Rules for Policy Discussions
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Rules for Policy Discussions Conservative Party of Canada 2013 Convention 1 On behalf of the entire Conservative Party and its membership, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to all of the hard-working members of the NPC. Chair of the NPC Menno Froese The Territories Edward Atkinson British Columbia Scott Lamb British Columbia Donald Leben Alberta Linda Lo Alberta Richard N. Billington Saskatchewan Wolfgang Langenbacher Manitoba Wayne Benson Ontario William (Bill) Lundy Ontario Jim Karahalios Ontario Philip O’Dell Ontario Lisa Lumley Quebec Axel Rioux Quebec Yannis Harrouche Quebec Jocelyn Allard Newfoundland and Labrador Morley Whitt New Brunswick Doug Williams Nova Scotia Robert Batherson Prince Edward Island Merlin Cormier The committee sought feedback from EDA’s on potential policy resolutions in a fair and open process. This began with the NPC interfacing with EDA’s and regional policy forums as part of an ongoing and open national policy process, at all times accountable to members of the Conservative Party of Canada. 274 policies were submitted of which 199 were unique. The Policy Committee was then tasked with ranking these submissions electronically based on the criteria outlined in the National Policy Committee Toolkit. The NPC then met face-to-face to debate and confirm the rankings as they are presented here. The final rankings were determined by a series of open votes held by the National Policy Committee. The policies have been sorted into 3 separate policy streams: 1-Canada’s Social Fabric 2-Role of Government, Taxation and Crime 3-Economic Development. While there is not sufficient time to debate the full 199 policy resolution submissions, the National Council has ensured that those resolutions which received the strongest support will be debated during the policy breakout sessions. 2 Rules for Policy Discussions A copy of the rules for Constitution and Policy Discussions has been posted to the Conservative Party of Canada website. A brief summary is provided below for ease of reference. Policy Break-Out Workshops Policy resolutions to be debated will be broken into three streams by subject matter Break-Out sessions will be moderated Only delegates may speak or vote Subject to the discretion of the moderator in light of time constraints, policy resolutions will be debated in the following manner: o 1 minute to introduce (sponsoring EDA) o 1 minute for caucus commentary if required o 1 additional speaker in favour (1 minute – order determined by moderator) o 2 speakers against (1 minute – order determined by moderator) o 30 seconds rebuttal (sponsoring EDA) The moderator will call a vote which shall be counted A maximum of ten (10) policy resolutions per break-out workshop which receive an affirmative vote by a majority of delegates voting in the break-out workshop will be listed on the agenda of Plenary. If more than (10) policy resolutions receive an affirmative vote by a majority of delegates voting in the break-out workshop, then priority shall be given to the policy resolutions that received 80% support and the balance sorted by the highest total absolute votes cast. Plenary If two or more delegates of the Plenary call for debate, the Chair will immediately call for a vote. Only where, in the Chair’s determination, the vote shows that a clear majority of delegates wish to have a debate, will a limited debate be permitted in the following manner: o 30 seconds to introduce 3 o 30 seconds for caucus commentary if required o 1 additional speaker in favour (30 seconds – order determined by moderator) o 2 speakers against (30 seconds – order determined by moderator) o 1 additional speaker – rebuttal by sponsoring EDA (30 seconds – order determined by moderator) Only delegates will be permitted to speak and vote As provided in the Constitution, a resolution amending either the Constitution or the Policy Declaration may only be amended by a majority of votes cast by delegates and a majority of votes cast by delegates from each of a majority of individual provinces. The territories together shall constitute one province. 4 POLICY AMENDMENT FORMAT - Modifications Policy Stream Resolution Number Language Canada’s Social Fabric – 1-01-046 – EN EDA – Crowfoot Sponsoring EDA(s) Section K – 66 - Social Policy (MODIFICATION) Section Nature of Change Amended: Current Policy Text Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris ni si ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non provident, sunt in culpa qui official deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Modified Text (Addition) Modified Text (Deletion) 5 POLICY AMENDMENT FORMAT - New Policy Stream Resolution Number Language Economic Development – 3-02-200 – EN EDA – Crowfoot Sponsoring EDA(s) Section V – Social Policy (NEW) Section Nature of Change Proposed Section Number Proposed Section Title 128. Devitantes Errata Resolution Text Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris ni si ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non provident, sunt in culpa qui official deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. 6 POLICY FLOOR RESOLUTIONS : CANADA’S SOCIAL FABRIC Conservative Party of Canada 2013 Convention 7 Canada’s Social Fabric – 1-01-134 - EN EDA – Essex Section J – Medical Isotopes (NEW) 63. Medical Isotopes The Conservative Party supports the Canadian production of medical isotopes. 8 Canada’s Social Fabric – 1-02-250 - EN EDA – Calgary Northeast Section T - 118 – Recognition of International Credentials (MODIFICATION) Amended: The Conservative Party believes in providing new immigrants and Canadians with foreign qualifications with the best possible opportunity to use their education and experience here in Canada. We see this as a matter of fairness to them newcomers and their families and a means of ensuring that Canada receives the full benefit of immigration foreign qualifications. i) We support working with the provinces to develop, in consultation with Canadian professional and trade associations, a process to evaluate standards in countries of origin in order to establish a workable system for assessing and recognizing credentials and experience; ii) We support working with the provinces to: a) ensure that equivalency exams are fair and that they accurately reflect the level of understanding expected of individuals educated in Canada; and b) to develop, in consultation with Canadian professional and trade associations, criteria for obtaining equivalent Canadian professional status, and transition and bridging programs for integration of foreign qualified individuals immigrants into the Canadian workplace; and c) work with recognized professional bodies to prequalify internationally trained individuals for certain occupations as part of the immigration process iii) We support requiring the credentials process to be disclosed to applicants by immigration staff overseas and on the Citizenship and Immigration Working in Canada website; iv) We support encouraging international students graduating from accredited Canadian colleges and universities to remain and work in Canada; and v) We support developing a better system to identify Canada’s occupations facing current labour market shortages needs and make the points immigration system more flexible to ensure these needs can be met. 9 Canada’s Social Fabric – 1-03-222 - EN EDA – New Brunswick Southwest Section R - 108 – Agricultural Principles (MODIFICATION) Amended: The Conservative Party views the agriculture industry to be a key strategic economic sector of Canada. We recognize that various regions of Canada and sectors of the industry hold competitive advantages in agricultural production. National agriculture policy development and ongoing support will continue to reflect our belief that one size does not fit all. Agriculture policy must be developed only in consultation with the agricultural producers. Our farmers today are business operators, and to dictate policy which might have an adverse effect on this business community would have negative consequences and go against Conservative Party principles. Balancing financial responsibility with support programs that actually work is a major priority of this party. i) Food. Food is one of the basic necessities of life, and we believe the government should place high priority on assuring that Canada’s food supply is safe, secure, and sustainable. We should seek to be among the world’s best when it comes to the safety of our food supply. We encourage measures to ensure accurate labelling of ingredients and country(ies) of origin, and more rigorous safety testing of imported food products. i) Food. Food is one of the basic necessities of life, and we believe the government must place high priority on assuring that Canada’s food supply is safe, secure, and sustainable. We must seek to be the world’s best when it comes to the safety of our food supply. We will encourage measures to require clear and accurate labeling of ingredients and country(ies) of origin, and more rigorous safety testing of imported food products. ii) Export and Diversification. To ensure that Canada has a secure supply of food, we support self-sufficiency in national food production, including increased diversification in the types of foods and agricultural products produced. We encourage government to seek to enhance export opportunities for all agricultural products with special emphasis on markets for processed and finished commodities. Through diversifying, the value added process and manufacturing will create new jobs within the respective communities and Canada. iii) Sustainability. If we are to ensure that Canada’s food supply is assured in the long term, agricultural production must be both economically and environmentally sustainable.