President-Elect shall in the absence of the President perform these duties.

1. The Secretary shall be responsible for the recording of the Minutes of all meetings and preservation of Association records.
2. The Secretary shall manage correspondence after consultation with the Executive Committee.
3. The Secretary shall notify the members of the Association of a general meeting not less than two weeks before a meeting is to take place.
4. The Secretary shall perform such other duties as may be required in these By-Laws or by the Executive Committee.
5. In the absence of both the President and President-Elect, the Secretary shall preside at meetings.

The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all monies of the Association.  The Treasurer shall pay be cheque only. Such cheques may be signed by any of the following signing officers of the Association as per the By-Laws:  Treasurer, President and President-Elect. The Treasurer shall pay the expenses of the Association as provided for by vote of membership. The Treasurer shall keep records regarding these expenses and prepare annual financial report to be presented at the Annual Meeting upon request of the membership or the Executive Committee.  The Treasurer shall prepare an interim financial report to be presented at the next regular or special meeting. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the notification and collection of annual dues from the membership.

There shall be two Members-in-Training functioning as additional members of the Executive Committee with full voting power.  Their election or appointment shall be as set forth in the By-Laws.

There shall be two members at large positions.   Notwithstanding this provision, the Executive shall have the authority to, at any time, increase the number of members at large on the Executive.  These positions will serve to broaden the representation for the membership. They will also provide an introduction to the functioning of the Executive.

Where a member of a CPA Standing Committee has been put forward by the MPA Executive, that member will be expected to serve on the Executive of the MPA for the duration of their term on the CPA Standing Committee.

There shall be one member who represents the MPA at the CPA Board level.  This member will report back to the Executive Committee after the bi-annual meetings of the CPA.

1. The Executive Committee
   1. Duties of the Executive Committee shall be as laid down in the By-Laws.
2. The Nominating and Polling Committee
   1. Duties of the Nominating and Polling Committee shall be as laid down in the By-Laws.

The duties of the Standing Committees is to deal with matters concerning the regular life of the Association over a long period of time.  The Standing Committees shall report to the Executive Committee and to the membership as required. The members of these Committees shall hold office until their successors are appointed by the Executive Committee.

Ad Hoc Committees shall be established from time-to-time to deal with specific matters.  Ad Hoc Committees may be established as set out in the Constitution.

1. They shall be required to report to the Executive Committee, and at meetings of the membership at the discretion of the Executive.
2. They shall act on specific terms of reference as laid down at the time of their establishment.
3. They shall be dissolved upon submission of the final report.

 Representatives to other bodies, meetings, etc., may be elected at a regular meeting of the Association or on an interim basis by the Executive.  They shall be responsible to the Executive. They shall express the opinion of the Association at such meetings, within specific terms of reference laid down at the time of their election or interim appointment.

The President shall hold office from the time of election at an Annual Meeting for two years.  The President shall act as immediate Past-President for the year succeeding the term of office as President.

The President-Elect shall hold office for one year extending for the period of the Association year.

The Secretary shall hold office for three consecutive years to coincide with three Association years.

The Treasurer shall hold office for three consecutive years to coincide with three Association years.

When possible, the initial terms of office for the Secretary and the Treasurer should be arranged in such a way that their three year terms do not coincide.

The members-in-training shall be elected by their peers and shall serve for two years for the period of the Association year.  Their two year terms should be arranged in such a way that they overlap.

The members-at-large (2) shall be an elected position of two year duration to coincide with two Association years.

The CPA Standing Committee representative and the representative to the Board of the CPA shall be an elected position to coincide with CPA’s Committee Membership terms.

Fees for active members, affiliates and members-in-training, shall be determined by the Executive pending approval by the general membership.

1. A section for a special interest group may be formed within the Association upon petition in writing to the Executive Committee by at least eight members and with the approval of the Executive Committee, provided that the stated objects of such section are in accord with those of the Association.
2. The first meeting of the section shall be announced to the general membership of the Association with an invitation to all interested members to attend.
3. The first members of a section shall be those who attend its first meeting and their class of membership within the section shall be the same as that within the Association.  Membership within a section shall depend upon membership within the Association and shall cease with it.
4. A Chairperson and a Secretary shall be nominated and elected at the first meeting of the section and at each annual meeting of such section thereafter.  None may be re-elected for more than three consecutive years.
5. The voting powers of each member of a section and the voting procedure shall be the same as those within the Association.
6. The duties of the Chair and the Secretary to the section shall be the same as those of the President and Secretary of the Association.
7. No section shall levy any fees on its members or expend any money of the Manitoba Psychiatric Association without approval in writing by the Executive Committee.
8. Minutes of section meetings along with copies of correspondence received from or sent to outside organizations or their representatives are to be forwarded for the next meeting of the Executive Committee.
9. Recommendations or statement of policy must be approved by the Executive Committee to ensure their being coincident with the objectives of the Association.
10. The chair of a section will also serve as a member of the Executive committee.

In the event of its appearing from the small number of attendance’s at successive meetings or the failure to hold meetings thereof, or on any other ground, that interest in its subject is lacking, the Executive Committee may dissolve the section and it shall not be revived except on a new application for recognition.