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 The role of Chair is to lead the committee and be responsible for producing an output. This,
however, does not necessarily mean that Chairs are the people that do the work.

 Like you, committee members are volunteers that take time out of their busy schedules to
participate in IPIC committees. You therefore know how important it is that committee
members enjoy the conference calls bearing in mind that they should be as efficient as
possible. Committee Chairs should create a pleasant environment, where members feel
comfortable to participate and enjoy taking part in discussions.

Chairs will be expected to:
 Set the tone for the committee and influence and encourage participation.

 In collaboration with Council, ex-officio and staff liaison, establish goals for coming
months/year as required.

 Serve as committee Chair for a term of 2 years and ensure Vice-Chair will be trained to take
on the role of Chair upon completion of term.

 Liaise with Vice-Chair, committee members, ex-officios, executive director, Council and
staff as required.

 Schedule regular committee meetings/conference calls.

 Designate a member (or ask for a volunteer) to record the minutes of the meeting (see
“Minutes” tab). Ensure members follow-up on assigned tasks. Consider maintaining a list of
Action Items.

 Respond to urgent issues as per Council’s request. For example, IPIC is often asked to
respond/consult on various issues pertaining to IP, many of which are time-sensitive. A
committee conference call should be immediately set up to discuss the issue and come up
with the committee’s response for Council.

 When a committee Chair or member(s) becomes aware of a work being done,
formal/informal discussions taking place and/or consultations on IP issues by government
(federal or provincial) or other organizations, he/she should make the executive director
and Council aware of this as soon as possible. The sooner IPIC is made aware, the more
lead time IPIC and its committees will have to work on such issues.

 When a committee is asked to consult on a government submission, it is important that the
Chair inform the executive director and the ex-officio member whether the consultation
includes issues that fall outside of the committee’s mandate, and whether other
committees should be asked to consult as well. Summarize/review committee’s response
and/or recommendations to a request received from Council.