Constitution

Version française

Version as amended on November 3, 2018

1. Name: The name of the Association shall be Atlantic Provinces Linguistic Association.

2. Objects: The objects of the Association shall be to promote the study of languages and linguistics in Atlantic Canada.

3. Membership: Membership shall be open to persons and institutions interested in furthering the objects of the Association.

4. Officers: The officers of the Association shall be:

• (a) the President
• (b) the Vice-President
• (c) the Secretary
• (d) the Treasurer

5. The period of tenure of office of the President and the Vice-President shall be for not more than two consecutive years.

6. The Vice-President shall automatically succeed the President, provided that he/she is willing to undertake the responsibility. The Vice-President, while in office as such, shall be responsible for all matters having to do with the biennial Meeting, save for the location and time thereof which shall be determined by the Council, as provided in item 15 of this Constitution. The Vice-President may delegate all or any of this responsibility to any agreeing member or members of the Association, provided that such delegation be made in writing and be received by the member or members concerned not less than eleven months before the date of the biennial Meeting to which such delegation refers.

7. Council: The Council of the Association shall consist of the Officers of the Association, the Past President, the Chairpersons of any standing committees and two members elected from the membership at large for a term of two years.

8. The Council is charged with conducting the affairs of the Association and shall form the Executive of the Association.

9. The Council shall:

• (a) meet at least once every two years before the general meeting and by teleconference the alternate year;
• (b) decide all questions affecting the interpretation of the provisions of this Constitution;
• (c) levy such dues as the Association may determine at the biennial meeting;
• (d) make expenditures in the name of the Association;
• (e) establish such Standing and Ad hoc Committees as the Association may deem necessary, and report on their proceedings at the biennial Meeting;
• (f) do such things as it may deem necessary or expedient to further the objectives of the Association.

10. Committees on Publications:

• (a) This shall be a Standing Committee of the Council, under item 9 (e) of this constitution.
  The Editor and Associate Editor shall be responsible for the contents of the journal of the Association.
  The Editor and the Associate Editor shall name an Editorial board to assist them in the conduct of journal affairs.
• (b) The President and the Secretary of the Association shall be ex officio members of this committee, under item 12 (a) of this constitution.
• (c) Additionally to the President and Secretary, the committee shall consist of an editor and at least one Associate Editor, appointed by the Council, under item 9(e) of this constitution. Whenever possible, the Associate Editor will represent the official language other than that of the Editor.
• (d) The  Editor and the Associate Editor (s) shall each be appointed for a term of three years, renewable.
• (e) The office of President or Secretary may be concurrently held with an Editorship or Associate Editorship.
• (f) The committee shall be responsible for deciding what publications the Association shall issue, how often each shall appear, and what shall be the character and content of each.
• (g) Should the committee decide to issue more than one publication, the committee shall have powers to appoint other Editors, as required, from its own membership or from the general membership of the Association.
• (h) The committee shall have power to raise, in the Association's name, what funds are required for the publications it intends.
• (i) The committee shall have power to spend, in the Association's name, such funds only as shall be authorized by the Council.

11. Committees: The duties of each Committee shall be determined at the time of its formation.

12. Membership of Committees:

• (a) The President and Secretary of the Association shall be ex-officio members of all Standing and Ad hoc Committees with the exception of any Nomination Committee.
• (b) Committees may co-opt members of the Association for the better conduct of their duties.

13. Duration of Tenures of Appointments: The period of office of the Secretary, of the Treasurer of the Archivist, or of any person or persons appointed under item 10 (g) or item 12 (b) of this Constitution shall normally be three years. At the end of this period, such person or persons may be re-appointed for a further two years. Thereafter, at least two years must elapse before any such person or persons may be reappointed to any position previously held under the items specified herein. However the periods of office mentioned in this article may be further extended for two years at a time at the biennial Meeting.

14. Archivist: The Council will appoint an archivist to hold historical documents and all unsold copies of published material. The archivist will also be responsible for filling requests for back orders.

15. General Meeting : The Association shall hold a Meeting every two years. The location and time of the meeting shall be determined by the Council.

16. Elections: Elections to Office and to Standing Committees shall be held at the biennial Meeting.

17. Nominations: All nominations placed before the biennial meeting shall be accompanied by proof of willingness to serve.

18. Procedure:

(a) Each member of the Council, or of a Committee, or of the Association at its biennial Meeting shall have one vote.

(b) All matters shall be decided by the majority vote of those present, with the exceptions that: (i) votes for election to Office may be cast by a signed letter addressed to the Secretary of the Association, and (ii) the majority necessary for amendment of the Constitution shall be two-thirds of the total votes cast.

(c) A quorum of the Association at the biennial Meeting shall be the members present.

19. Reports: Reports of the Secretary, the Treasurer and Chairpersons of Committees shall be made at the biennial Meeting.

20. Language: The official languages of the Association are French and English. The affairs of the Association may be conducted in either official language, or both.

21. Amendments to the Constitution: Proposals for the amendment of the Constitution, signed by not less than four members of the Association may be received by the Council for decision at the biennial Meeting, provided that they are received by the Secretary of the Association not less than six weeks before the biennial Meeting.