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Haiku Canada was founded in 1977 by Dr. Eric Amann,
Betty Drevniok and George Swede. First called the
Haiku Society of Canada, it was renamed Haiku Canada
in 1985. Since it was founded, members have shared
information
on haiku, haiku events, organizations,
markets and publications. Meetings, readings, annual
spring weekends and various
publications have provided
members with stimulation and opportunities to learn
and to share their work.
Certain
functions and traditions have evolved during
the terms of previous presidents: Eric Amann
(1977-79), Betty Drevniok
(1979-1982), Sandra
Fuhringer (1982-85), Dorothy Howard and Andre Duhaime
(1985-88), Dorothy Howard (1988-1990), and
Marshall
Hryciuk (1990-1997). Since these practices have
served the members well, they form the basis of this
document.
At the Annual General Meeting in Aylmer, Quebec in
1997, the members determined to write a constitution
for
Haiku Canada which would serve as a source of
vision and practical reference in future years.
THE CONSTITUTION
1. Haiku Canada shall continue as a society of haiku
poets and enthusiasts. The purposes of Haiku Canada
are:
1.1. to promote the creation and appreciation of haiku
and related forms among its members and the public at
large.
1.2. to foster association, friendship, communication
and mutual support among haiku poets in Canada and
elsewhere
in the world.
2. The Executive Officers of Haiku Canada shall:
2.1. be Canadian citizens, landed immigrants
or
long-term residents.
2.2. include a President, Vice-President, Treasurer,
Secretary, and Regional Representatives
for each of
the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairie
Provinces, and British Columbia.
2.3. be elected
nationally by mail-in ballot or
electronic means for two-year renewable terms but in
the event of a vacancy for any
reason, the Executive
may appoint any person to act as an Executive Officer
until the next election.
3. The
President shall:
3.1. be active and be the general manager of the
affairs of Haiku Canada.
3.2. preside as
Chairperson at the AGM.
3.3. set an agenda and conduct meetings so as to deal
with matters of importance to the members.
3.4. organize, with the help of the executive and
members, the annual spring weekend.
3.5. see that resolutions
are carried into effect.
3.6. act as spokesperson for Haiku Canada.
3.7. maintain good communication with the members
through the Newsletter as to developments in the
organization and in the haiku world.
4. The Vice-President
shall:
4.1. support and act as liaison for the President.
4.2. in the absence or disability of the President,
or
if designated by the President to do so, perform the
duties and exercise the powers of the President.
5.
The Treasurer shall:
5.1. keep custody of the funds and records of receipts
and disbursements in the name and
to the credit of
Haiku Canada.
5.2. disburse funds as directed by proper authority
taking vouchers or receipts
for all such
disbursements.
5.3. provide for the AGM an accounting of transactions
and a statement of the financial
position of Haiku
Canada which shall be published in the Newsletter
following the AGM.
6. The Secretary shall:
6.1. record the minutes of the AGM, have the text read
by the President or Vice-President for any errors or
omissions,
forward it to the Newsletter Editor for
publication, and submit it for approval at the next
AGM.
6.2. assist the
Executive as required.
7. The Regional Coordinators shall:
7.1. make occasional reports for inclusion in the
Newsletter on haiku activities in their regions.
7.2. be encouraged to represent Haiku Canada at
literary conferences
and other events in their
regions.
7.3. be encouraged to promote in their regions the
organization of haiku groups,
events, newsletters, and
other forms of promotion under the aegis of Haiku
Canada.
8. Other Officers
In
addition to the Executive there shall be a
Membership Secretary, a Newsletter Editor, an
Archivist, a Members Anthology
Editor, and a
Nominations Coordinator, all of whom shall be
appointed by the Executive.
9. The Membership
Secretary shall:
9.1. maintain an up-to-date list of members and
addresses.
9.2. collect the dues and forward
them to the
Treasurer.
9.3. provide the Newsletter Editor with membership
data for mailing purposes.
10.
The Newsletter Editor shall:
10.1. edit and produce the Haiku Canada Newsletter.
10.2. inform the members of matters
of interest to
them through regular publication.
10.3. edit and publish Haiku Canada broadsheets or
other forms
of publication of members work.
11. The Archivist shall maintain intact the archives
of Haiku Canada and receive
all manner of haiku and
haiku-related publications, book, magazines, papers
and materials for preservation.
12.
The Members Anthology Editor shall gather haiku
from members, and select from them an anthology to be
launched at
the AGM.
13. The Nominations Coordinator shall:
13.1. form a committee to solicit nominations for the
Executive
Officers through the newsletter and in
person.
13.2. prepare by year end a mail-in or electronic
ballot with the
slate of all members willing to stand
for election.
13.3. forward the ballots which must be returned at
least
one month prior to the date of the next AGM.
13.4. inform the incoming and outgoing Executive
Officers of the results
of the vote.
14. The Haiku Canada Newsletter shall:
14.1. continue as the official publication of Haiku
Canada.
14.2. serve to maintain communication among members so
that the aims of Haiku Canada might be realized.
14.3.
be published on a regular basis at least three
times a year.
14.4. be provided free with membership in Haiku
Canada.
15. The Members Anthology shall be published annually
by Haiku Canada and launched at the AGM. Each member
in
good standing may contribute work and shall receive
one free copy.
16. The Archives shall continue as the valuable
and
irreplaceable repository of works by and of interest
to lovers of haiku and related forms, particularly in
the
Canadian tradition. To this end, all members are
encouraged to provide a copy of their haiku and
haiku-related publications,
books, magazines, papers
and materials to the archives free of charge.
Literary papers of haiku poets as well as other
donations and bequests for the maintenance of the
Archives are encouraged by Haiku Canada.
17. Annual Election
17.1. The Annual Election shall be held by mail-in
ballot or electronic means.
17.2. Each member in good standing
shall receive a
ballot with the first issue of the Newsletter in the
year elections are held.
17.3. The results
shall be announced at the AGM and
published in the next issue of the Newsletter.
18. The Annual General Meeting
18.1. The AGM may be held at any place in Canada.
18.2. The time and place for the AGM shall be
determined
by the members at the AGM.
18.3. Any member in good standing may vote on any
issue at the AGM.
18.4. A quorum
shall consist of a minimum of six
members all of whom must be present before business
may be conducted on behalf of
the members.
18.5. In the absence of the Secretary, an Acting
Secretary shall be appointed to record the proceedings
and follow the procedures set out above for the
Secretary.
18.6. Minutes of the previous AGM and reports from
all
Executive and other Officers shall be presented at
every AGM.
18.7. Any member who is unable to attend the
AGM but
wishes to raise or comment on any issue(s) of concern
may forward his or her concerns or comments to any
member
of the Executive and those comments shall be
read at the AGM.
19. Membership and Dues
19.1. Membership
is open to any person who pays dues.
19.2. Dues for membership in Haiku Canada shall be set
at the AGM.
20.
Life Members
20.1. Members who have made an outstanding
contribution to Haiku Canada may be nominated as
members
for life.
20.2. The nomination shall be presented at the AGM and
voted upon.
20.3. Those who are voted in as members
for life shall
pay no dues and receive all rights of members in good
standing as long as they live.
21. Amending
the Constitution
The Haiku Canada Constitution may be amended by a
majority vote at any duly convened AGM provided
that:
21.1. notice of the change has been served on all
members at least one month prior to the AGM.
21.2.
all members shall have an opportunity to vote in
person, by mail or electronic means.
21.3. any member who is unable
to attend but wishes to
be heard on the amendment may forward his or her
comments to any member of the Executive and
those
comments shall be read at the AGM.
Acknowledgement (from the Haiku Canada
Newsletter, June 2002)
The Haiku Canada Constitution has been passed by
membership vote. Ann Goldring acknowledged the
efforts of
Marianne Bluger who spent a summer writing
the first draft that was presented at the May 1998
meeting, Muriel Ford
who was a staunch advocate of the
formalization of Haiku Canada and who worked
extensively on the first Nominating
Committee, and
Nick Avis who provided amendments to the Constitution.
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