Campaigning for the 2021 Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) election is being suspended over the weekend following calls from Ravens United presidential candidate Matt Gagné on social media.
In an Instagram Live just after 1 a.m. Saturday, Gagné said a student posted on their social media that they were struggling with their mental health after facing harassment during the campaign.
“This election has crossed a line,” Gagné said in the stream, which was later posted to the Ravens United Instagram. “We cannot continue campaigning in the state that this election is currently in.”
“Tonight, we’ve decided to suspend our campaign until the university takes action on this,” Gagné said, calling on all other candidates to do the same.
Gagné said he hoped the person responsible for the harassment would face legal action and be expelled from Carleton.
CUSA’s election office posted a statement on Instagram Saturday calling for candidates to “silence their campaigning for the duration of the weekend.”
“Please do not post any material pertaining to the elections until we can ensure the safety and well-being of all candidates,” the statement read.
The statement also called for the university to take “further action.” It did not specify what action the university should take.
CUSA president and Students First candidate Kathleen Weary posted a screenshot of an email she sent to university ombudsperson Melanie Chapman calling for action to be taken to uphold the Carleton Human Rights Policy.
“A CUSA election is not worth the well-being of another student,” Weary wrote in the email. “It is clear that hate is being mobilized and incited to influence the election and target certain candidates.”
In a subsequent story post, Weary said some candidates are “responsible for inciting much of the hate here shown.”
“I can no longer be silent about the hypocrisy of those who speak about positive campaigning while inciting cyberbullying and harassment towards my teammates,” Weary wrote.
The 2021 election—the first ever held entirely online—officially began Wednesday and had been dogged by criticism before the events of Saturday morning.
The elections office’s decision to bar campaigning on Reddit was branded as censorship by Reddit moderators.
Following the suspension of the campaign, r/CarletonU moderators said they will delete all subsequent posts about the election until it resumes.
Tiana Thomas, an independent candidate for vice president (community engagement), dropped out of the race Thursday night and criticized the electoral code as being “radically unfair.”
On Saturday, Thomas said elections are “brutally hard on mental health.”
“These elections are becoming far too aggressive,” Thomas wrote in a Reddit post. “I condemn anyone who has turned to agression [sic].”
Chief electoral officer Alexa Camick released a statement on Jan. 27 calling for candidates to engage in “positive politics” and avoid “bullying, slandering, harassment, and negative comments.”
“This year, candidates and students are able to heavily hide behind a screen, and furthermore, remain completely anonymous,” she said.
Camick added the election period can have a negative impact on the mental health of candidates, especially in an online environment.
“However, candidates and students should still adhere to respectful and responsible conduct,” Camick said, “and overall, treat others as they wish to be treated.”
The CUSA elections are scheduled to take place virtually on Feb. 3 and 4.
More to come.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, contact:
- Mental Health Crisis Line: 613-722-6914 (within Ottawa) and 1-866-996-0991 (outside Ottawa)
- Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region 24-hour line: 613-238-3311
- Youth Services Bureau 24/7 Crisis Line: 613-260-2360 or 1-877-377-7775 (toll free for eastern Ontario).
- EmpowerMe 24/7 helpline: 1-833-628-5589 (anywhere in North America)
- Good2Talk helpline: 1-866-925-5454 (anywhere in Ontario 24/7)
- Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT-686868 (available anywhere in Canada 24/7)
