Canadian Studies Network- Réseau d'études canadiennes
3rd Annual General Meeting -3e Assemblée générale annuelle
29 September 2012 – 29 septembre 2012
University of British Columbia
held in Conjunction with the
Beyond the Culture of Nature conference
12:30 am to 2pm (Pacific Daylight Savings Time)
12h30-14h00 (Heure avancée du Pacifique)
Members present:
Colin Coates (President), Julia Harrison (Secretary-Treasurer), Andrew Nurse (via SKYPE), Kristina Huneault, Laura Moss, James Trepanier, Rafico Ruiz, Matthew Evenden, Geoffrey Ewen, John Wadland, Claire Campbell
Non-members present:
Dave Rossiter, Alan Grove, Bruce Erikson, Tracy Summerville, Philip Mullins, Stephane Castonguay, Molly Clarkson, Jonathan Lurdee, Brenna Fynes, Jonathan Peyton, Jessica van Horssen, Wilfrid Greaves, Mark Stoller, Christian Grunig, Merle Massie, Michael Hank, Tina Loo, Yuan Xia, Stephanie Westlund, Terry Simmons, Scott Slocombe ,Gail Edwards, Pearl Ann Reichwein, Michael Treleaven, Graeme Wynn, Maureen Beed, Alexandra Vlachos, Alexandria Mitchell, Peter Thompson, Peter Hodgins, Marcelina Piotrowski, Sarah Wiebe, Lisa Dumoulin, Michaela McMahon
Welcoming remarks and history from Colin Coates about the CSN-REC
1. Adoption of agenda
Matt Evenden/Geoffrey Ewen
2. Adoption of minutes from AGM: 1 October 2011
Geoffrey Ewen/ Jamie Trepanier
3. Business Arising
Will be covered the course of discussions.
4. President's Report (Colin Coates)
• Introduction of the Executive Julia Harrison/Andrew Nurse (Skype)/Christl Verduyn and Meg Beaton (both absent)
• Discussion of cancellation of the Understanding Canada program by the Federal government. CSN-REC not directly impacted by this but the loss of Understanding Canada. ICCS has been forced to let go of staff. Future of international associations in doubt in some cases. The international enthusiasm to keep these associations fully functioning is strong. CSN-REC launched a petition that garnered 2222 signatures at the point it was submitted to Ottawa. No reply received as yet but little change expected.
• ICCS AGM will come to Toronto in 2013 at the invitation of the CSN-REC.
• CSN-REC has received monies from ICCS and DFAIT to support executive travel; supported Canadian students to travel to international conferences; international students to Canadian conferences; bring in keynote speakers; we have a series of prizes for dissertation, book, MA thesis, and undergraduate theses/papers.
• Important to support the intellectual research on Canada in our universities.
• Working to make our website fully bilingual. Benefitted from help from Lynda Mannik over the last year. Karli Whitmore our new membership coordinator.
• Thanks to Trent for their support of Lynda Mannik's during her tenure as Administrative Assistant. Thank you also to the Advisory Board for their willingness to help.
5. Secretary's Report (Julia Harrison)
49 members 2010; 91 members 2011/shows a positive increase
6. Treasurer's Report (Julia Harrison): Reader's Report presented/financial projection
Laura Moss/John Wadland moved and seconded (see attached)
7. ICCS representative Report (Colin Coates)
Colin attends ICCS meetings; we need to become a full members; now as an Associate Member; want to become a Full Members; we need to have 100 members to get to that role; and also need to list of our activities; we need to document the activities that other Canadian Studies programs do across the country.
8. Student Report
Summarized Megan Beaton's report (attached). Highlighted student activities.
Written report attached. Thank you to Meaghan for her hard work on the Executive over the past two years.
9. Future AGMs: Mount Allison/St. Mary's (2013)
Planned to be in the context of the conference that will be sponsored by St. Mary's and Mount Allison, Sept 18 to 21, 2013. Claire Campbell gave a brief overview of the plans.
10. Elections
We are the first Executive. Colin's and Julia's terms are coming to an end as is Meg Beaton's. Julia and Colin have agreed to stand again and have been acclaimed. Jamie Trepanier (York) is our new student representative who was also acclaimed.
11. AOB
Will have online renewal by next year.
12. Adjournment 12:40.
Matthew Evenden so moved.
Recording Secretary
Julia Harrison
CSN-REC 2012 AGM Student Executive Member Report
Report submitted by Meaghan Beaton for CSN-REC AGM, September 2012
Graduate Student Funding for Conferences
CSN-REC student members had a very productive year, and I'm delighted to report that several of our members took advantage of the network's graduate student support policy to attend international Canadian Studies conferences. The CSN-REC provides up to $1000 to assist graduate students with the costs of attending international conferences. The policy is detailed on our website which spells out qualifications and the application procedure. This has been an important initiative that allows our graduate student members to make international connections with others working in Canadian Studies.
Over the past year, the CSN-REC sponsored three Canadian university graduate students to attend international Canadian Studies conferences. This past April, Benjamin Bryce, a PhD student in the History Department at York University, attended the 10th annual Latin American Conference on Canadian Studies (Seminario Interuniversitario de Estudios Canadienses en América Latina), held in Havana, Cuba. Benjamin was the first Canadian student to participate in this conference. He presented a paper comparing language policy in the schools of Ontario and Buenos Aires before the First World War.
Kelly Black and Meaghan Beaton received funding to attend the 20th annual European Seminar for Graduate Students in Canadian Studies. This year's seminar was held in Groningen, The Netherlands, in November 2011. Kelly and Meaghan were the first graduate students studying at a Canadian university to attend this seminar. Kelly, a PhD student in Canadian Studies at Carleton University, presented a paper about the coloniality of property, and how concepts of "property" formed part of a tightly controlled regulatory regime in British Columbia. Meaghan examined discourses used by Community Improvement Program organizers to promote citizen participation in Canada's 1967 centennial activities.
In addition to funding our graduate student members at Canadian universities, the CSN-REC has also instituted a policy for funding international graduate students to attend Canadian conferences. This year the CSN-REC helped support Diane Bélisle-Wolf, a student at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität in Mainz, Germany, attend the 2011-2012 Trent-Carleton Graduate Conference held at Trent University this past March. Diane presented her paper "Histoire, Mémoire et Espace : Nouvelle(s) Représentation(s) de la Frontière dans le Paysage Littéraire Canadien suite au 11 septembre 2001."
All four students reported that attending these conferences have helped to make valuable connections with faculty, scholars, and fellow students working in Canadian Studies, and they have emphasized the importance of having Canadian graduate student representation at these gatherings. I would therefore strongly encourage our students to take advantage of these funding opportunities to ensure that we continue to make these connections with other working in our field.
Student Prizes
The CSN-REC has recently introduced a series of prizes for our student members. Several weeks ago the network announced its prize for the Best PhD Dissertation in Canadian Studies. This prize will be awarded annually to an outstanding interdisciplinary doctoral dissertation completed at a Canadian university on a Canadian subject that best advances our knowledge and understanding of Canada and Canadian Studies. The winner will have their dissertation submitted on behalf of the CSN-REC to the International Council for Canadian Studies - Conseil international d'études canadiennes for consideration for that organization's Best Doctoral Thesis in Canadian Studies Award. The deadline for submissions is tomorrow, 30 September 2012, so get your application in quickly!
The network will be announcing shortly two additional student prizes. The first is a prize for an interdisciplinary MA thesis (or equivalent) or major research paper, and the second is a prize for an interdisciplinary undergraduate essay written by a full-time or part-time undergraduate student enrolled in a Canadian Studies Program.
All three prizes will be selected by a three-member interdisciplinary panel drawn from the CSN-REC's Executive Members and its Advisory Council. Monetary prizes are attached to all three awards. Details about the prizes, the application process, and eligibility are found on the network's website.
These prizes are an excellent way to recognize and promote the important work accomplished by our student members.
End of Term
As this is the end of my two-year term on the CSN-REC, I wanted to take the time to mention that I've thoroughly enjoyed my time representing our student members, and working with the CSN-REC Executive – Colin, Julia, Christl, and Andrew, and Lynda Mannick – who have all worked exceptionally hard during the network's first two years. I look forward to meeting with the network's new student representative to transition files, and wish them the best of luck as they take over this important position on the Executive.