2021 Royal College Council Elections
Elections to the Council of the Royal College will take place at the Annual Meeting of the Members (AMM) on February 25, 2021. The Nominating Committee is now accepting applications until September 30, 2020.
The Royal College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive Council membership. All Fellows, residents and invited stakeholders are welcome to put their own name forward and / or to sponsor another qualified individual.
For the 2021 election process, we have made the important change of expanding our recruitment strategy and inviting Fellows to apply directly to the Nominating Committee for a Council position. Previously, our recruitment efforts were more focused.
This is an important time for the Royal College as we embark upon developing a new strategic plan to guide the Royal College to best serve its Fellows and meet their needs in our new normal.
Royal College Council has 32 positions
Council consists of 24 region- and division-specific Fellows and up to five public members, two Fellows-at-large and one resident member. The distribution of positions is set out in Bylaw No. 20, and all Council members are elected by the Members of the Royal College.
Council is chaired by our President. The Immediate Past-President or President-Elect (whichever of the two is in office) is also entitled to attend meetings of Council.
Pending vacancies
Region / division specific positions
Among the region / division-specific Council positions, there are 10 elected member positions that need to be filled for the next four-year term (2021-2025) across the following regions and divisions.
One or more end of term vacancies, some of which have eligible incumbents, exists in:
| Council Position | Divison | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Region 1: British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon and Northwest Territories | Division of Surgery | 4-years |
| Region 2: Saskatchewan and Manitoba | Division of Medicine | 4-years |
| Region 3: Ontario and Nunavut | Division of Medicine | 4-years |
| Region 3: Ontario and Nunavut | Division of Surgery | 4-years |
| Region 4: Québec | Division of Medicine | 4-years |
| Region 4: Québec | Division of Surgery | 4-years |
To be eligible for a region / division-specific Council position, individuals must be Fellows of the Royal College who reside in the region and belong to the division where one of the end-of-term vacancies exists.
Public Members, Fellows-at-large and Resident Member positions
End-of-term vacancies also exist among the public members, Fellows-at-large and resident member positions on Council. At least one new public member and a new resident member are being sought at this time for a two-year term (2021-2023).
The resident member of Council must be a resident enrolled in a Royal College accredited specialty program in a Canadian medical school at the time of their appointment and for the duration of their term.
Quick links
- Current Royal College Council members
- Council terms of reference
- Council member qualifications (PDF)
- Council skills matrix (PDF)
- Summary of Council nomination and election regulations (PDF)
- Royal College Bylaw No. 20
- Royal College Volunteer Code of Conduct
Nominating Committee members
- Ian Bowmer, President and Chair
- Richard Reznick, President-Elect
- Françoise Chagnon, Immediate Past-President
- David Ross, Council member
- Elizabeth Cowden, Council member
- Irit Weiser, Council member
- Gerry Todd, Region 1 member
- Kent Stobart, Region 2 member
- Mamta Gautam, Region 3 member
- Pierre Mercier, Region 4 member
- Sohrab Lutchmedial, Region 5 member
Council profile
The top three governance skills being recruited for at this time are as follows. In the application form, applicants will need to assess their skills in each area as either basic, advanced or expert.
In addition to skills and experiences, diversity is necessary for effective governance. The ideal applicants will reinforce Council’s skills and enhance the diversity of its membership.
| Category | Definition |
|---|---|
| Governing competencies | |
| Financial oversight | Ability to critically review and interpret financial information and promote transparency and accountability |
| Human resources and executive oversight | Understanding of performance management practices, executive compensation, succession planning, leadership development and other human resources issues. |
| Information technology | Knowledge or experience in providing oversight and governance related to the business implications of information resources, systems and technology. |
Application form – deadline September 30
Applications for Council positions must be submitted on the official application form and be accompanied by a biographical sketch and a short form CV (no more than 10 pages).
The deadline to submit applications is September 30, 2020; applications received after this date will not be processed.
Please note that the application process has now closed.
Recommendations for completing the application form:
- Use the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Be prepared to complete the application form in one sitting
Next steps in our 2021 Council election process
All completed applications received by the deadline will be considered by the Nominating Committee when it meets in October 2020. The overall nomination and election process is outlined here.
- The Nominating Committee solicits applications (September)
- The Nominating Committee formulates nominations to fill each end of term vacancy on Council with a view to establishing a balance of skills, experience and diversity on Council (October).
- Council receives the Nominating Committee’s recommendations and nominates public members, Fellows-at-large and the resident member on Council (October).
- Fellows receive the Nominating Committee’s nominations for the region / division-specific Council members for consideration, and can submit additional nominations (December).
- Fellows receive information about all nominations to fill end of term vacancies on Council with the official notice of the AMM (January).
- Council members are elected by the Fellows at the AMM (February).
Royal College Canada International (RCI) – Board elections
Applications are also being accepted by the RCI Nominating Governance Committee to fill positions on the RCI Board.
RCI provides international clients with knowledge and support in specialty medical education, assessment, standard setting, accreditation and practice. Its business model includes cost-recovery and non-cost-recovery activities. Learn more about RCI.
The RCI Board may consist of three to 15 members. Board terms are three years, renewable once. The ideal applicants will reinforce the Board’s skills and enhance the diversity of its membership. If interested, please complete the online application form by September 23, 2020.
Completed applications will be considered by the RCI Nominating Governance Committee in early October. RCI Board Elections will be held at the RCI Annual Meeting of the Members in late October.
Questions about elections? Contact the Royal College Governance Unit: nominations@royalcollege.ca