The first gathering of Canadian representatives occurred in Toronto, Ontario in July of 1989. At that time, there were four established regions in Canada: British Columbia (B.C.), Al-Sask (consisting of the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan), Ontario, and Quebec. The Upper Midwest region of the United States was also present on behalf of their Canadian member area, Winnipeg, Manitoba. NA members from across Canada recognized the need to meet to discuss common concerns in the Canadian fellowship. Until this time, the central points of reference had been the World Service Office Inc. in Van Nuys, California and the Annual World Service Conference of NA. The first tradition was the basis of the participants' desire to form a body that would complement our existing service structure.
Representatives from each of these regions, staff members from the WSO Inc., and members of the World Service Board of Trustees met to discuss the future direction of the Canadian NA fellowship. The members of our Canadian regions were interested in developing a service body to encourage unity and the sharing of relevant information within our borders. The WSO had a vested interest in the development of such a body because of their desire to eventually open a branch office of the WSO Inc. in Canada. With their encouragement and the enthusiasm of the founding members, the vision for the formation of The Canadian Assembly of Narcotics Anonymous ( CANA / ACNA ) was born.
A proposal entitled "The Purpose and Function of the Canadian Assembly of Narcotics Anonymous ( CANA / ACNA )" was developed at the first gathering and was subsequently presented to the Canadian fellowship for 2/3 majority approval. The document produced was a simple and concise presentation of the mandate of the assembly, outlining guidelines for the general purpose, membership eligibility, and projected goals. As such, the function of this Canadian gathering was established. This purpose and function document was approved at the first official meeting of CANA / ACNA held in Calgary, Alberta in January of 1990.
Meetings are currently held once a year at different locations across the country. Because of the vast geographic area of our country, the assembly implemented a cost subsidization system to ensure that all would be able to attend. The assembly follows Consensus Based Decision Making process for its business and conducts an ongoing and updated strategic planning process for its business.
Participants include the assembly admin committee and regional delegates. Members at large from throughout the country are also welcome to participate on the various CANA / ACNA committees and workgroups. The assembly currently consists of two representatives from the five regions: B.C., Al-Sask, Ontario, Quebec, and Canada Atlantic. Some of the active committees include Website, Fellowship Development, Translations and Convention.
The Assembly hosts an annual convention with the theme: 'The Adventure/L'Aventure'. The first convention was hosted by the city of Montreal, Quebec in July of 1991. The purpose of this convention is to foster unity and celebrate recovery.
A Unique feature of the convention and the assembly is the fact that they operate on a bilingual basis, recognizing the two official languages of Canada: English and French. Convention events and some CANA / ACNA documents are translated for distribution throughout our fellowship. The simple goals set out by our founding members are slowly being related and there is much work yet to be done. A Canadian branch of the NAWS Inc. has opened with the purpose of distribution of literature.
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