First-past-the-post encourages strategic voting in multiparty systems, a practice where citizens might base their electoral choice on who they believe has a chance of winning, thereby sacrificing their preferred candidates. Voters will consider who they perceive as capable of forming a government that comes close to their overall preferences. While[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Commentary: McGill’s response to Syrian refugee crisis lacking
Over four million refugees are facing unparalleled violence and uncertainty due to the Syian Civil War and other armed conflict in the Middle East. Additional resources must be deployed to alleviate suffering and provide opportunities for Syrian students. McGill University and other higher learning institutions throughout the world are in[Read More…]
Commentary: Give Facebook’s ‘dislike’ button a chance
For many years, Facebook users have clamoured for the addition of a ‘dislike’ button. In a way, their wishes were addressed last month, when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that his team has been working on a feature akin to a dislike button. Setting aside vague debates about how this[Read More…]
Commentary: Improving access to organ transplants
Every year, thousands of Canadians endure immense suffering waiting for organ transplants. Despite encouragement from the government and civil society groups, the number of organs donated is inadequate to meet the need. For example, in 2013, over 4,500 Canadians were waiting for a kidney, which is the most commonly transplanted[Read More…]
Campus Conversation: Canadian federal election
Liberal McGill It is rare and valuable when a party, a leader, and a platform seek to engage realistically in youth and student issues—not merely pay lip service to them, or tokenize their advocates. Youth issues are represented very clearly in Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party[Read More…]
Commentary: McGill administration’s response to austerity falls short
Given that McGill is currently in a dire financial situation, it is surprising that the administration has not taken a firm stance against austerity. The university has projected that its accumulated deficit will rise to $96.3 million by the end of 2016. McGill’s funding problems are largely due to the[Read More…]
Editorial: Reimagining SSMU to ensure future sustainability
In the past six months, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) has been without the director of its daycare program, faced the resignation of its recently-hired general manager, and most recently witnessed the resignation of the vice-president (VP) Internal. Soon, SSMU’s building manager will be going on paternity leave.[Read More…]
Commentary: Pope Francis – the separation of a man from an institution
In the wake of Pope Francis’ recent visit to the United States, the biggest question following him in the media is where his opinions fall on the political spectrum. It is not entirely surprising that his visit sparked a critical analysis of his stance on social and political issues. He[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: Not enough weeks in a year
Last week, The Tribune published an opinion piece "Too many weeks in a year," in which Norman Yallen questioned the effectiveness of Anti-Austerity Week, Indigenous Awareness Week, and Divest McGill’s Fossil Free Week. Yallen lamented the apathy of McGill students, argued that such week-long campaigns do little to encourage involvement. The[Read More…]
Commentary: There are too many weeks in a year
September has seen three large week-long campaigns on McGill’s campus. The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) organized Anti-Austerity Week, which advocated against the provincial policy of austerity. The following week, Divest McGill had its own week-long protest, Fossil Free Week, which coincided with Indigenous Awareness Week. All events sought[Read More…]