University Of Ottawa Students' Union

The University of Ottawa Students' Union, commonly referred to as the UOSU (; ''SÉUO'') is the student organization representing undergraduate students of the University of Ottawa. A student referendum was held in 2019, designating the UOSU as the successor to the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, after the University of Ottawa terminated its agreement with the SFUO due to allegations of fraud.

History

Student Federation of the University of Ottawa

The SFUO represented University of Ottawa undergraduate students from 1969 to 2018. It was a not-for-profit organization, incorporated under the Ontario ''Corporations' Act''. On August 9, 2018, La Rotonde, the university's French-language newspaper, reported that the Ottawa Police Service was investigating members of the SFUO and its executive for fraud. Subsequently, on August 10, the university announced it was withholding their funding until an audit into the allegations could be completed. Due to fraud and embezzlement allegations, the University of Ottawa announced that it would terminate its agreement with SFUO.

On September 25, 2018, the University of Ottawa provided the Federation with a 90-day notice of termination of their contract, citing insufficient progress and further allegations of workplace misconduct, internal conflict, and improper governance. The announcement noted that, as of December 24th, 2018, the Federation would no longer be recognized as the official representative of students, and invited students who wished to establish successor organizations to come forward.

The SFUO offices closed on April 10, 2019. An equitable court receiver was appointed to officially dissolve the federation.

Notable past presidents of the organization included Marcel Prud'homme (1958–59), André Ouellet (1959–60), Allan Rock (1969–70), Hugh Segal (1970–71), Denis Paradis (1974–75), Mauril Bélanger (1977–79), Anne McGrath (1979–80), Bernard Drainville (1984–85), Gilles Marchildon (1987–88), Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin (1990–91) and Guy Caron (1992–94).

Founding and subsequent history

To determine whether or not the SFUO could remain in place, the university organized a referendum to decide which organization should represent undergraduate students. The newly-organized University of Ottawa Students' Union ran on decreasing politicization, increasing student power, and decreasing centralization within the Union. Meanwhile, the SFUO believed that it was best positioned to maintain the services and resources that students had access to. UOSU won the referendum overwhelmingly.

The university then signed a new agreement with UOSU, outlining additional oversight and financial transparency measures, and recognizing it as the sole voice of undergraduate students at the university.

In 2020, the position of President was established, with Babacar Faye as its inaugural office holder.

Governance

The University of Ottawa Students' Union is a not-for-profit organization, incorporated in Canadian corporate law under the ''Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act''. The organization itself is governed by its Constitution, which establishes its political apparatus and component organs.

General Assembly

The General Assembly (GA) is the highest governing body within UOSU and is composed of all of the members of the Union. The General Assembly meets twice annually, once in the fall and winter semesters, respectively. Except as limited by the Constitution, the GA may pass resolutions that bind the Board and Executive Committee. The GA has authority over amending UOSU's Constitution.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors governs and provides oversight to UOSU. It comprises up to 30 members that serve 1-year terms: a President; 5 Commissioners; 22 Directors elected from their faculties; 1 Indigenous Director, elected through a nomination from the Indigenous Students' Association. Each faculty has between 1 and 5 Directors. There is 1 unallocated seat on the Board of Directors, since the removal of the Equity Commissioner role.

There is a public Board meeting session held every month; much of its responsibilities are delegated to various committees, which are either enshrined in the organization's constitution or formed as ad hoc committees, each focusing on a specific field or area of concern.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee (EXEC) manages the day-to-day operations of UOSU, with specific jurisdiction over human resources and signing contracts. The Executive Committee comprises 6 undergraduate students: the President, and five Commissioners. Each Commissioner is responsible for a specific aspect of the organization. They include the Francophone Affairs, Student Life, Advocacy, Operations, and Communications Commissioners.

Elections

General elections are held during the Winter term, either in February or March, to elect the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. By-elections are held in October or November to fill vacant director and executive positions.

2025

The 2025 General Elections saw the highest voter turnout since 2020, with 10.63% of students casting a ballot. The election was notable for competitive executive races, referendum debates, and online discussions that influenced the results.

= Executive Elections

=
The presidential race was the first contested election for the position since 2023, with Jack Coen securing a decisive victory, winning 64.08% of the vote over Suzanne Gruz (35.92%). Coen, a third-year political science student, had been serving as Chief of Staff and Deputy to the President under outgoing UOSU President Delphine Robitaille. His experience in the role, along with his platform focusing on campus safety, student life, and financial support for students, contributed to his strong mandate.

Gruz was sanctioned by Chief Electoral Officer Ben Cameron for violating campaign rules by engaging in intimidation and disrespectful conduct towards Coen in a private social media post and Reddit comments. As a result, she was required to publicly apologize and was prohibited from campaigning for 48 hours.

The closest executive race was for Francophone Affairs Commissioner, where Ève Tremblay narrowly defeated Yuktha Kowlessur by a margin of just 45 votes. Meanwhile, Alex Stratas was re-elected as Advocacy Commissioner with over 91% support, making her the only incumbent to secure re-election.

Several executive positions, including VP Communications, VP Operations, and VP Student Life, remained vacant following the elections. The UOSU plans to appoint interim commissioners for these roles. Two executive candidates were disqualified from the ballot due to failing the UOSU’s bilingualism requirements.

= Board of Directors and Senate Elections

=
The election for Board of Directors seats varied across faculties, with uncontested victories in Medicine (Jean-Paul Azzi), Health Sciences (Grace Tongue), Arts (Julianne LeBlanc), and Science (Zach Lebel). In the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS), five candidates were elected through ranked voting: Ryan Chang, Marème Diongue, Lien Huynh, Eyinojuoluwa Orolugba, and Eli Zima Luste.

In the Faculty of Engineering, only Matias Suxo Salinas was elected, while two other seats remained unfilled. Daniel Thorp was unsuccessful in his bid, receiving 34.84% of the vote. His defeat was attributed to his association with the Capital Technology Network referendum, which was a major topic of controversy among Engineering students during the election.

For the University Senate, Luca Piomelli (Arts), Bowen Ivanovich (Engineering), Fred Clovis Rugira (Health Sciences), and Jérémie Gorman (Social Sciences) were elected. Hazel Downey was elected to the uOttawa Board of Governors to represent undergraduate students.

= Referendum Results

=
The election included seven referendum questions, four of which focused on new fees related to engineering students. The most debated proposal was a $5 per semester levy to support the Capital Technology Network, the nonprofit that organizes th
Hack the Hill hackathon
While the Capital Technology Network presented the fee as a way to ensure sustainable funding beyond corporate sponsorships, opposition to the referendum emerged online, with concerns over financial mismanagement. However, ''The Fulcrum'' investigated and "found no evidence of the alleged 'mismanagement of funds'". The referendum was defeated by 89.68% of voters.

Other referendum results included:

* Passed: A $3 per semester Fund for Students with Disabilities (56.42% in favor).
* Passed: A $1.50 per semester levy for the Advocacy Fund (53.13% in favor).
* Failed: A $1.50 per semester Francophonie Ancillary Fee (34.9% in favor).
* Passed: Renaming the Engineering Students' Society ancillary fee to the Engineering Endowment Fund (53.4% in favor).
* Failed: Expanding the Engineering Endowment Fund fee to Computer Science students (47.2% in favor).
* Failed: Increasing the Engineering Endowment Fund fee annually based on inflation (46.9% in favor).
The results of the elections were ratified by the Winter General Assembly on March 9, 2025, and elected candidates took office on May 1, 2025.

2024

General elections

General elections were held on February 18, 2024. Turnout was 6.74%. President Delphine Robitaille was re-elected unopposed. The Interim Equity Commissioner, Imani Bunzigiye, was elected to a full term, and Interim Francophone Affairs Commissioner was defeated by Daphnée Veilleux-Michaud. 3 Executive positions were left vacant: Student Life, Communications, and Advocacy Commissioner.

On May 6, 2024, the UOSU Board of Directors hired Greg Coleman as Operations Commissioner and Sanjida Flora as Advocacy Commissioner.

By-elections

2024 by-elections concluded October 14, 2024 with 8.47% voter turnout, the highest for a by-election in the union’s short history. Three members were elected to the UOSU executive committee: Anne Hyppolite as communications commissioner, Alex Stratas as advocacy commissioner, and Emilia Bah as student life commissioner, all pending ratification. Voting, originally scheduled for five days, was extended by two days due to an issue that temporarily limited the ability of co-op students to vote.

2023

= General elections

=
General elections were held from March 5–9, 2023. Turnout was 3.8%. Only 1 Executive Position was contested, with Joyce Williams being elected Equity Commissioner with 51.7% of the vote. The Operations and Advocacy Commissioners were elected unopposed. Faculty Directors were elected.

= By-elections

=
By-elections were held from October 9–14, 2023. Turnout was 7.7%. The positions of President, Student Life Commissioner, Francophone Affairs Commissioner and Communications Commissioner were filled. Additionally, 5 Director seats and 3 Senate seats were filled.

Students voted in 10 referendums during the by-elections. 9 of them passed, including an 11% reduction in Union fees, resulting in a $500,000 cut to its budget.

Clubs and Student Governments

Clubs

The organization recognizes over 360 different clubs and associations related to all aspects of student life, from powerlifting to chess to politics.

As of May 1st, 2025, the UOSU imposed a limit of 300 clubs as a result of pressure fro
Conventions & Reservations
regarding their administrative capacity to handle the volume of room booking requests.

Recognized Student Governments

Recognized Student Governments (RSGs) are autonomous, but affiliated organizations representing students from different undergraduate programs. UOSU recognizes 28 RSGs and funds them on a per-student basis. Many RSGs operate as unincorporated associations within the UOSU, but there are also many which are independently incorporated under the ''Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act'' .

Businesses and services

The UOSU operates businesses and service centres, many of which were inherited from the SFUO.

Controversies

uOttawa Students for Life

In 2019, uOttawa Students for Life (UOSFL), a club that advocated against abortion rights on campus, received provisional club status, giving them funding from UOSU and the right to book spaces on campus, sparking controversy. A special General Assembly meeting was called when a petition demanding the Union remove club status from UOSFL and adopt a pro-choice stance was signed by 500 students and presented to the Union. The meeting failed to reach quorum. In January 2020, the Board of Directors stripped UOSFL of club status.

CHUO-FM referendum

During the October 2023 by-elections, UOSU members voted to eliminate a tuition levy that funded CHUO-FM, a local campus radio station. The levy was set at $4.99 per student, which accounted for between $360,000–$380,000 of annual funding, or around 80% of its total funding. The radio station criticized the decision, saying their survival was at risk, and the referendum was legally questionable.

At the General Assembly meeting following the referendum, the referendum was not ratified after the Board received legal advice to reject it. According to President-elect Delphine Robitaille, it would have been a "legal liability." There is no similar precedent for not ratifying referendum results. During the 2024 general elections, the referendum was approved again.

2024-2025 service cuts

Following the Fall 2023 Elections, UOSU members approved a referendum forcing a 11.37 percent cut to UOSU student fees in the 2024-2025 school year. In part due to these cuts
UOSU's Budget 2024-2025
included the defunding and dissolution of four services: the Bilingualism Centre, the Peer Help Centre, Foot Patrol, and the Multifaith Centre. On June 24, 2024, the Francophone Affairs Commissioner, Daphnée Veilleux-Michaud, held an emergency meeting open to the public regarding the proposed closure of the Bilingualism Centre. A number of students, including club and student association executives attended the meeting. Operations Commissioner Greg Coleman, who had written the budget with UOSU President Delphine Robitaille, was the only Board member to at the meeting other than Veilleux-Michaud. Reporters from the French-language student newspaper, La Rotonde, and a member from the student radio CHUO-FM were also present.

After the emergency meeting, Francophone students who felt that the budget cuts unfairly targeted them joined the Francophone Affairs Commissioner in writing an open letter, which was published in La Rotonde, criticizing the proposal. In particular, they felt the UOSU was putting Bike Co-op before them and suggested that this service should perhaps be defunded instead. Coincidentally, in The Fulcrum's article on the passage of the budget, an Anglophone Board of Directors member representing the Faculty of Social Sciences, James Adair, and the Operations Commissioner are pictured to the right of the President with Bike Co-op branded water bottles.

After the passage of the budget, La Rotonde published an article criticizing the outcome, calling into question the May 1 salary increase of UOSU executives to $23 per hour, and again suggesting that the Bike Co-op should have been cut instead. Less than a week later on July 6, La Rotonde published another open letter to the UOSU President, insisting that the budget included cuts to the Feminist Resource Centre that constituted "anti-feminist intellectual harassment." However, no cuts aimed at this service were included in the 2024-2025 budget.

See also

*List of Ontario students' associations

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:University of Ottawa Students' Union
University of Ottawa
Ottawa
Student government
2018 establishments in Ontario