President’s Report to the Canadian Red Cross Annual General Meeting June 17, 2006
Canadian War Museum
Ottawa, Ontario
Once again, I would like to welcome you to the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Red Cross. It is truly a pleasure to be here with you and to share my report with you as President.
There is no doubt that this has been a good year for our Society, a year of many challenges and of remarkable successes; a year that has helped us shape the future course of the Canadian Red Cross. Of course, when I say a ‘year’, I acknowledge that it has only been seven months since our last AGM. Moving the dates of our Annual General Meetings to June of each year has only been made possible by streamlining our accounting practices and consolidating information, which has been a dream of the Board and management for many years. Thank you to all of you for accommodating the change in date, taking time out or your personal schedules and agreeing to come all the way to Ottawa for this relatively few short formal proceedings.
In the time since we last met, the world has seen relatively little activity in terms of natural disasters; thank heavens, even here in Canada, we have been lucky to have to respond to only isolated or limited disasters. But that certainly does not mean that the Canadian Red Cross has not been busy. The senior management team has been diligent and as always their work has been thoughtful and purposeful. The Society is venturing down a path to further strengthen and refine the effectiveness and quality of its services. I feel very confident of the path we are on, and I will leave the details to our secretary general, (Pierre) (Dr. Duplessis).
As we all know, the Annual General Meeting is the highest governing body of the Canadian Red Cross at which our National Governor Members and National Representative Members gather, to represent all other members and volunteers of the Society. It is at the AGM that the membership of the organization has the opportunity to review the accomplishments of the Canadian Red Cross both from a governance and management perspective. We, the members of the Board of Governors, are accountable to you as key stakeholders and during the course of this AGM you will of course continue to receive a number of reports. Also, you will be asked to make some significant decisions – specifically in approving revisions to our by-laws and electing the Officers and Members of the in-coming Board of Governors.
As this is your meeting and you have both the opportunity and the duty to ask questions, speak your views and contribute to the governance process of the Society and we hope you will do so. It is with a sense of duty that I address the members of the Canadian Red Cross and express to you all my sincere and humble gratitude for the opportunity to have been President of this organization in which, like you, I truly believe and like you to which I am deeply committed.
As I stand here today, I am reflecting on the role and the accomplishments of this Board and I am proud to have had the opportunity to chair our deliberations during the term that ends today. There have been two particular accomplishments which are significant from a governance perspective – namely the revision of our by-laws and the implementation of a formal membership program.
Internationally, the “Strategy for the Movement” has called upon all National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to review their statutes or by-laws before 2010. Subject to your approval today, we will be able to say that we have accomplished. But it is not just to comply with Movement expectations or external legislation that we revisit our by-laws from time to time. We do this in order to strengthen our organizational capacity; to clarify the foundation upon which we function as a National Society and to demonstrate to our donors and partners how we govern and manage the Red Cross in Canada. The new by-laws will, I believe, ensure greater flexibility for our Zones to adapt and govern themselves according to their unique needs and identity. The new by-laws will not only facilitate a more agile and contemporary governance process within the Canadian Red Cross, they will ensure that we remain true to the spirit of GGP. I sincerely hope that you will join me today in approving the proposed new by-laws today.
Our new by-laws will also speak volumes about who we are, for they embrace current trends within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, by including the redefinition and reinstatement of a formal membership program within the Canadian Red Cross.
I am proud of the Society in that we will not only adopt a new definition of membership, but we will also enshrine in our by-laws the criteria that make it open to those upholding our principles without adverse distinction. In so doing, we are making a powerful statement that the Red Cross in Canada is ‘open to all’ and we demonstrate that, in addition to accepting that others may be different, we also respect those differences.
This is a powerful statement about our values and the application of the principles of non-discrimination and respect for diversity. These transcend into our human resources recruitment strategies as well as our delivery of humanitarian services. We do not and will not discriminate and furthermore we will speak out against intolerance and any form of negative attitudes based on real or imaginary differences.
I am excited to think of the potential of our membership program. As you may know, I have been a strong, passionate and an outspoken advocate for the membership program. As I said to the Board of Governors yesterday, it is one thing for us to comply with legislation, to maintain lists of members, and to be able to communicate to them about our services and activities, but it is quite another thing to develop a relationship with them to have direct access for receiving information from them. That is what our membership can provide to us. Our members, who have expressly taken an additional step to affirm their relationship with us, want us to succeed and are willing to tell us what they want and expect from us. Asking for their input is the highest form of respect that we can pay them and in return we will continue to build tremendous member loyalty.
The membership program, when applied correctly, will help us build organizational capacity, making it easy to mobilize our members in an instant as identified in our strategic goals. Mobilizing human resources doesn't just mean having volunteers respond to a disaster on the ground. Our image and future direction are of great concern to us and no one can provide feedback on this with greater speed and passion than our members. Regardless of what is going on in the Society, in the media or with the public, the Red Cross will be able to access members immediately (with carefully crafted questionnaires and surveys) for feedback. This is an instant, accurate and inexpensive polling tool that is completely confidential. It can be used for planning, issues management, evaluation and promotions, all at minimal cost and in a very quick manner.
If you will allow me one final comment about membership, - it is in the form of a challenge to everyone in this room. It is crucial for all our stakeholders in Canada to be represented in the membership of their Red Cross. Through our members, we are able to keep track of the needs of our communities from coast to coast and to do so it is vital that all groups in our diverse population be represented in the membership of the Canadian Red Cross. When the membership program goes public, I hope that all of us will take up the challenge to grow our membership, to expand our humanitarian influence in communities across Canada and do so with enthusiasm and commitment.
Let me briefly highlight a few other accomplishments of the Board of Governors.
The Board approved two new Policies recommended by the National Audit and Finance Committee, both intended to protect the integrity of the Society and its people. I am happy to be able to say unequivocally that the Canadian Red Cross Society is committed to high standards of ethics, conduct and fiduciary responsibility and further, that it is everyone’s responsibility to bring unethical and illegal behaviour to the attention of the appropriate authorities within the Society. We have reaffirmed effective and consistent protocols and reinforced procedures for responding to allegations of irregularities. They are clear, appropriate, timely and effectively focused policies in order to protect our Society, our employees, and our volunteers and members.
These policies are not only reassuring to us on the Board of Governors, but we hope are equally meaningful to our supporters and donors.
I am also pleased to report that the Board has met the objectives it set for itself in the last term and has undergone a process of evaluating its performance in delivering these objectives.
For example, we have been diligent in assessing the risks and opportunities within the Tsunami and the Sunset files (by which we mean issues related to the blood tragedy and legal actions related to the blood tragedy against the Society).
We have paid particular attention to issues related to emblem misuse in Canada and have undertaken to ensure that an Emblem Protection strategy is in place.
We have also closely looked at the state of affairs of a number of programs, in particular Disaster Preparedness, Community Health Services in Ontario and Injury Prevention.
After attending the General Assembly of the International Federation and the Council of Delegates in Seoul last year, senior governance and management undertook to reassess our role internationally and as a result, we have embraced a set of fundamental tenats that we feel should be reflected in all of our international actions and associations. Although we do not currently hold a position on the Federation’s Governing Board, as various national societies eligibility rotates and we are not able to stand for election, we nonetheless feel that as a Society we can make a difference internationally being guided by the following five concepts:
- Vulnerable people, victims and clients must clearly be the beneficiaries of all of our international actions and associations;
- Results and outcomes of our actions and associations must be tangible and measurable; building organizational capacity and competencies will be essential by-products;
- Quality, efficiency and effectiveness must be key considerations in all undertakings so that duplication and overlap are avoided;
- Our partnerships and other associations will be strategic, practical and ‘add value’; and
- Staff, volunteers and delegates working abroad will not, and will not be seen to, add to internal process-generating and infrastructure-building activities.
What has been accomplished over the term of the current Board of Governors is truly a testament to how we work. I would be remiss if I failed to take this opportunity to acknowledge the strength of this Board of Governors and the Senior Management Team’s who work so closely and well together.
Never losing sight of our shared mission, vision and values, our close collaboration has ensured that the interests of the Society are safeguarded. I have been very pleased with the collaborative and positive working relationship between governance and management, between volunteers and staff; and it is my hope that our partnering will grow ever stronger as we interact and engage with our growing ranks of members.
At this point, I would like to recognize all of the National Representative Members that have come to Ottawa this weekend to participate in this AGM. For the next two years, you will represent all members and other constituents in your respective regions. I know that you are also volunteers. You are truly the face of the Red Cross in your communities and advocates for our humanitarian services. On behalf of the Board of Governors, I want to thank you for your commitment to the Society in this capacity. As I call your names, would you please stand up and remain standing so you can be collectively recognized, by all of us at the end of these introductions.
In no particular order -
From Ontario Zone : Mike Shantz, Peter Zulauf, Norbert Woo, Lynn Greiner, Diane Girard
From our Atlantic Zone: Matthew Hayes, Stephanie Luce, Des Dillon, Ella Kelly, Peter Nestman
De la division de Québec: Jean-Denis Lavigne, Thérèse Croft, Alain Morand, MylèneTurcotte, Nathalie Croteau, Michael Shea
And from my own stomping ground, the Western Zone: Alvina Berggren, Dianne Jacson, Brad Hebert, Louise Bishoff, Sara John Fowler, Phyllis Wiscombe.
Please join with me in acknowledging and thanking these outstanding governance volunteers.
Any success that the Canadian Red Cross enjoys is largely due to its dedicated and faithful volunteers. It’s only possible for us to do so many things, and do them well, because of people like you. You are among the thousands of volunteers who give freely of your time – often your holiday time – to help out when disaster strikes, whether in your own towns or across the world, or who regularly come into your local Red Cross offices to answer phones or lend out medical equipment, or who go into classrooms to talk to young people about abuse and bullying, and how to get help.
I warmly welcome the initiative to appoint a national Director of Volunteer Resource Management and I am encouraged that she, in partnership with our volunteer resource committees at all levels, will augment our capacity to recruit and retain a pool of skilled, committed volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
And I want to be sure to take the time today to also thank, and to applaud, the staff and management of the Canadian Red Cross, who bring their commitment and ideals to work every single day.
The public's expectations for the Red Cross are high – as they should be – and we must retain and continuously earn the trust placed in us. Across this country, in every city and town and neighborhood, Canadians will continue to count on the Red Cross. I am confident that we can live up to their expectations.
In closing, maybe just a personal comment or two. My time as President has been enlightening, exciting and challenging. I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to see the impact of our activities around the world and to witness first-hand the exciting programs and services we provide so many at home. My job as your President has been immensely rewarding and at times, I must admit to be honest, quite demanding. It is in this regard that I would like to thank the people who have made my life easier and from whom I have received direct support. More specially, Paul Wharram and Marie Rozon, who truly are the “right hand of the President”. Their support and knowledge is without question a major factor in the effectiveness of our Board of Governors and President.
And to my main collaborator, Dr. Pierre Duplessis. On behalf of our Board and myself, I want to warmly thank you for your guidance, wise counsel, vision, and devotion to this great organization. None of our successes this year would have been possible without your truly inspirational leadership Pierre, and the remarkable dedication of our outstanding staff and management team right across the country.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this concludes my report to the Annual General Meeting. There is no doubt in my mind that the Canadian Red Cross has an even greater future ahead of it. The impact of our humanitarian service and values can only grow wider and stronger with the level of commitment and enthusiasm that I have seen at every turn; volunteers, members, staff, partners, beneficiaries and clients all working together to one end.
Thank you.
