CAIAC Constitution

Article I - Name

  1. In English, this organization shall be called the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Association. In French, it shall be called the Association pour l’intelligence artificielle au Canada. Both names are equal in standing. The acronym for this organization shall be CAIAC, combining both names.
  2. This organisation is the successor to the Canadian Society for Computational Studies of Intelligence/Société Canadienne des Études d'Intelligence par Ordinateur, referred to as CSCSI/SCEIO.

Article II - Purpose

  1. CAIAC is organized and will be operated exclusively to promote education and research in the area of Artificial Intelligence and all related disciplines in Canada. 
  2. CAIAC will achieve this purpose by:
    1. Organizing conferences, seminars and/or tutorials on the topic of Artificial Intelligence.
    2. Facilitating the publication of research work on the topic of Artificial Intelligence.
    3. Supporting educational activities and youth outreach activities related to Artificial Intelligence.
    4. Disseminating news and information related to Artificial Intelligence.
    5. Setting up study groups which will investigate and report on relevant major issues related to Artificial Intelligence.
    6. Forging and maintaining links with governments, industries, and other societies with similar goals.
    7. Other appropriate means.

Article III - Membership

  1. Membership is open to any person. 
  2. Applicants for membership shall submit their applications to the Secretary of CAIAC.
  3. Upon payment of dues as determined by the Executive Committee of CAIAC, a person shall be considered a Member of CAIAC.
  4. The membership of any Member of CAIAC will be terminated if they:
    1. Fail to pay dues within 30 days of the date on which they are payable;
    2. Resign their membership by written notice submitted to the Secretary of CAIAC;
    3. Are excluded from CAIAC by decision of the Executive Committee. In this case, CAIAC shall refund to the Member the balance of their dues paid.

Article IV - Officers

  1. The governing body of CAIAC shall be the Executive Committee. It shall consist of the Officers listed here.
  2. The President. Their duties include:
    1. Calling and presiding at Meetings of CAIAC and of the Executive Committee;
    2. Appointing all standing and ad hoc committees and their chairs;
    3. Appointing Members to fill elective offices that may become vacant between elections through resignation or ineligibility of an incumbent officer.
  1. The Vice-President. Their duties include:
    1. Assisting and supporting the President in their duties;
    2. Assuming all duties of the President in the absence of the President; 
    3. Assuming the office of President in the event of the President’s resignation or incapacity.
  2. The Past-President. Their duties include:
    1. Advising the President in their duties;
    2. Guaranteeing continuity in all matters CAIAC is involved in.
  3. The Secretary. Their duties include:
    1. Keeping minutes of Meetings of CAIAC and of the Executive Committee;
    2. Maintaining records and correspondence of CAIAC;
    3. Notifying Members of CAIAC of upcoming meetings of CAIAC. 
  4. The Treasurer. Their duties include:
    1. Supervising the financial affairs of CAIAC;
    2. Maintaining all financial records of CAIAC required by law;
    3. Reporting on the finances of CAIAC annually to the Members in a Meeting as defined in Article IV.
  5. The Online Presence Officer. Their duties include:
    1. Creating and maintaining CAIAC’s website;
    2. Creating and maintaining CAIAC’s presence on all relevant online social platforms.

Article V - Election of Officers

  1. All Officers shall serve for terms of two (2) years, beginning June 1st. 
  2. The Officer serving as Vice-President shall be appointed President at the end of their term. The Officer serving as President shall be appointed as Past-President at the end of their term. All other Officer positions are elected.
  3. Any Member of CAIAC can nominate themselves to any elected Officer position by written notice submitted to the Secretary of CAIAC prior to the election.
  4. The election will take place at a CAIAC Meeting as defined in Article VI. All Members of CAIAC are entitled to one ballot for each elected Officer position. 
  5. All ballots shall be counted and the winner for each elected Officer position shall be the nominee with the most votes. All Members of CAIAC shall be informed of the election results prior to the elected Officers taking their positions.

Article VI - Meetings

  1. One Annual General Meeting (AGM) of CAIAC will be held every year. Additional Meetings of CAIAC may be held as needed, by decision of the Executive Committee.
  2. All Members of CAIAC have the right to attend Meetings and to participate in them. This includes speaking on matters of interest to CAIAC, voting on proposed resolutions, and voting in elections taking place during the Meeting.
  3. The Executive Committee will take all reasonable steps to ensure Members can easily attend Meetings.

Article VII - Amendments

  1.  Amendments to this constitution may be proposed.
    1. The Executive Committee can propose amendments.
    2. Any Member can suggest amendments to the Executive Committee for consideration. The Executive Committee must then decide whether or not to propose these amendments.
    3. Any amendment that is supported by a petition of 10% of Members of CAIAC shall be considered proposed.
  2. All proposed amendments shall be voted on at the next Meeting of CAIAC following their proposition. All Members of CAIAC are entitled to one ballot for each proposed amendment.
  3. The proposed amendment shall be adopted and become effective if it is approved by a two-thirds majority of all valid ballots. All Members of CAIAC shall be informed of the vote results immediately.

Article VIII - Dissolution

  1. In the event of the dissolution of CAIAC, all assets of the organisation will be divided equally among its Members.
  2. Dissolution shall be by constitutional amendment.