Governance
Learn About Our Constitution & Bylaws
COPA Governance
The Canadian Office Products Association (COPA) was founded in 1933 and is incorporated in the Province of Ontario. The Association is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who abide by the constitution and by-laws. The Board of Directors reviews the constitution and bylaws regularly and any proposed amendments are sent to the members for review and approval.
View the current version of the Association Constitution & By-Laws.
The Election Process
Each year the Association conducts an election for positions on the Board of Directors.
The 14 member Board consists of seven vendors and seven dealers. The membership will elect the Board while the Board will elect a Chair and Vice-Chair from amongst the elected Directors.
The Board will also elect up to four appointees each year to sit on the Board—the appointees do not have a vote in Board decisions but can attend meetings and contribute to discussions.
Directors serve a two-year term of office up to a maximum of three consecutive terms. However, if a director is elected to the position of Vice-Chair, the two consecutive term policy does not apply.
Elections are a two stage process: first a call for nominations is issued for the vacant positions and, second, an online membership vote is held. The Association accepts both third-party and self nominations. However, only the primary contact designated by a member company may stand for election and only the primary contact (or their proxy) for the company may cast a vote during an election.