Monica Colín Silva and her family moved to Quebec City from Mexico four years ago, during which she obtained a Master’s degree at Université Laval. After completing the program and becoming fluent in French, she felt hopeful for her path to permanent residency in Quebec. In late 2024, the federal[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Point-Counterpoint: On the divine right of groundhogs
For the Divine Right of Groundhogs The media is rich with speculation about The Most Honourable Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania native behind everyone’s favourite holiday: Groundhog Day. Some doubt his immortality—140 years of age is abnormal for a groundhog—but Phil is no ordinary groundhog. Others argue his eternal rule is[Read More…]
A lesson from the neighbourhood cat
I have a friend who appears without warning, leaves without explanation, and never promises to return. He is profoundly unpredictable, given that he is a neighbourhood cat—but are the movements of human friends any more certain? Manchego, lovingly nicknamed by my roommate Katie, is a beloved member of the Milton-Parc[Read More…]
An ode to emails and the archival nature of the inbox
I have often felt as though the diction and formalities of texting culture—or lack thereof—should emulate that of email correspondence. Emails preserve a level of linguistic intentionality that contemporary messaging platforms have largely flattened. My affinity for emails began rather early. At the age of nine or ten, my school[Read More…]
In exercising institutional restraint, McGill protects only itself
This past November, McGill’s Advisory Panel on Campus Expression (APCE) delivered a report on the state of academic freedom and expression at the university. The report recommended that McGill exercise “institutional restraint” and refrain from responding publicly to controversial geopolitical issues in order to preserve academic freedom. This policy encourages[Read More…]
Montreal upholds its colonial legacy by failing to prioritize reconciliation
On Nov. 18, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada announced the composition of her new 14-member executive committee, with roles ranging from security and housing to green economic development. While Ferrada’s committee included a plethora of portfolios, it omitted a committee member explicitly responsible for reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples—a role that[Read More…]
Legault’s gone—Bill 21 should be too
Since his 2018 inauguration, Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) leader and Quebec premier François Legault has prioritized secularization and the protection of Quebec’s francophone identity. His resignation in January 2026 has left the province in political uncertainty, particularly regarding Bill 21, which prohibits certain public servants—including police officers, judges, and teachers—from[Read More…]
“Blue Monday” is nothing more than an exercise in consumption
Every year, the third Monday in January is supposed to be the ‘saddest day of the year.’ With the doldrums of winter in full swing, and no holidays in sight, Blue Monday can be a day of deep isolation—at least, that is what we are told. But the Blue Monday[Read More…]
Race-blind justice isn’t justice at all
In July 2025, Frank Paris, a 52-year-old Black man raised in Montreal, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to trafficking cannabis and hash. However, with the help of his lawyer, who submitted a report outlining Paris’s experiences with systemic racism, the judge reduced his sentence from[Read More…]
Canada would rather spend millions than confront systemic anti-Black racism
In 2020, the Black Class Action Secretariat (BCAS), a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing systemic discrimination against workers across Canada’s public institutions, filed Thompson et al. vs Canada, a federal class action representing 45,000 Black Canadians. The lawsuit seeks to address systemic anti-Black racism in the Public Service of Canada,[Read More…]
