Disqualified Change slate candidate Ashley Courchene and his former campaign manager Adam Carroll have launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for the legal fees associated with pursuing a court injunction.
The online fundraiser comes after Change slate’s unsuccessful appeal to the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA)’s constitutional board, which ruled to disqualify the slate and remove Courchene from his elected seat as vice-president (student services) over allegations of impersonating a professor and campaigning on voting days.
The online campaign’s description explains that an injunction would serve to keep the position of vice-president (student services) vacant until further legal action could be undertaken.
This would mean that neither Courchene, originally elected for the position, nor his opponent, incumbent vice-president (student services) Frena Hailekiros, would be able to serve on the CUSA executive.
In a video attached to the campaign, Courchene asks students to contribute donations of 10 to 50 dollars. The campaign’s set goal is ten thousand dollars.
“We went through the normal appeal processes, unsuccessfully, and now we have no choice but to go through the provincial courts,” Courchene says in the video. “We’re hoping that with your donations, we can continue this legal battle, and uphold the principles of democracy, fairness and justice.”
The Indiegogo campaign links to a separate website, justiceforcarleton.ca, which appears identical to justiceforash.ca. The campaign has raised 190 dollars as of April 29.
More coverage to come.
