The Carleton University Students' Association (or CUSA) is a non-profit corporation that represents the undergraduate students at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Governance Executive Executive members of CUSA are elected yearly. The executive is responsible for improving CUSA services, working on the issues important to you, and carrying out the daily work of the Association. The 2026/27 executive members are:https://www.cusaonline.ca/about-us/student-leaders/. Accessed May 7, 2026. President/CEO – Maxwell Heroux (Removed from his position on September 28th, 2026, following an in-camera council meeting.) VP Finance-Treasurer – Aryan Singh VP Internal – Amy Kopytskiy VP Student Issues – Nathan Harlan VP Student Life – Georgia Anderson
New Governance Model In the October 2021 meeting, CUSA Council adopted the new governance structure on the advice of the Democratic Reform Committee and CUSA's lawyers to comply with new provincial legislation and to expand decision making responsibilities and ethical safeguards.
Democratic Reform Committee In October 2021, the CUSA Council was presented with the Democratic Reform Committee's Final Report. Starting 11 August 2021, the Democratic Reform Committee (DRC) met twice every week with the goal of restoring student trust in CUSA that had been lost in recent years. Following the 2021 CUSA General Election, the 2021/2022 Executive committed to the project of democratic reform and struck this Committee. The Committee was composed of three students at large, five councilors, three non-voting CUSA Staff, one volunteer notetaker, and one member of the CUSA Executive.
The Committee began by consulting with John McNair, CUSA's lawyer, who answered questions from Committee members about the state of CUSA's Governance. Mr. McNair's testimony reinforced the harsh reality: CUSA's bylaws and governing structures were seriously flawed and vulnerable to malicious lawsuits to the detriment of CUSA and the student body. Mr. McNair's testimony emphasized the urgent need for full and total reform of CUSA governing structures – not only because reform would improve CUSA's democratic functioning, but because such modifications were vital to the sustenance of CUSA as an organization.
Following Mr. McNair's interview, the Committee invited witnesses and guests with personal experience working in select fields pertinent to the Committee's mandate, or who were known to have institutional knowledge that could be especially worthy of the Committee's time. Invited witnesses and guests include: current and former CUSA full-time staff (including a former CUSA executive), current and the most recent former executives, current and former student leaders from recently reformed students' associations in Ontario were invited, and consultants from the student union movement in the United Kingdom were invited. All witnesses were agreed upon by Committee members in earlier Committee meetings.
The Committee also organized four public forums for students-at-large to raise any questions, comments, or concerns regarding reforms to CUSA's governance and elections systems. Students had a wide variety of concerns, comments, and suggestions for Committee members to consider; however, the Committee noticed there were a few issues with wide-spread support. The Committee noted:
Students were generally opposed to the slate system and were concerned about the hiring process of CUSAs Electoral Officers. CUSA struggles to provide clear communication to students about opportunities and operations. A series of former Electoral Officers also gave testimonies (requesting for anonymity for the sake of their well-being), most of whom vividly described the hate and vitriol received during their time in office and recommended that Electoral Officers not be selected from the student body.
Summary of Recommendations by the Democratic Reform Committee
Recommendation One: As such, the Committee recommends that Council vote to endorse a merger of the Carleton University Students' Association ("the Association") and CUSA, Inc. ("the Corporation"). Recommendation Two: The Committee recommends the creation and implementation of a well recruited, dutifully selected, properly trained, and expertly advised independent Board of Directors composed of 8 students-at-large and the CUSA President to focus on protecting the long-term future of CUSA from a financial, legal, and reputational perspective. Recommendation Three: The Committee further recommends modifications to the voting rights, selection process, legal responsibilities, and oversight mechanisms as described above, of: CUSA President/Chief Executive Officer; CUSA Vice Presidents; and CUSA Councillors Recommendation Four: The Committee recommends the roles of executives become full-time at 35 hours per week. Recommendation Five: The Committee recommends that only the President and CUSA Councillors be elected in at-large elections, with Vice Presidents selected in processes determined by CUSA council. Recommendation Six: The committee recommends that limits be placed on how and when CUSA Executives are able to serve more than one term, including options such as nonconsecutive term limits, a limit of one term as an executive, or a "move up or move out" philosophy engrained in the CUSA Bylaws.
Out of these 6 recommendations, only Recommendation Four was met with a serious debate from the 2021/2022 CUSA Council. The end result of the debate was to designate the President's role as a full-time position for the entirety of the governance year, with the Vice Presidents working full-time (35 hours/week) during the summer & part-time (25 hours/week) during the academic year. While the President's role requires a 35 hour/week commitment throughout governance year, the role may take a limited number of courses - pertaining to approval by the CUSA Board.
CUSA Board The CUSA Board holds responsibility for the long-term financial, legal, and reputational position of the corporation. As a Not-For-Profit Corporation, the CUSA Board is subject to all relevant principles and policies of the Ontario government, provincial law, and the Articles of Incorporation. To ensure ethical fiscal management within CUSA operations & strategy, all members of the Board hold a fiduciary responsibility towards the organization.
Composition of the CUSA Board
8 student-at-large directors The CUSA President (ex-officio) The CUSA Vice President Finance/Secretary-Treasurer (ex-officio, non-voting)
Eligibility to be a Director
Be a current Carleton Undergraduate student at the time of application, intending on remaining a Carleton Undergraduate student for the duration of the term of appointment Directors may not be employees of CUSA, unless occupying ex-officio positions (President/CEO, VP Finance/Secretary-Treasurer) Directors may not be sitting CUSA councillors, or CUSA councillors within the most recent academic year Directors may not be former CUSA executives Board Members may not maintain or hold fiduciary responsibility to another entity that could conceivably regularly conflict with their fiduciary responsibility to CUSA while a member of the Board. Directors shall not serve more than four calendar years on the CUSA Board.
Ascension to the Board
Candidates for the board shall be reviewed and selected by the CUSA Board Nominating and Appointing Committee for ratification by CUSA Council CUSA Council will then vote to ratify or deny the selection All applicants so ratified will immediately ascend to the CUSA Board
Primary Responsibilities
Inform strategic direction and organizational growth Provide oversight and accountability for the organization Monitor policies, procedures, and processes of decision making and resource allocation Approve the budget every year Comply with the Not-For-Profit Corporations Act (2010)
CUSA Council With changes in the governance of the organization, the CUSA Council now holds responsibility for hiring Vice Presidents and appointing the Board of Directors. The Council operates as a deciding body for the association's day-to-day business, holding power on advocacy & accountability actions of the Executive team, with a stronger emphasis on Presidential accountability as the President is the only elected body. The Vice Presidents work as "hired officers" of the association, accountable to the council & the board. Since the positions for Vice Presidents are no longer elected by students-at-large, per the Ontario Not For Profit Corporations Act (2010), they are not allowed to hold voting powers in the council and their seats were converted to student representative seats allocated on the basis of enrolment in the academic faculty.
CUSA Executives Per the new governance structure, the President is now the only position elected by students-at-large. To optimize governance & operations, the roles of Vice Presidents were redefined, with much of their power dispersed to other check-and-balance bodies within CUSA. The change in governance and organization hierarchy led to the determination that the positions of Vice Presidents should be selected, elected, and appointed by the CUSA Council after the CUSA General Election. To ensure organizational efficiency, the CUSA President's role was determined and changed to be a full-time role that requires a 35 hours/week commitment with due responsibility and accountability to the CUSA Board of Directors, CUSA Council, and the Not For Profit Corporations Act (2010).
Elections CUSA holds general elections every year with by-elections held every October. With the land-slide win of a "No Confidence" vote in the 2022 CUSA General Elections & its consequent nullification due to the instant-runoff voting system, the association soon after reformed its electoral code. The association now uses the single transferable vote system. The association has been holding online elections since 2014. Voter turnout in 2017 was over 37%. The voter turnout in the 2024 General Elections was 19.8%. +CUSA General Elections Voter Turnout YearVoter Turnout (in %)201737.2201834.9201927.8202034.4202124.7202213.1202313.3202419.8202521.320269.4
2026 CUSA Elections The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) held its presidential election for the 2026-2027 term.
There were two candidates on the balet, Maxwell Heroux and Aryan Singh (who later withdrew from the race), as well as an opportunity to reopen nominations. Voting was held from the 3rd to the 5th of February. Numerous complaints complicated the release of the electoral results, delaying their release until February 27th, 2026.
Maxwell Heroux won the 2026 presidential seat, receiving the majority of the vote.
2025 CUSA Elections
The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) held its presidential election for the 2025-2026 term from February 4 to February 6, with undergraduate students voting through a ranked ballot system. Three candidates—Nagam Abuihmaid, Chas Nuhn, and Sean Joe-Ezigbo—competed for the position, each presenting distinct policy priorities and financial strategies.
Abuihmaid, a third-year neuroscience student, campaigned on improving CUSA transparency, advocating for better public transit connections, and developing a CUSA mobile app. She emphasized the need for direct campus bus routes, streamlined communication with student clubs, and increased student awareness of CUSA services.