What is
Council
Council is the governing body of the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals (SCPP or "the College"). As a self-regulating profession, pharmacy professionals are appointed (or elected prior to 2024) to Council. In addition, there are up to four public members appointed by government and other representatives specified in the SCPP Administrative Bylaws.
SCPP serves the public interest by regulating the profession of pharmacy to provide safe, competent pharmacy care in Saskatchewan.
Click to enlarge table .
The Role of Council
Council is responsible for providing strategic direction and oversight to the College and for making decisions that are in the best interest of the public, and receives its authority from The Pharmacy and Pharmacy Disciplines Act (the Act).
It is important to note that accountability is different than in a membership organization. Once appointed to Council, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are not accountable to members, but instead, to protecting the public and to the legislation and bylaws governing the SCPP. While a Council member does have a role in bringing perspectives from their councillor category to the Council table and in communicating Council decisions, an appointed Council member does not represent the members.
Changes to Council Structure and Appointment Process
In 2023, The Miscellaneous Statutes (Health Professions) Amendment Act, 2023 received royal accent which in turn repealed sections of The Pharmacy and Pharmacy Disciplines Act (the Act). This update enabled SCPP Council to continue to modernize its governance and move to an appointment process for councillors to more effectively fulfill its duties in the interest of the public. Best practices indicate that members should be appointed to Council based on their competencies, attributes, skills and experience (CASE).
The Human Resources and Governance Committee (HRGC) will annually complete a CASE gap analysis on the current members of Council. This gap analysis will inform the HRGC as to what specific CASE may be required for the upcoming Council appointments.
This information will be included in the announcement of election and the call for nominees. All members who are interested in serving on Council are encouraged to apply. Members who meet the eligibility criteria in SCPP’s Administrative Bylaws are able to self-nominate by sending in a resume or curriculum vitae (C.V.), and answering the HRGC’s Candidate Questionnaire.
See SCPP's Administrative Bylaws for more information .
FAQs
The SCPP Council will include the President, President-Elect, immediate Past-President, the dean of the College of Pharmacy, University of Saskatchewan (ex-officio) or their designate), one practising or non-practising member (councillor) appointed (or elected prior to 2024) from each of the seven councillor categories and those specified in subsection 8(1) of the Act (up to four appointed public members).
Your skills, knowledge and experience are essential to ensure that SCPP successfully achieves our mission, to protect the public interest by building excellence in professional pharmacy practice through regulation.
Councillor category vacancies will alternate on a three-year cycle (with the possibility of renewal for an additional three-year term).
The member who self-nominates must:
- Be a practising member (pharmacist or pharmacy technician) in good standing with the SCPP; or
- Be a non-practising member (pharmacist or pharmacy technician) in good standing with the SCPP and a resident of Saskatchewan; and
- Be willing to resign from an SCPP committee (if they are currently serving on a committee, whose Terms of Reference do not specify a washout period) immediately upon assuming their Council role should they be appointed to Council;
- Have a three-year washout period if they have previously been a member of a pharmacy-related advocacy board such as CPhA, PAS, CAPT, PTSSK, CSHP or other advocacy groups;
- Have a three-year washout period if they were previously actively employed in a pharmacy-related advocacy role;
- Have never been an employee of the SCPP; and
- Have a five-year washout period before running for Council again if they have served their maximum term on Council.
- On the last Wednesday of November in the year prior to a new Council vacancy, the Registrar shall provide notice of the upcoming call for nominations.
- On the second Wednesday of December in the year prior to a new Council vacancy, the Registrar shall announce an open call for nominations. Nominations will close on the last Wednesday in January.
Candidates will self-nominate by providing a current resume or curriculum vitae (C.V.) and their responses to the candidate questionnaire. These documents will be reviewed by the Human Resources and Governance Committee (HRGC) who will assess each candidate against a Council- approved rubric. In addition to this assessment, the HRGC may at any time conduct interviews with the candidates prior to recommending appointment to Council. Candidates will be notified by the last day of April that they will be recommended for appointment to Council at the May or June meeting.
The term of an appointed member of Council will be for three years beginning July 1. Councillors may serve up to two consecutive terms for a total of six years of service on Council not inclusive of officer positions
Annually at the first Council meeting after councillor appointments and Officer elections, Council will appoint a Human Resources and Governance Committee, chaired by the immediate Past- President and will include the President, President-Elect, a public representative on Council, and up to two practising members who are not currently members of Council and will not be seeking appointment to Council. See the Human Resources and Governance Committee Terms of Reference for more information.
This Committee will:
- Communicate with Council to ensure completion of a CASE Self-Assessment Questionnaire by all Council members;
- Perform a gap analysis and summarize for Council;
- Review CASE Self-Assessment and Matrix summary annually to assess if amendments are required based on any identified deficiencies or areas for improvement;
- Update Candidate Information Package based on the gap analysis;
- Review Councillor candidate submissions and narrow to three candidates per electoral category using the Councillor Candidate Assessment Rubric;
- Identify and encourage eligible members to seek nomination for appointment to Council;
- Identify and encourage members of Council to either nominate Councillors or seek nomination for election as an Officer of the College;
- Seek out members for the Human Resources and Governance Committee for the following year;
- Identify and encourage members to accept appointments on behalf of SCPP to external organizations and to Council committees;
- Advise Council on recruitment and retention strategies such as mentorship and shadowing initiatives;
- Monitor Council structure to ensure it won’t fall below the required seven (7) appointed members;
- Report to the last meeting of Council in the fiscal year; and
- Annually review policy GP-14 Governance Succession and recommend changes to Council.