International Relations/Relations Internationales

2023 – 2024 Committee / Comité

The International Relations Committee (IRC) is a standing committee of the Canadian Psychological Association

Goal

The goal of the Committee is to foster interactions between psychologists in Canada and their colleagues abroad, to promote an international perspective within Canadian psychology, and to actively encourage the use of psychological knowledge internationally.

Roles

• Providing advice to the CPA Board or President and to respond on all matters of CPA business of an international nature placed before it by the CPA Head Office or Board.
• Organizing activities at the CPA convention to promote awareness of activities and issues of concern within international psychology.
• Advising the Board on attracting and staging of international events of value to the Canadian scientific community.
• Promoting awareness of international meetings and conferences and encourage the participation and attendance of Canadian psychologists.
• Promoting program development for international exchange and attendance through the identification of agencies or other sources through which funds may be channeled to advance Canadian participation or sponsorship of these activities.
• Soliciting and submitting nominations annually for the CPA Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology.
• Monitoring international accomplishments, recognitions and special activities of merit by CPA members and other international news of importance to CPA members, and communicating these to the appropriate persons for dissemination within CPA via Psynopsis, CPA News, or the CPA website.
• Reporting to the CPA Board on all business conducted on its behalf.

Terms of Reference

• Terms of Reference: International Relations Committee (IRC)
• Terms of Reference:  Canadian National Panel for the International Union of Psychological Science: A Body under the CPA International Relations Committee (CNP-IUPsyS) .

Accountability

The International Relations Committee reports to the Board of Directors through the Committee Chair. The Chair is appointed from the members of the Committee and on the recommendation of the Committee by the CPA President.

Membership

Membership on the International Relations Committee (ICR) shall consist of at least eleven persons: the Chair (appointed by the Board), a Board member who is designated as its representative to the committee, plus nine members each of whom serve for terms of three-years, rotating so that one-third of their membership is reconstituted each year. Terms of members may be renewable once.

Responsibilities of Committee Members

The IRC members are responsible for pursuing the vision and terms of reference of the Committee. To this effect, members participate in all discussions pertaining to the work of the Committee and work on projects or issues brought forward by the Committee, the Board of Directors, the sections, national and international bodies and CPA members as appropriate.

Membership Term

Membership on the Committee shall be reviewed annually and reconstituted at its annual meetings. All Committee meetings shall be open to CPA members. If not otherwise members of the ICR, elected Canadian delegates to the General Assembly of the International Union of Psychological Science shall be regarded as ex-officio members of the ICR for the duration of their term of office.

Meetings and Reporting

The IRC reports to the CPA Board on all matters conducted on its behalf. The Committee meets annually at the CPA Convention. Meetings are minuted. The Committee reports to the CPA membership through the Committee’s Annual Report to the Annual General Meeting and other available CPA communications vehicles and to the Board of Directors through a report to each Board meeting and to the President on an as needed basis.