The first week of February saw the defeat of a bill to reinstate Canada’s mandatory long-form census, prompting a sigh of discontent and discouragement from many Canadians. While every opposition Member of Parliament (MP) voted in favour, all but one Conservative MP voted against it, preventing the bill from passing[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Towards a new system of social security
The Canadian government has a wide array of programs in place to alleviate poverty. At the federal level alone, the government spends 10 per cent of GDP on a multitude of cash transfer programs. Despite this, around nine per cent of Canadians still live in poverty. The solution could be[Read More…]
Low rates of sexual assault in university records highlight problems with reporting
The unfortunate truth about sexual violence is that it is something that many women face in their lifetimes, with an especially worrisome frequency at universities. Over the past couple of years, the media has been flooded with stories about the problem of sexual assault on university campuses. However, across Canada,[Read More…]
Commentary: A progressive paradox
Across North America, left-wing politicians are proposing a raft of new spending programs. In Canada, both Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair have plans for universal, government-funded childcare, and in the United States, President Obama wants to introduce tuition-free community college. There are good arguments both for and against these programs,[Read More…]
Editorial: Bridging the gap between students and mental health resources
Rates of stress, anxiety, and depression among university students have been increasing, as seen in recent studies conducted by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, prompting the need for increased access to mental health services on campuses. Although financial constraints have put a damper on increasing mental health support, university-offered resources[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: Not in my faith
After the first wave of condemnation of the attackers and sympathy for the cartoonists following the Charlie Hebdo shooting, criticism of the magazine’s content slowly crept into left-leaning commentary. Many media outlets, including the McGill Tribune, argued that the cartoons were offensive, and called into question the limitations of free[Read More…]
Off the board: A love letter to Kim Kardashian
Like the comments of a nagging mom, most criticisms of Kim Kardashian transcend time and logic—they’re baseless, they follow her wherever she goes, and they show no signs of stopping. “She’s famous but she doesn’t do anything!” “Her show has no substance!” “Her butt can’t be real!” The animosity aimed[Read More…]
Editorial: Tuition deregulation necessary, transparency paramount
At a Senate meeting held on Jan. 21, Provost Anthony Masi stated that McGill is pursuing deregulation of student fees for international students in the remainder of the regulated faculties. The Faculties of Engineering, Management, Science, and Law have already been deregulated, and, as a result, have seen international student[Read More…]
Commentary: The exaggerated plight of Canada’s middle class
There is an old saying that goes, “God must love the poor: He made so many of them.” Unfortunately for the poor, in Canadian political discourse, the ‘middle class’ captures all the attention of politicians. From Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair on the centre-left, to Stephen Harper on the centre-right,[Read More…]
Commentary: Pope Francis forays into controversy
On Jan. 21, when asked about birth control and family planning for Catholic families, Pope Francis’ answer proved to greatly disappoint many people, both Catholics and non-Catholics alike. While it is understandable that it is impossible to cater to the varied interests of more than one billion Catholic followers, two[Read More…]
