Proposed Constitutional Amendment #1

Submitted by: Justin Tetreault

Allowing the Membership to Amend the OYL Governance Manual at OYL AGMs

Rationale:

The OYL is governed by two key documents: The OYL Constitution and the OYL Governance
Manual. Currently the Constitution can be amended at each OYL AGM, while the Governance
Manual can only be amended by the OYL Executive. On the OYL website, the Governance
Manual is described as “the document that provides the Executive Board of the Ontario Young
Liberals with the tools and direction to run the organization in an accountable, effective, and
transparent manner.”

The Governance Manual contains the rules of procedure for OYL AGMs, the OYL policy
process, how staff are hired, and many other very important rules governing our organization.
Given the Governance Manual’s importance to the organization, and given its purpose to allow
the organization to be run in an accountable, effective, and transparent manner, it is important
that the document itself is accountable, effective, and transparent.

This amendment would allow the membership to propose and vote on amendments to the OYL
Governance Manual at OYL AGMs. The OYL Executive would continue to have the power to
amend the document between AGMs.

Motion:

 Add the proposed content 4.7.5, 4.7.6, 4.7.7, and 4.7.8

Proposed Content:

4.7.5 The OYL Governance Manual may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the delegates
present and voting at a designated constitutional amendment session at an Annual General
Meeting of the Ontario Young Liberals.

4.7.6 Notice of proposed amendments to the OYL Governance Manual shall be furnished to the
Chief Returning Officer in writing a minimum of fourteen (14) days prior to the Annual General
Meeting for circulation to delegates at the Annual General Meeting of the Ontario Young
Liberals.

4.7.7 Unless otherwise specified in the proposed amendment, any adopted amendment to the
OYL Governance Manual shall take effect at the time of the meeting at which it is adopted.

4.7.8 All members of the Ontario Young Liberals have the right to propose amendments to the
OYL Governance Manual at the Annual General Meeting provided they follow 4.3
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Proposed Constitutional Amendment #2

Submitted by: Justin Tetreault

Reforming the OYL Delegate Process

Rationale:

Currently, a member of the OYL can be a delegate from any riding in the province, no matter
whether they have lived there their entire lives or have never set foot there. While in principle,
this sounds like a good idea to make it easier to find delegate spots, in practice, this has been
abused, resulting in an arguably undemocratic process, especially for regional coordinator
candidates.

Allowing OYLers from Sault Ste. Marie, Toronto, or London go to the AGM as delegates from
Ottawa or vise versa disenfranchises actual OYLers from that region. While one regional
coordinator candidate may have the majority support of delegates from that region, when
delegates who actually live in other regions are included, the result can be that a less popular
regional coordinator candidate is elected. Simply put, the Eastern Regional Coordinator would
be elected by Toronto Regional OYLers. That is not right.

Additionally, the current rules place a tremendous disadvantage on independent candidates going
up against a slate. Where only 1 or 2 regional coordinator positions are contested, it has been
standard practice for members of a slate to slot their delegates through the contested ridings.
This turns a 1 on 1 race into a 16 on 1 race. In order to encourage greater participation and
encourage more people to run for executive positions, this amendment is needed.

Motion:

 Add proposed content 13.4.1

Proposed Content

13.4.1 In order to be a qualified delegate, a member of the Ontario Young Liberals must be a
member of the riding association in which he or she is elected or appointed as a delegate.
Associate members and/or out-of-riding members, as set-out by the LPC and OLP constitutions
and/or membership rules, shall not be eligible to be elected or appointed delegates to the OYL
AGM.
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Proposed Constitutional Amendment #3

Submitted by: Justin Tetreault

Instituting Gender Parity for Delegate Spots to Delegated Ontario Young Liberals Events

Rationale:

This amendment brings the OYL Constitution in line with the delegate election procedures of the
Liberal Party of Canada and Ontario Liberal Party, which both set aside delegate spots based on
gender. Currently, the Constitution allows each OYL student or riding club to elect 15 delegates.
This amendment would permit each recognized OYL student and riding club to elect 16
delegates, of whom no more than 8 could be male and no more than 8 could be female. The
President of the club would continue to hold an ex-officio spot. In ridings where there is not a
recognized OYL club, Constituency Association Presidents would be entitled to appoint 4
delegates, of whom no more than 2 could be male and no more than 2 could be female.

Mandating that delegate spots be elected with a view towards gender will encourage student
clubs to recruit more members of both sexes in order to utilize all of their delegate spots. It
increases inclusivity and makes it 50% easier, for women especially, to get elected as a delegate.

According to the OYL Constitution, one of the objectives of the OYL is to promote gender
equity (Art. 2.1 g) this would also bring our delegate election procedures more in line with the
senior party constitutions. The OYL is supposed to be seen as the progressive, forward-looking
wing of the party. On this issue, the senior party has us beat.

Motion:

 Remove the current 13.4

 Add in the proposed 13.4, 13.4.1, and 13.4.2
 If proposed constitutional amendment #2 is passed, then 13.4.1 and 13.4.2 shall be
renumbered 13.4.2 and 13.4.3.

Proposed Content
13.4 The following shall be delegates entitled to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting
of the Ontario Young Liberals:

(a) The President of all recognized Student Clubs and Riding Clubs;

(b) Sixteen (16) delegates elected from each recognized Student Club;

(c) Sixteen (16) delegates elected from each recognized Federal Riding Club;

(d) Sixteen (16) delegates elected from each recognized Provincial Riding Club;
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(e) Four (4) delegates from each federal riding where there is not a recognized Ontario Young
Liberal Riding Club, appointed by the Constituency Association President;

(f) Four (4) delegates from each provincial riding where there is not a recognized Ontario Young
Liberal Riding Club, appointed by the Constituency Association President;

(g) All members of the Ontario Young Liberal Executive Board.

13.4.1 Of the sixteen (16) delegates elected from each recognized Student Club, Federal Riding
Club, or Provincial Riding Club, no more than eight (8) delegates shall be male and no more than
eight (8) delegates shall be female.

13.4.2 Of the four (4) delegates appointed by the Constituency Association President from each
federal or provincial riding where there is not a recognized Ontario Young Liberal Riding Club,
no more than two (2) delegates shall be male and no more than two (2) delegates shall be female.

Current Content:

13.4 The following shall be delegates entitled to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting
of the Ontario Young Liberals:

(a) The President of all recognized Student Clubs and Riding Clubs;

(b) Fifteen (15) delegates elected from each recognized Student Club;

(c) Fifteen (15) delegates elected from each recognized Federal Riding Club;

(d) Fifteen (15) delegates elected from each recognized Provincial Riding Club;

(e) Three (3) delegates from each federal riding where there is not a recognized Ontario Young
Liberal Riding Club, appointed by the Constituency Association President;

(f) Three (3) delegates from each provincial riding where there is not a recognized Ontario
Young Liberal Riding Club, appointed by the Constituency Association President;

(g) All members of the Ontario Young Liberal Executive Board.

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