Introduction

[March 12, 2016] Processes are the steps taken by the members to implement or execute the directives of the Constitution or Bylaw. Ordinarily the processes followed are those of Parliament, unless explicitly defined otherwise in Constitution or Bylaws. Examples of the latter include the gathering and tallying of votes for Laurence Coward Award, while another is the identification of prospective new members and the steps to be followed should they ultimately wish to join the Club.

However, upon occasion the members may undertake to review, modify or replace processes that are used to implement the directives of the Constitution and/or Bylaws. These processes do not modify or in any way affect Constitution or Bylaws themselves. To consider a process it is common for a committee to be struck to examine the process in question and to report back in writing to the members with their findings, conclusions and recommendations. The members may accept the report as-is, make changes or decline its acceptance. By consensus or vote the process in question can be implemented immediately or at the next opportunity.

Meeting Minutes

[March 2013] Friendly Amendment Committee

Final Report, March 2013

The committee scope was limited to friendly amendments as applicable to the minutes of the Tuesday Literary Club. Although Bourinot’s Rules of Order do not disallow friendly amendments1 to motions, the Committee recommends a procedural change to permit the Secretary to consider requested changes from the members present before putting acceptance of the minutes into a formal motion. To make the committee’s scope more expansive constitutionally was not necessary to deal with this issue.

The current method of dealing with the minutes involves the reading of the minutes by the Secretary who then makes a motion for the minutes to be accepted. This procedure contravenes the procedure by which other reports are dealt with by the club. The specific contravention is that the presentation of a report is followed by discussion of the report. Only after the discussion is concluded is a motion to accept the report (i.e. minutes) in order. The committee proposes the following:

Subsequent to the reading of the minutes, the secretary will no longer make a motion regarding the minutes. Instead, the secretary will resume normal duties recording the minutes of the current meeting which may include the subsequent discussion of the minutes as read.
The Chair will call for discussion of the minutes. During discussion any changes to the minutes can be dealt with. The Secretary may or may not accept any requested changes. The Secretary may, as is currently the case, choose to withdraw the minutes to permit further work and subsequently present the minutes again at the next meeting.
Once discussion is concluded the Chair will call for a motion from the floor for “the minutes to be accepted”. Further discussion of the minutes will not be permitted after this point in time. If any member is not satisfied with the minutes at this time then a formal motion will be required to affect any additional amendment to the minutes.
The motion to accept the minutes, as well as any motions to amend, is dealt with according to existing rules regarding motions and motions to amend.

This procedural change effectively eliminates what are referred to as friendly amendments to the minutes by relegating those items to the discussion phase. Only substantial or contentious issues would remain to be dealt with as required by formal motions to amend the minutes.

This procedural change is already within the scope of authority granted the meeting chair and may be implemented at the discretion of the Chair.

1 ‘Friendly amendments’ are defined as requests for minor changes to a motion, such as wording or clarification, to which the original mover of the motion agrees and to which there is no objection from members present. In the case of any objection, the requested change should be made as a formal motion to amend.

Annual Election of Officers

[February 2, 2016] Report of Committee to Investigate Electoral Reform

Colleagues,

It has been observed that the recording and reading of the annual election proceedings at the 12th regular meeting is tedious. As a result, a committee has been struck to investigate electoral reform. Your committee has interpreted its mandate as to simplify the electoral process for the annual election of the Club’s executive officers.

Your committee makes the following four recommendations:

As the business of elections compose a part of the formal programme for the 12th regular meeting, no motion to commence elections shall be required. At the appropriate time, the Chair need only announce that the business of elections has begun.
During the process of elections, there would be a call for the nomination of each office in the normal order. Each nominee shall be brought forth by a nominator and a seconder, as per current process.
For each office, when it appears all forthcoming nominations have been made, instead of a motion to close nominations, the Chair will pose the question: “Are there any further nominations?” The Chair shall allow for a suitable delay with a sufficient pause for reaction and state, “I declare the nominations are closed for the position of <office>.” If necessary, an election would follow. To conclude the item, the Chair would then declare the successful candidate to have been elected or acclaimed to the position.
The information recorded by the secretary during the process of elections would be the names of the nominators and seconders for each nominee and the offices to which members were elected.

Your committee finds no inconsistency with these recommendations and the Constitution and Bylaws and as such, no constitutional amendment is necessary.

These recommendations were compiled by committee chairperson, Mr. David Heppenstall.

Your chairperson wishes to gratefully acknowledge the contributions of committee members, Messrs Allan Ireland, Robert Topolnytsky, and Michael Attwood, who hashed out these issues to great depth while the chairperson stood in silent witness.

Sincerely,
Mr. David Heppenstall -- Vice President Tuesday Literary Club

Rules of Order:

Unseconded Motions; Motion to Adjourn; Withdrawing A Motion

Report from the Rules of Order Committee, January 17, 2017

As instructed by the President at the previous meeting, the Committee would like to report our findings on three investigations.

Unseconded Motions

With regard to whether or not motions that are not seconded should be noted in the minutes of the club: While there is no prohibition against these un-seconded motions being noted in the minutes, there doesn't appear to be anything in Bourinot mandating these motions being in the minutes.

Our recommendation is that this matter be left to the discretion of the secretary.

Motion To Adjourn

With regard to a motion to declare the meeting be adjourned:

A motion to declare that the meeting be adjourned is like any other motion. That means that it requires a mover and a seconder and is voted upon just like any other motion. Our recommendation is that this is the procedure we follow.

However, Bourinot states that a motion to adjourn is not debated, just voted upon.

Withdrawing A Motion

With regard to the withdrawal of motions:

Bourinot states that once a motion has been seconded, it can be withdrawn by its mover and seconder only with the assent of the meeting. Our recommendation is that this is the procedure that we follow.

President's Procedures

[March 26, 2019] Adopted from the Report of Committee by the Membership Committee

Further to the recommendations of the Membership Committee, the following -President's Procedures- are proposed to be included under -Processes- in The Tuesday Literary Club website:

To ensure smoother meetings with greater efficiency, and a better opportunity for all members to participate in the club discussion the -Presidents Procedures- as outlined below encourage the meeting Chair (President, Vice President or appointed meeting Chair) to manage available time subject to his/her discretion and the following guidelines:
- Lengthy debates should be discouraged
- The break should be kept to 5 minutes or no break if time is limited;
- Presentations should be limited to 20 minutes
- Editor's papers are to be limited to 5 topics, maximum 10 minutes
- Member responses to Editor's Paper should be limited to 2 minutes. Presenters for that evening will not be called on to respond to the Editor's Paper, but may respond if they wish. The President (Chair) may limit the number of responses.
The President (Chair) will ask presenter(s) in advance if they would entertain questions following their presentation. The President (chair) will determine if and how many questions will be allowed.
The President will encourage members to bring guests and/or prospective members to the club.
The President will encourage members to give advance notice when intending to introduce new business/motions at an upcoming meeting.

An Introduction To The TLC

For Guests

Thank you for attending this evenings meeting! Guests are always welcome!

Here is how the evening will unfold:

Order of Business meeting - introduction of guests, reading of the previous meeting minutes, correspondence, reports of committees and other business aspects
Short Break (washroom is on first landing downnstairs from the hallway; available throughout the evening.)
Presentation(s) typically one or two 20 minute presentation(s)
Member secret ballot vote after each prsentation for The Lawrence Coward award given to the member for "the best" presentation of the season at our year end celebration
The Editors report - the editor presents his/her opinion on 5 topics usually current events or issues. Members and guests, if you choose to participate, are called on to respond to one of the topics for up to 2 minutes
Critics Report - a summation of the meeting by the Club's Critic
Adjournment

Please join us for refreshments in the dining room when the meeting adjourns.

More about the Tuesday Literary Club:

Members are diverse both in business background and in their general interests and are seeking to improve their public speaking and ability to manage meetings while learning from one another by sharing in this common forum.
The Tuesday Literary Club was founded in 1909.
We meet every second Tuesday from October to March.
Awards: The Lawrence Coward Award recognizes the "best" presentation of the season, The Harry Fairhead Award of Merit recognizes the member whom made the greatest contribution to the club during the season.
The end of season is celebrated with our annual dinner for members and "plus ones". An evening of entertainment and socialization at an outside venue.
For more information about the club please visit our website www.tuesdayliteraryclub.ca.

THE TUESDAY LITERARY CLUB