Motion proposed by Organizational Structure Committee to modify article 1 of the By-laws of The Iranian Canadian Congress .

These changes are proposed after several meetings and discussions and are approved by Board of Directors to be presented at the AGM.

This version of article 1 will be presented as a motion to ICC members at AGM on 22nd of December 2021 for their approval. 

Article 1. Definition, Purpose, and Objectives    

Section 1: Definition   

The Iranian-Canadian Congress (henceforth "ICC") is a "not-for-profit", "non-partisan", "non-governmental" and "non-religious" community organization. ICC is not affiliated with or adherent of any political party (at any municipal, provincial, or federal level), government or governmental group or organization, religion, religious institution, or religious organization. All the income that might be earned by or donated to ICC will be used to pursue the ICC's objectives and keep the ICC running.   

Section 2: Purpose   

The general purpose of ICC is to uphold and protect the well-being and interests of the Iranian-Canadian community, i.e. Iranians who are resident or citizen of Canada. 

Section 3: Objectives   

The objectives of ICC are, including but are not limited to the following items. These items are meant to set up a general framework for the activities that ICC may get engaged in or initiate. In the spirit of the following objectives, each elected board of directors (henceforth Board of Directors) may set up more specific purposes as its own goals. To achieve the below-mentioned objectives, the Board of Directors sets up an agenda, assigns committees, organizes volunteer workgroups, and writes its internal protocols for achieving its goals according to the by-laws.    

• Constructing and facilitating the ways by which members of the Iranian-Canadian community could cooperate with and contribute to the larger Canadian society; among others, the ways for promoting and strengthening the cross-cultural harmony to advance tolerance, understanding, and goodwill among all segments of the multicultural Canadian society.    
• Building up a sense of trust and a participatory environment among the members of the Iranian-Canadian community within which effective engagement to membership and teamwork could be promoted for the sake of fortifying and enhancing the community's stature.   
• Making useful links between various segments of the Iranian-Canadian community, organizations, business owners, investors, job seekers, etc., across Canada.    

• Promoting and celebrating Iranian culture, values, languages, and history, and sustaining the Iranians' prestige, dignity, and reputation in Canada.    
• Directing resources and aspirations of the Iranian-Canadian community towards improving the quality of its members' lives in Canada and helping them find their desired place in the Canadian society to facilitate their positive integration into the fabric of the Canadian civic life. 
• Advocating peace, dialogue, and collaboration between Canada and other nations, particularly Iran, to mitigate the concerns of Iranian-Canadians, Canada and other countries; thus, enhancing the quality of people’s lives by easing their minds from those concerns.  
• Advocating changes, alternatives, and proposals that are aligned with upholding and protecting the interest and well-being of the Iranian-Canadian community in any political, public, and legislating climates at the municipal, provincial, and federal level. That may be included but not limited to:    

                 - Making public policy dialogue with the Canadian governmental executive, authoritative or legislatorial bodies, and influential figures for advocating,        demanding change, or proposing new laws, policies, or decisions favoring the Iranian-Canadian Community and empowering their developmental activities.   

              - Highlighting all entities' positions on the issues relevant to or essential for the Iranian-Canadian community at any governmental level so that the members of the Iranian-Canadian community would be able to make an informed decision.    

              - Reflecting the issues that are important for and relevant to the Iranian-Canadian community, to all entities.