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Dioceses in the Province of Canada

Canons of the Province of Canada

• Acts of the Legislatures
• Letters Patent
• Declaration of Principles
• Statement of Purpose
• Constitution
• Rules of Order
• Canon 1
• Canon 2
• Protocol for electronic election
• Canon 3
• Canon 4
• Canon 5
• Canon 6

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The Anglican Church of Canada	L’Église Anglicane du Canada
The Province of Canada Constitution

1. Membership

1(1) The Provincial Synod consists of:

1. The Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada holding Sees in, or discharging the functions of the episcopate as Coadjutor, Suffragan, or Assistant Bishop in the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada which comprises the Dioceses of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Fredericton, Montreal, Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, Central Newfoundland, and Western Newfoundland;
2. Four clerical and four lay members from each diocese elected by the diocesan synods according to such rules as they adopt;
3. One youth member, appointed by each Diocesan Synod according to such rules as they adopt, such person being between the age of sixteen and twenty-five years; and
4. the officers of Synod.

1(2) Each diocesan synod shall provide for the election or appointment of substitute clerical and lay members to represent the diocese in the Provincial Synod.

1(3) The election or appointment of the clerical and lay members shall be certified under the hand and seal of the Bishop of the diocese or, in the absence of the Bishop, by the secretaries of the diocesan synod, and such certificate is conclusive.

1(4) The secretaries of the Diocesan Synods shall forward the certificates to the secretaries of the Provincial Synod who shall send a copy thereof to the Prolocutor.

1(5) If any member is unable to attend a meeting of the Provincial Synod the Bishop, or in the absence of the Bishop the secretaries of the diocesan synod, shall certify that fact and the name of the substitute who is authorized under the rules adopted by the diocesan synod to fill the place of the member and such certificate is conclusive whether presented before or during the meeting of synod.

1(6) A certificate respecting a lay member or substitute shall certify that the member or substitute is a communicant member of the Anglican Church of Canada.

2. Meetings

2(1) The Synod shall meet

1. in every third year, or
2. at the request of
   1. any two bishops,
   2. the Bishop and one-half of each of the clerical and lay members from a diocese, or
   3. the Provincial Council.

2(2) The Metropolitan in consultation with the Prolocutor shall decide the time and place of each meeting.

2(3) The Metropolitan is the President of the Synod.

2(4) In the absence of the Metropolitan, or at the Metropolitan's request, the Prolocutor or Deputy Prolocutor shall preside.

2(5) A quorum of the Synod consists of a majority of the diocesan bishops, one-third of the clerical members and one-third of the lay members.

2(6) Each meeting of the Synod and the business of each day shall begin with prayer for divine guidance and blessing.

2(7) The Metropolitan, in consultation with the Bishop of the host diocese, shall have charge of the arrangements for worship during meetings of the Synod.

3. Officers

3(1) The officers of the Synod are

1. the Metropolitan,
2. the Prolocutor,
3. the Deputy Prolocutor,
4. two Secretaries,
5. the Treasurer,
6. the Chancellor, and
7. two Assessors.

3(2) At each triennial meeting of the Synod the members present shall by majority vote elect the Prolocutor, the Deputy Prolocutor and the two Secretaries from among the clerical and lay members of the Synod and shall elect the Treasurer who may, but need not, be a member of the Synod before being elected.

3(3) A person who has been elected to the office of Prolocutor, Deputy Prolocutor or Secretary at two successive sessions of the Synod is not eligible for re-election to the same office.

3(4) If the Prolocutor is of the order of clergy, the Deputy Prolocutor shall be elected from the order of laity, and if the Prolocutor is of the order of laity, the Deputy Prolocutor shall be elected from the order of clergy.

3(5) One Secretary shall be elected from each of the orders of clergy and laity.

3(6) The Prolocutor, Deputy Prolocutor, Secretaries and Treasurer shall remain in office until immediately prior to the prorogation of the meeting of the Synod at which their successors are elected.

3(7) If a vacancy occurs in the office of Prolocutor, the Deputy Prolocutor shall perform the duties of the office until the Prolocutor elected at the next meeting of the Synod takes office.

3(8) If a vacancy occurs in the office of Deputy Prolocutor, the Provincial Council shall elect a Deputy Prolocutor who shall perform the duties of the office until the Deputy Prolocutor elected at the next meeting of the Synod takes office.

3(9) If a vacancy occurs in the office of either Secretary the Provincial Council shall elect a Secretary from the same order as the person whose office has become vacant and that person shall perform the duties of the office until the Secretaries elected at the next meeting of the Synod take office.

3(10) The Metropolitan, in consultation with the Prolocutor, may appoint a Chancellor who

1. need not be a member of Synod before being appointed,
2. shall be a judge of a court of record or a member of the bar of at least ten years standing in a civil province within the Ecclesiastical Province, and
3. shall hold office at the pleasure of the Metropolitan.

3(11) The Chancellor shall act as legal advisor to the Metropolitan, the Synod and the Council and shall assist the Assessors during sessions of the Synod.

3(12) If a vacancy occurs in the office of Treasurer the Metropolitan, in consultation with the Prolocutor, shall appoint a Treasurer who need not be a member of the Synod and who shall perform the duties of the office until the treasurer elected at the next meeting of the Synod takes office.

3(13) The Metropolitan, in consultation with the Prolocutor and the Deputy Prolocutor, shall appoint two Assessors from among any lawyers or judges who are members of the Synod.

3(14) If there are not two lawyers or judges among the members, one or both Assessors may be appointed from among the Chancellors of the dioceses in the Province.

3(15) The Assessors shall act as legal advisors to the chairman on the constitution and rules of order, procedure and debates of the Synod.

3(16) The Secretaries shall:

1. keep regular accounts of all proceedings;
2. preserve memorials and other documents under the direction of the President and Prolocutor, attest all public acts of the Synod, and deliver over all records and documents to their successors;
3. file with the archivist appointed by the Synod two or more copies of the printed Journal of each meeting with a statement attached to each mentioning the number of pages and certifying the same to be a true copy of the original minutes and proceedings, of which it is the printed copy, signed by the Prolocutor and Secretaries;
4. furnish without fee certified copies of each Synod Journal and send the same to the proper officer of the General Synod, and of each Ecclesiastical Province, for preservation among their records; and
5. forward to the Registrar of the General Synod a certificate of every consecration or installation of a Bishop or Metropolitan within the Province.

3(17) The Treasurer shall:

1. receive and disburse all monies of the Synod, under the authority of the Synod or Provincial Council;
2. perform such other duties as may be prescribed by Canon or resolution of the Synod; and
3. present to each meeting of the Synod an audited financial statement.

3(18) The signing officers of the Synod are any two of the Treasurer, the Metropolitan and the Prolocutor.

3(19) Auditors shall be appointed at each triennial session of the Synod.

4. The Provincial Council

4(1) The Provincial Council shall, between meetings of the Synod, carry on the work of the Synod and shall exercise the authority and jurisdiction of the Synod in all matters except:

1. the enactment of additions or amendments to the Constitution, the Canons, or the Rules of Order;
2. the consideration of changes in the Declaration of Principles of General Synod or of Canons of General Synod dealing with doctrine, worship or discipline;
3. the adjustment of the boundaries of the province, the creation, division and rearrangement of provinces, the division of the province into dioceses, the establishment of missionary dioceses, the division of existing dioceses and the adjustment or rearrangement of diocesan boundaries; and
4. any question relating to the jurisdiction of Provincial Synod or its Declaration of Principles.

4(2) The Synod may delegate to the Provincial Council authority to act in respect of any specific matter falling within the subjects enumerated in paragraphs 4(1)(b),(c) and (d)

4(3) The Provincial Council consists of:

1. the Bishops,
2. the Prolocutor,
3. the Deputy Prolocutor,
4. the Secretaries,
5. the Treasurer,
6. the Chancellor,
7. one clerical member and one lay member from each diocese, and
8. three members elected by the Synod from among the youth members of the Synod.

4(4) The clerical and lay members of the Provincial Council and substitutes therefor shall be elected by the synod from among members nominated by the clerical and lay members from the respective dioceses.

4(5) If both a member of the Provincial Council and the substitute for that member vacate their positions the Bishop of their diocese shall appoint a member of the Provincial Council from among the members of the same order who represented the diocese at the previous meeting of the Synod.

4(6) The Provincial Council shall meet

1. at the conclusion of each meeting of the Synod,
2. at such times and places as it determines,
3. when summoned by the Metropolitan, or
4. on the written request of two clerical and two lay members of the Council.

4(7) The Metropolitan is the Chairman of the Provincial Council.

4(8) In the absence of the Metropolitan, or at the Metropolitan's request, the Prolocutor or Deputy Prolocutor shall preside.

4(9) Fifteen members of the Provincial Council constitute a quorum if seventy-five per cent of the dioceses are represented.

5. Finances

5(1) The expenses of the Synod shall be provided for by an annual assessment on the dioceses in the province.

5(2) The Provincial Council shall determine the basis on which the assessment shall be made and the amounts thereof.

5(3) Each diocese shall pay the amount of its annual assessment to the Treasurer who shall credit it to the Provincial Synod Expense Account.

5(4) The Treasurer shall pay out of the Provincial Synod Expense Account:

1. the cost of printing and distributing convening circulars, reports, minutes and journals of the Synod and other printed materials required for the Synod, the Provincial Council or the House of Bishops;
2. honoraria, expenses and presentations authorized by the Synod or the Provincial Council;
3. the fees of auditors, solicitors and legal counsel when necessary in the opinion of Synod or the Provincial Council;
4. the general administrative expenses of the Synod and the Provincial Council; and
5. other amounts authorized by the Synod or the Provincial Council.

6. Canons and Amendments

6(1) A Canon may be enacted, amended or repealed and the Constitution may be amended

1. by a two-thirds majority of each order if notice of the proposed enactment, amendment or repeal has been sent to the members of the Synod at least three weeks before the meeting of Synod, or
2. by a majority of each order at two successive meetings of the Synod.

6(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), a Canon or an amendment to the Constitution or a Canon proposed for the purpose of conforming the legislation of the Synod to the legislation of the General Synod may be adopted by a majority of each order at one meeting of the Synod if notice thereof has been sent to the members of the Synod at least three weeks before the meeting.

Note: this text is provided for information purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure that this text is accurate, in the event of any discrepancy between this version and the official printed version, the latter shall prevail.