415 Squadron  Association

415 SQUADRON ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION
Approved 05 June 2015
SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION

101. BACKGROUND
1. In May 2005, the Air Force took the decision to amalgamate 415 Squadron with 405 Squadron and “lay-up” the 415 Squadron Standard. There being no institute in place to protect and champion the proud history of 415 Squadron, provide oversight of its artefacts or foster camaraderie amongst former members, it was decided to form an Association. In July 2005, as the Squadron was stood-down, the inaugural meeting of the 415 Squadron Association took place at 14 Wing Greenwood. In 2015, almost ten years after the formation of the Association, 415 Squadron was reformed at 14 Wing Greenwood.

102. NAME
1. The name of the institute shall be “THE 415 SQUADRON ASSOCIATION”.

103. AUTHORITY
1. The 415 Squadron Association is established by the former members of 415 Squadron in cooperation with the 14 Wing Commander, the 14 Wing Museum and VP International. To ensure complete transparency and openness, the President will ensure that the oversight and governance of the Association conforms to the extent possible with 14 Wing orders related to financial administrative guidance and direction. The President will also ensure that a biannual independent review of the Association administration and financial status is conducted.

104. MISSION
1. The mission of the 415 Squadron Association is threefold: to help safeguard and promote the legacy of the 415 Squadron; to enhance the historical record through contact with former serving members and their families; and to the greatest extent possible support the Squadron’s current members. To the greatest extent possible, the Association will facilitate opportunities for the 415 Alumni to be kept informed on matters of mutual interest and to participate in activities that will maintain Swordfish spirit and instil pride in 415 Squadron’s many accomplishments.

105. OBJECTIVES
1. The objectives of the 415 Squadron Association are:
a. To keep alive the memory of all those members of 415 Squadron who gave their lives in the service of their country;
b. To actively seek the membership of all current and former serving 415 Squadron members;
c. To maintain an Alumni list with email addresses, home addresses, telephone numbers and Association membership status;
d. To maintain and enhance the 415 Squadron Association Website;
e. To produce and post a semi-annual newsletter to keep all Alumni informed of Association activities;
f. To organize annual meetings and dinners, which to the extent that is reasonable and possible facilitates inclusiveness of the membership;
g. To promote information-related programmes designed to bond the membership of the Association who served during the four different eras of the Squadron;
h. To participate in the observation of significant 415 Squadron events, such as anniversaries, commemorative ceremonies, acts of remembrance, etc;
i. To maintain a cooperative working relationship with the remaining active Canadian Long Range Patrol Squadrons, based on the mutual understanding that these Squadrons and the 415 Squadron Association have many shared goals and can assist each other;
j. To undertake projects to record and preserve the written and/or oral history of the 415 Squadron;
k. To provide an annual award, which recognizes outstanding performance by a member of the 415 Squadron Alumni, as determined by the Association Executive, in the promotion and preservation of 415 Squadron; and
j. Develop and maintain an affiliation with a charitable organization to which an annual contribution can be presented, as determined by the Association Executive, in the promotion and preservation of 415 Squadron.

106. SCOPE
1. The Association should reach out to all former Squadron members regardless of geographic location, era of affiliation or status while on Squadron. Further, the Association should actively engage current and future Air Force leaders so that their presence and contributions are made known. Additionally the membership should maintain an awareness of developments related to the CF Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capabilities.

107. MEMBERSHIP
1. Association membership is open to all former and current serving members of 415 Squadron. Those members who maintain good standing with the Association are referred to as the 415 Squadron Alumni.
2. As a non-profit organization, there will be a one time membership fee, which will be set at the minimum sustainable level. The membership fee will be reviewed at all General Meetings of the Association. Current serving members of the Long Range Patrol community may request associate membership. Such membership must be approved at an Executive Meeting and the standard membership fee will be assessed. The Association Executive may also appoint distinguished persons as honorary members. Widows and widowers of deceased members will automatically become honorary members of the Association.
3. Single members are entitled to be accompanied by one guest to all Association sponsored activities at the published member’s rate.

SECTION 2 - ORGANIZATION

201. GENERAL
1. The President is responsible for the administration of the 415 Squadron Association on behalf of the membership. The Association Executive will be responsible for developing policy and providing governance over the Association. The Executive will consist of elected members whose primary duties involve safeguarding the legacy of 415 Squadron. In addition, and to the extent possible, they will demonstrate an enduring presence through representation at significant Long Range Patrol events, major VPI events, Memorials and with the approval of the Commanding Officer 415 Squadron updating displays at the 14 Wing Aviation Museum and other venues that provide an opportunity to showcase the history and contributions of 415 Squadron.

202. 415 SQUADRON ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE
1. The 415 Squadron Association Executive will consist of the following positions:
a. President;
b. Vice-President;
c. Secretary;
d. Treasurer;
e. Alumni/Membership Coordinator;
f. Communications Coordinator;
g. Artefact Coordinator;
h. Museum LO;
i. VPI LO;
j. 415 Squadron Representative; and
k. Past President.
2. The 415 Squadron Executive will welcome:
a. Volunteer Alumni members to offer their services to the Association; and
b. Ex-Officio Members from 14 Wing Staff including:
i. 14 Wing Museum Director;
ii. 14 Wing Corporate Services Officer; and
iii. NPF Accounting Representative.

203. ASSOCIATION GUIDELINES
1. The Association shall observe the following guidelines:
a. The Association will be managed by an elected Executive and volunteers filling Liaison and Coordination positions as listed above;
b. The election of the President will be coordinated by the immediate past-President. Volunteers for the position will be sought from the membership and if more than one comes forth an election will be held. Due to the wide spread nature of the association voting using the internet, telephone and even the post will be used to complete the selection process. All members of the association are eligible for any position on the Executive.
c. Ideally, up to three of the Executive positions should be filled by current serving Alumni members (the COs of 404, 405, and 407 and 415 Squadrons have agreed to recognize these positions as assigned Secondary Duties);
d. The Association may choose to create a new Liaison or Coordination position by vote at a General Meeting;
e. Should a vacancy occur within the Executive, the President shall seek a consensus of the remaining Executive members on a suitable replacement; and
f. To the greatest extent possible, the Executive shall represent all rank levels and eras of the Squadron.

204. SPECIAL COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS
1. From time to time, special committees and/or working groups may be established to advise and assist the Executive in its responsibilities for the effective administration of events and/or development of proposals to enhance the Association.
2. As a minimum, sub-committees shall be comprised of the following members:
a. Assigned Chairman from the Executive; and
b. Members as determined by the sub-committee Chairman and the level of volunteerism.
3. The sub-committee Chairman will be provided with:
a. A mission statement;
b. List of deliverables; and
c. Suspense date.

SECTION 3 – ADMINISTRATION

301. MEETINGS
1. The 415 Squadron Executive will meet, at the call of the President. A minimum of 25 percent of the Executive members and the President must be present to constitute a quorum. At a General Meeting, Association members shall have an equal vote on all motions brought before the meeting, except that the Chairman may cast his vote only in the event of a tie. Specialist advisors, including ex-officio members, and representatives of special-interest groups may be invited to attend but shall not have a vote. When there is an opportunity to conduct a General Association Meeting, the Executive will endeavour to make this happen. As a minimum a General Meeting will occur in conjunction with a Reunion.
2. The Secretary will advise Committee members of the time and place of meetings not less than one month in advance and will accept agenda items until two weeks before the meeting. Non-agenda items may be brought before a meeting only at the discretion of the President.
3. The Agenda for General Meetings shall be as follows:
a. Review and approve previous minutes;
b. Discuss business arising from previous minutes;
c. Review and approve proposed changes to the 415 Squadron Association Constitution;
d. Review and approve the financial statement;
e. Determine annual membership fee;
f. Discuss new business; and
g. Adjournment.

302. MINUTES
1. The Secretary will record and keep the minutes of all Executive Meetings.
2. Minutes will be produced by the Secretary in a format consistent with current Staff Procedures and Military Writing for the CF. An Action List will be provided as an Annex to the Minutes and will clearly indicate who is responsible for taking action on outstanding items of business. The Executive will review, comment as necessary and sign the minutes before they are submitted to the President for approval.
3. Once approved by the President, copies of the minutes shall be distributed to all Executive members. In the interest of keeping the 415 Squadron Alumni aware of the operations of the Association, a copy of the minutes from each Executive meeting will be posted on the Association Website.

303. CORRESPONDENCE
1. All correspondence initiated on behalf or in the name of the 415 Squadron Association shall be routed through the Secretary, who is responsible for proper processing and filing.

304. MAKING A MOTION
1. A motion is a proposal that the 415 Squadron Association take action or that it express itself as holding a certain opinion. Any Association member other than the Chairman may make a motion at a General Meeting. The person proposing the motion shall first seek the Chairman’s recognition; after having done so, he will state his proposal, prefixed by a statement “I move that…” or “ I move to…” (Etc). Before any discussion can take place on the motion, another Association member must second it – if this is not done, the Chairman may carry on with other business.
2. Prior to discussion of a motion, the Chairman must consider whether the motion is in order, which is to say that there is no fundamental or regulatory reason why the proposed motion could not be implemented. If the motion is out of order, the Chairman will state his reasons for making that determination to the Assembly. No motion is to be accepted that conflicts with the avowed purpose of the 415 Squadron Association or concerns a matter over which the Association has no jurisdiction.
3. A motion may be altered by proposing amendments to it and voting upon them. The amendments are to be voted upon in reverse order to their proposal; namely, the last amendment made will be voted upon first. An amendment to a motion may be withdrawn at any time. A motion duly proposed and seconded must be put to a vote following discussion, if there are no amendments proposed.

SECTION 4 – FINANCIAL

401. SOURCES OF REVENUE
1. The 415 Squadron Association Fund revenues are derived from:
a. The initial “seed” money provided by the Squadron on its disbandment in 2005;
b. One time membership fees as determined at General Meetings;
c. Assessments against individuals participating in or attending an Association activity for which funds are administered through Association;
d. Assessments against Association activities to recover funds advanced by Association Fund for facility rental or capital purchases; and
e. Donations and or grants that may be realized.

402. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
1. The funds held by 415 Squadron Association will be administered by the Association Treasurer who will annually provide an Association Fund financial statement.
2. The Treasurer, will prepare an annual budget detailing planned revenues and expenditures for the forthcoming fiscal year for approval by the Association President. The fiscal year is 1 April until 31 March. The budget will normally be approved at an Executive Meeting held prior to the beginning of each new fiscal year.
3. Sub-Committees are required, as part of the Association Fund budget cycle, to submit individual budgets to the Association Executive for approval. The Treasurer will ensure that these inputs are captured in the overall Association fund budget.
4. Approval of the Association Fund budget by the President constitutes authority for the Association Executive and its subordinate organizations to expend funds within the limits and for the purposes detailed in the budget. Unforecasted expenditures or the allocation of funds to other purposes must be submitted to the Association Executive, normally through the Treasurer, for consideration. The President and Vice-President are authorized to approve at their own discretion non-recurring, non-capital expenditures to a maximum of $500 CA. Such discretionary expenditures shall take due account of the current Association Fund financial position and be reported at the next Executive meeting.

403. EXPENDITURES
1. All money received by 415 Squadron Association Fund shall be used for the benefit of the membership.
2. Funds may be used for donations to charitable organizations or other appeals for assistance that are not specifically part of the Association.
3. Expenditures on behalf of Association Fund will be made through the Treasurer.

SECTION 5 – AWARDS & CONTRIBUTIONS

501. SWORDFISH OF THE YEAR
1. Any member of the Alumni may nominate another Alumni member for the Swordfish of the Year Award. As a minimum, each nomination should include a letter of recommendation and proposed citation. Nominations should be received by the Association Secretary no latter than 60 days prior to the Annual Committee Meeting.
2. The Association Executive will review all nominations and is responsible for the selection of the Swordfish of the Year. The announcement shall be made at the Annual Committee Meeting and a presentation made at a suitable venue as determined by the President.

502. CHARITABLE AFFILIATION
1. The 415 Squadron Association will maintain an affiliation with the Veterans’ Wing of Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, Middleton, NS. Annually the Executive will re-confirm the affiliation and determine the type and size of gift, which will be sponsored by the Association.
2. Any member of the 415 Squadron Alumni may forward a proposal for affiliation and/or a recommendation concerning the annual gift or donation. The Executive will review all such proposals and is responsible for the selection and presentation of gifts and/or donations.

SECTION 6 – CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

601. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
1. Proposals to amend the Association Constitution will normally be made in writing to the President, through the Secretary, at least thirty working days before the next scheduled meeting. This will permit time to research the proposal and ensure there is no legal impediment to its passage; further, the subject can be included in the agenda so that informed discussion can take place at the meeting.
2. Implementation of an amendment to the Constitution will require the following:
a. Support of the amendment motion by a simple majority as stipulated in Article 301, paragraph 1; and
b. Approval of the President (acknowledged by his approval of the minutes in which the motion is recommended).
3. The effective date of an amendment to the 415 Squadron Association Constitution is the date that the President approves the minutes recommending the amendment.

CONSTITUTION