NAME AND AREA OF OPERATION

The name of the club shall be The Irish Red and White Setter Club of Canada, hereafter referred to as The Club or the IR&WSCC. The area of operation will be the country of Canada. 

 

AFFILIATION

The Club shall work in co-operation with the Canadian Kennel Club, and may further affiliate or associate itself with organizations devoted to the objectives of The Club, any such affiliation or association to be approved by The Club in a Standing Resolution to be attached to the Bylaws. 

 

OBJECTIVES

The objective of The Club shall be the encouragement and development of pure-bred Irish Red and White Setters by
 

1. educating members and the public regarding pure-bred Irish Red and White Setters
    

2. encouraging members to appreciate the Irish Red and White Setter as family companion and as participant in breed-related activities
    

3. educating members and the public of the need for responsible dog ownership
    

4. educating breeders of the need for responsible breeding practices, including sound genetic selection
    

5. maintaining an association with other breed clubs throughout the world in order to co-ordinate the worldwide development of the breed
    

6. conducting sanctioned and approved events under the rules of the Canadian Kennel Club and abiding by the principles of the Canadian Kennel Club Code of Ethics
    

7. operating on a non-profit basis, any resulting surplus not to be used to the benefit of any members of The Club.
   
    

REVISING OF THE CONSTITUTION

Amendments to this Constitution may be made only after the proposed alterations have been raised in at least two regular meetings of The Club, and have thereafter been approved by a two-thirds majority of the entire registered membership of The Club. Voting must be by “mail in” ballot. Proxies are not allowed. A copy of the revised Constitution shall be forwarded to all members of The Club.

 

AMENDMENTS TO THE BREED STANDARD

Any amendment to the Breed Standard shall be conducted in accordance with CKC procedure, RG003: Proposed Changes to the Breed Standard.

Bylaws

ARTICLE I:     MEMBERSHIP

Section 1:  
Anyone who is willing to uphold the Objectives of The Club, and of the CKC, and who pays the appropriate dues shall be eligible for membership.

Section 2:  
Annual dues shall be payable on January 1 of each year. Any member who has not paid the required dues for the current year by the Annual General Meeting will have his/her membership privileges suspended until such dues are paid. Membership is revoked if dues are not paid in the fiscal year.

Section 3:  
A member may not vote until all dues are paid. The amount to be paid as annual dues may be changed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors at any meeting, with the change to take effect at the beginning of the next fiscal year.

Section 4:  
The membership of The Club shall consist of the following classifications:
INDIVIDUAL - any individual making application to join The Club.
FAMILY - all members of a single family living at one address.
FOREIGN - individuals or families living outside the country of Canada.
HONORARY - anyone recognized by majority vote at a meeting of the Board of Directors as having made outstanding contribution to The Club.

Section 5:  
Individual members shall be entitled to one vote. Two votes shall be accepted from a Family membership. Foreign and Honorary members shall not be entitled to vote.

Section 6:  
Any member of The Club who is suspended by the CKC shall automatically be suspended from the privileges of The Club for the same period of time as the suspension by the CKC.

Section 7:  
The Board of Directors, by affirmative vote of two-thirds of all members in good standing of The Club, may suspend or expel a member for conduct detrimental to the breed or The Club. The member facing suspension or expulsion shall be provided with a written explanation of the reasons behind the Board’s action. The vote for suspension or expulsion shall take place after a hearing at which the member, having been notified in writing of the charges against him/her not less than twenty days before the hearing, shall have the right to answer the charges, question those making the charges, and offer testimony and evidence of his/her behalf.

Section 8:  
Upon written request of a former member who had been suspended or expelled, the Board of Directors may, by affirmative vote of two-thirds majority of all members in good standing, reinstate a former member.

Section 9:  
Any individual rejected for membership by The Club must be provided with a written explanation.

Section 10:  
In accordance with CKC policy, “any member of The Club who is suspended, debarred, deprived, expelled, or whose membership has been terminated by the CKC’s Discipline Committee shall be suspended from the privileges of The Club for a like period.” 
 

ARTICLE II:     ORGANIZATION

Section 1:  
The Executive management of The Club shall be entrusted to the Officers of The Club (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and immediate Past-President) together with the Regional Directors (one representative from each of the five geographic areas as established by the Canadian Kennel Club).  The Executive Officers and Regional Directors collectively shall be called the Board of Directors.

Section 2:  
Executive Officers and Regional Directors of The Club shall be elected to a two-year term.

Section 3:  
A member may not serve more than two consecutive terms (two years each) in the same Executive position,  unless no other candidate will stand for that position.

Section 4:  
All elected members of The Club must be members in good standing in The Club.

Section 5:  
The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer must be members in good standing of the Canadian Kennel Club and must be residents of Canada.
 

ARTICLE III:     MEETINGS

Section 1:  
The Regular Meetings of the Board of Directors and the Annual General Meeting of The Club may be held by correspondence.

Section 2:  
The President shall call at least one Regular Meeting of The Club in each year. Notice of a Regular Meeting must be given at least one month prior to the meeting.

Section 3:  
When meetings are to be held “in person”, the exact time and location will be made known to the membership by written notice.

Section 4:  
The Board of Directors may conduct business by regular mail and  electronic means.

Section 5:  
All correspondence of the Board of Directors shall be channeled through the Secretary.

Section 6:  
Non-residents of Canada are not eligible to vote.

Section 7:  
The membership at any Regular Meeting of the Board shall constitute a quorum.

Section 8:  
A quorum for the Annual General Meeting, if it is an “in person” meeting, shall be two Officers and thirty percent of the membership.

Section 9:  
The members of the Board shall be included for the purpose of determining a quorum and shall have the right to vote on all matters coming before the Board.

Section 10:  
No proxies shall be accepted on any vote.

Section 11:  
All meetings of The Club and of its governing bodies and all matters of practice and procedure not otherwise herein specified shall be governed by the Common Law of Procedures of Canada, Roberts Rules of Order, current edition.
 

ARTICLE IV:     COMMITTEES

Section 1:  
The Board of Directors may appoint any committee as may be needed to serve the functions of The Club. All committees are subject to the authority of the Board of Directors. The President of The Club shall be an ex-officio members of all committees established by The Club.

Section 2:  
The Newsletter Committee shall be a Standing Committee of The Club. The chairperson of this committee shall be the editor of the newsletter and shall be responsible for its publication at least twice in each fiscal year. The chairperson shall have the authority to add members to the committee.

Section 3:  
The Nominating Committee shall be a Standing Committee of The Club (see Article V1: Nominations and Elections).

Section 4:  
The Membership Committee shall be a Standing Committee of The Club. The Chairperson shall be responsible to accept applicants’ names, to forward monies to the Treasurer as they are received, and to welcome new members with a package of information. The Chairperson shall also keep accurate membership records and notify members whose dues are outstanding.

Section 5:  
Except for Standing Committees of the Board, the Board of Directors will determine when the term of the committees will end.
 

ARTICLE  V:     FINANCE

Section 1:  
The financial year of The Club shall be the calendar year, January 1 to December 31 of each year.

Section 2:  
Dues shall be the amount specified in the Standing Resolutions and shall be payable on January 1 of each year.

Section 3:  
The funds of The Club, except for amounts specified in the Standing Resolutions as authorized to be placed in the safe-keeping of certain Officers as a Petty Cash imprest fund, shall be placed in a branch of any Canadian Chartered Bank or Financial Institution.

Section 4:  
All cheques issued by The Club shall require the signature of the Treasurer and the President or Vice-President.

Section 5:  
Should The Club remain inactive for three years, or should two-thirds of its members vote, in writing, to dissolve The Club, all assets—after the payment of all debts of The Club—shall be converted into cash and transferred, by way of cheque, to a Canadian Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Section 6:  
All documentation related to the dissolution of The Club shall be sent to the Canadian Kennel Club.

Section 7:  
The Club shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no profits, remainder, or residue from dues or donations to The Club shall inure to the benefit of any member or individual.
 

ARTICLE VI:     NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1:  
The President, with the approval of the Board, in an election year shall establish a Nominating Committee composed of three members in good standing. The Committee shall develop a slate of candidates and report back to the President.

Section 2:  
The President or designate shall make available to the members a list of candidates and ballots for candidate selection at least one month prior to the election date.

Section 3:  
Ballots containing the names of candidates for positions on the Board of Directors shall be sent to the membership by regular mail and the membership shall be instructed to forward completed ballots to the designated tabulator. Computer voting will be acceptable with handwritten signature.

Section 4:  
Election shall be by secret ballot.

Section 5:  
No proxies shall be allowed.

Section 6:  
No more than three Regional Directors may be elected from any one region, and Regional Directors must reside in the regions they represent.

Section 7:  
If a vacancy for a position of the Board of Directors should occur, the Board of Directors, by majority vote, may appoint a member in good standing to fill the vacancy.

Section 8:  
The Board of Directors shall serve until their successors take office in the next fiscal year.
 

ARTICLE VII:     CHANGES TO THE BY-LAWS

Section 1:  
Any proposal to change the By-laws shall be presented for debate in at least two regular meetings of The Club. Having received written notice of the proposed amendment, the membership will vote on the proposal. A two-thirds majority is required to change the By-law.

Standing Resolutions