Two weeks ago, the Canadian Press reported on the Parti Québécois’ controversial educational reforms. These have centered on plans to extend the provisions of Bill 101, Quebec’s legislative piece regarding its language policy. The PQ’s Education Minister, Marie Malavoy, wants to hold off on the Liberal plan to implement intensive[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Students’ reach shouldn’t exceed their grasp
Many may be familiar with the story of Icarus. His father, Daedalus, built him wings to soar through the sky, leaving just one word of warning: go too high, too close to the sun, and the wax affixing the wings to your body will melt. We know how the story[Read More…]
An opportunity to reflect on female political representation
On Oct. 18, 1939, five women challenged the Canadian Supreme Court for the right of women to sit in the Senate—and won. The day is now celebrated nationwide as Persons Day, after the clause in the British North America Act which stipulated that any person may sit in Senate. Before[Read More…]
De-growth and the need for community participation
Last Monday, activist David Suzuki and economist Jeff Rubin shared the stage at McGill for The End of Growth Tour. The two explored the future of environmental sustainability and existing development trends. Suzuki focused primarily on the societal influence of development on the environment, while Rubin analyzed macro growth trends[Read More…]
Steps towards a functional General Assembly
Last Monday Oct. 15 marked the SSMU’s fall General Assembly (GA). In spite of recent reforms intended to make the assembly more appealing and accessible to general membership, it was only able to pass two motions before losing quorum. The centerpiece of these reforms, passed by referendum last semester, mandates[Read More…]
Speech and the Internet: Does the Internet create or merely enable bad behavior?
The increasing influence of the Internet over the past two decades has been frequently accompanied by periodic bouts of public soul-searching about what effect it is having on society. Over the past week, two major incidents have questioned the Internet’s role in enabling unacceptable behaviour. The first was the tragic[Read More…]
Immediate action needed on the provisional protocol
Last Wednesday, Dean of Arts Christopher Manfredi released his long-awaited Report of the Open Forum on Free Expression and Peaceful Assembly. Following a series of open forums, the report sought to solicit community input on the meaning and scope of peaceful assembly on campus. The initiative was commissioned by Principal[Read More…]
The awkward moment when replacing a roommate!
The best thing about first year is that everyone is your friend—that guy in your history class, the girl in the cafeteria, your next-door neighbour, and the security guard you high-five everyday before going to class. Being a newbie in an unfamiliar place can be scary, but it is also[Read More…]
The McGill administration’s smart manoeuvre; looking forward from the Manfredi Report
The Manfredi Report, made public on Oct. 10, 2012, was a direct response to the Jutras Report’s recommendation calling for a campus-wide discussion on the meaning of “free expression and peaceful assembly on campus.” It roughly outlines the escalation of our campus politics since the events of Nov. 10, and[Read More…]
The challenges and biases of factual reporting
In Nassim Taleb’s book, The Black Swan, the author confidently assures his readers that, to learn anything, one must “minimize time spent reading newspapers,” and “ignore the blogs.” He argues that these outlets always try to apply narratives to what simply may be disparate facts, usually report the same sets[Read More…]
