GHANAIAN UNION OF MANITOBA INC. CONSTITUTION

GHANAIAN UNION OF MANITOBA INC. CONSTITUTION As amended in Winnipeg, Manitoba on 23 rd. November, 2008 PREAMBLE We, members of the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba, recognizing the need for solidarity and a forum for the propagation of Ghanaian and African culture, do hereby collectively proclaim to safeguard the ideals of the Union embodied in this constitution. We also vow to uphold the good name of Ghana and Africa by being law-abiding residents of Manitoba. SUPREMACY OF THE CONSTITUTION: The constitutional order established in this instrument shall be a source of guidance for the running of the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba Inc. CONSTITUTION Article 1 - Name The organization shall be called "The Ghanaian Union of Manitoba Inc." (otherwise abbreviated as GUM) Article 2 - Definitions a) "Ghana " refers to the independent sovereign country on the west coast of Africa. b) "Ghanaian" means a citizen of Ghana. c) "Citizen of Ghana", for the purpose of the organization means i. a person born in Ghana ii. a person born of Ghanaian parent(s) or iii. a person who has legally acquired Ghanaian citizenship or iv. the spouse of a Ghanaian. d) "Union" here means a non-profit organization of the Ghanaian community within the Province of Manitoba. e) "Executive" means the governing body or the elected members of the governing body of the Union. f) Where the masculine is used in this document, it shall be determined to include the feminine and neuter, the singular shall include the plural, and vise versa, as the context may require.

Article 3 - Union Goals 1. To promote unity among Ghanaians in Manitoba, to help one another, protect our common interests and to pursue activities of mutual interest and benefit. 2. To encourage goodwill and understanding between Ghanaians and Manitobans by participating in cultural, social and educational programs. 3. To co-operate with other groups and organizations having similar aims and objectives. 4. To keep Ghanaians informed about events of national interest by keeping in touch with the Ghana High Commission in Ottawa as well as other Ghanaian organizations in Canada. 5. To mediate internal differences among community members (when approached by individuals concerned, whenever possible) so as to prevent unnecessary, litigation. 6. To engage in activities that will assist in financing and supporting community projects in Ghana and in the Ghanaian community in Manitoba. 7. To establish a foundation as a subsidiary body of the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba and reporting to the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba; whose purpose is to assist and raise funds for the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba for application in charitable projects and causes. Oversight responsibility of the Foundation s actvities shall rest with the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba. Article 4 - Membership 1. Membership is open to all persons as defined in Article 2 of this Constitution. 2. Full membership is conferred on all members who have fully paid their annual dues and attend at least 50% of the association s scheduled meetings of the year. 3. All children whose parent(s) or guardian(s) are members of the association or are interested in becoming members should fulfill the conditions of membership on reaching the age of eighteen (18). 4. All children under 18 years whose parent(s) or guardian(s) are full members of the association are automatically regarded as full members. 5. Associate membership may be granted to non-ghanaians upon the recommendation. of the Executive committee on condition that such membership will not be detrimental to Union goals. Ghanaian Union of Manitoba Constitution Page 2

Article 5 - Administration and Management 1. The running of the Union shall be vested in the Executive Committee. 2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Secretary, Vice-Social Secretary and such other persons that may be appointed by the executive as members at large. 3. The Executive shall appoint the following Ad Hoc Committees (as well as other Ad Hoc Committees when desired) to assist in the following special duties. a) Membership b) Educational c) Finance d) Entertainment e) Social and welfare Article 6 - Term of Office 1. The executive shall be elected for a 2-year term. 2. Any official whose term is expired may be elected for another term of office providing his two preceding terms of office are not consecutive. Article 7 - Meetings 1. Annual general meetings (AGM) shall be held in September of each year. The general body shall meet at least once every 2 months. 2. The executive committee shall meet once every two months or as often as deemed necessary. 3. Emergency meetings may be called whenever the executive finds it necessary. 4. A quorum shall consist of 10 members (outside the executive). Article 8 - Voting and Procedures for Election 1. Elections shall be conducted by a special committee set up for the purpose. 2. To be eligible to vote, a person must be: a) A full member or associate member of the Union b) Eighteen years of age or over c) Must have paid his dues up to date as at the time of the elections 3. To be eligible to become an executive member of the Union, a person must: a) be a resident of Manitoba b) be a member as defined in Article 2 of the Constitution c) be eligible to vote for the election for which he is nominated d) be willing to uphold the terms of the constitution Ghanaian Union of Manitoba Constitution Page 3

e) not have been suspended, disciplined by the Union nor be convicted of an indictable offence. 4. Nominations are to be submitted at the general meeting and such nominations must be seconded. 5. Elections shall be by secret ballots, with each member's vote counting as one. 6. Decision shall be made by a simple majority. 7. A tie vote shall be considered to be negative but for the purpose of an election, the. outgoing - President casts the tie breaker. 8. Candidates nominated in absentia should have served prior notice of their intention to run for that position. 9. Nominations and voting by proxy must be stated and accepted in writing. Article 9 - Fees 1. Each full member or associate member of eighteen (18) years or older shall pay a one-time registration fee of $5.00 plus monthly or a one-time payment of fifty dollars ($50.00) a year paid before June 30 of the year. Dues are as follows: a) Member or Associate member - $5.00/month... $60.00/year b) Students - $1.00/month... $12.00/year 2. In addition to the registration fee and monthly dues, monetary or material contributions shall be accepted. Funds may be solicited by the Executive when necessary. Article 10 - Amendment 1. The constitution or by-laws must be reviewed at least every two (2) years. 2. The constitution or by-laws may be amended by the following procedure: a) The Executive Committee shall call a general meeting and shall circulate the proposed amendment to all members not less than seven (7) days before the general meeting at which the amendment shall be voted upon. b) The proposed amendment shall be discussed and voted upon at the general meeting. c) For the amendment to pass, it shall require at least ten (10) members who are eligible to vote to form a quorum. Ghanaian Union of Manitoba Constitution Page 4

BYE-LAWS Bye-law 821 - Duties of the Executive Committee 821 A - The President shall - 1. Be the chief officer of the Union and preside over all meetings whenever he is present. 2. Co-sign cheques with the treasurer, co-sign very important documents with the secretary. 3. Be the spokesman and shall represent the union unless otherwise designated by the executive committee or by the members at a general meeting. 4. Represent the interest, aims and objectives of the Union and must work hand in hand with the Vice-President as well as other members of the Executive Committee. 5. Be present at the last general meeting of his term of office and present a summary report of all activities undertaken for the year just ended. 821 B - The Vice-President shall - 1. Act as president in the absence of the President. 2. Co-sign cheques with treasurer or president in the event that one of the former two members of the executive is out of Winnipeg. 3. Work hand in hand with the president as well as other members of the executive committee. 4. Shall chair the standing committees of the Union. 5. In the event of resignation, retirement, death or dismissal of the President, he shall become President, serving the rest of the term. 821 C - The Secretary shall - 1. Keep summarized minutes of meetings, reading them at the subsequent executive committee and general meetings. 2. Keep records (names, addresses and phone numbers) of all members of the Union, and SHALL NOT GIVE OUT SUCH INFORMATION TO ANYONE WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE MEMBER CONCERNED. 3. Be in charge of all correspondences not respecting financial Ghanaian Union of Manitoba Constitution Page 5

matters; he shall read correspondences at meetings and consult the members of the executive before taking action. 4. Work hand in hand with other members of the executive committee. 821 D - The Treasurer shall - 1. Collect and receive membership fees, dues and other monetary contributions, issuing receipts upon receipt of such monies. 2. Deposit or cause to be deposited in a Chartered Bank, Credit Union or Treasury Branch all monies belonging to the Union. 3. Co-sign cheques with the President or Vice-President. 4. a) Prepare annual budget on assuming office, b) Prepare annual financial statement and present it at the annual meeting before leaving office. 5. Be a member of the fund-raising committee. 6. Work hand in hand with other members of the Executive Committee. 7. Be chairperson of the Finance Committee. 821 E - The Social Secretary shall - 1. Be in charge of all social events. 2. Organise sports and other recreational activities. 3. Be the chairperson of the entertainment committee. 4. Work hand in hand with the assistant social secretary as well as with other members of the executive committee. 5. In conjunction with the Public Relations Officer, arrange facilities for general meetings. Ghanaian Union of Manitoba Constitution Page 6

821 F - The Assistant Social Secretary shall - 1. Act as the social secretary in the absence of the social secretary and in the event of resignation, retirement, death or dismissal of the social secretary, he/she shall become the social secretary serving the rest of the term. 2. Be a member of the entertainment committee and perform any other duties assigned by the executive committee. 3. Work hand in hand with the other members of the executive committee., 821 G - Members at large shall - 1. Be chairperson(s) of the membership committee. 2. Be actively involved in recruiting new members. 3. Be actively involved in relaying information and complaints between members and the executive committee, 4. Be responsible for informing members of where and when general meetings will be taking place by phone. 5. Perform other duties assigned to them by the executive committee. 6. Work hand in hand with other members of the executive committee. 821 H - A Board of Patrons consisting of not more than five (5) persons shall be nominated by the general body of the Organization 1. Act as advisors to the executive committee. 2. Assist in public relation duties to promote the aims and objectives of the Union, 3. Assist in fundraising activities. Ghanaian Union of Manitoba Constitution Page 7

Bye-law 822 - Rules and Regulations 1. All members of the executive committee, on leaving office, must surrender all records (within 2 weeks), monies and property belonging to the Union to his/her successor or a person designated by the executive committee and he/she shall obtain a declaration to the effect that the surrender has been complete, satisfactory and that he/she is not indebted to the Union. 2. The executive committee shall appoint: a) Patron(s) for the Union after careful screening. b) Members to the five standing committees referred to in Article 5 Section 3 after careful screening of these members. 3. The executive committee, together with fund-raising committee, shall find ways and means of raising funds for the Union. Members are encouraged to fully participate should their help be needed in such fund-raising activities. 4. Members shall attend, regularly, all meetings including social, cultural and educational functions. 5. A member of the executive who intends to resign shall give to the executive committee one month's notice prior to the date he intends to resign. The President, in consultation with the executive, shall then appoint an interim replacement until election to fill the vacancy that has been effected by the General Body no later than sixty (60) days after the said vacancy. 6. Members of the executive committee whose behaviour and actions are found to be detrimental to the Union or who have been found to be lacking in their duties shall be warned twice by the President after which time the said person shall be ordered to resign after an unfavorable recommendation by a special disciplinary committee appointed by the executive committee. 7. Members shall address the chair when speaking at meetings and must allow others to express their opinions by refraining from monopolizing the meeting. 8. An associate member whose actions are found to be counterproductive shall be first warned and later expelled by the executive committee upon recommendation from a disciplinary committee appointed by the executive committee. 9. Unless authorized by half (1/2) of the registered members attending a general or special meeting, the executive committee has no power: a) to borrow an amount exceeding one thousand dollars ($1000.00) once every twelve months, b) to spend an amount exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) over the amount approved in the budget for any function or event, Ghanaian Union of Manitoba Constitution Page 8

except for very urgent or emergency situations whereby the said amount has been approved by the members of the executive committee. However, the above amounts (a) and (b) are subject to current interest rate. 10. The executive committee shall present a budget for the year two months after assuming office. 11. The Union letter-head, seal and stationary shall be used for all Union business only. 12. Due to limitations in renting/acquiring halls/rooms for general meetings, lateness and or absenteeism by members to such meetings is greatly discouraged and any such member who is late or absent from general meetings would have to learn whatever transpired at these meetings from other members who attended such meetings. All decisions taken at general meetings would be binding (if quorum reached). 13. Any member of the Union who falls to compose himself at meetings or is found to have contravened any section of the constitution, upon investigation by an appointed disciplinary committee will be liable to a fine or suspension deemed necessary by the executive committee. 14. Any of the Ghanaian languages can be used to express one's opinion at meetings provided an interpreter in the said language is available at such meeting. 15. The membership committee shall approach every Ghanaian voluntarily to become a member of the Union after carefully detailing the benefits one could derive from the Union. However, should a non-registered member face certain emergency situations, the executive committee shall not undertake the resolution of such emergencies. 16. It Is hereby stated that the following action of goodwill shall be extended to full members of the association in case of the following life changes: a) Death (of a member or an immediate family member resident in Manitoba, herein defined as spouse or offspring) i. a token of one hundred dollars ($100.00) ii. a bottle of gin or its equivalent iii. a card of condolence - flowers b) Birth - a card of congratulations - flowers c) Sickness (when a person assumes the sick role i.e. cannot perform such normal duties as are customary for the social age and responsibility of such individual) - a get-well card flowers or its equivalent e.g. fruit basket. d) Birthday (youth attaining the age of eighteen (18) years) - a birthday card e) Educational Graduation from High School, Community College, Trade Ghanaian Union of Manitoba Constitution Page 9

School or University - certificate recognition f) Attaining a PhD. Degree - recognition of educational achievement Members are to communicate the above life changes to the Executive of GUM. Functions over and a goodwill gesture shall be left entirely to the discretion of any Individual(s) who may decide to provide such functions. 17. On the occasion where a full member is taking up residence away from Manitoba, the Union shall give a present to the member at a value not exceeding the equivalent of the member s annual dues. 18. The Executive shall see to it that the Union is registered with the Manitoba Companies Office; and that the Union s Annual Return of Information is submitted as required by the Manitoba Companies Office (which is by 1 st. June of each year). THIS CONSTITUTION IS HEREBY ADOPTED AS THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE GHANAIAN UNION OF MANITOBA INC. BY THE GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING THIS 18 TH. DAY OF JANUARY, TWO THOUSAND AND NINE IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD IN THE CITY OF WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA. Ghanaian Union of Manitoba Constitution Page 10