Preface

Primer for directors of not-for-profit corporations (Rights, Duties and Practices)

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Ideally, any board of directors should be made up of individuals who bring a wide array of skills and expertise to the task of governing a not-for-profit corporation. So it is perhaps fitting that in creating this publication, we have enjoyed the luxury of drawing on an exceptionally broad range of talents and experience.

The Primer for Directors of Not-for-Profit Corporations was commissioned from the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy as part of Industry Canada's consultation work on reforming the Canada Corporations Act. The project benefited from the input of numerous Industry Canada staff working under the direction of first Lee Gill, then Gilles Gauthier. Eva Fried, Nicolas Lavoie and Veronica Wessels all provided assistance and feedback, helping to ensure the text was as comprehensive, accessible and accurate as possible.

Individual contributors are identified at the beginning of each chapter. These credits however, may not convey the collaborative effort that went into many chapters. Our collective aim was to produce the most user-friendly and comprehensible text we could. To do so, inevitably some material that was conceived as part of one chapter found its way elsewhere. It is a mark of the professionalism and commitment to this project of the contributors that they all readily agreed to this, without insisting that these changes be individually acknowledged.

The finished text before you would not have been possible without the participation of Norah McClintock and David Stevens. Norah provided her keen eye to ensure the text never got bogged down in legalese, and David his astute insight so that our desire to use plain language never compromised the legal integrity of the publication. As well, Paul Martel added essential information throughout the text on treatment of not-for-profit corporations and their directors under Québec Civil Law. The striking design of the book was the work of Wioletta Wesolowski.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the dedication of Peter Broder, my colleague at the Centre for Philanthropy and the co-ordinating editor of this volume, as well as the work of Michael Anderson and Robert MacKenzie of the Canadian Association of Society Executives, and the Executive of the Canadian Bar Association Charity and Not-for-Profit Law Section, for their input and help in winning endorsement of the publication from their respective organizations.