Governing Policies

Policy:

The Chartered Governance Institute of Canada Code of Conduct is comprehensive in scope, practical in application and calls for high moral and ethical standards. This Code of Conduct is meant to serve not only as a guide to the profession, but also to provide the assurance of CGI of Canada’s concern for the public that its members serve. It is a mark of a profession that there is a voluntary assumption, by those who comprise it, of ethical principles which are aimed at both protection of the public and at achieving orderly and competent conduct within the profession. It is to these purposes that this Code of Conduct is directed.

In the performance of their duties, all Corporate Secretaries should:

Neither direct for their own advantage any business opportunity that the organization is pursuing, nor use or disclose to any party any confidential information obtained by reason of their office for their own advantage or that of others.

Conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the good reputation of the profession of the Chartered Secretary and of the Chartered Governance Institute of Canada, its Charter, and By-laws.

Seek always to do their best to carry out their duties in accordance with the requirements of the laws and regulations of Canada and/or applicable provincial law or any other territory in which their organization maintains operations.

Strive for professional competency and at all times exhibit a high degree of skill and proficiency in the performance of their official duties.

Adopt an objective attitude when dealing with regulatory authorities, and provide such information to them as required by law.

Be impartial in their dealings with shareholders and directors and, without fear or favour, use all reasonable efforts to ensure that the directors and the organization comply with the relevant legislation, contractual obligations and other relevant requirements.

Be aware of all regulatory reporting and other regulatory requirements imposed by the laws under which the organization is constituted.

Insist on the maintenance of proper accounting records, and books of account in accordance with the requirements of the relevant corporate laws and any subsequent Government regulations governing the conduct of organizations.

Have a clear understanding of the aims and objectives of the organization, and of the powers and restrictions as provided in the constituting documents of the organization.

At all times, strive to assist the organization towards its proper objectives within the tenets of ethical responsibility, efficiency, and administrative effectiveness.

Be knowledgeable of the laws and by-laws of meetings, meeting procedures, particularly quorum requirements, voting procedures and proxy provisions and be responsible for the proper administration of meetings.

Be present or be represented at meetings and do not allow themselves or their representatives to be excluded or withdrawn from those meetings in a way that prejudices their professional responsibilities as secretaries of their organization.

Assist and advise the directors to ensure at all times that the organization maintains an effective system of internal controls, for keeping proper records including the register of Shareholders (Members), Directors and Officers and accounting records.

Disclose to the Board of Directors or an appropriate public officer any information that they reasonably believe suggests that a fraud is being or is likely to be committed by the organization or by any of its directors or employees.

At all times, exercise the utmost good faith and act both responsibly and with honesty and with reasonable care and due diligence in the exercise of their powers and the discharge of the duties of their office.

Policy:

Effective January 1, 2012, all Associates and Fellows of the Institute, except those who have retired, are required to undertake a minimum of twenty (20) hours of professional development annually in order to remain members in good standing. This activity must consist of at least five (5) hours of structured activities; the balance may be unstructured activities. Chartered members are asked to make an annual declaration that they have met the minimum number of CPD hours required as part of the renewal process.Learn more here.

Membership with the Chartered Governance Institute of Canada (CGIC) must be maintained to ensure the use of your certification and post-nominals. CGIC bylaws state that members who fail to pay their membership fees within six months after the date fixed for payment will be struck from the membership register. Once removed, they are required to apply for re-election and/or settle the outstanding subscriptions plus a re-instatement fee should they want to reinstate their membership. Learn more and apply.

Members who meet the following criteria can complete and submit an application for Non-Practicing Membership to the National Office which will result in a reduction in annual membership dues. Apply now.

Members may apply for a reduction in the amount of their annual membership dues if they qualify. Click here for more information.

Review our full Privacy Policy here.

The Chartered Governance Institute of Canada (CGIC) values the relationships it has with CGIC members and program participants. This policy outlines the framework for refund and cancellation of CGIC events and memberships by CGIC, CGIC Members, or Non-Member
registrants.

The intent of the Policy is to:

• provide expectations of good intention by CGIC to provide flexible and responsive
  refund options,
• protect CGIC from financial hardship, and
• maintain membership standards.

Refunds and Cancellations for each purchase type are detailed in the attached PDF.

Policy:
To define how the appeal of marks awarded on exams are handled.

Procedure:
Due to the international validation of candidate marks, marks awarded by the Chief Examiner and confirmed by the Assessment Review Panel are final. The decision cannot be appealed.

Students may request a copy of their exam. If additional commentary is required, students are invited to submit their request to the Director of Education in writing within 4 weeks of the result being communicated to the candidate.

Policy:
The Chartered Governance Institute of Canada (CGIC) understands that unexpected circumstances may occasionally prevent participants from writing a scheduled examination. This policy outlines the conditions under which a deferral may be granted for IQP examinations.

Deferrals are intended to accommodate exceptional and unforeseen barriers to participation — such as illness, emergency, or other documented hardship. They are not intended to provide additional study time, nor to be used for convenience.

Maintaining the integrity, fairness, and academic rigour of the IQP program is a top priority. As such, CGIC reserves the right to request further information or decline deferral requests that fall outside the scope of this policy.

1. Deferral Request Deadline

Deferral requests must be submitted by the published deferral deadline for the relevant examination session. The deadlines are as follows:

• June Session: April 30^th
• November Session: October 31^st

Requests received after these deadlines are considered late and subject to additional review (see Section 2).

A non-refundable deferral fee of $200.00 CAD will apply to all approved deferral requests. This fee must be paid in full before the deferral is processed. The Director of Education reserves the right to waive the deferral fee in cases of documented hardship or circumstances, at their discretion.

2. Late Deferral Requests.

Requests submitted after the deferral deadline will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Participants who believe their circumstances warrant special consideration may submit a formal written request to the Director of Education to have the fee reviewed. Supporting documentation must be included. Requests will be reviewed individually, and decisions are made at the sole discretion of CGIC.

3. Deferral Limits

Participants are permitted to defer one (1) examination within any 12-month period.

• If additional deferrals are requested within the same 12-month period, the participant will be required to re-register for the examination and pay the full examination fee.
• If a participant is scheduled to write multiple exams within a specific session and exceptional circumstances beyond their control prevent them from writing those exams, the deferral will be treated as a single deferral request, not multiple.
• This policy will apply to all deferral requests made on or after July 1, 2025.
• Participants who enrolled prior to the implementation of this policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis, particularly if they have previously used more than one deferral and were not made aware of this change. The Education Team will work with these Candidates to ensure a fair and informed transition to the new policy.

4. How to Submit a Deferral Request

All deferral requests must be made in writing via email to: education@cgiofcanada.ca. Requests must include the following:

• Full name and contact information
• Examination name and scheduled date
• Reason for the deferral
• Supporting documentation (if applicable).

Participants are encouraged to submit requests as early as possible to allow sufficient 1me for review and response.

Download Policy in PDF Format

Policy:
This policy outlines the conditions under which a candidate may resit a module examination, including the number of permitted resits and related requirements.

Procedure:
A candidate may apply to resit an exam upon payment of the exam resit fee, provided that all of the following conditions are met:

• The candidate previously attempted the exam and failed; and,
• The maximum number of exam attempts or the maximum number of years to complete the program, as outlined in the Candidate Guidance Policy, has not been reached.

Resit fees will be set annually and posted on the Chartered Governance Institute of Canada’s website.

The Policy:

To set what occurs in situations where an individual is scheduled to sit for an exam and does not show up to take it. 

The Procedure:

Individuals may submit a request for reconsideration. Said request must be made in writing to the Director of Education within ten (10) business days of being informed of their forfeiture of fees. The request should include as much detail as possible on the reason for the no show. 

Candidates who are scheduled to write an exam are reminded of the date(s) of the exam(s) they are scheduled to write and the consequences if they do not defer.

Failure to show up for a scheduled exam will result in a forfeiture of any module or resit fees paid.

Candidates should refer to the Exam Deferral and Resit Policy for details on deferring their exam.

Policy:

The Chartered Governance Institute of Canada (CGIC) aims for all its candidates to receive fair and equitable treatment in the assessment process. To this end, adjustments can be made in individual cases to allow candidates to sit the exam under special arrangements. Decisions can also be made during or after the exam to address problems occurring during the exam which affected a whole group of candidates.

Download Policy in PDF format

Policy:
To outline what will occur if an exam is written and submitted by a candidate to an invigilator/proctor but is lost prior to it being received and scanned by the National office.

This will also apply to candidates who submit their exams online/electronically, and due to technological issues that are through no fault of their own, the exam is lost prior to it being received electronically by the National office and saved.

Procedure:
If an exam is lost before it is received and scanned by the National office, and it is confirmed that the candidate wrote the exam, submitted it to the invigilator and the invigilator returned it to the office, the following options will be provided to the candidate:

• Option 1: Be awarded a compensatory pass grade for the module
• Option 2: To sit the module at the next available sitting, at no additional charge.

If Option 1 is selected, the mark of “Compensatory Pass” will be recorded on the candidate’s transcript.

Notification to the candidate of the lost exam and their options will be done at the earliest possible time. The candidate will have 2 weeks upon receipt of notification to confirm which option they wish to select.

Policy:
To provide direction to Chief Examiners when marking scripts that have been submitted in pencil.

Procedure:
It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that exams are written in pen (black or blue).

Any exams written in pencil, or any section of a exam written in pencil, will not be marked and will result in no marks being awarded.

This decision cannot be appealed.

The student will be informed of the decision immediately by the Director of Education.

Policy:
To provide direction to Chief Examiners when marking scripts that cannot be read/understood because of the quality of the handwriting.

Procedure:
It is the responsibility of the student writing the exam to ensure their handwriting is legible so that it can be read by the Chief Examiner.

Every effort will be made by the Chief Examiner to mark the scripts to the best of their ability.

A decision by the Chief Examiner not to award marks due to illegible writing will be noted on the exam paper. If it cannot be read, it cannot get marks.

The decision by the Chief Examiner and confirmed by the ARP is final. The decision cannot be appealed.

Students whose handwriting has been determined to be illegible will be informed of such by the Director of Education.

Policy:
CGIC provides reasonable accommodations to individuals who have documented disabilities (physical, mental or learning impairments) and those with documented religious restrictions or requirements.

Procedure:
Accommodation requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure equal opportunity for individuals to fully demonstrate their qualifications without altering the nature or level of the qualification being assessed. CGIC’s Education, Training and Candidate Success Committee will consider each case after carefully reviewing the submitted documentation; however, submitting a request does not guarantee receiving accommodation.

Exam Accommodations
Accommodations are provided to ensure that all individuals are treated fairly on all evaluations.

Accommodations may include, but are not limited to:

• Permitting timed rest breaks or sitting breaks during the exam
• Providing enlarged font on the exam question and answer papers
• Allowing a medical device in the examination room, such as an inhaler or diabetic equipment (if not attached to the individual’s body)
• Increasing time permitted for the examination
• Submitting the exam in handwritten format

To request an accommodation, the Candidate Medical Certificate form must be completed and submitted (email is the preferred method) at least 10 weeks before the examination. This allows for sufficient time to review the application and, if necessary, request additional information and receive it from the individual.

CGIC may accept applications up to two weeks before the examination date in exceptional circumstances, such as in the event of an accident or for compassionate reasons. Applications submitted closer to the examination date run the risk of not being processed in time and the granting of any accommodations may not be applicable for the exam session in question.

All costs associated with completion of this application are the responsibility of the candidate.