Proposal Development

The Green Party of Canada maintains a grassroots approach to proposal development, ensuring proposals are well-written, well-deliberated, and well-supported by membership.

Our process encourages member participation through an online platform for proposal submission, discussion, and amendment. Guidance is provided to ensure proposals meet the proposal submission rules and standards.

Policy proposals follow a Continuous Motion Development process, allowing for the development, discussion, and adoption of policies via an all member vote outside of General Meetings. Governance proposals are considered and adopted at General Meetings.

Members are notified 60 days before General Meetings that they can review official governance proposals on the General Meeting webpage. Prior to the General Meeting, members will use the Bonser Method to categorise the governance proposals.

At the General Meeting, the official governance proposals are presented to membership for discussion, debate, and possible amendment before undergoing a deciding vote. Amendments proposed during the meeting cannot change the intent of the proposal under consideration. 

After the General Meeting, an all-member ratification vote takes place. As per our constitution, constitutional and bylaw amendments adopted during the General Meeting are subject to a vote that is open to all members. Members may extend the ratification vote to encompass directives to Federal Council that were adopted during the General Meeting.

Proposal Submission

• Members submit proposals in the WeDecide Greenhouse.
• All members can comment on proposals and sponsor any proposals they believe should move to the next step of the proposal process.
• Proposals which meet the sponsorship requirements and comply with the submission rules and drafting standards move from the Greenhouse to the Workshop.
• Proposals which are incomplete will not be allowed to move forward in the proposal development process.
• If separate members submit overlapping or duplicate proposals, the submitters will be encouraged to work together to merge them into one proposal. 
• If separate members submit contradictory proposals, the submitters will be encouraged to work together to find a common path forward.
• Proposal Shepherds are volunteers tasked with assisting proposal submitters in developing clear, concise proposals that meet the party's drafting standards.

Continuous Motion Development

• Policy proposals are continuously developed, discussed and adopted via an all member vote outside of General Meetings.
• Governance proposals are considered and adopted at General Meetings.

Refinement in Workshop Space

• The WeDecide Workshop is an unofficial space where members and proposal submitters engage in discussions about proposals.
• Amendments can be suggested by members using the "propose amendment" button. The proposal submitter will accept or reject proposed amendments.
• Electoral District Associations (EDAs) are encouraged to engage their members in proposal discussions and to suggest amendments.
• Policy proposals move from the Workshop to Online Policy Workshops.
• Governance proposals move from the Workshop to a General Meeting.
• Shortly before the 60-day notice of General Meeting, Proposal Shepherds will work with governance proposal submitters to finalize the wording of the “Official Proposal” that will be posted on the General Meeting webpage. 

Online Policy Workshop Meetings

• Policy workshops will be facilitated using the Green Rules of Procedure Adapted for Online Meetings.
• Members will discuss, debate and suggest friendly amendments to policy proposals.
• Proposal submitters may accept or reject any proposed friendly amendments.
• Policy proposals move from the Online Policy Workshop to an all member vote in which more than 60% of members must vote in favour of the policy for it to become official Green Party of Canada policy. To ensure broad consensus, the minimum number of ballots cast must meet the quorum requirement of a general meeting.

Notice of General Meeting

• The Notice of Meeting is sent to members with instructions on how to view the Official Governance Proposals on the General Meeting webpage.
• Official governance proposals that overlap or contradict each other, or that significantly alter the party’s position on an issue, will be flagged on the General Meeting webpage.

Online Governance Workshop

• The WeDecide Workshop space now performs the same function as a workshop at an in-person General Meeting.
• Governance proposal submitters and members continue to discuss and possibly amend governance proposals in the Workshop space.
• Any amendments to governance proposals that occurred during the 60 day lead up to a General Meeting will be presented for consideration at the meeting.

Bonser Method Categorization

• Prior to the General Meeting, all members will have the opportunity to categorize governance proposals using a 3 colour-coded polling system known as the Bonser Method.
• The results of the Bonser Method are used to recommend the order that governance proposals are considered at the General Meeting.

General Meeting

• The General Meeting is a formal meeting of members, where members gather to make decisions on matters of importance to the party. During the general meeting, members are the highest decision-making authority in party governance.
• Each official governance proposal is presented to membership. If applicable, proposal submitters will present any amendments that occurred during the 60 day lead up to the General Meeting.
• Members will discuss, debate, and potentially amend the official governance proposal prior to a deciding vote to adopt or reject the proposal.
• Any official governance proposals that are not presented at the General Meeting will return to the WeDecide Workshop space for continued refinement until the next General Meeting.

Emergency Motions

• Emergency Motions are motions that were not submitted to the proposal process, are moved from the floor of the General Meeting, and are considered to be of an emergency nature.
• If a proposal was submitted through the proposal submission process but failed to collect sufficient sponsors, it will not be accepted as an emergency motion.
• If the call for emergency motions occurs before the General Meeting, members will be notified of the submission process by email. 
• Members will decide the date and time of the emergency motion submission deadline during the General Meeting. 
• To be considered at a General Meeting, an emergency motion requires a 2/3 vote by members present agreeing to consider it.
• Once accepted for consideration, members will discussion, possibly amend, and vote to adopt or reject the emergency motion.

Post-General Meeting Ratification Vote

• As per our constitution, constitutional and bylaw amendments adopted during the General Meeting are subject to a vote that is open to all members.
• Members may decide to include directives to Federal Council in the all member vote.