Adoption and publication of governing documents

Sector / Division: Communications and Corporate Affairs Revised and approved by the Vanier College Board of Governors :May 20, 2025

Approved by the Vanier College Board of Directors: September 21, 2015

PREAMBLE

A Governing Documents framework is a critical factor for any organization to succeed in its mission.

It enables the College to effectively manage its affairs by establishing a cohesive set of governing rules which set standards of behaviour supporting the College’s commitment to comply with legal and regulatory compliance requirements. It promotes good governance and sound management practices, allowing the College to align its activities with its mission, strategic priorities, and values, while upholding the principles of transparency, accountability and equity.

This Policy outlines the institutional requirements of Vanier College with respect to the development and maintenance of Governing Documents to ensure a cohesive, user-friendly, and consistent format. It also ensures that the College community is aware of and follows a standardized process for the creation, approval, and management of Governing Documents.

PURPOSE

This Policy establishes a coherent, coordinated process for the development, approval, review, and repeal of Governing Documents at Vanier College.

SCOPE

This Policy applies to all members of the College community engaged in the development, review, and administration of Governing Documents, except for unit-level documents which are outside of the scope of this Policy and not subject to its requirements.

DEFINITIONS

“Board”: the Vanier College Board of Governors, appointed in accordance with By-law 1 The General Administration of the College.
“By-law”: a governing document that provides the basic rules relating to the organization and parliamentary procedures followed by the College, normally in furtherance of a government law.
“College”: Vanier College of General and Vocational Education, which may be abbreviated to Vanier College, or CEGEP Vanier College as deemed necessary or expedient, and includes each of its campuses.
“Directive”: a governing document that provides specific instruction or direction on how to perform an action or reach a goal, may be in relation to an existing by-law, policy or procedure.
“Governing documents”: Governing documents consist of by-laws, policies, procedures and directives. These documents establish the documentary framework by which the College aligns its activities with its mission, strategic priorities and values, and ensures compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
“Guideline”: a recommended approach, suggestions, or best practices to support a governing document. They allow for some discretion while simultaneously ensuring some level of consistency.
“Management Executive Committee”: may be referred to as “MEC” and is comprised of the Director General, the Academic Dean and the Directors of administrative departments described in By-Law 1 The General Administration of the College.
“Official College Committees”: any Committee required by law, regulation or by a program to which the College adheres.
“Policy”: a governing document that provides a set of ideas, principles, values and intent that outline expectations and are used as a basis for consistent decision-making and resource allocation with respect to a specific issue.
“This Policy”: the Policy Adoption and Publication of Official College Governing Documents.
“Procedure”: a governing document which sets out steps and instructions to explain how a by-law or policy is to be implemented.
“Secretary General”: the Vanier College Secretary General.
“Unit-level document”: any document established by and applicable only to a specific unit, activity or service at the College, often operational in nature.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK

General and Vocational Colleges Act c. C-29
Vanier College By-law 1 The General Administration of the College

APPROVAL AND REVISION OF BY-LAWS AND POLICIES

By-laws and policies shall be formally approved by the Board of Governors.

Directors of administrative department develop, revise or repeal by-laws and policies according to this Policy and the Procedure for the adoption and publication of governing documents.

A by-law or policy becomes effective on the date of its approval by the Board of Governors or on the date approved by the Board.

APPROVAL AND REVISION OF PROCEDURES AND DIRECTIVES

Procedures and directives shall be formally approved by the Management Executive Committee (MEC).

Directors of administrative department develop, revise or repeal procedures and directives according to this Policy and the Procedure for the adoption and publication of governing documents.

A procedure or directive becomes effective on the date of its approval by MEC or on the date approved by MEC.

CONFLICTS IN PROVISIONS

Governing Documents shall not contradict other Government Documents. In the unlikely event that a contradiction occurs, precedent is established in the following order: by-law, policy, directive, procedure.

If the contradiction occurs between two documents of equivalent authority, or within the same document, the matter is referred to the Director of the administrative department responsible for the document and the Secretary General for interpretation.

If the matter cannot be resolved and the contradiction is clear and substantial, the matter is presented either to the Board of Governors, for by-laws or policies, or to the Management Executive Committee, for procedures and directives.

REGISTRY

The Secretary General maintains an up-to-date registry of all active and repealed Governing Documents. Additionally, the Secretary General maintains the official repository of all Governing Documents.

DISSEMINATION AND AWARENESS

All active governing documents are published on the College’s website.

REVIEW PERIOD

This Policy shall be reviewed at least once each 5 years, or sooner if required.

REPLACEMENT

This Policy replaces the Adoption and Publication of Official College Policies (8120-1).