Editor’s note: This is a breaking news situation, more information will be added as it becomes available. We have reached out for comments and will update as we learn more.
April 3 Update
NAITSA released a statement sharing more details about the decision to remove Kaur from her upcoming position as VP Academic. The statement details the Executive Council’s decision to present a motion to Senate to remove Kaur, including explaining more about the issues during Kaur’s training.
“There was a demonstrated lack of accountability, dishonesty, and overall a failure to understand the level of respect that the training process demands,” said current VP Academic Marina Bruno. Bruno led Kaur’s training program.
NAITSA also states that Kaur was given multiple opportunities for clarification, and then when Kaur brought up concerns about login access or expectations, they were “addressed during training sessions and follow-ups.”
Kaur has not responded to the Nugget’s request for comment yet. Dates for the by-election will be released “in the coming days” on NAITSA’s social media channels and website.
The statement also mentions changes to NAITSA’s bylaws. 7.12.1.1. was added to specify that by-elections “shall only be conducted between September 15 and April 15.” Previously, 7.12.1 did not mention by-elections. Instead, it read “Elections for the positions on Executive Council shall take place once per year, no later than the last weekday in February.”
April 2
Salinderjit Kaur, who was elected VP Academic in the recent NAITSA Executive Council (EC) election, was unanimously removed from her position by the NAITSA Senate on April 2. Her removal also means that students will be heading back to the polls later in April to elect a new VP Academic. Dates have not yet been shared.
The discussion regarding Kaur’s conduct was held in camera, meaning it was not publicly visible. However, the motion that Senate publicly passed mentioned “acts constituting dereliction of duty and misconduct, including but not limited to misrepresentation of training progress, failure to meet essential onboarding obligations, and behaviour inconsistent with the fiduciary standards of diligence, loyalty, and observance.”
The motion also said that the EC made multiple documented attempts to “provide structured guidance, mentorship, and opportunities for improvement throughout the training period.” EC also offered to let Kaur voluntarily resign before presenting this motion to the Senate, but Kaur did not respond by the deadline.
Kaur asked to speak to the Senate, which the Senate allowed. She referred to specific things in the report (which is not publicly visible), including a lack of business casual attire and confusion over recording in-person versus online training hours. Kaur also mentioned issues accessing online materials and logging into her training. The Nugget has not been able to learn more about the reasons for her removal yet; we have reached out to both NAITSA and Kaur for comment.
Kaur had not yet taken office; elected EC members start on May 1. However, as part of her training, she was required to complete 10 hours a week of onboarding. The EC only has the power to remove those in current terms; for future terms, Senate must vote.
Kaur’s removal marks the third person removed from the EC in four years. In 2024, Travis Luscombe was removed from his position as VP Internal, making him ineligible to serve as President in the 2024/25 year, despite being elected. (NAITSA’s bylaws state that members removed from elected office are ineligible for future elected positions.) In 2022, Kaedee Fythe Torrino was elected President, but removed from the position four months later. There was no by-election this year; Tyleen Saison, who had been serving as VP Internal, became Acting President. In 2021, Jerilyn Kotelniski ran for and was elected President in a by-election after AJ Jaruga resigned.
