SCOUT eh! is an organization of "registered Scouts Canada members dedicated to transforming Scouts Canada into a democratic association". The name is an acronym for "Scouts Canada Ordinary-member Unity Taskforce Association". SCOUT eh! was founded in August, 2004. As of September, 2006 it had over 700 members from every Scouts Canada council and Canadian province.
SCOUT eh! was formed in response to a restructuring within Scouts Canada leading to what its members considered to be a non democratic management structure.
In the late 1990s, Scouts Canada embarked on a restructuring process aimed at addressing the ongoing problem of membership decline. A team wrote what was officially known as the Millennium Report. The report described a dramatically more centralized and staff-directed structure for the association. The report was extremely unpopular with some portions of Scouts Canada's membership, especially those at the District level. Scouts Canada formally set aside the report, but continued work on restructuring. [1] [2] [3]
In 2000, Scouts Canada replaced its General By-Law with By-Law No. 1. The amendments replaced the 52-member National Council with a 23-member Board of Governors and divided the membership into Ordinary Members, who have no voting rights; and Voting Members, a group of 100 or fewer people who elect the Board and vote on matters presented to the national Annual General Meeting.
2002 saw the implementation of restructuring. Scouts Canada passed By-Law No. 2 which replaced the Provincial, Regional, and District Councils with 20 new councils, comprising an entire province or a large part of a province. [4] Councils are led by a Council Commissioner, appointed by Scouts Canada's volunteer Chief Commissioner. The Districts were transformed into Areas overseen by an Area Commissioner appointed by and accountable to the Council Commissioner. Scouts Canada's Ontario Incorporated Body, which is the trustee for most of the Scout camps in Ontario, began a property review process.
By 2004, dissatisfaction existed among some of Scouts Canada's membership. While some of the national leadership and staff considered the restructuring to be a success, some others at the local level objected to the changes and found the new system to be ineffective at helping Scouters deliver the program. [5] [6]
The first SCOUT eh! gathering, referred to as CAMP eh! was held September 24–26, 2004 at Camp Timken near Iona in Ontario. Two-dozen Scouters including Scouters from Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland gathered to learn about the issues, discuss strategy, and draft a constitution for the association. [7]
The property review had become public knowledge and Scouters were worried about losing local camps. [8] [9] An information session at an April, 2004 Scouts Canada conference near Toronto did not reassure all the membership. In the middle of that summer, Scouts Canada produced a list of Scout camps they wanted to close. [10] During this time some volunteers spearheaded the creation of a committee aimed at giving the disenfranchised membership direct management of the management and direction of Scouts Canada. [11]
SCOUT eh! has been a watchdog for Scouts Canada's finances. In 2006 it published that due to a claimed fall in members, financial issues and "top-heavy management", Scouts Canada may not have been able to last much past the summer 2007 centennial celebrations. [12] In 2007 it expressed concerns that Scouts Canada faced potential bankruptcy due to a $6-million unfunded pension liability. Scouts Canada denied the claims. [13] [14]
In September 2006, SCOUT eh! announced it had surpassed 700 members nationally. [15] During 2006 SCOUT eh! campaigned against Bill S-1001, The Scouts Canada Act. [16] On Monday, December 4, 2006 SCOUT eh! made their case to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. [17] In 2007 SCOUT eh! petitioned the government, arguing that;
In 2007, Scouts Canada announced Policy 1014 [19] which requires that each council's Voting Members be elected by representatives of the council, and its areas and groups. While it acknowledged that the system is an improvement, SCOUT eh! criticized the policy because:
In 2009 a campaign was launched against the sale of part of the Haliburton Scout Reserve, a 20 square kilometre (5000 acre) Scout camp located east of Haliburton, Ontario described as Canada's largest Scout Camp. The organisation formed an online campaign against the sale of a 100-acre parcel of land for $1.3 million. [21]
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including 176,000 female participants. The BSA was founded in 1910; about 130 million Americans have participated in its programs, which are served by 477,000 adult volunteers. BSA became a founding member organization of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922.
A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out a bill", and is characterized as a form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision-making body.
Peterborough County is a county and census division located in Southern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is The City of Peterborough, which is independent of the county.
Haliburton is a county of Ontario, Canada, known as a tourist and cottage area in Central Ontario for its scenery and for its resident artists. Minden Hills is the county seat. Haliburton County and the village of Haliburton are named after Thomas Chandler Haliburton, author, statesman, and the first chairman of the Canadian Land and Emigration Company.
James R. M. Harris is a Canadian author, environmentalist, and politician. He was leader of the Green Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006, when he was succeeded by Elizabeth May.
Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association providing programs for young people between the ages of 5 and 26. Its aim is "to help develop well-rounded youth, better prepared for success in the world". Scouts Canada, in affiliation with the French-language Association des Scouts du Canada, is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.
The New Reform Party of Ontario was a minor provincial political party in Ontario, Canada, that promoted a populist, fiscally conservative, socially conservative, libertarian, and localist ideology.
Lyn McLeod is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 2003. McLeod was a cabinet minister in the Liberal government of David Peterson from 1987 to 1990, and served as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 1992 to 1996.
Chris Hodgson is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was Reeve of Dysart Township in 1993, and warden of Haliburton. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1994 to 2003 representing the ridings of Victoria—Haliburton and Haliburton—Victoria—Brock. He was a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves, serving variously as Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet and Deputy Government House Leader, and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Nathan Paul Cullen is a Canadian politician. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), he served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Stikine, British Columbia, from 2020 to 2024. He has served in the Executive Council of British Columbia from 2020 to 2024, as Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship and Minister Responsible for Fisheries.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA), one of the largest private youth organizations in the United States, has policies which prohibit those who are not willing to subscribe to the BSA's Declaration of Religious Principle, which has been interpreted by some as banning atheists, and, until January 2014, prohibited all "known or avowed homosexuals", from membership in its Scouting program. The ban on adults who are "open or avowed homosexuals" from leadership positions was lifted in July 2015.
Haliburton Scout Reserve (HSR) is a 22-square-kilometre (5,400-acre) Scout camp, originally a frontier Canadian logging camp, located east of Haliburton, Ontario and just south of Algonquin Park, one of Canada's natural wonders situated deep and secluded within the Canadian shield. Being one of the oldest camps in Canada, the Haliburton Scout Reserve opened in 1947 and has been operated consistently by Scouts Canada. HSR is located in the heart of the Haliburton highlands with 18 lakes and a rolling natural landscape rich in nature and untouched beauty. Centered on Kennabi Lake to the southeast of the property are 24 campsites accessible by water. HSR is Canada's largest Scout camp and third largest in North America. Scout troops normally come to the camp for week-long summer camps. The young and energetic HSR staff provide numerous adventurous programs for tens of thousands of scouts from around the world. HSR, as it is commonly known, is currently operated under Greater Toronto Council supervising the 50-70 young, well-trained resident staff who cooperate to run the diverse camp program throughout the summer months.
Girl Guides of Canada is the national Guiding association of Canada. Guiding in Canada started on September 7, 1910, and GGC was among the founding members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) in 1928.
Richard Dykstra is a Canadian politician. He served as president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario from 2016 to 2018. He also served as the member of Parliament (MP) for the Ontario riding of St. Catharines from 2006 to 2015. He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2006 federal election. He was re-elected in 2008 and 2011 but was defeated by Liberal candidate Chris Bittle in the 2015 federal election.
Scouting and Guiding in Ontario has a long history. Although there is some dispute about the founding of the first Scouting Group, both 1st Merrickville and 1st St. Catharines Scout Group have a documented existence from 1908. In 1955, the 8th World Scout Jamboree was held at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Scouting continues in Ontario to the present day, serving thousands of youths in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
The Chief Scout is the leader of Scouting Ireland. As Chairperson of the National Council and National Management Committee the Chief Scout is responsible for co-ordinating the activities of the Association with the help of the National Team for Policy Implementation and Co-ordination. The role is a volunteer one, normally elected every third year at National Council, and works with the CEO, the head of the professional staff function of the association.
Religion in Scouting and Guiding is an aspect of the Scout method that has been practiced differently and given different interpretations in different parts of the world over the years.
There are various controversies and conflicts that involve the Scouting movement. Scouting has sometimes become entangled in social controversies such as in nationalist resistance movements in India. Scouting was introduced to Africa by British officials as an instrument of colonial authority but became a subversive challenge to the legitimacy of British imperialism as Scouting fostered solidarity amongst African Scouts. There are also controversies and challenges within the Scout Movement itself such as current efforts to turn Scouts Canada into a democratic organization.
On March 6, 2009, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leader John Tory announced his intention to step down as leader following his defeat in a by-election. Tory was elected party leader in the party's 2004 leadership election, and led the party to defeat in the 2007 provincial election in which he failed to win personal election to the Ontario Legislature. He attempted again to enter the legislature in a March 5, 2009 by-election but was defeated by the Liberal candidate.
Murray Rankin is a Canadian lawyer, politician and public law expert who served as British Columbia's Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation from 2020 until 2024. A member of the New Democratic Party, Rankin represented the riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2020 until 2024. Rankin previously served as the federal Member of Parliament for Victoria from 2012 to 2019, with senior roles including Justice and Attorney General Critic, Health Critic, and NDP House Leader. From 2019 to 2020, Rankin was head of Canada's National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA), overseeing all national security and intelligence activities carried out by the Government of Canada. Previously, he was a professor of law at the University of Victoria, where he taught environmental and administrative law.
