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Annual General Meetings

All graduate students are invited to join us at our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, December 3, 2026 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EST) at the Health Sciences Building (HS610), 155 College Street. The meeting will begin at 6:00 PM and check-in will start at 5:00 PM.

Important Dates

Members are invited to submit motions for the AGM to be discussed and voted on. The following guide is provided to assist members in structuring their motions and ensuring they are in-order based on the rules in our bylaws and policies. While every effort has been made to ensure these instructions are consistent with our bylaws and policies, the text of the bylaws and policies will take precedence.

How to submit motions

Updated: September 30, 2026

What is a motion?

A motion is a formal proposal for the UTGSU to take a specific action, stance, or to make a decision. A motion consists of two parts:

  1. ‘WHEREAS’ clauses: These start with the word ‘WHEREAS’ and describe background information, past decisions, or reasonings for the action or stance to be taken.
  2. ‘BE IT RESOLVED THAT’ clauses: These start with the phrase ‘BE IT RESOLVED THAT’ and describe in as much detail as necessary the concrete actions or stances to be taken. If a motion has several clauses, the first clause starts with ‘BE IT RESOLVED THAT’ and the following clauses start with ‘BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT’.

Who can submit a motion?

Every member, i.e., every graduate student at the University of Toronto, can submit motions.

How do I submit a motion and what are the requirements?

A motion is submitted through a written request by email to the Vice-President Internal (internal@utgsu.ca). The request must include:

  1. Your name
  2. Your student number
  3. Your University of Toronto email
  4. The full text of the motion, consisting of ‘WHEREAS’ and ‘BE IT RESOLVED THAT’ clauses (see above)
  5. A list of signatures collected, if required (see below)

To be added to the agenda, motions need to be in order. The requirements for a motion to be in order can be found in Bylaw 3.8. If you are unsure if your motion is in order, please reach out to the Vice-President Internal (internal@utgsu.ca), who can provide advice and help you write a motion that is in order.

Do I need to collect signatures to submit a motion?

There are two distinct pathways by which members can demonstrate sufficient support for their motion. To be found in-order, motions must follow at least one of the routes below. Due to the requirement to collect signatures in the membership-endorsed route, it is often easier to follow the route for Director-Endorsed Motions.

Membership-Endorsed Motions: Along with the requirements above, a petition including the name, signature, student number and University of Toronto email of one hundred (100) members must be included with the motion. Signing members do not necessarily need to be in favour of the motion, but must be in favour of the motion being discussed at the Annual General Meeting.

If the petition is a physical petition, the full and final text of the motion must appear on all pages. If the petition is a digital petition, the means of signature collection, e.g., the digital form, must be approved by the Vice-President Internal (internal@utgsu.ca) before any signatures are collected. Petitions may be subject to the verification of signatories. 

Director-Endorsed Motions: Along with the requirements above, motions that are submitted with the endorsement of at least one (1) Director do not require the collection of signatures. Directors can endorse a motion by emailing the Vice-President Internal (internal@utgsu.ca) that they are in favour of the motion being discussed at the Annual General Meeting. A current list of Directors can be found here. If you are not sure which Director to contact, feel free to get in touch with our Vice-President Internal (internal@utgsu.ca) who is happy to help you word an effective motion and get you in touch with a Director that can endorse your motion.

What is the timeline for submitting motions?

All motions must be submitted by email to the Vice-President Internal (internal@utgsu.ca) before November 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM (EST). This date and time apply to both Members and Directors. We are aware that this is pretty early, however, this is necessary to allow the Board of Directors to receive notice of, and approve, the agenda.

What if I have questions around submitting a motion?

If you are considering submitting a motion or are unsure whether you should submit a motion, please get in touch with the Vice-President Internal (internal@utgsu.ca) as early as possible. They are happy to provide advice around wording an effective motion, choosing between a Membership-Endorsed Motion and a Director-Endorsed Motion, and assisting with any and all issues arising during the process of submitting a motion.

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