Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian

50 years of professional experience providing procedural advice to boards/committees/conventions in the public/not-for-profit/labour union sectors. 🇨🇦

[Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian @michaelmourits1]

I'm leaving X. If you want to continue receiving updates on my blog posts, consider following me on LinkedIn, Bluesky, Medium, or Substack. Will leave my old X posts up for now but will no longer post anything new or respond to DMs.

[Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian @michaelmourits1]

As we approach year-end, here’s a gem from the vault: a 2021 blog post explaining majority decision-making. https://t.co/zstxUmlRiK

[Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian @michaelmourits1]

An expanded blog post on the 'right of reply': the right of the mover of a motion to speak both first & last in debate. It is a British practice, still recognized by some Canadian organizations, but abandoned by Robert's Rules of Order long ago. https://t.co/uT2l3jrLRi

[Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian @michaelmourits1]

A few observations (and recommendations) for board chairs or presidents who don't feel they need to understand rules of order.
https://t.co/veGugfFtz7

[Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian @michaelmourits1]

A mid-summer blog post: Don't include 'business arising from the minutes' on your agendas.

https://t.co/9pk9xxwCVn

[Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian @michaelmourits1]

7/The main problem with Bourinot: it's useless if you expect any actual guidance on how to conduct your meetings.

With that, have a great Summer! Keep an eye on my website for resources and new blog posts, & continue to send comments, questions, and suggestions for new topics.

[Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian @michaelmourits1]

1/Next week is Victoria Day, the unofficial start of Summer – a good time to take a break. Episode 30 of Myths and Misunderstandings in #ParliamentaryProcedure will be the last until the Fall, but we’ll squeeze in three quick questions today about #RobertsRulesOfOrder (RONR).

[Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian @michaelmourits1]

6/Finally, a few Canadian organizations still insist on Bourinot’s Rules, rejecting Robert’s Rules because it is 'American'. I have a lot to say on this topic – too much to include in a tweet, so here’s a link to my 2022 blog post for those interested:
https://t.co/nyGIIDb1nQ

[Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian @michaelmourits1]

9/Succession rules are in place to provide stability and continuity. Board members are not entitled to arbitrarily decide, because they don’t like the vice-president or may not consider her qualified, that the board can over-ride the bylaws and make up their own rules.

[Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian @michaelmourits1]

1/I was contacted recently by members of a condo board (aka HOA or strata) with an interesting question that is raised more often than you might think: does the vice-president automatically take over if the president resigns? Welcome to Ep. 29 of Myths in #ParliamentaryProcedure.

[Michael Mouritsen | Registered Parliamentarian @michaelmourits1]

8/The board can adopt standing rules, as long as they don’t contradict the bylaws. The only vacancy in this case was that of the vice-president, since she automatically became president on the resignation of the former president.