General Assembly

General Assembly

“Every student has an equal voice. That’s what the GA is all about.”

 

The General Assembly (GA) is a time when *you* can make a direct change at McGill! Members of the SSMU participate in direct democracy by writing and voting on Motions that mandate the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) to take specific action. If you want to have an impact on McGill’s largest student organization, have your voice heard at the GA this semester.

General Information

General Assembly Information

General Assemblies are open to all SSMU members for debating and voting on changes to your student society. Students can submit items for the agenda two weeks ahead with the signatures of either 4 Councillors or 100 members of the society, so long as no one school or faculty forms half of the signatories. Quorum is 350 members.

General Assemblies are held at least once per semester and are open to all SSMU members (one person, one vote). For the most part, the legislative power of a General Assembly is equal to that of Council. This means that a General Assembly may approve, modify or rescind resolutions, policies, and internal regulations. However, a GA cannot affect policy pertaining to the SSMU’s Constitution, the financial matters of the Society or the composition of the Society’s staff.
If you are interested in submitting a motion to a General Assembly, you may consult a SSMU Executive and/or the Speakers of Council for advice and support.
There are currently three types of General Assembly:

General Assembly Book of Resolutions

Dates

Fall 2023

Monday, October 2, 2023, at 6:00 PM EST, in-person.
The General Assembly will be streamed live on SSMU’s Youtube Channel. You can access the stream at this link.

Winter 2024

Monday, February 5, 2024 at 6:00 PM EST, in-person.

Accessibility Information

Whisper translation between English and French. If you have any questions about the accessibility of this event, please don’t hesitate to get in touch the President at president@ssmu.ca 

Documents

 

WINTER 2024

AGENDA
Agenda-General Assembly (Winter 2024) 2024-02-05-Approved at Consultative Forum
Ordre du Jour-Assemblée Générale Hiver 2024-02-05-Approuvé au forum consultatif
STANDING RULES
Standing Rules for the Winter 2024 General Assembly 2024-02-05-Approved at Consultative Forum
Les règlements de l’Assemblée générale d’hiver 2024 2024-02-05-Approuvés au forum consultatif
REPORTS
GA Report-VP Finance (Winter 2024) 2024-02-05
GA Report-Board of Directors-Winter 2024
GA Report-President-Winter 2024
GA Report-VP Operations and Sustainability-Winter 2024
GA Report-VP Internal Affairs-Winter 2024
GA Report-VP Student Life-Winter 2024
GA Report-VP University Affairs-Winter 2024LR
GA Report-VP External Affairs-Winter 2024
MINUTES

FALL 2023

AGENDA
Ordre du Jour-Assemblée Générale Automne 2023-10-02-Approuvé au forum consultatif
Agenda-General Assembly (Fall 2023) 2023-10-02-Approved at Consultative Forum
STANDING RULES
Les règlements de l’Assemblée générale d’automne 2023-10-02 – Approuvés au forum consultatif
Standing Rules for the Fall 2023 General Assembly 2023-10-02 – Approved at Consultative Forum
REPORTS
President Report Fall GA 2023
GA Report-VP University Affairs-Fall 2023
GA Report-VP Student Life-Fall 2023
GA Report-VP Internal Affairs-Fall 2023
GA Report-President-Fall 2023
GA Report-VP Sustainability and Operations-Fall 2023
GA Report-VP External Affairs-Fall 2023
MINUTES
Minutes-General Assembly-Fall 2023-For Approval 2023-10-02

Past Documents

General Assembly 2022-2023
General Assembly 2021-2022
General Assembly 2020-2021
General Assembly 2019-2020
General Assembly 2018-2019
General Assembly 2017-2018
General Assembly 2016-2017
General Assembly 2015-2016
General Assembly 2014-2015
General Assembly 2013-2014
General Assembly 2012-2013
General Assembly 2011-2012
Click here to read about past GA results.

If for any reason you have any difficulty accessing the documents above, please email the President.

General Assembly Motions

Motion Deadlines – please submit all motions and any questions you may have to the Parliamentarian at parliamentarian@ssmu.ca

Motions at General Assemblies can propose, amend, rescind, or uphold any policy of the Society. General Assemblies have, essentially, the powers of Council, with the exception of a few powers that are legally reserved for a Council or Board of Directors. These restrictions include budgetary questions and any matters of human resources. Similarly, amendments to the Constitution can only be made by means of a referendum, not council or GAs. As with anything the SSMU does, GA motions and proceedings are subject to appeal to the Judicial Board should they be thought unconstitutional by any SSMU member.

It is relatively straightforward to write a General Assembly motion, however, it is sometimes difficult to decide whether your issue concerns budgetary questions. Always consult with others, and work your motion into a form that addresses your concern, without stumbling into the financial territory. Remember, if your motion passes it will give the SSMU Executives a mandate, and ultimately, it will be their responsibility to allocate funds to your cause.

Motions must also pertain to actions or policies under the purview of the SSMU. In cases where they are directed towards University policies, motions should call on the SSMU to take a specified stance or action, rather than demanding that the University take specific actions, as McGill is not bound by GA mandates.

Writing General Assembly Motions

Do you have questions about how to submit a Referenda Question or GA motion? Please see below the guides for more details:
A Handy Guide To Writing A REFERENDA QUESTION
A Handy Guide To Writing A GA MOTION

First, let’s think about what exactly you want to do with your motion…Remember that your motion will be debated by dozens if not hundreds of people, so it is crucial that people clearly understand your motion’s goals, and what actions it will empower the Student Society to take. Motions should be short and to the point – 1/2 to a full page and all motions have a basic form:

Motions must also be in line with the SSMU Constitution, Internal Regulations and Policies (unless the motion directly alters one of these last two). Furthermore, motions should be grammatically correct (however, improper grammar can be corrected at any time without consequence).

Finally, motions should be as specific as possible and should, where possible, direct the SSMU to take specific, as opposed to ideological or rhetorical, actions. Nevertheless, specificity of motions should not cause them to be ruled unconstitutional and outside the powers of a GA (see clause 29 of the Constitution). Further, motions should make exceptionally clear any potentially confusing statements, phrases or concepts, so as to avoid conflict, confusion and/or redrafting at the Assembly.