Meeting Minutes

Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Nominating Committee Meeting
February 4, 2003 (12:30 - 13:15 pm)
Ottawa, Ontario

MINUTES

Meeting Participants

1. Governing Council Renewal Process
The third and final phase of staggered terms for four members of CIHR's inaugural Governing Council will occur in June 2003. Members were reminded that all appointments to Governing Council are Orders-in-Council; that is, they are appointments suggested by the Minister of Health and subsequently, approved by the Prime Minister's Office. The results of the process the Nominating Committee has undertaken the last two years to identify potential candidates for Governing Council is submitted as advice only to the Minister of Health.

Cognizant of CIHR's responsibility to demonstrate good governance in all of its activities, Nominating Committee debated the option of engaging an outside consulting firm to assist in the Council renewal process, as well as possibly other renewal processes currently underway within CIHR. The outcome of this exercise would be an objective and systematic process which effectively identifies potential candidates from across Canada for the Governing Council, and possibly, its Committees.

The Nominating Committee determined that it should not pursue the option of engaging a consulting firm to assist in the Council renewal process for the following reasons:

1. the Council renewal process is not under the auspices of CIHR, but rather under the auspices of the federal government;
2. reticence with respect to a consulting firm slowing down the current renewal processes which are underway;
3. belief that the funding required to hire a consulting firm would be better re-deployed shoring up much needed resources to manage over the long term, the memberships renewal process for Governing Council and its Committees.

2. Governing Council Evaluation
The Nominating Committee debated the issue of Board assessment and whether at this point in CIHR's short history, it was relevant to begin a performance assessment of Council and whether an outside consulting firm would add value to this process.

The Nominating Committee acknowledged that it was relevant to initiate a performance assessment of Governing Council and that a Request for Proposals should be tendered in the new fiscal year beginning April 1, 2003.

3. Next Meeting of Nominating Committee
Potential agenda items for the next Nominating Committee meeting will include:

• Review of terms of reference of Institute Advisory Boards and Update on IAB Renewal Process
• Review of terms of reference of Stem Cell Oversight Committee
• Review of broad-based principles used for selection criteria for Council members, and for renewal of memberships of other Committees, including the Institute Advisory Boards.