HRPA Volunteers and Committees

As a Board Director of HRPA you are serving the public of Ontario by sharing your knowledge and insight of the HR Profession for the greater good of society.

Serving on HRPA’s Board provides experiential opportunities. Board service allows you to apply skills you’ve acquired through the span of your career to advance the profession. HRPA has three board committees, comprised of Directors; our Audit and Finance; Governance and Nominating; and Human Resources and Compensation. With additional positions available when special tasks forces are struck i.e. strategic planning, chapter relations and election processes. After you serve your first year you may be invited to stand as vice chair or chair of the committee.

As a Board Director you’ll have enhanced networking opportunities with other leaders and influencers in the HR Profession and in the Regulatory Community, in addition to building social networks with your peers on the Board.

Giving back to the profession you care deeply about is an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling experience. You’ll be shaping the future of the Association and the Profession. Your commitment and stewardship will be evidenced by your careful decision making at the Board table and will chart the direction for HRPA.

The Audit & Finance Committee (AFC) is a Committee of the Board.  The AFC’s mandate is to monitor financial reporting and disclosure, ensure appropriate financial and investment management, ensure that the appropriate indemnification coverage is in place for Board Members and Officers, and ensure the appointment and effective functioning of the Auditor in relation to accounting records and financial matters of the Association.  The AFC has no sub-committees.

The purpose of the Governance and Nominating Committee (GNC) is to maximize regulatory oversight and Board effectiveness through the development and maintenance of appropriate principles and practices related to governance and regulatory oversight.

The Human Resources & Compensation Committee (HRCC) is responsible to the Board in fulfilling its overall responsibilities regarding the following:

• The selection, retention, compensation, performance assessment and succession planning for the position of CEO;
• Ensuring that the HRPA has positive and progressive human resource practices in place as befitting its role as professional regulator;
• Monitoring organizational risks related to people and people-related practices;
• Approval of the annual staff and executive compensation budget

The Capacity Committee hears every matter referred to it by the Association under Section 47 of the Act to determine whether a registrant is incapacitated, and if the Committee finds a registrant is incapacitated, to exercise any of the powers granted to it under Subsection 47(8) of the Act.

The Complaints Committee reviews every complaint referred to it under Section 31 of the Act regarding the conduct of a member, student or firm registered with the Association and, if the complaint contains information suggesting that the member, student or firm may be guilty of professional misconduct as defined in the by-laws, the committee shall investigate the matter. Following the investigation of a complaint, the complaints committee may direct that the matter be referred, in whole or in part, to the discipline committee; direct that the matter not be referred to the discipline committee; negotiate a settlement agreement between the Association and the member, student or firm and refer the agreement to the discipline committee for approval; or take any action that it considers appropriate in the circumstances and that is not inconsistent with the Act or the by-laws, including cautioning or admonishing the member, student or firm.

The Discipline Committee hears every matter referred to it by the Complaints Committee under Section 34 of the Act to determine whether the member, student or firm is guilty of professional misconduct as defined in the by-laws and if the Committee finds a member, student or firm guilty of professional misconduct, to exercise any of the powers granted to it under Subsection 34(4) of the Act.

The Appeal Committee reviews every appeal filed under the Act and the By-laws by registrants of HRPA or members of the public to determine whether there was a denial of natural justice or an error on the record of the decision of the committee or the Registrar and to exercise any of the powers granted to it under the Act and Section 21.10 of the By-laws.

The Review Committee reviews every matter referred to it by the Registrar under Section 40 of the Act to determine whether the member or firm’s bankruptcy or insolvency event may pose a risk of harm to any person; to direct the Registrar to investigate the matter; to determine whether a hearing is warranted; to conduct hearings when warranted to determine whether the member or firm’s bankruptcy or insolvency event poses a risk of harm to any person; and upon a determination that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the member or firm’s bankruptcy or insolvency event poses or may pose a risk of harm to any person following a hearing, to exercise any of the powers granted to it under Subsection 41(8) of the Act.

In this committee, you’ll get the chance to review course outlines and any  supplementary material submitted by eligible post-secondary educational institutions or individual registrants upon request from the Registrar. These documents are typically sent in by registrants pursuing a designation who need to fulfill HRPA’s coursework requirement.

You’ll review every application referred to it by the Registrar to determine whether an applicant meets the criteria for the Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE) as established by the Board.

The purpose of the CHRL Exam Validation Committee is to assist the Registrar to assess the competency of members and students for the Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation through exams.

As part of this committee you’ll assist the Registrar to assess the competency of members and students for the Certified Human Resources (CHRP) designation through exams.

The Continuing Professional Development is important criteria for registered HR professionals to meet. Volunteers who are part of this committee are responsible for auditing every continuing professional development log referred by the Registrar to determine whether the continuing professional development requirement has been met in accordance with the criteria as established by the Board. This Committee also reviews every extension request for a member’s continuing professional development period  to determine whether there are valid grounds to grant an extension in accordance with the Continuing Professional Development Extension Policy.

This Committee is tasked with determining the appropriateness and adequacy of the experience of each applicant for the purpose of meeting the experience requirement for the Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation or for the purpose of meeting the coursework requirement for the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) or the CHRL designation via the Alternate Route in accordance with the criteria established by the Board.

The Association occasionally reaches out to members, students and the public to participate in special focus groups. Topics range from determining future professional development to consultations on future designation changes and exams.

The Professional Standards Committee (PSC) is a policy and oversight committee with the mandate to ensure, on behalf of the HRPA Board, that HRPA establishes, maintains, develops and enforces the professional standards as it was tasked to do by its enabling legislation.

As a policy and oversight committee, the mandate of the Professional Standards Committee is not to establish, maintain, develop or enforce professional standards but to ensure that all this is done properly and effectively.

The development of standards is an activity carried out by staff. The Professional Standards Committee reviews reports brought forward by staff as to the identification, quantification and qualification of risks to the public stemming from the practice of the profession and proposed professional standards aimed at minimizing the occurrence of those risks or their impact. This includes, but is not limited to, policies regarding entry-to practice qualifications, the CPD framework, professional guidance, quality assurance processes, and the review and disposition of complaints.

The Professional Standards Committee puts before the Board proposals for standards that it believes necessary or beneficial for HRPA to establish. Nonetheless, the making of by-law is a responsibility that the Board cannot delegate.

The enforcement (application) of professional standards is done by statutory and standing regulatory committees and by staff depending on the standard. The Professional Standards Committee does have an oversight role in seeing that professional standards are being enforced (applied). The Professional Standards Committee also reviews evidence as to the impact and effectiveness of professional standards.

The Governance and Nominating Committee (GNC) oversees the activities of HRPA’s statutory and standing regulatory committees. HRPA’s statutory and standing regulatory committees apply (enforce) standards but develop such standards

The Public Advisory Forum (PAF), is a citizen-comprised advisory group, established by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). The Public Advisory Forum will be patterned along the lines of similar advisory groups established by other professional regulatory bodies in Ontario.

The mission of the Public Advisory Forum is to provide input and advice on matters brought forward to it by the Registrar, regarding the development of strategies and policies to aid HRPA in its adoption of a risk-based approach to regulation. Central to this mission is a focus on ensuring that regulatory responses are rooted in minimizing, mitigating and reducing the risk or risks of harm posed to the public stemming from the practice of the HR profession.

All regulatory decisions made by HRPA have an effect on employees, employers and the general public. As such, HRPA recognizes the importance of thoughtfully engaging those that are most impacted by or have an interest in its regulatory processes.

Central to HRPA’s adoption of a risk-based approach to regulation is employing a multi-stakeholder perspective to ensure that our regulatory solutions are well informed.

Our vision is for members of the public to have the opportunity to engage with us at all stages of the regulatory response formulation process. We want to understand their ideas, values and interests and collaboratively develop solutions to mitigate harms or potential harms to the public stemming from the practice of the HR profession. This will help build both confidence and trust in how the HR profession is regulated in Ontario.

The establishment of the Public Advisory Forum serves to engage the most informed members of the public on matters related to the professionalization of HR. The Public Advisory Forum is wholly at arms’ length from HRPA and members of the Public Advisory Forum are specifically chosen to represent a broad demographic of individuals.

The Registration Committee is a standing committee established pursuant to Section 8.04 of the By- laws.

The Registration Committee shall review every application referred to it by the Registrar to determine the suitability of an applicant for registration or the appropriateness of the category of registration being applied for. The Registration Committee also considers applications for removal or modification of any term, condition or limitation previously imposed on a registrant’s registration with HRPA. The Registration Committee does not have the authority to deem that an applicant has met the requirements for registration where the registration requirement is prescribed as non-exemptible.

The Board Nominations Committee is responsible for ensuring that

• Qualified members are encouraged to stand and presented to the membership for election to the Board of Directors while bearing in mind the need for a Board that is balanced as to gender, regional representation and diversity
• (ii) Qualified non-members are identified and presented to the Governance and Nominating Committee for recommendation as Non-Member Directors or Public Representatives

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The HRPA Board and/or CEO may establish an ad hoc committee, task force or working group when required.

Through its thriving network of Chapters across Ontario, members and students experience outstanding professional networking, mentorship and professional development. Members select the local community of HR professionals they wish to network, learn and grow with, and champion professionalism together in HR in their local communities. Chapters are the crucial link between HRPA’s vision and our members. Together, HRPA and Chapters are striving to see HR flourishing as a valued profession in Ontario. By providing a forum for members to exchange knowledge and ideas and by mentoring students and early career practitioners, our Chapters play an important role in cultivating a pipeline of highly prepared and inspired talent in the field of human resources. Chapter leaders and members are pivotal ambassadors of our profession.

Every year, Chapters recruit volunteers and establish committees or ad hoc groups to achieve the Chapter mandate.

View Current Opportunities