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Commentary, Opinion

McGill’s COVID-19 response has been a shitshow from the start

by Bryan Buraga on

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As the COVID-19 pandemic nears its second anniversary, McGill’s response to the ongoing health crisis has been thoroughly disappointing and incompetent. It has gotten to the point where many students are taking matters into their own hands to protect themselves, their peers, and their loved ones. Undergraduates from the School of Social Work voted to go on strike after the administration overruled the school’s decision to postpone their return to in-person classes until Feb. 25. The strike came after McGill violated its own Senate resolution allowing faculties to make such decisions for themselves and the academic freedom that it professes to defend. Similarly, students from the Faculty of Law voted to go on strike until the university introduced better hybrid options. Instead of heeding to genuine concerns about the return to in-person activities, the administration has continued their email and video propaganda campaign in a frustrating attempt to pacify the more than 22,000 McGillians who have expressed their demand for changes through an open letter. This is on par for the course of an authoritarian, paternalistic administration, whose COVID-19 response has, frankly, been a disaster since the beginning of the pandemic.

A few days before the university first shut down early in March 2020, in my capacity as the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) president, I remember speaking to Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Fabrice Labeau about student concerns regarding the then-new virus that was spreading across the globe. As the SSMU President is responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of the student body, I hoped to glean more information from him regarding the university’s plans. Labeau assured me key administrators were meeting regularly as part of the nascent Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), the insular group that has been deciding McGill’s COVID response over the past two years. I asked if students could be a part of that group, as it was important to communicate student concerns in real-time and have students be an active part of guiding the university’s response. In reply, he said that students would not get a seat at the table because the group presides over “operational matters.” To this day, the EOC does not have student representation.

From the very beginning, the administration’s response has failed students. When universities worldwide first began to shut down, students on exchange were left in the dark. Since then, students in residence have reported that the university has fallen short in upholding its own safety guidelines, and floor fellows have stated that they are not receiving the support or communication they need to do their jobs safely. McGill has neither imposed a vaccine mandate, unlike many other Canadian universities, nor, at the very least, required unvaccinated McGillians to undergo regular rapid testing, like the University of British Columbia. Over the final exam period last December, the administration forced students to complete exams in person, despite the University of Toronto, Queen’s University, and Dalhousie University, among others, refusing to do so, as the Omicron variant fomented the fifth wave of COVID-19.

In the two months since the Omicron variant first appeared in Canada, I had hoped the administration would use this time to make campus as safe as possible for those wishing to return to face-to-face learning. I had also hoped that our courses would be made as accessible as possible for those unable to attend, whether they be immunocompromised, infected with COVID-19, or dealing with the multifaceted effects the pandemic has had on our lives. Instead, the administration has resigned itself to letting McGillians get sick en masse and has left students to fend for themselves if they contract COVID-19 or have to quarantine, relying on the goodwill of their professors rather than a guarantee of online educational access. McGillians have lost faith in the administration’s ability to make the best choices for the safety and well-being of the McGill community.

But it’s okay everyone: The McGill administration knows what’s best for you.

McGill, News

Transgender students cite difficulty in changing legal name on Minerva

by Madison Edward-Wright and Joseph Pappas on

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A month into the Winter 2022 semester and the McGill administration and the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) have begun preparing for the Spring 2022 graduation season, even organizing graduation photos and planning in-person ceremonies. For Ezra-Jean Taylor, U3 Arts, however, the prospect of finishing their degree in two semesters is stressful because she has been unable to change her name in the Minerva system, which means that currently, their diploma will not state their legal name.

Taylor is a transgender student who spent a year going through the process of legally changing their name, which they accomplished in 2021. While Minerva—the platform McGill uses for official student documentation—has an option for students to input their preferred name, changing a legal name in the system is more complicated, Taylor explained in an email to The McGill Tribune.

“I found some confusing information on how to change my legal name [on Minerva] and emailed the Office for Academic records,” Taylor wrote. “I was told I would need a court order stating my legal name has changed as well as proof of that name being used on ID.”

The process proved to be more convoluted than obtaining a court order. McGill requested that Taylor also provide a new Certificate of Acceptance of Quebec (CAQ) and student visa—both of which are issued by the Government of Quebec—demonstrating their new legal name. 

“As far as I am aware, to reapply for the CAQ and student visa, you need to show McGill transcripts and a letter of admission,” Taylor elucidated. “You see where the issue is? If both groups need the other’s documents, nothing can be done.”

Jamie*, an events coordinator for Queer McGill (QM), told the Tribune in an email that while QM has not had any cases such as Taylor’s come to their attention recently, the struggles that trans students face in dealing with the university’s administrative system have existed for years. Specifically, Jamie noted that the systems in place put trans students at risk of being deadnamed—that is, referring to a person by the name they had before they changed their name—which can remind the person of traumatic experiences and induce feelings of anxiety and depression.

“Students often have issues where they are deadnamed in a variety of locations, such as when logging into MyCourses, accessing through Shibboleth, and others,” Jamie wrote. “McGill has made some small concessions to us, such as changing emails from alias emails to legitimate emails, but that is simply not enough for students.”

Taylor views the obstacles that they are facing as less of a problem on Minerva’s part, and more of a problem from McGill, whose actions and policies, in Taylor’s opinion, are behind the times and harmful for trans students.

“Being transgender in Montreal, and particularly at McGill, is quite isolating,” Taylor wrote. “There are groups and activities here or there, but nothing concrete that could help guide trans students through this process.”

SSMU’s gender and sexuality commissioner Grey Cooper underscored that transphobia is still very present at McGill. 

“There are still frequent issues for students in regards to getting their names respected and used, being gendered correctly, and being able to navigate classes in a way that does not misgender them,” Cooper wrote in an email to the Tribune. “More options and ease in the access of name changes, medical support, and mental health support for trans students who have dealt with traumatic interactions due to transphobia, would help improve McGill for the trans community.”

Transgender students and other members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ can find varying types of support on the Project10, Queer McGill, and the Union for Gender Empowerment websites. Students wishing to address struggles they have faced in the McGill community can contact the SSMU Gender and Sexuality Advocacy Committee.

*Jamie’s name has been changed to preserve their anonymity.

Arts & Entertainment, Pop Rhetoric

The price of stardom: When your image is no longer yours

by Arian Kamel on

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A little over a week ago, a video surfaced of Kanye West, with the swagger of a man who left his sanity on the 2016 VMA stage, confronting a member of the paparazzi. This isn’t a change of pace for Kanye—the man confronts the paparazzi as often as I miss my 8:30 lectures—but he does bring up an important point on image ownership. 

“You guys can follow us, you can stand outside our hotel at any given time, but you don’t give us any percentage of what you’re making off us, off our kids, and I’m going to change that,” West vowed to the photographer. 

The paparazzo didn’t disagree. He did, however, say that celebrities needed the paparazzi—without them, the stars’ histories would be all but forgotten. 

There is an element of truth to this considering that gossip tabloids shape and cement the lives of celebrities in the public eye, keeping them relevant and wealthy—but it’s also not all it’s chalked up to be. For every celebrity’s career the paparazzi’s press might forge, a dozen more lie in ruins, from ousting celebrities still in the closet to scrutinizing marriages till they crumble—and in the case of Princess Diana, ending lives. All of this, in pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Kanye isn’t alone in his outrage over the use of his image, with more and more celebrities voicing their frustration in recent years. Take Ariana Grande, who posted a paparazzi photo of herself repping her merch on a night out, only to get sued by the paparazzo not once, but twice for copyright infringement. 50 Cent, Jessica Simpson, Liam Hemsworth—the list of celebrity lawsuits goes on and on, each for posting paparazzi photos of themselves on Instagram. Lisa Rinna, best known for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, is currently fighting back against a $1.2-million lawsuit after posting paparazzi photos of her and her daughters—but she is the exception rather than the rule. Most of these cases end in settlements, since it’s often cheaper to settle than wrack up legal fees.

Model Gigi Hadid’s case is especially interesting, as her lawyers have argued that her photo was “fair use” due to her pose and choice of outfit, making her a contributor to the piece. Still, the case never set legal precedence as it was dismissed before going to trial, the paparazzi agency having only filed their copyright after the lawsuit.

Despite holding an appeal only rivaled by pharmaceutical executives, the paparazzi seem to have the law on their side. The press can publish photos of public figures without their permission; this right is a benchmark of journalism that allows us to stay informed. Yet I fail to understand where celebrities, as public figures, fit into this, especially when it concerns tabloids. Why is the entertainment of the public a necessity when it means treating stars’ private lives like public commodities? This lack of restriction, in tandem with copyright laws, places paparazzi under the same jurisdiction as wildlife photographers.

It is only right that a studio photographer profits when others use their photo, but their models are consenting and compensated. Celebrities, on the other hand, are neither. When it comes to “entertainment”-based press, photographed subjects should have some level of control over the use and profit of their image, because as celebrities, they are their own brand. The tabloids need to realize the difference between celebrities and the action figures that they inspire.

Commentary, Opinion

Groundhog day: Climate change’s age-old scapegoat

by Courtney Squires on

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Groundhog Day, a tradition dating back to the late 19th century, has long provided respite from many long winter months. Moving from candles, to hedgehogs, and finally, to groundhogs, the holiday has gone through many transformations. Yet predicting the weather has remained its steady focus. On Feb. 2, the possibility of these -20 degree days stretching on for six more weeks will be determined by none other than Phil, the groundhog from Western Pennsylvania, whose full name is actually Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather-Prophet Extraordinary. While the prophetic power of Phil provides a fun start to February, it indirectly dismisses the progressive warming of the Earth due to climate change. 

As the tradition goes, if the groundhog sees his shadow on Feb. 2, then we can expect six more weeks of winter, but if not, then spring weather is just around the corner. However, though Phil has been forecasting since 1887, he has just a 39 per cent accuracy rate––less than the roughly 50 percent odds you would get if you flipped a coin. This holiday is largely based on tradition, rather than lore like many others, its purpose is increasingly muddled and fragmented throughout the years. It is also simply not well known, and even if known, not well understood. It turns out that determining whether Phil sees his shadow or not is actually just based off whether or not he casts a shadow at all, rather than whether he catches sight of it. Traditions themselves can be problematic, as they are often stubborn to change, at the expense of modern issues. Climate change is not linear, but exponential, so despite Groundhog Day being a cute tradition, society has outgrown the need for a meteorological scapegoat. 

Over the past 70 years, higher summer temperatures have been arriving earlier and bleeding into autumnal months because of the cumulative warming effects of climate change. Just last summer, there was a heat wave across North America, with Lytton, a small town in British Columbia burning to the ground after being ravaged by forest fires. Shattering Canada’s previous heat record, the temperatures reached a scorching 47.9 C degrees Celsius. Effects were also felt here in Montreal, with humidex values skyrocketing to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius and nights providing little to no relief from the uncomfortable heat and humidity. Phil provides a distraction for many who refuse to face the realities of climate change, of why bikini season has become increasingly prolonged. It is no secret that temperatures are rising and extreme weather events are increasing in severity and number across the globe. But rather than blaming an early summer on a groundhog, we need to address the real problem. 

So while this holiday might seem like a harmless way to raise spirits and optimism during the seemingly endless cold months, in a world filled with performative activism, keeping Groundhog Day on calendars emphasizes a holiday that bears little cultural significance today that no one understands nor celebrates. The human desire to find an answer for everything finds temporary relief in holidays like this—succumbing to an external locus of control and letting someone, or something, else take the blame. But humans, alone, are responsible for the worsening effects of climate change, on both individual and industrial levels. Simple and dismissive explanations, like letting Phil take the fall for an early spring, are what the fast-paced world of social media thrives on. 

It is easier to enjoy spring when we can accredit it to the prophetic powers of Phil, rather than the exponentially worsening effects of global warming. We have reached a point where we can no longer be passive in the face of climate change: It affects each and every one of us, and we must be proactive. By the end of the century, summers could be six months long, and that’s not groundhog’s fault. It’s ours. 

Arts & Entertainment, Music, Pop Rhetoric

Concept albums and the problem with defining subjective terms

by Henry Olsen on

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Albums come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, with each crafted with different aims in mind. In 1973, Pink Floyd released their monumental album The Dark Side of the Moon, a progressive rock masterpiece and one of the most acclaimed albums of the decade. But Dark Side was more than just a collection of tracks; overtime, it has become known as a quintessential concept album. 

A concept album is commonly understood as an album with tracks whose meanings are oriented around specific themes and ideas. In The Dark Side of the Moon, for example, each song represents a different aspect of an unfulfilled life; the track “Time” highlights people’s wasted years, while the track “Brain Damage” focusses on insanity. The Dark Side of the Moon may appear to be a fairly clear example of a concept album, as its tracks are interwoven with the theme of the “dark side” of life. However,  the definition of these types of albums is actually quite tentative, loosely applied, and relatively subjective. Attempting to define exactly what a concept album is with one concrete paradigm is rather counterintuitive.

Take, for instance, Metallica’s Master of Puppets: Each track represents various destructive activities, ranging from drug abuse to war. The binding theme that ties each track together is the lack of control one feels over their life when caught in a cycle of despair. Yet popular music magazines, such as Classic Rock, do not list the album among other great concept albums, with no definitive reason as to why. If Master of Puppets is not a concept album, then the criteria for calling an album one must be more restrictive than the broad definition of unified themes and coordinated, meaningful songs. 

One way to narrow the definition is to specify that the songs have to form a narrative, and that the album’s meaning is best understood when all of the songs are considered together. Similar to the last definition, this framework adds a storyline element, which would explain why Master of Puppets, a meaningful album that lacks a “plot,” is not generally considered to be a concept album.

However, this definition may be too constraining. While it can accurately describe some examples, such as Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, it would exclude what some people consider the first concept album: The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. With Sgt. Pepper’s, there is little thematic connection and overall narrative between the songs to satisfy this definition. And though this has led some to deny it the status of a concept album, many still attribute the label to it. 

These conceptual problems beg an important Euthyphropic question: Is an album called a concept album because it is one, or is it a concept album because it is called one? 

This question, though clarifying the debate, is not easy to answer. There ought to be a reason to call something a concept album, but what should that reason be? In Platonic terms, what is the “form” of the concept album? When analyzing specific albums, such as Master of Puppets and Sgt. Pepper’s, it seems that there is no objective answer and no definite solution. 

Perhaps the debate itself is misleading. Does it really matter if someone thinks that Master of Puppets is not a concept album while The Dark Side of the Moon is? Nailing down the definition of a concept album is the wrong approach. Otherwise, albums would lose their subjective meaning in the face of a futile search for objectivity in music. To continue down this path may lead us to have to declare, in Nietzschean style, that the concept album is dead, and we have killed it. In other words, trying to force an inherent meaning upon a concept album goes against the personal nature of listening to music. 

The history of music is a wonderful and distinctly personal one; being stringent about labels should not be the way forward. 

McGill, News

#McGillOnStrike gains momentum as Law Students Association votes to strike

by Ghazal Azizi on

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The Social Work Student Association (SWSA) passed a motion to strike on Jan. 17 after McGill denied the faculty’s decision to continue online learning until Feb. 25. Since then, many other faculty student associations have followed suit, joining forces under the hashtag #McGillOnStrike to protest the timing of McGill’s reopening amid COVID-19 and the lack of accommodations offered to immunocompromised community members. 

On Jan. 25, the Education Graduate Student’s Society (EGSS) successfully passed a motion to extend their strike until Feb. 25 at a General Assembly (GA), with 71 in favour, 13 against, and 16 abstaining. Students taking part in the strike will attend all remote activities, but will withhold in-person participation until the administration complies with their demands. 

Though the initial resolution called for exclusively online classes, the motion was amended to demand a hybrid approach instead, which would give students the choice of attending classes virtually without penalty. Striking students also insist in the resolution that McGill provide safer learning conditions, such as supplying N95 masks and high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration. Additionally, EGSS members ask that instructors be given the option to teach online, independent of what the university had decided.

Emma McKay, a PhD candidate in education and one of the EGSS strike organizers, expressed skepticism over the administration’s handling of the Omicron variant, calling into question its decision to reopen. McKay explained that students pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (MATL)—the largest program in the Faculty of Education—are currently doing internships across Montreal that require them to come into close contact with students lacking sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE).

“Classes in that program […] are continuing online in accordance with the 20 per cent allotment of online classes and with instructors who heard about the strike,” McKay said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “But, if those classes were to follow McGill’s instructions, McGill would be doing something really dangerous and frankly immoral [by putting] many people in danger of contracting a harmful and possibly deadly virus.”

Bryan Buraga, U4 Arts & Science and 2019-2020 president of Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), has called on the Faculty of Arts to implement a hybrid learning system similar to that of the Winter 2021 semester. The Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) granted Buraga’s request to call a GA after he obtained the 200 signatures required to call an assembly. The meeting is scheduled for Feb. 2 where, if it reaches its 500 person strike quorum, attendees will vote on the motion to strike. 

Buraga expressed frustration with McGill’s continuous stifling of community efforts, such as their shutdown of the law students’ contact-tracing initiative or the School of Social Work’s decision to remain online. 

“[T]he top-down approach that the admin has been leaning on has shown it’s not working. It shows a lack of trust in community members […] but it also ignores the expertise in this university,” Buraga said in an interview with the Tribune. “If we don’t rely on our community members, who the admin continues to use whenever they put out their press releases about how prestigious McGill is, then what are we? I think with the actions that we’re taking in the next few days, it’s really going to start a discussion about who this university is really for.”

On Jan. 28, the Law Students Association (LSA) convened for a GA, after which a ballot was emailed to students to vote on whether to strike at the Faculty of Law. The motion passed with 56.6 per cent in favour of a strike, though instead of a general strike where students refuse to attend both online and in-person classes, LSA is on a targeted strike where students refrain only from attending in-person activities. 

Christopher Ciafro, 3L, who has been independently campaigning for a general strike at the Faculty of Law, shared Buraga’s comments about McGill’s lack of consultation with the student body.  

“We are seen more as consumers and not as contributing members to a greater university society,” Ciafro said. “You see that in the language, I think, from some of the administration who are denouncing strike actions, saying it’s a boycott. Well, if it is a boycott, what does that mean of how you see us? It’s a strike because there’s labour that goes into being a student. We’re contributing to the academic success of the university.”

Formula One, Sports

Looking back on a high-octane Formula One season

by Zoé Mineret on

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The 2021 Formula One season will go down in history as one of the most memorable seasons the sport has ever witnessed, featuring a riveting rivalry, thrilling races, and surprising podium results. Formula One fans around the world held their breath watching a season where the only certainty was that anything could happen.

George Russell’s front row qualification and first podium

On Aug. 28, 2021 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix, Williams driver George Russell completed a fantastic Q3 lap that earned him a front-row start in P2. His spectacular qualification came as a result of calculated decisions made by the team and his excellent knowledge of his car’s abilities.

On Aug. 29, terrible weather conditions made the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix the shortest race ever in the history of Formula One. The drivers drove two laps under the safety car and a final lap that ended with a red flag, marking the end of the race. The results were taken from lap one, earning Russell a second-place finish and his first podium in Formula One.

This result highlighted Russell’s potential for success in a stronger car than the Williams, which falls short in comparison to cars developed by Mercedes or Redbull Racing. Not even two weeks later, Mercedes announced that Russell was set to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton as part of the team. This sparked excitement amongst Formula One fans, such as Samuel Nidelli, U1 Engineering, who is looking forward to the start of a new Mercedes driver pairing, noting Hamilton’s long history with the team.

“I’m really happy to see George Russell in a Mercedes seat,” Nidelli said. “I feel like [he] and Hamilton will have some great battles and Hamilton will be able to mentor Russell and make him into the driver he was always meant to be.”

Kimi Raikkonen’s retirement 

The 2021 season also saw the departure of Formula One legend Kimi Raikkonen, who chose to retire after his 349th Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. The former world champion, known across the grid for his level-headed and cool approach to racing, which earned him the nickname “Iceman,” will be dearly missed by fans. Samuel Jachir, U2 Arts, had hoped to see Raikkonen win some races in his final season.

“I’m very fond of Kimi Raikkonen and the child in me was kind of hoping that he would surprise me,” Jachir said. “But with an Alfa Romeo, it is not surprising that he only managed to score 10 points.”

The Verstappen and Hamilton rivalry

The most memorable motif of the 2021 season was undeniably the rivalry between Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull racer Max Verstappen. Throughout the season, the two made exciting and sometimes dangerous decisions in the hopes of gaining a championship lead. This rivalry had some fans, like U2 Arts student Maya Sorguc, on the edge of their seats.

“Compared to the seasons before, it was much more exciting because of the intense competition between Hamilton and Verstappen,” Sorguc said. “The viewers were divided into two groups, which made it more fun to watch or talk about it with friends.”

Throughout the season, risky maneuvers led to both drivers colliding or being penalized during certain races, with Hamilton denouncing Verstappen’s driving as dangerous. Nevertheless, both drivers arrived at the last race in Abu Dhabi tied for points, meaning that the championship winner would be decided by whoever passed the checkered flag first. Verstappen overtook Hamilton in the final lap after a safety car procedure change, which allowed racing to resume for the very last lap instead of finishing under a speed limit. The FIA’s additional decision to allow Verstappen to start immediately behind Hamilton, despite originally having to lap several other drivers, presented the Dutch racer a final chance at victory, which he then seized. 

After seven seasons in the sport, Dutchman Max Verstappen became one of the youngest world champions ever, at only 24 years old. This win was highly controversial, as Hamilton had an advantage over Verstappen the entire race. Commentators and fans alike criticized the FIA’s sudden rule change for not accounting for Hamilton’s lengthy advantage. As of today, Hamilton has not commented or discussed the situation, but Mercedes’ boss Toto Wolff described Hamilton’s loss as a robbery. It will certainly be interesting to see the impact of this defeat on Hamilton’s racing in 2022.

McGill, Montreal, News

McGill administration, student groups hold vigil marking the fifth year since Quebec City mosque shooting

by Tess Pilkington on

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The Institute of Islamic Studies, the Muslim Students Association (MSA), and McGill’s Associate Provost (Equity & Academic Policies) Angela Campbell held a remote vigil on Jan. 28 to commemorate the six lives lost in the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting. This year marks McGill’s first commemoration of the tragedy since the federal government declared in 2021 that Jan. 29 would officially become a national day of remembrance for the victims.

Ehab Lotayef, a founding member of Muslim Awareness Week (MAW), introduced the speakers at the vigil. This year, MAW had events in Montreal as well as Gatineau, Sherbrooke, and Quebec City. Lotayef hopes that running an informative and open MAW will help reduce the rise of Islamophobia.

​​”The goal of [MAW] is really to take the issue of ignorance and fear that led to what happened in Quebec City, to deal with it in a core way, and that core way in our belief is to have people […] know [more] about the Muslim community,” Lotayef said.

McGill’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier began the vigil by recognizing the importance of honouring those lost and acknowledging the necessity of fighting discrimination in the McGill community.

“This tragic anniversary also reminds us of the need to reaffirm in our own community at McGill our ongoing commitment to the values of mutual respect and inclusion, and ensure that we all live up to these values,” Fortier said.

Also present at the commemmoration was Alia Hassan-Cournol, the first Arab woman with a Muslim and Christian background to sit on the Council of Montreal. Hassan-Cournol urged McGill students to get directly involved in activism resisting Islamophobia. 

“I want you guys to remember to continue on acting, to continue on being involved in politics, in your communities, in your associations, because that’s exactly what we need right now,” Hassan-Cournol said.

McGill students then took turns reading the names and honouring the lives of the victims of the shooting: Ibrahima Barry, 39, Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42, Khaled Belkacemi, 60, Aboubaker Thabti, 44, Abdelkrim Hassane, 41, and Azzedine Soufiane, 57.

Michelle Hartman, director of the McGill Institute of Islamic Studies, described the institute as a space for Muslims and non-Muslims alike to share in the research, teaching, learning, and sharing of Islam in Quebec and internationally.

“The impact of the tragedy, we have to remember, is felt not just on January 29, once a year, but all year round,” Hartman said. “The Institute of Islamic Studies continues our steadfast rejection of all forms of racism and Islamophobia and our commitment to fighting them in our local communities and beyond.”

In order to further the vigil’s discussion of Islamophobia, Sarah Abou-Bakr, this year’s recipient of the Centre culturel islamique de Québec (CCIQ) Memorial Award, spoke of her experience in combating discrimination. During the vigil, she recalled the moment she arrived at the CCIQ during an annual visit and saw a man teaching kids the Quran.

“One of the board members told me that this man [who was teaching] was shot in the stomach during the [Quebec City mosque] attack, but he made it,” Abou-Bakr said. “I think that this is a reminder that regardless of hate, we’re still here and we will be here spreading love and kindness no matter what. We will get back on our feet every single time.”

If you or someone you know if experiencing Islamophobia, support can be found at Association des musulmans et des arabes pour la laïcité au Québec (AMAL Quebec), Paroles de femmes, Justice Femme, and Lavoiedesfemmes, and the Islamophobia Legal Assistance Hotline at 604-343-3828.

In a previous version of this article stated that Sarah Abou-Bakr spoke to the Tribune in an interview. In fact, Abou-Bakr was not interviewed, her quote came from the speech she made at the vigil. The Tribune regrets this error.

McGill, News

Professor Debra Thompson on the ‘absented presence’ of Black communities in Canada

by Matthew Molinaro and Lily Cason on

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The African Studies Students’ Association of McGill (ASSA) hosted a talk by professor Debra Thompson on Jan. 27 titled “The Great White North: Blackness in Canada.” An associate professor in the political science department and Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies at McGill, Thompson spoke about the under-valued and often obscured history and contemporary politics of being Black in Canada—ideas also expanded on in her forthcoming Sept. 2022 book, The Long Road Home.

Thompson began her talk by providing historical context on the oft-forced Black migration to Canada, surfacing the names of some of the first Black people who were enslaved in the country. Olivier Le Jeune was the first person to be bought and sold in Canada in 1629. He was between six and nine years old.

Thompson explained that in examining Black experiences, it can be harmful and misleading to compare the histories of slavery and racism in the U.S. and Canada, as people tend to falsely perceive Canada’s history as less violent or significant.

“A lot of Canadians don’t know, or don’t like to admit, that slavery existed here and my sense is that it’s because, or at least partially because, of a spectre of American slavery,” Thompson said. “On the eve of the Civil War […], there were more Black folks enslaved in the U.S. than the population of Canada at the time.”

Thompson explained how, despite the diversity of Canada’s Black communities, the flourishing tradition of Black Canadian scholarship can act as a unifying force in the fight against white supremacy. Canadian scholars use the oxymoronic term “absented presence” to describe how Canadian culture simultaneously attempts to erase Black Canada while relying on it to prove Canada’s supposed multiculturalism.

“There are active agents and there are active discourses […] which work together to give the impression that there are no Black people in Canada, that Blackness is recent, that we don’t really belong,” Thompson said. “We are interlopers on this great Canadian experiment, in the ‘Great White North.’ The ‘presence’ part of ‘absented presence’ […] talks about the ways that so many narratives of Canadian identity depend on our existence, even as they erase us.” 

In the context of Quebec, Thompson noted the rampant appropriation of Black activist rhetoric in nationalist Francophone discourse. She pointed to Pierre Vallières’ infamous 1968 analysis of the Quebecois as the “white N-words” of America.

“White Francophones have often used the language of Black freedom struggles to describe their own conflict with Anglophone Canada and it is so problematic,” Thompson said. “There are literally Black people in Canada, in Montreal, fighting […] rampant anti-Black racism […] without any kind of platform to counter the appropriation of this language, this anti-colonial, Black, freedom struggle language that white Francophones have essentially stolen and used as their own.”

ASSA co-president Leïla Ahouman, BA ‘21, and vice-president Academic Laïka Decelles, U3 Arts, spoke to The McGill Tribune after the event, explaining that the ASSA works to emphasize and spotlight Black academia. The pair highlighted Uhuru—the McGill Journal of African Studies—and discussed the importance of Black student-faculty relationships.

“It’s the connection between professors and students that’s missing,” Ahouman said. “And being of African descent [or] from the diaspora, what’s difficult is we rarely, if ever, have the chance to learn from our own. This is very sad because we are often faced with perspectives of our own lives, of our own peoples, from people outside of our cultures, and things being said are not always respectful.”

Decelles added that she believes the ASSA plays a vital role beyond the McGill community as well, acknowledging that universities tend to discount and overlook Black scholarship.

“One important point to highlight is to have Black bodies and academia together,” Decelles said. “There’s this long history of being secluded and marginalized and put aside. I think that the ASSA is just great for its members that it’s representing, but also […] it offers a platform in Montreal for others to be able to see Black scholars share their thoughts.”

Student Life

Women in law panel highlights versatility and resiliency in law

by Erika MacKenzie on

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McGill Women In Leadership (MWIL) and the McGill Pre-Law Students’ Society (MPLSS) joined forces on Jan. 26 to host a panel about women in law featuring prominent lawyers and legal scholars from across Canada. During the event, panellists discussed the proudest moments of their careers, the challenges of being a woman in law, and the advice they would offer to future lawyers in the audience. 

MWIL’s vice-president (VP) Events, Lis Riveros, U1 Arts, sat down with the Tribune to discuss the motivation behind this event and the importance of connecting future lawyers with other women in the field. 

“Between me and the VP Events for McGill Pre-Law, we agreed that in order for women to advocate for themselves and move their careers forward, they can’t succeed by doing it alone,” Riveros said. “The idea of being able to succeed in law and having the ability, competence, and eventual affluence of being a lawyer are usually tied to those who are not women.”

The panel featured a diverse range of women in law, including a business owner and practicing criminal defense lawyer, a corporate lawyer, an entertainment lawyer, and a legal scholar. Riveros explained that holding the panel remotely actually enhanced the event because it allowed for more diversity in the speakers they brought in. 

“If we did the law panel in person, we could only do Montreal lawyers,” Riveros said. “Zoom and online events give endless opportunities and creativity.”

Riveros highlighted that the goal of this year’s event was to emphasise versatility in law. When planning, it was important for MWIL and MPLSS to include women who were extending the boundaries of their law degree.

For instance, panellist Jordana Goldlist, criminal lawyer and owner of JHG Criminal Law, studied civil litigation before switching to criminal law and eventually starting her own company. 

“My biggest accomplishment is my business overall,” Goldlist said. “After five years [at a criminal law firm], I wanted to do things differently. I left on a leap of faith and started my own practice in 2015. I’ve grown a fantastic practice, a great reputation, and it’s nothing but hard work and dedication.” 

The speakers were also candid about the ugly side of law and the gender bias that follows many women in the legal field. 

Sarit Batner, a corporate lawyer at McCarthy Tétrault in Toronto highlighted how challenging it is for women in law to get their foot in the door. 

“The list of challenges that women have to face in law […] is great and long, and if you’re a racialized woman you can add layers to that. What I was most surprised by were lines of referral. You come into law expecting that there’s no gender difference. However, the client sources are still men, the networks are still men, and being excellent is super helpful, […] but [it’s] often not enough.”

Despite the obstacles they have had to overcome throughout their careers, the panel emphasized to the audience that there is great potential to make positive institutional change with a law degree. 

Professor Priya S. Gupta at the McGill Faculty of Law explained that the law gave her the knowledge and leverage to address the issues she is most passionate about. 

“One of the things I loved [about law school] was how it could teach you to engage in the world, through all these different fields and all these different modes. When you have the things you’re interested in […] the law gives you the profession that allows you to make those changes in the world.” 

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