The proposed Private Member's Bill seeks to reduce the size of the Board of Trustees of Queen's University and give the University Council greater control over its membership.
Queen's University was created in 1841 by Queen Victoria. Since Queen's is a pre-confederation corporation with powers extending beyond provincial boundaries, the only Canadian legislative body that can amend its Royal Charter is the Parliament of Canada. The Charter has been amended by acts of the Parliament of Canada in 1882, 1889, 1906, 1912, 1914, 1916, 1961 and 1996.
The Royal Charter created a Board of Trustees, a Senate, with authority over the academic life of the University, and the University Council, an advisory body. The composition of the Board and the University Council is legislatively prescribed, and amendments to the Charter over the years have resulted in a Board of 44 members and a Council of 228 members.
The Board of Trustees has determined that it could discharge its duties more effectively as a smaller board and it seeks to reduce its numbers to 25, while retaining the representative nature of its membership.
The historical reasons which led to the current composition of the University Council are no longer relevant and University Council believes that it can play a more effective role within Queen's if it can make its own determinations about its size and composition. The proposed change will give University Council the authority to pass by-laws regarding its own size and composition.