The COVID-19 pandemic has toppled the higher-education house of cards, scattering vulnerable academic support staff into uncertain workplace predicaments. McGill forced these employees into dire straits well before the pandemic: Overburdened by faculties and underappreciated by students, the university treats teaching assistants (TAs) and other academic support staff like raw[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Reap what you sew
During the first few days of lockdown in March, I decided that I needed a good hobby to occupy my time, so I bought a sewing machine. When I was a kid, my aunt had taught me how to sew pillows, so I figured sewing dresses wouldn’t be that much[Read More…]
Canada’s new leaders must engage the student voting base
The 2023 Canadian federal election will feature new party leaders representing the Conservative and Green parties. Erin O’Toole of the Conservative Party and Annamie Paul of the Green Party are likely to face off against the current Prime Minister, the Liberal Party’s Justin Trudeau, and the New Democratic Party (NDP)’s[Read More…]
Running for running’s sake
There’s a famous scene in Forrest Gump when Forrest, who has spent all day in his sleepy Alabama home staring into a void, dons his cap, springs out of his rocking chair, and for no particular reason, starts running. Forrest runs first to the end of the road, then to the[Read More…]
McGill must do more to protect students in residence
McGill welcomed hundreds of new students to its campus residences this fall, despite delivering classes remotely. McGill Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) must now balance students’ urge to socialize while protecting the community’s health and safety amid the pandemic. As the number of daily cases continue to increase in[Read More…]
The pandemic demands a more accessible McGill BoG
For years, McGill students have fought for change through protests, rallies, and other physical demonstrations. Protests, such as those led by Divest McGill against the occupation of Wet’suwet’en territory and the Indigenous students behind the “Change The Name” campaign, have been crucial to drawing attention to issues on campus and[Read More…]
Quebec’s racist health care system needs reform
On Sept. 28, Joyce Echaquan, an Atikamekw woman and mother of seven, livestreamed the moments before her death at Joliette Hospital. The widely-shared video shows hospital staff making racist comments towards Echaquan, and sparked outrage across the country. The horrific situation highlights the deep flaws inherent in the Canadian health[Read More…]
McGill must prioritize affordable student housing
Seeking out safe, affordable housing is often a significant source of anxiety for students, one that has only intensified due to the disastrous financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Montreal, in the thralls of a housing crisis, currently has an extremely low vacancy rate of about 1.5 per cent. Low[Read More…]
The Royal Victoria Hospital must remain in public hands
On Sept. 4, students joined forces with Milton-Parc residents to protest the privatization of the old Royal Victoria Hospital. The building’s fate has remained unclear since it was decommissioned in 2015. In July, it was converted into a shelter for the unhoused during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the City of[Read More…]
Frosh 2020 should serve as an inspiration
For McGill’s first-year students, Frosh week marks the beginning of a vibrant social life on campus. In the face of a global pandemic, Frosh leaders and coordinators attempted to give new students a taste of the Frosh experience from the confines of the same bedroom in which their classes began[Read More…]
