
What is a motion?
A motion brings business before a meeting. Motions contain specific action items.
Why are motions necessary?
Motions allow locals and governing bodies of the BCTF to follow democratic processes to make decisions. Motions get debated and voted on at meetings. After voting, motions are either carried or defeated.
Carried—Action will be taken as specified by the motion.
Defeated—Once decisions are made, the collective position prevails and no further action will be taken.
What is the difference between a local motion and a resolution?
Local motions can be brought forward by any member to a local general meeting. If a local motion that directs provincial action is carried, it will be taken forward to a governing body of the BCTF as a provincial motion, termed a “resolution.”
Resolutions are submitted by the local executive or representatives, on behalf of the local, to the governing bodies of the BCTF: the Representative Assembly (RA), the Annual General Meeting (AGM), and the Executive Committee (EC).
Governing bodies of the BCTF
The RA meets three times a year and has the specific responsibilities of approving the budget and electing the Judicial Council and ombudperons. The RA also makes policy and procedure decisions for the Federation. There are 130 local representatives who attend the RA. The BCTF EC and local presidents attend the RA with voice but no vote.
The AGM consists of approximately 750 voting delegates who elect new BCTF EC members, approve any changes to by-laws, debate local resolutions and EC recommendations, and set BCTF priorities for the year.
The BCTF EC is elected by the AGM and consists of 13 members. Of these members, three of them serve in a full-time capacity: the President, First Vice-President, and Second Vice-President. There are 10 Members-at-Large, with one position designated for a member who identifies as a person of colour, one position designated for a member who identifies as Aboriginal, and one designated for a member who identifies as 2SLGBTQIA+. The EC meets monthly (with additional meetings as necessary) to make decisions about the work of the Federation.
Steps to writing an effective motion
What am I asking for?
Who is affected? And who is responsible for the decision?
When do I want to see it implemented/changed/reported on?
Why am I writing this motion? (This is your supporting statement.)
How will it be accomplished? And by whom (the EC, the RA, the AGM, etc.)?
Get started
Review the BCTF Members’ Guide at bctf.ca to see what language already exists (CTRL/CMND + F to search key words in the digital guide is helpful!).
Your motion should start with “That the Federation…”
Use plain, clear language.
Pay attention to grammar.
Keep in mind “separate ideas, separate motions.”
Keep the supporting statement separate from the motion. The supporting statement gives the governing body an understanding of your rationale for the motion.
Review
Use separate points under a stem where appropriate (e.g., 1, 2, 3).
Read it aloud.
Check to see if it is readily understood by others.
Think about how it will read standing alone in the minutes or Members’ Guide.
A few more important points to keep in mind
Motions cannot direct a specific person(s) or group but should be about the Federation overall.
The Federation does not carry duplicative positions. If something already exists in the Members’ Guide, you or your committee may want to suggest an update to the existing language to bring more specificity or to align it with current usage.
When suggesting a change to an existing policy or procedure, items to be removed are struck through, and new words are italicized for clarity. Here is an example:
Give it a try!
Turn the idea below into one clear, concise motion:
Teachers write every day. Sometimes they write a lot, other times they don’t write that much. What is important is that we make sure that writing is easy for teachers. We believe that in order to make writing as easy as possible, the BCTF should try to figure out whether pencils, ball point pens, gel pens, felt tip pens, or fountain pens are the most effective. Doing this will ensure that whenever teachers want to write, or technology fails and they need to write, they will be able to do so with the utmost faith that their writing implement will work.
The motion might read as follows: That the Federation investigate which writing implement is the most effective and report back to the Fall Representative Assembly.