On March 18, 2020, McGill students everywhere opened their inboxes to discover that McGill would be shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with classes for the remainder of the Winter and Summer terms being taught remotely. Canada is now in a state of lockdown due to a government-mandated quarantine.[Read More…]
Commentary
The SAQ is an essential service
Alcohol consumption is often considered a university tradition: Drinking is embedded in much of student social life, culture and events. However, Quebec Premier François Legault’s decision to deem the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) an essential service amid province-wide shut-downs to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is[Read More…]
McGill students should care about the Bernie Sanders campaign
The border guard gruffly asked which presidential candidate I supported after I mentioned that I was crossing the US-Canada border to work in the primaries of the US presidential election. When I told him, his eyebrows shot up. Bernie Sanders? The socialist? I have discussed the primaries with many fellow[Read More…]
Reinforcing Bill 101 is Discrimination 101
A reinvigorated Bill 101 looms over Quebec, and if it descends, it could impede demographic reconciliation in the province. Enacted in 1977, the bill established French as the official language of Quebec, forcing government agencies, many businesses, and other institutions to conduct operations in French. While the bill is longstanding[Read More…]
The Indigenous Equity Fee must be increased
Increasing the Indigenous Equity Fee should be a popular suggestion. The intergenerational strength and resiliency of Indigenous students attending McGill is remarkable. Indigenous students face a number of hurdles which make it less likely for them to end up pursuing post-secondary education—among these are systemic disadvantages that play into almost[Read More…]
McGill failed its exchange students amid the CoronaVirus crisis
Standing toward the back of the line snaking its way around the grocery store, my cart full to the brim with frozen foods and canned soup, was not the way I had expected to spend my semester abroad at the University of Copenhagen. The night before, the Danish prime minister[Read More…]
Postgraduate education in Canada poses financial barriers for students
With Reading Week over, many students are in the midst of sending out CVs and graduate school applications. While the students who desire to pursue postgraduate education come from all backgrounds, many Canadian universities continuously fail to accommodate low-income students in their admissions processes. In recent years, many postgraduate programs[Read More…]
It’s time for another Climate Strike
Sometimes the burden of climate change feels like a futile battle. We’ll use a reusable water bottle, never touch a plastic straw, attend the climate strike, donate to fight Australia’s wildfires, and tweet #FridaysForFuture at our politicians, but still temperatures are rising, pollution is increasing, and our institutions and governments[Read More…]
Toward a harm reduction approach to drugs
Drug use is common across most universities, including McGill. However, the dialogue about safe drug use and harm reduction in the McGill community is sparse. The administration provides few resources to inform students about the possible effects of using certain substances, and no material resources, such as drug testing kits.[Read More…]
McGill should have a sexual health clinic on campus
I realized how important it was for McGill to have a sexual health clinic after hearing about how difficult it is for some students to get intrauterine devices (IUDs)—a small, T-shaped birth control device that is inserted into the uterus and only has to be replaced every three to 12[Read More…]
