Voltaire, one of history’s finest satirists, once famously quipped that the Holy Roman Empire was “Neither holy, nor Roman, nor an
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
The SPVM should be called to account for Nov. 10
Last Thursday, the Independent Student Inquiry (ISI) released its final report regarding the events of Nov. 10, following the release of a preliminary report on Dec. 1. The chronology of the events of Nov. 10 is similar to that laid out in Dean Jutras’s report, released on Dec. 15. The[Read More…]
Rick Santorum’s views on higher education are a danger to society
Last week, U.S. presidential hopeful Rick Santorum made a sojourn into the land of utter political bewilderment, admonishing Barack Obama for wanting more American youths to go to college. “What a snob,” the former senator proclaimed, going on to say with Biblical tact that university liberals wish to remake students[Read More…]
The student movement’s last stand?
The Quebec-wide student “strike” is certainly gaining momentum, as more and more student associations vote to join the movement and voice their opposition to the provincial government’s plan to increase tuition. More than 120,000 students will be officially “on strike” (or boycotting classes) as of this week and the confrontation[Read More…]
The new pipeline offers little but a sticky situation
McGill Tribune Why should we, as global citizens, be concerned about a new $5.5-billion pipeline flowing from the Athabasca tar sands in Alberta to Kitimat, a coastal port in north-western British Columbia? First, we are consumers of oil. Second, we need to move from fossil fuels to clean[Read More…]
The SSMU General Assembly needs a serious facelift
McGill Tribune Last week’s SSMU General Assembly (GA) once again failed to reach quorum for the majority of its motions. As the SSMU executives are only compelled to act on those that did—sadly consisting of just the distinctly tepid duo of motions concerning the selection of the Financial Auditor, and[Read More…]
What’s a Grammy worth?
Proclaiming that the Grammy Awards aren’t the definitive measure of musical success isn’t exactly going out on a limb, but why is it that so many music fanatics approach this ceremony with either indifference or downright distain? The winners of the film industry’s Academy Awards might not always coincide with[Read More…]
Are the USA and Canada tangoing to different music in the 21st century?
Canada-U.S. relations have enjoyed an eclectic array of descriptions since the International Boundary that separates the two countries was set up in 1783. Pierre Trudeau famously said that living next to the U.S. was like sleeping with an elephant: “No matter how friendly or temperate the beast, one is affected[Read More…]
Student Democracy: The agency of the few
The SSMU General Assembly last week was the latest installment of an institution at McGill showcasing both the theoretical promise of direct democracy and the reality of its own illegitimacy. The theoretical promise comes from the reasonable idea that the student body of a university should have a say in[Read More…]
A Different Approach to Religion
McGill Tribune Around 80 people were shot to death during a political gathering at a summer camp in Norway in 2011. Many have claimed this crime was fueled by religions and that it is exemplary of its faults. There have been mass suicides in the United States led by religious[Read More…]
