Scouts Canada’s governance
How the Board of Governors is chosen
Scouts Canada is governed by a Board of Governors selected through a complicated procedure. This page describes how it works.
Voting Members
General meetings are either an annual general meeting (AGM), which happens every year, or a special general meeting (SGM) which happen rarely. The only people allowed to vote at general meetings of Scouts Canada are the Voting Members.
| Who | How many |
|---|---|
| 3 representatives, including at least one youth, from each of the 20 Councils | 60 |
| Members of the Board of Governors | 15 |
| Association des Scouts du Canada | 3 |
| Canadian Council of BP Guilds | 1 |
| Salvation Army Scout Association | 1 |
| Honorary Officers approved at the prior year's AGM | 12 |
| Total | 92 |
The three Council Voting Representatives are supposed to be chosen by the Council membership by an online election. To run as a Council Voting Representatives, a member needs their nomination form signed by 5 other members. The election occurs over several days in mid-June.
Council Voting Representatives may attend the AGM, but have to do so at their own expense. Most have to follow vote online from home. The costs for the Board of Governors, Council Commissioners, Council Youth Commissioners, and senior staff to attend the AGM is covered by Scouts Canada.
Annual General Meeting
The agenda of the Scouts Canada AGM usually includes the following:
- Approval of the Minutes of previous year's AGM
- Approval of audited financial statements of the previous year
- Selection of the Honorary Officers and Honorary Members
- Selection of the Members of the Board, except the CEO who is hired by the Board
- Selection of 3 Voting Members to serve on the Nominating Committee for the ensuing year
The Board of Governors can bring other motions to the AGM. Voting Members cannot unless the motion is signed by any 12 Voting Members and presented several months before the meeting.
Board of Governors
The Board of Governors is composed of 15 members:
- Chair of the Board
- Vice Chair of the Board - Strategic
- Vice Chair of the Board Finance
- Past Chair of the Board
- National Youth Commissioner
- National Commissioner
- Nine members at large
There are criteria for the composition of the Board of Governors. There needs to be one member from each of BC/Yukon, Alberta/NWT, Saskatchewan/Manitoba, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces, and at least 2 members from Ontario. At least three members must be between ages 18 and 26.
The Board of Governors approves all policy decisions of Scouts Canada and hires all senior staff.
Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee is composed of:
- Past Chair of the Board
- Chair of the Board
- Two Members-at-large
- Three Voting Members chosen at the prior AGM
The Nominating Committees job is to create a list of people who will be the Board of Governors in the following year. No one has ever become a member of the Board of Governors without being selected by the Nominating Committee.
Other people can be nominated for election to the Board of Governors by any five Voting Members. Occasionally other candidates have been nominated this way, but none have ever been elected.
Source: Scouts Canada Bylaw
