After extending the voting period for two weeks, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) closed polls for the 2025 Winter Referendum and Executive Election on the evening of March 21 with a voter turnout of 15.7 per cent. Polls were originally slated to close on March 7, but SSMU extended them for an additional week on March 7 and again on March 14 because the vote had failed to meet the required quorum of 15 per cent. 

All nine of the referendum questions passed, including three changes to the SSMU Constitution.

Among these was an amendment that stands to make the Vice-President (VP) Finance hired by the SSMU Board of Directors, rather than elected by students. The Board would use a referendum vote to decide whether or not to ratify an appointed candidate. SSMU put forth the motion in hopes of ensuring that experienced and qualified candidates take on the VP Finance role. The question passed, with 87.7 per cent of voters casting a “Yes” vote.

SSMU President Dymetri Taylor explained in a written statement to The Tribune that as there is not enough time to hold a referendum to ratify the hiring of the VP Finance this year, ratification will likely be done through the SSMU Legislative Council. When asked about how SSMU will ensure that ratification by referendum vote runs smoothly in the future, Taylor reported that they will seek to combat low voter turnout by introducing incentives for students to vote. Taylor found that this strategy proved effective towards the end of the Winter referendum and election voting period. In SSMU email blasts reminding students to vote, there was a line explaining that if students voted, they would recieve access to Grammarly, Udemy, Antidote, and Headspace. He stated this incentive brought in 200 voters.

The second constitutional amendment sought to eliminate the position of VP Sustainability and Operations, and to merge the responsibilities of this role with other executives. Citing the role’s overlap with other executive positions, SSMU believes this measure will save $42,000 CAD and increase the responsibilities of the VP Internal to align with the workload of other executives. The question passed with an 83.6 per cent “Yes” vote. 

Taylor noted that although the majority of SSMU executives are overworked, this issue stems from the bureaucratic, complex, and time-consuming nature of operations at the student union, rather than the number of duties officers are assigned. 

“The issue is not the responsibilities, but how the SSMU is organized as a not-for-profit corporation,” Taylor wrote. “Thus, the summer will be a period in which we’ll be focused immensely on reorganizing how the SSMU is structured, involving Legislative Councillors more in all matters of the society, and updating the archaic functions that the SSMU still possesses.”

Hugo-Victor Solomon, VP External of SSMU, acknowledged the validity of concerns that the amendments to the executive team could be anti-democratic, but emphasized the role students can play in creating change at the student union by getting involved.

“To these critics, I say: join a SSMU committee. Run to be a legislative [councillor]. Attend general assemblies—make your voice heard,” Solomon wrote. “What really brings change […], isn’t the number of executive positions, it’s who is in those positions, who is supporting them as their part-time staff, whether they meet their mandates or not. An edit to a piece of paper or a PDF is a good place to start, sure, but it’s not the driving factor—we are.”

Finally, 81.1 per cent of voters cast a “Yes” ballot to remove Section 1.3 from the Constitution, which reads, “The preamble shall form an integral part of the Constitution.” SSMU claims that this sentence makes it vulnerable to litigation, as it enables parties to claim SSMU is in violation of its Constitution if the student union infringes upon any values listed in the preamble. 

For Solomon, the removal of this clause was “long overdue.” 

“[T]his was a moment where we realized for ourselves that this was an issue with clear legal and practical parameters that could be corrected with a number of words—barely a sentence—which had the potential of saving the society money on vexatious litigation, and putting power back in the hands of students,” Solomon wrote. 

Students also voted in the incoming SSMU executive team for the 2025-2026 academic year. Despite recently facing calls for impeachment, President Taylor ran unopposed for re-election and won, receiving 74.6 per cent of votes.

Dylan Seiler and John Vogel were competing for the role of VP Finance. Seiler won with 54.6 per cent of the vote, 21.6 per cent more than Vogel. Seiler ran on a platform to improve financial accessibility, transparency, and efficiency within SSMU, specifically by addressing the understaffing of various committees under the VP Finance portfolio, such as the Funding Committee.

Seiler wrote that it was a privilege to be elected as VP Finance. 

“I look forward to carrying out the promises that I laid out in my campaign platform, over the next 12 months,” Seiler wrote. “I will mandate fiscal responsibility within the SSMU, reduce wasted student dollars, and create more transparency to show exactly where your tuition money is going.”

Kareem El Hosini ran unopposed to fill the vacant VP Sustainability and Operations seat and won with 82.4 per cent of votes. However, as the amendment to the Constitution passed, this position will be removed and El Hosini will not take office. El Hosini explained to The Tribune that the lack of voter engagement is SSMU’s responsibility to address, and is something that he hoped to tackle in the role. 

“People don’t care enough to vote as a direct result of how the SSMU has been operating. Things should definitely change within the SSMU,” El Hosini wrote. 

Hamza Abu-Alkhair and Raihaana Adira competed for the vacant VP Student Life seat. Abu-Alkhair is currently the SSMU Director of Clubs and Services and is undertaking the responsibilities of the position. Abu-Alkhair won with 52.0 per cent of votes, 10.3 per cent more than Adira.

Abu-Alkhair plans on spending the summer working out built-up back-end issues to prepare for the coming school year. 

“Some aspects of my platform are going to heavily depend on the summer, and if I plan accordingly I’ll be able to continue the work on the guidebook that will house most of my ideas to serve as a reference for the clubs and services,” Abu-Alkhair wrote.

Seraphina Crema Black and Jaanashee Punjabi ran for VP External. Crema Black won with 51.4 per cent of votes, 10.4 per cent more than Punjabi received. 

Punjabi expressed the importance of the new executive team supporting all students by reflecting their interests in the upcoming year. “I’m obviously a bit disappointed about not winning but I look forward to seeing all the work the upcoming executive council will carry out and I wish them an amazing year ahead,” Punjabi wrote.  

Crema Black declined The Tribune’s request for comment.

Incumbent Zeena Zahida was re-elected as VP Internal, receiving 88.5 per cent of votes. Susan Aloudat, who ran unopposed, was elected as VP University Affairs with 86.3 per cent of votes.

Aloudat expressed relief over the election meeting quorum as the new team can get to work for the student body. 

“I’m very satisfied with the results. The team seems great. I’m excited to do some great work with them next year,” Aloudat wrote. 

Alongside the constitutional amendments, the renewal of the $1.50 CAD semesterly Indigenous Equity Fee passed with a 74.3 per cent “Yes” vote. This fee funds the salary of the Indigenous Affairs Commissioner, the work of the Indigenous Affairs Committee, and supports projects by and for Indigenous student groups. 

The question concerning the creation of a Francophone affairs fee passed with a 55.9 per cent “Yes” vote, which will fund francophone initiatives and opportunities for students to learn French through the Francophone Affairs Committee. This comes after voters rejected a question on the Creation of a Contribution to Support Francophone Affairs in the Fall 2024 referendum. 

Students also voted to renew the SSMU Menstrual Health Project Fee, a $2.40 CAD per semester fee. The project distributes free menstrual projects in campus washrooms and residences through a monthly pick-up service. VP University Affairs Abe Berglas expressed that they were “unsurprised” with the fee’s renewal, noting that it will enable the project’s team “to keep working and slowly expanding their reach.”

Other questions that passed included the renewal of TVM’s fee, an increase to SSMU’s Safety Services Fee going towards DriveSafe, and the creation of a fee for Élèves des Champs.