17. Ethics Committee - Status Report

[Lyle Craver]

please post your report here

[Bob Gillanders]

I frankly don't know what the issue of the day was, back a few years when the formation of an ethics committee was approved. But since then, we have had no willing volunteers to serve. The only committee member at present is Ilia Bluvshtein, and that was only after lots of arm twisting at the AGM.

I must ask the question, if nobody is willing to serve on this committee, then perhaps we should just dissolve it!

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

But since then, we have had no willing volunteers to serve. The only committee member at present is Ilia Bluvshtein, and that was only after lots of arm twisting at the AGM.

I must ask the question, if nobody is willing to serve on this committee, then perhaps we should just dissolve it!

I will step forward just to keep the committee afloat. I think the committee is needed to diffuse some negative energy in a case somebody is not happy with smth.

We may add some clauses to include in the committee some Executives (like vice and past) by force

[Garland Best]

Here is a beef of mine, and I guess I should have spoken up months sooner.

I had expected that shortly after the AGM last year, there would have been some sort of call for members for the various committees. That's what usually happens when a new governing body is created, isn't it? All the committees are designated, a call for members occurs, people nominate people, and all is decided.

Instead, the only thing I was directly asked to participate on was to evalate the websites and bids for the new website, which Fred McKim emailed me to ask to help on (and which I was more than happy to do). Other than that, I only have seen a cry that no one wants to be on the ethics committee, and that 16(!) members are on the youth committee.

To date, I have not witnessed any organizing meeting. Indeed, I do not even know what all the committees are, who are the leaders of these committees, when they meet, what their functions are, nor how their output is implemented.

I can only assume that all the comittees got elected at the AGM, but as I, like the majority of Governors, could not be present at this meeting, I had no opportunity to volunteer for any of them. When I search for the election of comittees in the GL, I only see a small subset of comittees elected.

Bottom line I would like to see the following:
1) A list of all committees set up by the CFC.
2) Their members, including the chair.
3) Their mandate.
4) Their activities to date.

I also want to see the election of these comittees formalized, and done in some manner other than a show of hands at the AGM.

What can be done regarding this?

[Garland Best]

BTW, according to the handbook, the ethics committee is as follows:

398. Ethics Committee
{Motion Lambruschini/Dutton in 2005-06 GL7}

Be it resolved that the CFC create an Ethics Committee to address unsportsmanlike and unethical behavior by members. Members can appeal to the Ethics Committee when their good standing has been impugned or to draw attention to unethical behavior on the part of CFC members. The Ethics Committee shall operate as follows:

Composition
- The EC will be chaired by a member of the CFC Executive, to be appointed by the President during the Incoming AGM.
- The EC will include the CFC Masters Representative.
- The EC will include one other respected individual, to be elected at the same time as the other CFC Directors.
- The term of the two members other than the Masters Representative will last until the AGM of the following year.

Responsibility
- An appeal by a CFC member to the EC is to be made directly to the Chair, with a copy sent to the Business Office.
- The Chair will determine in consultation with the other members of the EC, as well as the persons involved, whether the appeal is justified, and if so, what level of rebuke is called for against the offending party.
- It is the responsibility of the Chair to ensure an adequate public response is made to defend the good standing of the CFC member when unethical behavior has harmed an individual member. Official statements from the EC should be posted on the CFC website and Discussion Forum as well as be included in the Governors Letter.
- It is the responsibility of the EC to consider the degree to which unethical behavior in question has reflected poorly on the Canadian chess community. The EC must strive to take measures to protect the public integrity of the Canadian chess community.

Authority
- Depending on the severity of the ethical misconduct of a CFC member, the EC will have judicial authority ranging from the issuing of a written warning to expulsion from the CFC. "

Who is the CFC Masters Representative?

[Les Bunning]

I believe that most of these committees are a waste of time an energy as the issues they have to to deal with only arise infrequently. We elect an executive and if an ethics or other issue arises then the executive should appoint a committee to deal with the issue at that time. In any event the make up of the committee may well depend on what the issue is so appointing a committee in advance seems counterproductive.
Les Bunning

[Bob Gillanders]

Bottom line I would like to see the following:
1) A list of all committees set up by the CFC.
2) Their members, including the chair.
3) Their mandate.
4) Their activities to date.

I also want to see the election of these comittees formalized, and done in some manner other than a show of hands at the AGM.

What can be done regarding this?

Garland, I would like to see a master list of committees also. If you are volunteering to compile the list, fantastic. The problem is that over the years the CFC has build this massive bureaucracy of committees, that frankly nobody has a handle on. We have more committees than volunteers. The standing joke would be to form a new committee, to administer the committees.

The mandate for the "Committee to keep track of CFC Committees" would be simply to do exactly what you suggest:
1) A list of all committees set up by the CFC.
2) Their members, including the chair.
3) Their mandate.
4) Their activities to date.

Garland, I am only half joking here.
But I would suggest not a committee, but one dedicated person with infinite patience and a sense of humour.

To start the project:
1. Visit our website. Many committees are listed under "contact us"
2. Read the minutes of AGM and Governors letters.
3. Look for committee reports at Online meetings.
4. Post list of committees and members for confirmation.
5. Maintain regular contact with all committees for updates.

The outcome of this exercise hopefully would be to either make the committee relevant or expose it as unnecessary.

Any volunteers?

[Garland Best]

So essentially you are saying that you, the President of the CFC, do not know what committees exist, nor their status, even though the creation and management of such bodies is one of the roles of the executive and the governors, both of which you are elected to lead.

Words fail me.



(Sigh.) I'll draft a straw list. Others can add.

[Bob Gillanders]

So essentially you are saying that you, the President of the CFC, do not know what committees exist, nor their status, even though the creation and management of such bodies is one of the roles of the executive and the governors, both of which you are elected to lead.

Words fail me.

(Sigh.) I'll draft a straw list. Others can add.

Garland, that is not what I am saying.

If you check the website, you will see the following committees:

Chess Foundation of Canada
Kalev Pugi Fund
National Appeals Committee
Olympiad Committee
Ethics Committee

Other committees are:

Tournament Coordinators Committee
Youth Committee
TDOCP Committee

I do know what they are doing, or not doing. I can't verify it is a complete list, because it is quite possible that other committees exist, or at least been authorized, but haven't done anything in years. It is often difficult to get a report or even a response from them.

When I arrived in Ottawa in 2007, it took months to just get a complete list of governors. Lyle has a similar problem every year, getting provinces to submit their new governors. Michael has the same problem keeping track of who are the provincial youth coordinators. Gerry has the same problem knowing who the provincial treasurers are each year. Provincial dues cheques to the provinces often go uncashed.

Keeping track of the bureacracy is a real issue. I could give you a list of committee members, status, etc but I wonder if anyone else could.

I look forward to your contribution. The more help we get, the better.

[Bob Gillanders]

Oops!

I forgot to mention the following committees:

Procedures Committee
AGM Modernization Sub Committee
Handbook Updating SubCommittee

any others?