“In Canada, better is always possible,” Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau boldly proclaimed to a room full of beaming supporters shortly after leading the Liberals to victory on Monday, Oct. 19, at the conclusion of one of the most predictable, ferocious, and drawn-out election campaigns in the country’s history. Trudeau pledges[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Student innovation key to Montreal’s future
McGill is often portrayed as an institution that operates alongside Montreal rather than within it. While its quota system requires approximately 50 per cent of the student body to be made up of students from Quebec, most of the international and out-of-province student body decide to leave upon graduation. Given[Read More…]
Off the board: Political critique without personal criticism
Topics dealing with race, sex, and gender are inherently politically and personally charged issues. Critiques based on these issues are bound to one’s own experience and identity; when these issues are raised, the discussion can quickly become emotionally-charged. These conversations are crucial in order to highlight and dismantle oppressive structures[Read More…]
Commentary: McGill spirit more than homecoming
Last week, McGill students might have pretended not to notice the one lonely person standing at the Y-intersection flaunting a poster for McGill homecoming in front of disinterested passing faces. Unsurprisingly, having a one-man promo team accosting students didn’t work. His words fell on deaf ears; nothing he could have[Read More…]
Confirmation bias on social media limits conversation
Between Facebook posts, online publications, and Reddit threads, it is overwhelming to begin to imagine the amount of different opinions, ideas, and information a regular internet-user processes in a single day. Consequently, the digital age is heralded for supposedly allowing people to become educated on a broad assortment of topics[Read More…]
Federal politicians must treat young voters with dignity
Throughout the campaign, the media focused on the voter turnout for one particular demographic: Youth. A Nanos vote study of the 2011 election found that if more than 38 per cent of youth had voted in 2011, the Canadian government would have been completely different. Clearly youth have the power[Read More…]
Editorial: McGill disregards floor fellows’ requests
McGill has flexed its bureaucratic muscles once again in its negotiations with floor fellows: It has violated Quebec labour law by not paying floor fellows a wage, and gone so far as to appeal a court ruling in favour of the floor fellows. In negotiating a collective agreement with floor[Read More…]
No representation without unification for Canada’s progressive parties
Currently, there is no definitive left-wing political leader in Canada, unlike in some other Western democracies. In the United States, there is growing popular support for Bernie Sanders, who is mobilizing for cheaper education and affordable healthcare. In the United Kingdom, where there is a strong socialist tradition and inequality continues to[Read More…]
Integration of upstream mental health services necessary at McGill
As Mental Health Awareness Week commences, students and faculty alike should consider spaces for improvement in the structures available on campus. Providing upstream services, which are preventative support measures, can promote well rounded health care on campus. Mental Health Services does the utmost it can to help all students with[Read More…]
Election 2015: Parties struggle to stay focused on youth issues
Last week, as federal parties continued to court the youth vote, students at the University of Calgary got a strange surprise. Photos quickly surfaced online of a controversial Conservative pamphlet being handed out on campus: “Let the lefties run your campus. Help the Conservatives run the country,” boasted one side.[Read More…]
