General Elections

January - March

2023

Notice of General Elections

It’s time for the University of Ottawa Students’ Union to hold its General Election.
All members are invited to participate.
Please view the important dates below.

Send your nomination forms to the Chief Electoral Officer at ceo@seuo-uosu.com

If you have any general questions, please email to: elections@seuo-uosu.com

Get Involved, Nominate Yourself Today

It’s now time to elect students to fill positions on the UOSU Executive Committee and the UOSU Board of Directors, as well as the University of Ottawa Senate and University of Ottawa Board of Governors!

Forms

Election Results

Operations Commissioner

Fiona Broughton
Yes 85.8%

Equity Commissioner

Joyce Williams
51.7%
Quanah Travis
48.3%

Advocacy Commissioner

Maisy Elspeth
Yes 85.2%

Faculty of Law (Common Law)

  • Gabrielle Muzycha
  • Alexander Hnatovsky

Faculty of Health Science

  • Grace Tongue
  • Daniel Bersynoiw

Faculty of Arts

  • Hannah Avril Wiedrick

Faculty of Engineering

  • Daniel Thorp
  • Justin Brown

Faculty of Science

  • Koko Zahinda
  • Abdur Rehman Khan

Telfer School of Management

  • Abigail Lyons

Faculty of Social Science

  • Matthew Edginton
  • Max Christie
  • Armaan Singh
  • Brandon Ly
  • James Adair
  • Danté Fosterdelmundo
  • Miroslav Onufrak

Referendum Question - Student Life Levy

No
50.2%

Referendum question - Investment Levy

No
72.5%

Referendum Question - Advocacy Levy

No
67.7%

Referendum question - Voter incentive program

No
50.3%

Referendum Question - Indigenous Law Student Governance

Yes
78.9%

Faculty of Engineering

  • Bowen Xue

Faculty of Medicine

  • Jacky Lee

Faculty of Law

  • Natasha Gosselin
  • Brandon Vale

Faculty of Health Science

  • Harneet Cheema

Faculty of Social Science

  • Sofiya Sapeha

Jamie Bell
Yes 83.2%

Notice of Elections:
Monday, January 9, 2023

Nomination Period (Execs):
Monday, January 16, 2023 –
Friday, February 3, 2023  

Nomination Period (Board): 
Monday, January 16, 2023 –
Friday, February 17, 2023

Executive Information Session:
Monday, February 4th, 2023 –
Saturday, February 5th, 2023

Bilingualism Testing:
Monday, February 6th, 2023 –
Saturday, February 18th, 2023

French Language Online Test:
February 7th, 2023 –
February 8th, 2023

French Language Telephone Interviews:
February 9th, 2023 –
February 10th, 2023

English Language Online Test:
TBD (between 6th and 18th)

English Language Telephone Interview:
TBD (between 6th and 18th)

Candidate Information Session(s):
Saturday, February 11th, 2023 –
Sunday, February 12th, 2023

Campaign Period:
Sunday, February 19, 2023 –
Friday, March 3, 2023 

Blackout Period:
Saturday, March 4, 2023

Voting Period:
Sunday, March 5, 2023 –
Thursday, March 9, 2023

Unofficial Results Released:
TBD

Ratification of UOSU Results by the Board of Directors: TBD

Ratification of UOSU Results by the Extraordinary General Assembly:
TBD

Available Positions and Important Dates

  • President
  • Operations Commissioner
  • Francophone Affairs Commissioner
  • Clubs & Services Commissioner
  • Advocacy Commissioner
  • Equity Commissioner
  • Student Life Commissioner

One (1) Director for each of the following faculties:

  • Faculty of Education
  • Faculty of Law (Civil Law Section)
  • Faculty of Law (Common Law Section)
  • Faculty ot Medicine

Two (2) Director for each of the following faculties:

  • Faculty of Health Sciences
  • Faculty of Arts

Three (3) Director for each of the following faculties:

  • Faculty of Engineering
  • Faculty of Science
  • Telfer School of Management 

Five (5) Director for the Faculty of Social Sciences:

One (1) Position for each of the following faculties:

  • Faculty of Arts
  • Faculty of Engineering
  • Faculty of Law
  • Faculty of Medicine
  • Faculty of Science
  • Telfer School of Management
  • Faculty of Education
  •  Faculty of Health Sciences

One (1) position available

Notice of Elections:
Monday, January 9, 2023

Nomination Period (Execs):
Monday, January 16, 2023 –
Friday, February 3, 2023  

Nomination Period (Board): 
Monday, January 16, 2023 –
Friday, February 17, 2023

Executive Information Session:
Monday, February 4th, 2023 –
Saturday, February 5th, 2023

Bilingualism Testing:
Monday, February 6th, 2023 –
Saturday, February 18th, 2023

French Language Online Test:
February 7th, 2023 –
February 8th, 2023

French Language Telephone Interviews:
February 9th, 2023 –
February 10th, 2023

English Language Online Test:
TBD (between 6th and 18th)

English Language Telephone Interview:
TBD (between 6th and 18th)

Candidate Information Session(s):
Saturday, February 11th, 2023 –
Sunday, February 12th, 2023

Campaign Period:
Sunday, February 19, 2023 –
Friday, March 3, 2023 

Blackout Period:
Saturday, March 4, 2023

Voting Period:
Sunday, March 5, 2023 –
Thursday, March 9, 2023

Unofficial Results Released:
TBD

Ratification of UOSU Results by the Board of Directors: TBD

Ratification of UOSU Results by the Extraordinary General Assembly:
TBD

Candidates

FionaBroughton

Operations Commissionner

Hi! My name is Fiona Broughton – I’m a fourth year student in Linguistics with a minor in Political Science. I have been involved in student government for most of my time at uOttawa, including serving as the Student Association of the Faculty of Arts’ Vice President of Finance. I believe that having a strong student union is vital to supporting all students’ success, and want to contribute my skills to this effort in the best way I can as your Operations Commissioner.

As Operations Commissioner, I would be in charge of the finances of the union, and the human resources. I want to ensure that the UOSU is a functional and supportive work environment – doing the best for our employees so that we can continue to provide essential services to the student body. I will commit to optimizing our expenditures, considering students’ needs and priorities for where their funds are directed, and of course, ensuring that the budget process is as transparent as possible.

I consider my interests to be quite broad; being an Arts student in a program that is practically a science, hanging on to a vestigial Political Science minor, and for some reason, having a deep, abiding love for finances, numbers, and organization. My happy place is neck-deep in an excel spreadsheet. I hope to put these skills to work as your Operations Commissioner.

QuanahTravis

Equity Commissionner

Quanah Traviss is a 2nd year Linguistics student from Kingston Ontario. His experience in Student government started in August 2020 when he started his term as the Limestone District School Board’s first ever Indigenous Student Trustee, Quanah continued down the path of student representation when he was appointed as UOSU’s first Director of Indigenous Students and was shortly after named Co-president of uOttawa’s Indigenous Student Association. Quanah strongly believes that with his platform as an Indigenous Student leader he should use his voice to stand up for all those on campus who need it, and has chosen to run for the position of Equity Commissioner on the UOSU executive.

JoyceWilliams

Equity Commissionner

Hello Everyone,

I believe that everybody has a right to access all resources at their disposal to enable everybody to succeed regardless of gender, sexuality, race, religious belief, or disability. After all, isn’t that why we students need an Equity Commissioner?

I am Joyce Linda Williams, a second-year international student in international management, committed to ameliorate the services we have as minorities in the uOttawa community. Currently I am the director of communications at the Congolese students’ association.

Improving and promoting equity on campus is my main priority as Equity Commissioner. I will collaborate with the Women’s resources center, RISE center, Pride center, Multi-Faith center, Food bank, and the center for students with disabilities to ensure that students receive the best of these services to help them throughout their uOttawa journey. My goal is to be present as your representative and ensure that all your opinions and complaints on equity are heard and defended.

I hope you will support me in my campaign to make a change. You can find more details on my future plans as Equity Commissioner on my Instagram account. Let’s work together to make a difference!

MaisyElspeth

Advocacy Commissionner

Hello! My name is Maisy Elspeth. I am a student studying biomedical science and philosophy and I am a running to be UOSU’s Advocacy Commissioner for the ’23-24 mandate. I believe strongly that students deserve a seat at the table regarding decisions that affect us, and I hope you put your trust in me for this coming year.I have some initiatives that I am excited to share with you all in the coming days. For advocacy work to be effective, UOSU needs to increase student engagement. I look forward to working with a passionate executive team to increase UOSU’s visibility this year. The Union is still new, and there is still a lot of groundwork to be done to ensure that it can serve students to its full potential.If you would like to learn more about me and my platform, please connect with me on campaign Instagram @maisy.seuo.uosu

Faculty of Education
vacant

Faculty of Law (Civil Law)
vacant

Faculty of Law (Common Law)
Alexander Hnatovsky
Gabrielle Muzychka

Faculty of Medicine
vacant

Faculty of Health Science
Grace Tongue
Bere Wendbenedo
Sydney Foot
Rida Memon
Kate Gililand
Daniel Bersynoiw

Faculty of Arts
Hannah Avril Wiedrick

Faculty of Engineering
Justin Brown
Daniel Thorp

Faculty of Science
Koko Zahinda
Abdur Rehman Khan

Telfer School of Management
Abigail Lyons
vacant

Faculty of Social Science
Matthew Edginton
Danté Fosterdelmundo
Max Christie
Armaan Singh
Miroslav Onufrak
James Adair
Brandon Ly

Faculty of Arts
vacant

Faculty of Engineering
Bowen Xue

Faculty of Law
Brandon Vale
Natasha Gosselin

Faculty of Medicine
Jacky Lee

Faculty of Science
vacant

Faculty of Education
vacant

Faculty of Health Science
Harneet Cheema

Telfer School of Management
vacant

Faculty of Social Science
Sofiya Sapeha

Jamie Bell

Frequently Asked Questions

Curious to know how our elections process will go, what positions are up for election, and what responsibilities fall under each? Check out our answers below! 

The Executive Committee is formed of seven (7) Commissioners who manage the day-to-day activities of the UOSU and oversee its operations. The positions are:

  • President: The role of the President is a new position, meant to support the other commissioners in their roles, represent the UOSU in communications and in relations with RSGs and the administration. The President also takes on the managing commissioner role from the Advocacy Commissioner, sharing this along with the Operations commissioner in human resources and operations. Beyond a leadership role, the President is key to holding the Executive Committee accountable and ensuring the Executive Committee completes its projects, respects deadlines and ensures the smooth operations of the Union. The President reports to the Executive Committee and he is also the Chair of the President’s Round Table as well as the Governance Committee and the Executive Committee.
  • Operations Commissioner: along with the President, is tasked with supervising the General Manager of the UOSU. This role will also direct and oversee the internal operations of the organization and is tasked with scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, preparation of the budget, financial management, and internal human resources. Should UOSU have any business dealings, the Operations Commissioner would also oversee them.
  • Advocacy Commissioner: responsible for overseeing the advocacy work of the organisation, including lobbying and public education campaigns. This position is also tasked with maintaining relations with the University of Ottawa and, where appropriate, with governments and external organisations.
  • Equity Commissioner: tasked with directing and overseeing the equity-building work of the UOSU. They shall advocate on behalf of marginalized communities and fight against discrimination at uOttawa. They are responsible for relations with equity-building organisations active at uOttawa.
  • Francophone Affairs Commissioner: must be a student who self-identifies as francophone, shall direct and oversee services and programs aimed at francophone students, ensuring their linguistic accessibility. They shall advocate on behalf of francophones and work to promote la francophonie on campus. This role shall also deal with any bilingualism-related student complaints.
  • Student Life Commissioner:  responsible for student clubs and their representation in UOSU and planning of social events (such as 101 Week) This Executive will share responsibilityfor relations between the UOSU and Recognized Student Governments (Federated Bodies) and will ensure a diversity of events and social activities on the uOttawa campus. They will work closely with the administration to ensure student interests are central to event planning.
  • Student Services Commissioner: The Student Services Commissioner supervises all 13 services of the UOSU, as well as the clubs of the UOSU. The Student services commissioner shall be the chair of the Services committee, which oversees the services of the UOSU, as well as things that relate to UOSU recognized student clubs and associations. This year, the Student Services Commissioner also chairs the Communications Round Table. 

The BoD is a body of elected students who represent their respective faculties in the internal affairs of the UOSU. They are tasked with voting on motions, amending certain parts of the Constitution, holding monthly Board meetings, and overseeing the financials of the Union. This is an incredibly important job that doesn’t require as much time as the Commissioner positions, and it is a great opportunity to get involved in the student movement!

In order to be a Commissioner, a student must pass a bilingualism test (English and French) as administered by the University of Ottawa’s Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI). There are different levels of bilingualism requirements for each position, which you can access in both our Constitution and our Electoral Code. As it is a full-time, salaried position within the union, elected Executive Committee members cannot register for more than two (2) courses per semester in the year of their mandate, meaning that Commissioners must be part-time students or exceptionally more than two (2) courses per semester in the year of their mandate if they are international students. This is to ensure that their first priority is the job that they were elected and will be paid to do.

The UOSU’s elections will be overseen by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and the Elections Committee. They are responsible for handling complaints by candidates and applying any sanctions if required. Students may appeal sanctions handed down by the Chief Electoral Officer to the Elections Committee, and may further appeal to the Appeals Committee. Please consult our Electoral Code and our Constitution for more information.

All vacant positions on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors will be filled in a By-Election that will be held in the Fall. The newly elected Board will have the power to appoint interim Executive members to fill any vacancies on the Executive Committee; such interim Executives would be in place until their positions can be filled in the Fall By-Election.

Yes. Vacancies do not hinder the Board’s ability to pass binding motions, and any vacant Executive positions can be filled by an interim member until the Fall By-Elections take place.

The Board of Governors is the most senior corporate body that is responsible for all other aspects of the governance of the University not assigned to the Senate. This includes oversight of the management and control of the University and its property, revenues, expenditures, business, and related affairs.

Specifically, the Board approves the annual budget of the University and monitors is implementation; it establishes and collects fees and charges for tuition and other services that may be offered by the University or that may be approved by the Board on behalf of any organization or group of the University

In addition, the Board appoints the President, the Vice-Presidents and the Secretary General. It also determines the compensation and benefits of principal officers and of both the academic and administrative staff.

Please consult the Board’s website for further information.

The Senate is the highest authority on academic matters and is responsible for the sound management of academic issues on campus. The Senate has the power, subject to the approval of the Board insofar as the expenditure of funds is concerned, to create, maintain, and discontinue faculties, departments, schools and to establish chairs. It enacts by-laws and regulations for the conduct of its affairs.

In general, the Senate controls, regulates, and determines the educational and research policies of the University; determines courses of study and standards for admission to, and continued membership in, the University; and determines the qualifications for degrees and diplomas.

Please consult the Senate’s website for further information.