BCTF Executive - A Perspective
Our Executive committee serves a very specific purpose. Our Constitution and Bylaws set out the following:
The president has general supervision of all matters and affairs of the Federation
and the Executive Committee shall exercise all the powers of the Federation.
Each year we elect the BCTF Executive so that the Full Time Table Officers work and make day to day decisions. Large or greater impact decisions likely go to the full Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee is not designed to represent all aspects of BCTF Members. It does not have designated spots for Elementary, Secondary, Middle, Non Enrolling, Associated Professionals, on leave, TTOC; however, we have structures to draw in better representation and these include Advisory Committees and the Representative Assembly.
Committees have their specific focus area. Committees have an executive member appointed to liaise with the committee and executive.
The Local Representatives represent their diverse local needs such as the specific challenges for middle schools if that local has middle schools.
Ensuring that the executive can do their job and have greater equity voices included beyond Advisory Committees and the RA, we have recently added a designated Member at Large for both Aboriginal and Person of Colour.
I think that there is a balance between having an Executive Committee that attempts to represent 43000 voices and becoming too unwieldy to fully function. My local has 2 1 members on our Executive so there can still be room at the BCTF Executive to be more inclusive with additional designated positions including adding designated Members at Large for the LGBTQ+ community and those with accessibility challenges.
I do support designated positions; however, I also understand that Advisory Committees can be more active providing direct input on equity issues and not having designated positions just be expected to fully represent all members within the group.
In our definition of equity seeking groups, we include women. As such we should consider designated spots on the executive for women. If we follow the logic of an equity seeking group having a representative on the Executive, that would suggest there be a designated position for a women. I see the challenge of feeling that person may feel representing all 34000 women. I would support that at least 3 of the 7 undesignated positions be held by women; however, I believe in my 25 year career this has almost always happened during the election process.
I do resist the bylaw recommendation that at least 5 of 7 undesignated spots become designated for women. This logic includes having 5 of 7, 6 or 7 and 7 of 7 being desirable to fill the 7 positions. I am in full support if the AGM elects 7 of 7 women; however, I am not in support of preventing men from running. Consider that 2 men get elected in one year. The next year, a man is not even allowed to have their name on the ballot the next year. While leadership may have been weighted to male dominance over the 100 year history, our recent history is not so bleak. Our membership is voting to have women in FTTO roles, in designated positions, and in undesignated positions.
Men in the teaching profession are on the decline. We need to ensure that new members feel they have a place in the union. Denying access to men to even be candidates is not welcoming or accepting based on gender. If men are not allowed to run in a year, we are accepting the messaging that 11 000 members are not valued in the same way as their teaching colleagues.
The decision we need to make as an AGM body is if we want the executive to be increased in size to accommodate additional focus areas.
There are also other ways we can go beyond just making room or opportunities such as Women in Negotiations is to make adjustments to other governance structures. We can consider consider adapting the Representative Assembly to have specific representation from equity seeking groups. Already committees regularly present to the RA; however, committee members don't have vote unless they are also an LR.
I can disagree with an executive recommendation because I see the imperfections. I can also see other methods to support the intent. I do believe in broadening voices, I believe in changing culture, I see other ways than doing it at the expense of men.
Another topic that I want to include with our executive is to ensure that we have a team that is capable of representing all members. There is no way to be truly representative with only 11 positions. We have to charge the executive to support all members even if they don't identify personally. I have chosen not to run run against colleagues including equity-seeking colleagues. I have stepped back making space many times. My decision to run as Member at Large this year is not a one year decision.I have considered running and been asked to run at least 5 times.
I believe that I can be a different voice on the executive than can help bring different changes to the BCTF than just changing who can be elected for positions. We have other options such as "at least 2 member at large be members that identify as men, and at least 2 that identify as women. We can also increase the size of the executive to have space for a designated Member at Large for a member (or ally) to the LGBTQ community and another for a member seeking accessibility improvements.
The BCTF Executive committee has the work of supporting every member and representing and/or seeking direction from members of all equity seeking groups.