These guidelines were adopted by the elections committee in April 2021 to ensure common ground rules for CMG elections.
In the conduct of their campaigns, candidates:
1. may not use their Employer e-mail accounts to send campaign material or messages
2. may not send email campaign material or messages to Employer email accounts
3. may not use the CMG logo in any campaign materials or copy the Guild’s graphic design in a manner that could lead anyone to think it is an official Guild document or website
4. may not use photos of official CMG functions or events for any campaign purposes, including in campaign literature or on social media.
5. shall ensure that any social media account being used for campaign purposes be immediately and clearly distinguishable as such, and leave no confusion or doubt that it might be an official CMG account.
6. may not use any information (e.g., member e-mail lists) that they may have had access to in the course of other CMG work. This also applies to social media accounts that belong to CMG.
7. must follow both the Guild’s Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy, as well as collective agreement language regarding respect in the workplace, where applicable
8. shall conduct their campaigning activities in the workplace in compliance with their collective agreements (e.g., union access to premises provisions)
9. shall have no more than one campaign poster on any workplace CMG bulletin board. Only candidate posters will be allowed (i.e. no posters of support or opposition to candidates). Posters shall not be placed in such a way to obstruct the view and/or legibility of other campaign posters.
10. shall, prior to any in-person campaigning in a workplace, consult with the appropriate CMG Staff Representative in order to ensure that such campaigning is in keeping with applicable employer rules and collective agreements, and that proper permission is obtained where required.
11. are responsible for the actions of anyone they recruit to help them with postering, campaigning etc.
12. may not campaign at official Guild meetings, on memos, communiqués or messages. This also applies to social media accounts that belong to CMG.
13. shall not campaign while travelling on CMG business, where such travel is paid for by CMG. All non-urgent CMG paid travel by candidates will be completely avoided during the campaign period. The Election Oversight Committee will be consulted on any planned CMG paid travel by candidates considered urgent during this time. Should a candidate wish to campaign while on such business, they shall pay in full the costs of such travel. The Election Oversight Committee shall be notified in advance of such arrangements.
14. shall not campaign at any CMG sponsored social events.
Nothing in CMG Bylaws or Policies prohibits groups of 2 or more like-minded candidates from supporting each other, by running as a “slate” of candidates. Debates are permitted for any contested CMG position. They may be arranged by either one or more candidates, or other groups of members eligible to vote for the particular position. The participation of candidates in debates is voluntary. The Election Oversight Committee will not organize debates, but can be consulted should any concerns arise and will aim to ensure that any debates that take place are fair and objective.
Click here to read the broader elections policy adopted by the National Executive Committee in 2022.