WHAT IS NATIONAL COUNCIL AND WHAT IS IT SUPPOSED TO DO?

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Governance, Management, and Control

National Council is a centrally important, elected body within the Conservative Party.  In the period between national conventions, it shares with the Leader and Conservative Fund Canada “the governance, management and control of the activities of the Party" (CPC Constitution, 7.6).  It has many significant responsibilities, including developing and implementing “rules and procedures to ensure fair and effective candidate recruitment and selection” (8.7.2).

Accountability

National Council is accountable first to the Constitution” (e.g., 8.17).  It is also accountable to the membership of the Conservative Party who elected it:  

• To the delegates at a national convention (7.6, 8.17) - that is, to YOU.  
• To the general membership of the Party between conventions.

The Constitution goes out of its way to ensure this general accountability by requiring Council:

• to engage in “direct regular communication … to electoral district associations and members to ensure accountability” (6.1.2), and 
• to “provide the minutes of each meeting to all electoral district associations” and others “within 30 days of said meeting taking place – and to “publish known dates of their meetings for the past 5 calendar years as well as the dates of confirmed upcoming meetings” (8.9).

In other words, the Constitution requires National Council to operate at all times directly “in the interests of all members” of the Party (8.17) – and not as an autonomous body concerned with other “interests.” 

So how has National Council been doing?

This is a question that every delegate must consider, because National Council is accountable to and subject to review by "the members at national conventions" (7.6)   So how well has National Council actually performed since the previous convention?  Has it done its job?  You can begin to find out by clicking here.