Overview of elections:

• Elections will occur to fill eleven (11) positions on the inaugural IMSAC Leadership Circle.
   

• The successful candidates will be elected to their positions for a one (1) year term

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• An individual can run for a maximum of one position in each of the three positional groups for a total of 3 positions.

Group A: Co-Chairs 

Group B: Director of Finance, Director of Community Engagement, Director of Communications, Director of Advocacy and Representation, Director of Student Affairs and Wellness

Group C: Western Regional Director, Ontario Regional Director, Quebec Regional Director, Atlantic Regional Director

 

• The order of elections will be as follows: the election for positions in Group A will be conducted first, followed by the election for positions in Group B, followed by the election for positions in Group C. In the event a candidate is on the ballot for multiple positions and is successful in their candidacy in one of the prior Groups’ election, they will be removed from the ballot for all other Groups’ elections.

 

• The Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada (IPAC) Student Board Representative, Honourary Doctor Member and Past Chair roles will be appointed. 

 

Candidate Eligibility (General):

• In order to be eligible to run and hold office on the Leadership Circle, the individual must be an Indigenous medical student and member of IMSAC in good standing, who will not be graduating before the end of their term in which they are seeking to hold a position.

• A candidate must be a registered member of IMSAC.

 

Role Specific Eligibility:

Co-chairs

• The two co-chair will be divided into East and West positions. 

• Candidates for the East chair must be attending medical schools in Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island. 

• Candidates for the West chair position must be attending medical school in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba. 

• A separate ballot will be conducted for both the East chair and the West chair. 

• If no nominations are received for either the East or West position during the election then during the by-election the position will become open to all students regardless of the location of the medical school of attendance

 

Regional Directors

• An individual must be attending a medical school in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba to run for the Western Regional Director Position.

• An individual must be attending a medical school in Ontario to run for the Ontario Regional Director Position.

• An individual must be attending a medical school in Quebec to run for the Quebec Regional Director Position.

• An individual must be attending a medical school in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland and Labrador to run for the Atlantic Regional Director Position.

 

Election Logistics

• The election voting period will begin on May 7, 2023 at 9am CT and will end 48 hours later on May 9, 2023 at 9am CT. 

• Only Indigenous persons attending a medical school in Canada and registered as a member of IMSAC before May 6, 2023 at 11:59 CT will be able to vote in the election.

• The results of the election will be released by email within 48 hours following the end of the election voting period.

• All 11 positions will be listed on one electronic ballet which will be distributed to all eligible IMSAC members by email.

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Proportional and Ranked-Choice Voting

• Elections will be conducted using a proportional and ranked-choice voting system.  Members will be asked to identify which school they belong to and then asked to rank candidates on a secret ballot based on their preferences from 1-n, where n equals the number of candidates running for a position. (Ie, if three candidates are running for a position, voters will rank the candidates from 1-3 based on their preference for who to fill a position).

• The total vote weighting will be equally distributed to the 17 medical schools in Canada and each member will vote as a delegate of their school with their vote contributing to the voting share allocated to their school. If there are no member votes cast from students at a medical school the voting share from that medical school will be equally redistributed to the medical schools with voting members.

• A candidate must receive 50% plus one vote of first preference in ranked ballots in order to be elected. In the event a candidate does not receive 50% plus one vote on an initial vote, the candidate who receives the lowest amount of votes will be removed from the slate and the vote will be recast. This process will continue until one candidate receives 50% plus one vote. In the event one candidate does not receive 50% plus one of the votes and two candidates are tied in receiving the lowest number of votes, a coin will be filled to determine which candidate will be removed from the slate prior to voting continuing. In the event only two candidates are remaining on the ballot and both receive 50%, the Electoral officer will cast a vote to break the tie. 

• The Electoral Officer will be Jesse Lafontaine and he will be responsible for conducting the election, maintaining confidentiality, certifying the results and sharing the results. The Electoral Officer will have the final say on all concerns.

 

Nomination Requirements 

• The nomination form must be submitted by May 6, 2023

• Candidates must submit a maximum two (2) minute video per position they are running. These videos must be pre-recorded and submitted to info@imsac.ca by May 6, 2023 11:59pm CT. 

 

Campaigning

• You are not allowed to send mass emails.

• No campaigning during the voting period.

 

Appeals Process

• A candidate or member may appeal election results within seven (7) calendar days of the announcement of results. Appeals should be made in writing to the Electoral Officer (info@imsac.ca) who will solely collect the necessary information regarding the appeal and issue a decision on the matter.  

 

Memo Regarding State of IMSAC Structure & Planned Review 

• As IMSAC is a brand new student organization and intends to ensure that the leadership structure best supports our goals and vision we are committed to regularly reviewing our governance structure and function.

• A full review will be conducted of the Leadership Circle structure and function before March 31, 2024. The result of this review will be presented to members.

• This review may result in the addition or removal of current positions or the addition or removal of current restrictions on positions. 

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Questions or concerns? Email info@imsac.ca

Updated April 29, 2023