Request that the Council of the General Synod examine all that is necessary to modify Canon III, Part 1, 4. b) as follows, with a proposal to be brought forward to the next General Synod or at the direction of the Primate:

Replace “As soon as practicable following election, but in any case not more than 90 days after the date of election, the Primate shall resign any Episcopal and Metropolitical offices held at the time of election to the Primacy.”

With

“The Primate may at their discretion retain any Episcopal and Metropolitical offices held at the time of election to the Primacy.  If an ecclesiastical offence is alleged to have been committed by the Primate, the Metropolitans in conjunction with the National Indigenous Archbishop shall determine if the alleged offence was committed in the Primate’s capacity as a Suffragan, Diocesan or Metropolitan Bishop.  If Episcopal and/or Metropolitical offices, then the process for adjudication and imposition of discipline shall be as outlined in the applicable Provincial Canon and related policies.  If Primatial, then Canon XVIII shall apply. If the offence was extra-parochial, then the highest office inhabited at the time of the offence shall determine the judicatory process placement accordingly. Any appeals shall be as per the applicable Canon (Provincial or National) and related policies.

“If there is a deadlock in the determination by the Metropolitans in conjunction with the National Indigenous Archbishop, the House of Bishops shall vote by simple majority to indicate judicatory process placement.

“If there is an apparent conflict of interest between the offices held concurrently (Suffragan, Diocesan, Metropolitan, Primate), then the individual shall recuse themselves from all involvement until the matter is decided.”

In the world-wide Anglican Communion, the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) and The Episcopal Church (USA) are the only two Primacies which do not maintain the role of Diocesan Bishop for the Primate.  This has been the case in the ACC since 1970; prior to 1970 the Primate maintained their previous role as Diocesan bishop.

Maintaining the prior diocesan role keeps the bishop grounded in the life of a diocese, the basic building-block of the Anglican Communion.  It avoids creating a “fourth order” of “CEO”, a concept which is foreign to the history of the church catholic as an organic body.  A bishop presides, preaches, teaches, raises up, ordains; and needs the diocesan life to maintain that life with a degree of coherence.

The current canon contains some aspects which are aspirational and of little direct impact to the functioning of the dioceses and their parishes (examples: the primate to visit all dioceses, perform confirmations and other sacramental offices if invited to by the diocesan) and are expressions of attempting community rather than furthering the mission and ministry of the local church.  Some of these can be looked at to be eliminated or minimized, providing cost-savings, time-savings, a more concise role definition, and a focus on where the Primate may add functional value to the life of the church nationally, facilitating the General Synod in providing resources for mission and ministry in more remote and less resourced locations, providing for authorized liturgies, and providing for those areas of the churches work that collectively we agree are best done together.

In the normal course, an ordinary motion must be passed by a majority of the members of General Synod present and voting together.

Six members of General Synod may, prior to the question being put, require a vote by Orders, with a majority of each Order being necessary to pass.

If a question passes on a Vote by Orders, any six members (two from each of three different dioceses) may immediately before the next item of business require a vote to be taken by dioceses. A motion passes if a majority (or a tie) of dioceses vote in favour.

Source: Sections 4 and 5 of the Declaration of Principles and sections 18, 19 and 20 of the Rules of Order and Procedure.