The Communiqué – Volume 48, No. 5. January 21, 2026

In This Issue:

• CUASA Winter General Membership Meeting – Save the Date
• Member Drop In – CUASA Boardroom
• Carleton Campus Solidarity – CUPE 4600
• Academic Freedom Townhall – Save the Date
• CUASA Action Updates
• Faculty Union Solidarity – Sign in Support
• OCUFA Updates

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CUASA Winter General Membership Meeting

Please save the date for our upcoming Winter General Membership Meeting (GMM), to be held on Thursday, January 29, from 1:30-3:30 pm.

The GMM will be held on Zoom. Registration is required to attend.

Note: Only Association members, meaning those who have returned a completed membership form, may participate in the internal administration of CUASA. Staff will be checking GMM registrations against the membership list and will contact any registrants who have not completed a membership form to ask them to do so before their registration will be approved. If you have any questions or wish to verify your membership status, please contact [email protected].

Register here. The agenda and meeting materials will be released closer to the date.

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Member Drop In – CUASA Boardroom

All members are invited to drop by the CUASA boardroom for coffee, snacks and conversation with CUASA’s President Dominique Marshall, members of CUASA staff and your fellow CUASA members. Learn about what your union is working on and share your work experiences on Carleton Campus.

February 5 – Noon to 1pm. CUASA Boardroom – 2003 Dunton Tower (20th Floor)

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Carleton Campus Solidarity – CUPE 4600

Congratulations to CUPE 4600 Unit 2 (which represents Contract Instructors at Carleton University) on the Ratification of a New Collective Agreement !

CUPE 4600 Unit 1 (which represents Teaching Assistants and Internally funded Research Assistants at Carleton University) are still at the bargaining table. Bargaining updates can be found on the CUPE 4600 website and on their socials.

CUPE 4600 is holding a Rally on Thursday January 22nd from noon to 1:00pm in the Carleton Quad. The rally is in support of TAs and RAs in their bargaining for AI guardrails at Carleton University. For more information on CUPE’s bargaining position on AI guardrails and to show your support for TAs and RAs CUPE asks that you please read and sign their open letter. See you at the rally on Thursday!

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Academic Freedom Townhall – Save the Date

Save the Date! February 5, 2025, 4:30–6:00. CUASA is hosting an Academic Freedom Townhall in coordination with other Carleton Campus unions. A registration form will be distributed shortly. This hybrid townhall will be held on Campus (Nicol room 4020) and online (Zoom link to follow).

There will be union presentations, guest speakers, a question period and light refreshments. Keep up with the Communiqué and follow us on CUASA socials for more information.

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CUASA Action Updates

Institutional Impartiality Policy Grievance – On December 16, CUASA served notice to the University that it was filing an Association complaint on the adoption of the “Institutional Impartiality Policy” approved by the University Board of Governors on December 2, 2025. As a result of that filing the first meeting with Carleton has been scheduled for February 10th.  For more information on the process to date please refer to The Communiqué – Volume 48, No. 4. December 18, 2025.

Freedom of Information (FOI) Request – On December 3rd CUASA filed a Freedom of Information request (FOI) for the “Efficiency and Accountability Review” Report produced for Carleton by Deloitte at the request of the Ontario Ministry of Colleges, Universities, and Research Excellence and Security (MCURES) this past summer as well as Carleton’s “Implementation Plan”. Both requests have been denied by Carleton citing the Labour Relations Act. CUASA has begun the appeals process.

*** CUASA asks that members notify the Union at [email protected] , or by speaking to your Council representative, wherever “financial considerations” or “efficiency” or “budget restrictions” are named in course cancellations and/or where there are significant changes in member’s workload. Further, we ask you to note and report any course cancellations or deferrals that are the result of the lack of faculty to teach them or “low enrollment” particularly where the enrolment numbers are consistent with past years.

AI Draft Framework – Carleton has introduced an AI Draft Framework that proposes to “provide[ ] guidance on the use of AI at Carleton”. CUASA successfully campaigned for the “feedback” period to be extended to the end of January. We encourage members to read the proposed framework and report their concerns to Carleton here and additionally send them to the union at [email protected]. CUASA is preparing a statement for the consultation and continues to meet with the employer on this topic at the monthly meetings of both the Joint Committee on the Administration of the Agreement (JCAA) and of the Joint Workload Committee.

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Faculty Union Solidarity – Sign in Support

 Members of the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) are on strike and have taken to the picket lines to achieve a fair contract, following months of negotiations.

Join the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) in calling on the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security and the Laurentian University Board of Governors to lift the remaining CCAA Exit Loan Agreement restrictions and end the Ministry-imposed approval and oversight on Laurentian’s financial mandate and collective bargaining. Add your signature here!

The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Academic Staff Association voted in favour of a strike mandate on January 15th. With the help of CAUT, they have created a letter writing campaign directed at NAIT’s Board of Governors, asking them to hold management accountable to come to the table with a fair deal, for the sake of faculty, students, and quality education. Please add your signature in support and share widely with others.

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