Consultation Background
The NSCN Board holds an Annual Meeting to provide all stakeholders, including the public and registrants with the opportunity to receive updates about the organization from the Board and the CEO and Registrar.
Based on the practices at the legacy Colleges, the previous By-laws permitted registrants to submit resolutions for consideration at the NSCN Annual Meeting. As part of the Board’s work to review its governance processes, it requested feedback on By-law revisions that:
- Embody NSCN’s mandate as a regulator in the service of the public interest.
- Evolve NSCN By-laws and annual meeting processes to reflect current best practice that is not rooted in the former association structures of the two legacy Colleges.
- Support ongoing development of NSCN as a new regulator
Consultation Overview
From October 20, 2022, to November 19, 2022, NSCN held a public consultation on the proposed by-law amendments relating to resolutions at the NSCN Annual Meeting.
The consultation is required by Section 9(2) of the Nursing Act:
The Chief Executive Officer shall send a copy of a proposed by-law, or an amendment to a by-law, to each registrant in accordance with Section 162 and publish notice of a proposed by-law or amendment to a by-law on the College’s website for a minimum of 30 days with a request for feedback.
Approach
The proposed By-laws were publicly available on our website during a 30-day period. For additional clarity, rationale for the proposed changes were included with links to both the current NSCN By-laws, the proposed amended By-laws and Board policies.
Every registrant received an invitation to participate in the consultation via e-newsletter on October 20, 2022. Registrants also received a reminder through our social media channels, Facebook and Twitter, on October 20, 2022, and again on November 12, 2022.
Consultation Response
The consultation results indicate support for the proposed revisions.
Impact on Proposed By-law Amendments
In addition to NSCN’s fulsome review of annual meeting processes in place by other regulators in Nova Scotia and across the country, the NSCN Board identified opportunities to evolve NSCN By-laws to reflect current best practice.
By-law 25 (Resolutions) and all associated By-laws referencing resolutions at NSCN Annual Meetings, including By-laws 1.2(q), 23.3.1(ii), and 23.3.2 were removed. The newly amended By-laws evolve the annual meeting processes to cease the practice of considering resolutions at the annual meeting, which the Board noted was an association practice.
The NSCN Board recognizes that all practicing registrants have the option of submitting resolutions to the Board at any time during the year for consideration at a Board General Meeting, and to be acted upon in such manner as the Board determines is consistent with the Act. NSCN Board policy 3.13.4 provides practicing registrants with a timelier means to submit a resolution for the Board’s consideration throughout the year without the need to wait for the annual meeting.
The revised By-laws allow for greater consistency with NSCN’s regulatory public protection mandate and move away from an outdated process remaining from the former association model.
Conclusion
Board engaged in thoughtful consideration and discussion about the matters raised at its December 8, 2022 Board meeting following the 30-day consultation period. Following this period of reflection and deliberation, the Board voted in favour of the proposed by-law revisions with respect to Annual Meeting resolutions and other housekeeping items. The updated NSCN By-laws are available online.
The NSCN 2023 Annual Meeting scheduled for May 18, 2023 will be supported by and align with the revised By-laws.
