The SSMU is governed by its Constitution, Internal Regulations, and Policies. If you have suggestions or ideas, please contact the SSMU President or your Councilor.
Please note that Internal Regulations, the Policy Books, Positions Book and the Plans Book are living documents that are often revised. The SSMU endeavors to provide accurate and up-to-date versions of these documents as soon as they become available.
If you have an urgent concern related to the Constitution or Internal Regulations, please contact the SSMU President.
L’AÉUM est une corporation à but non lucratif incorporée sous la Loi sur les compagnies, et se doit donc de suivre les règlements de cette dernière. Si vous souhaitez avoir plus de renseignements au sujet de cette loi provinciale, vous pouvez visiter le site web du gouvernement du Québec ici.
SSMU is an accredited Student Union therefore it is recognized by the provincial authorities as the only organization representing the students. The main purpose of an association is to represent students and to promote their common interests, such as the administration of their educational institution. Such accreditation allows the SSMU to:
If you wish to learn more about this provincial Act, check out the government of Quebec’s website here.
A Letters Patent is a document that outlines a corporation’s legal operations within the province of Quebec, such as how many legal administrators there are, the total amount of money the corporation can have, its mandate, and so on.
The Letters Patent of the then-named Student Center of McGill University serves as the published written declaration of our status as a corporation. The Student Center of McGill University merged with the Students’ Society of McGill University in 2007.
We are now known as the Students’ Society of McGill University and have been ever since 1999. It should be noted that the SSMU is still legally recognized as the Students’ Society of McGill University.
The Constitution of the Students’ Society of McGill University
The SSMU Constitution is a document that deals with all of the most fundamental elements of the Society. It also serves as SSMU’s legal “By-law” for the Quebec government in relation to SSMU’s status as a non-profit corporation (it is for this reason that we recently changed our By-laws to be known as Internal Regulations, per our legal counsel, as our Constitution is essentially our ‘By-law’ in the eyes of the Quebec government).
The Constitution outlines the SSMU’s role in providing service, leadership, and representation to McGill’s downtown undergraduates, the basic outline of the seven Executive positions, basic electoral processes, and various disciplinary processes. The Constitution can only be altered by Referendum.
After the Constitution, the Internal Regulations of SSMU are the highest level of regulation that exists within SSMU. The Constitution sets out broad principles through which the Society functions, and creates and defines the main organs of SSMU governance. Whereas general principles are included in the Constitution, the Internal Regulations create frameworks for their application. Internal Regulations can be changed by Council or General Assembly.
Internal Regulations | Date Amended | |
Elections and Referenda | February 25, 2021 | |
Finances | April 11, 2024 | |
Governance | May 2, 2024 | |
Representation and Advocacy | September 26, 2024 | |
Student Groups | March 09, 2023 | |
Sustainability and Operations | April 11, 2024 |
Policies at the SSMU can be initiated by the Board of Directors, Legislative Council, or can be student Led.
Policy | Adoption Date | Expiry Date |
Accessibility Policy | January 1, 2021 | January 1, 2026 |
Accessible Education and Academics Policy | April 2, 2020 | January 1, 2025 |
Climate Justice Policy | April 11, 2024 | May 1, 2029 |
Conflict of Interest Policy | December 14, 2023 | May 1, 2028 |
Consultation Policy | October 6, 2022 | May 1, 2025 |
Divest for Human Rights Policy | February 27, 2021 | May 1, 2026 |
Equity Policy | May 13, 2021 | May 1, 2026 |
Events Policy | April 2, 2020 | January 1, 2025 |
Ethical Partnerships Policy | May 11, 2023 | May 1, 2028 |
Policy | Adoption Date | Expiry Date |
Food Security Policy | March 9, 2023 | May 1, 2028 |
Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy | November 19th, 2020 | May 31, 2024 |
Harm Reduction Policy | April 8, 2021 | May 1, 2026 |
Harmful Military Technology Policy | May 2, 2024 | May 2, 2029 |
Indigenous Solidarity Policy | January 14, 2021 | May 1, 2026 |
Mental Health Policy and Plan | April 6, 2023 | May 1, 2026 |
Sustainability Policy | May 11, 2023 | May 1, 2028 |
Policy | Adoption Date | Expiry Date |
McGill Student Union Democratization Initiative Policy | November 11, 2021 |
May 1, 2026 |
A SSMU plan is a long-term plan with timelines and actionable items for advocacy and implementation for the SSMU, pertaining to a specific cause or issues. This is the book containing the outline of all ongoing SSMU Plans.
Plan | Adoption Date | Expiry Date |
Accountability Plan 2023-2024 | May 2, 2024 | May 1, 2029 |
Committee Improvement Plan 2024_2025 | Sep 20, 2024 | May 1, 2029 |
SSMU Francisation Plan 2023-04-06 | April 04, 2023 | January 1, 2026 |
Master Plan | November 19, 2020 |
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Master Plan for Addressing Racist Surveillance and Doxxing within SSMU and McGill University | April 6, 2023 |
May 1, 2028 |
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Plan | May 11, 2023 |
May 1, 2028 |
Trans Advocacy Plan | May 11, 2023 |
May 1, 2028 |
SSMU Positions provide general guidance for the advocacy priorities of the Society. Positions lay out the SSMU’s values regarding internal and external issues, and are kept until amended, superseded, or removed. The Internal Regulations of Governance outline the procedures for creating and amending positions. This is the book containing the outline of all official positions taken by the SSMU.
All-Faculty Involvement Restriction Policy (IRP) 2021
The SSMU and the Student Associations want to adopt a uniform policy to provide the Persons with an environment where everyone is treated with respect, dignity and fairness and where all forms of discrimination, violence (including sexual violence), psychological, sexual or other forms of harassment, disrespect, dignity violation and lack of fairness is prohibited.