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So, uh, let’s get started

by Gabe Nisker on

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The hallowed aisles of Leacock 132 are almost a rite of passage for undergraduate students. The massive 601-seat lecture hall can often feel humid and sticky, and there’s occasionally a rat to be found. It’s usually the home of prerequisite lectures, and, thus its atmosphere isn’t often defined by its occupants’ enthusiasm.

The CAQ’s anti immigration policy at McGill
Commentary, Opinion

The CAQ’s anti-immigration policy at McGill

by Lucas Bird on

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On Oct. 1, the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) lead by François Legault defeated the incumbent Liberal Party of the Quebec government. This result is a significant and historic win for the CAQ, disrupting nearly two decades of Liberal political dominance in Quebec on a controversial campaign platform. One of the party’s most contentious policies concerns immigration: The CAQ aspires to decrease the annual quota of immigrants entering Quebec by 20 per cent. In addition, they have advocated for establishing a values-and-language test to qualify for immigration and proposed expulsion for those unable to pass within three years. The party has proposed Ottawa as an option for relocating those expelled. It’s difficult to theorize how these policies might materialize, since the CAQ leadership is only in its infancy. Regardless, the party’s discourse on immigration sends a distressing message to prospective McGill students and the international community at large.

Legault’s discussion of immigration policy has featured rhetoric that is staunchly pro-Francophone and supportive of a traditional Québécois identity, stating that the CAQ does not want Quebec citizens who do not accept ‘Quebec values’ or who neglect to learn French. This policy is the product of nationalist dogma that demonizes immigrants as diluting an ideally pure laine—meaning exclusively French-Canadian—population. This standard denies immigrants the opportunity to partake in and contribute to the diversity that Quebec has to offer. For the government to refuse an individual their immigration status because they do not fit a narrow conception of the optimal demographic is both startlingly populist and dangerously ethnocentric.

While the CAQ’s immigration policy poses problems for the province at large, it could have specific and unique effects on McGill students. The university saw its highest number of international students on record enter the school this past academic year. It’s unclear whether this legislation would have a direct effect on McGill, as it is possible that international applicants would be protected by student permits. However, the public image that this political narrative presents is one of Quebec as an inaccessible and intolerant environment for immigrating students. Coming to Montreal, a massive and at times overwhelming city, to attend university is already an intimidating undertaking for an international student. Political rhetoric that paints immigrants as undesirable to the province gives international students an additional reason to look for alternatives to McGill.

Legault’s proposed policy may not affect international students during their studies at McGill, but it certainly would affect their ability to live and work in Quebec after the completion of their degree. McGill is an institution that produces intellectual, progressive, and valuable individuals who contribute both to Quebec’s workforce and its society. The language and value tests Legault proposes are a misguided attempt to preserve French culture and linguistic traditions that are not endangered, but more importantly, they are an incentive for international graduates to take their skills elsewhere upon graduation.  

For better or worse, the CAQ’s victory is a pivotal moment in Quebec politics; it remains to be seen whether this will be the case for McGill, as well. If Legault’s immigration policy becomes legislative gospel, then Quebec sends a message of ethnocentrism and xenophobia to the international community. As students of an accepting and cosmopolitan institution, we should not be bystanders to policies that lay their foundation in such archaic ideology. It is imperative that we take whatever steps necessary, whether in the voting booth or in our public messaging, to make sure that everyone knows they are welcome at McGill.

Identities should elicit conversations, not end them
Off the Board, Opinion

Identities should start conversations, not end them

by Gabriel Helfant on

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Being Israeli is something that I keep to myself at McGill. After returning to school this September, my peers often asked what I did over the summer. I told them that I had been travelling, but omitted that I had actually staffed a trip that took Jewish-Canadian 17-year-olds to Israel. I wasn’t willing to share my summer whereabouts—not because of my own sentiments about Israel, but because I anticipated negative responses from other students.

It is safe to say that many students at McGill have some kind of relationship with Israel, either positive or negative. Having been born in Haifa, I have a personal relationship with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When I was two years old, my family decided it would be best that we move to Canada because, among other things, a wave of violence threatened the city in which we lived. When we immigrated, the Jewish community that welcomed us on the other side of the Atlantic often told my family that most instances of anti-Israel sentiment were really just attacks on Jewish people. This insinuation made my Israeli identity inseparable from my Jewish one, and, thus, discourse involving the topic of Israel also involved my religion.

It was not until I was older that I realized that if I coupled my personal identity so strongly with an international conflict, it would make things extremely difficult.

When my 17-year-old self participated in the same summer trip I chaperoned this year, I quickly realized that those who live in the region don’t have the privilege of being able to separate identity from conflict. Living in a society full of the daily reminders of war and violence suffocates positive dialogue between groups.

Those with Zionist or Palestinian identities are not always confined to the borders of the Middle East. As a result, heated exchanges tend to occur, even within a context as peaceful as Canada. But, by living here, we have the privilege of being able to take a step back from the conflict and discuss it in a more clear-headed way. We can use empathy to understand the perspectives of others and construct a more inclusive narrative that is not just consistent with our own identities.

This is not to say that we should forget our personal experiences to foster a better dialogue; I realize that the conflict is far more complex than my connections to or understanding of it. My ability to discuss international conflict is hindered when an emotional connection to it becomes the most relevant reference point.

When in Israel this summer, I ran a critical-thinking workshop for the teenage participants. I asked them to read articles and learn about perspectives that were contrary to what they understood and knew. I wasn’t asking them to forget their own connections and embrace someone else’s, but simply that they engage with the narratives that others carry with them. If hormonal teenagers can inform their own convictions, so can we.

Many of them have grown up in an environment similar to mine, surrounding themselves with perspectives and opinions which mirror their own. We tend to affiliate ourselves with friends, peers, and coworkers with whom we agree: It requires an active effort to engage with those we don’t.

The best scenario that I can foresee is one in which our identities spark conversations, but the presence of a foreign opinion does not end them. It may seem trivial to teach university students the power of empathy, but, when we are so enthralled by our own connections, we may benefit from a reminder that other perspectives are worth considering.

With rising temperatures come rising tension, especially for Montreal’s youth
Commentary, Opinion

With rising temperatures come rising tension, especially for Montreal’s youth

by Anna Nuechterlein on

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On Oct. 6, protesters flooded downtown Montreal and Centre-Sud to voice their frustrations with Premier-designate François Legault’s weak stance on environmental issues. Legault is facing immense backlash regarding his plans to further Hydro-Québec development, his support of fossil fuel exploitation in Quebec, and his overall indifference toward the pressing topic of climate change. This protest should inspire the youth of Montreal, including McGill students, to join the fight against policy-makers whose decisions threaten the planet’s future.

The hundreds of protestors could not have acted at a more appropriate time: Less than 48 hours after the manifestation, as if to confirm protestors’ frustrations, The Guardian released an article warning that only 12 years remain to limit the devastating effects of climate change. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report stresses that if the global average temperature increase is not held between 1.5 and two degrees celsius within this period, major natural disasters, unprecedented mass extinctions, and increased poverty for hundreds of millions are anticipated in the coming decades.

Rising global temperatures can only be constrained with the support and effort of governments. Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change, a consensus study report by the National Academies Press, suggests tangible ways in which governments can create smart and sustainable policies. For example, it suggests that governments consider ‘mainstreaming’ the concept of climate change adaptation into current government programs, as the Canadian federal government has done since 2011. In addition, focus should shift toward the implementation of climate-resilient systems in all public works. This would mean building a resilient framework for land use planning; sustainable water, energy, and wastewater systems; improved public transportation, and infrastructure. Communities must continue to pressure policy-makers to effect change, as reformation is required at a structural level.

Climate change is a particularly-pertinent topic for young people, whose lifetimes will endure the brunt of its disastrous implications. Youth and students are at the dawn of their formative years of social and political engagement. Voting with environmental factors in mind, becoming more educated on the topic of climate change, and even joining protests and activist groups to influence policy-makers should be the take-home message from Montreal’s protest of the CAQ government. The more informed today’s youth is about the necessity of government-led action, the louder their voices will resound.

McGill has a myriad of pro-sustainability groups and initiatives. Examples like Greening McGill and the Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) Environment Committee promote activism and awareness of environmental issues on campus. Groups like Gorilla Composting on Macdonald Campus, provide composting services to students. These student-led groups offer the chance to become more familiar with sustainable practices and policies. They also facilitate engagement in activism on campus and in Montreal with the support of peers. Whether it’s joining a student group or joining a protest, any form of activism contributes to the greater good.

Montreal’s protest for better environmental policy is an important step in the right direction. With 12 years remaining to limit global warming before it causes irreversible damage, it has never been more important for young people to pressure policy-makers into prioritizing this issue. The time to join a student-club, make sustainable lifestyle choices, cast an educated vote, and, most importantly, push back against government action that negatively affects our futures, is now. 

Science & Technology

Canada’s lasting legacy of space exploration

by Kate Lord on

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Space travel doesn’t normally fall within the purview of the Ministry of Transportation, but, in Oct. 1984, current Minister of Transport Marc Garneau became the first Canadian to view his home from inside a spacecraft. Since his initial trip, Garneau has spent much of his professional life commemorating the unique contributions of Canadians in space.

The federal government’s Science Literacy Week is an annual celebration of outstanding Canadian scientists; this year, as part of the festivities, Garneau was the special guest at a workshop held by Kids Code Jeunesse on Sept. 23. In addition to answering questions on an astronaut’s food and bathroom options in zero gravity—there aren’t many—the Minister sat down with The McGill Tribune to discuss why Canadians should care about space.

When Canada launched Alouette I in 1962, a satellite designed to monitor the Earth’s upper atmosphere, it officially entered the space age behind only the United States and the Soviet Union. Revolutionary for its time, the Canadian technology used for Alouette I was crucial to the Gemini and Apollo missions of the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

“Canada actually built the satellite […], and we asked our neighbours, the Americans, to launch it,” Garneau said. “We agreed to share all of the data […] and, since then, we have pioneered a lot of different areas.”

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA), established in 1989, is the leading voice for space science and exploration in Canada. As President of the CSA from 2001 to 2006, Garneau was integral to strengthening Canada’s voice on the astronomical stage.

“[The CSA] continues to accomplish its main mission, which is to not only […focus on] future projects involving humans, but also the more scientific aspect [where] we put instruments in space,” Garneau said.

For example, OSIRIS-REx is a NASA-headed spacecraft currently hurtling towards an asteroid to take samples; integral to the mission is the CSA-built lidar, an instrument that uses infrared light to measure distances.

“This lidar is going to make a 3D map of the asteroid and that will help establish when [OSIRIS-REx] will go and get a chunk of the asteroid to bring it back to Earth,” Garneau said. “So, we participate in a lot of missions where we contribute instruments that are crucial.”

Canada’s valuable collaborations on non-Canadian missions are important because, in a scientific trade-off, everyone comes away with better data and, ultimately, more knowledge than could be obtained alone.

“We’re going to be on the James Webb space telescope, the successor to the Hubble space telescope,” Garneau said. “When that launches, because we’ve contributed two instruments to it, our astronomers will have the use of this incredible telescope that will help us to learn about the creation of the universe [….] This is exciting stuff, and we want Canadians to have a chance to take part.”

Just as the CSA is a merger of government and science, Garneau himself has become an important figure in both government and scientific communities. Having lead a successful career as an astronaut and engineer before becoming a politician and serving in the current Liberal government as Minister of Transport, Garneau has experienced the advantages of both realms.

“When I was an astronaut and President of the CSA, […] I dealt with the Laws of Physics, [which] you can’t change, you have to work with them,” Garneau said. “When you’re a politician, you’re not working with the Laws of Physics, you’re working with people, and, so, […] your values as a politician come into play. Values don’t come in to play when you’re building space crafts.”

A switch from science to politics might not be immediately intuitive, but Garneau found entering government with a broader perspective to be extremely valuable.

“The way I approach [politics] is helped by my engineering,” Garneau said.  “I believe we don’t want to have 338 engineers running the country, but we do want to have more because I think they’re very rigorous and logical which is important [when] creating programs.”

Creative, Word on the Y

Word on the Y: Does McGill care about your mental health?

by Bilal Virji on

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The question of student’s mental health has dominated discourse for the last year. The Tribune’s Multimedia team take to the Y to discuss students’ perception of McGill’s reactions to the ongoing mental health crisis across Canadian Universities.

Video by Bilal Virji

Hosted by Tristan Surman

Baseball, Men's Varsity, Sports

McGill baseball wins division championship

by Alden Tabac on

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The McGill Redmen (13-3) and the visiting Carleton Ravens (12-4) each won a game in their conference-championship-opening doubleheader on Oct. 13. McGill lost the first game 7-3 after holding the lead for the first six innings, while fifth-year pitcher Rocky Hroch’s five-inning no-hitter led the Redmen to an 11-0 mercy rule victory in game two.

McGill got on the board in the first inning of game one thanks to an errant throw from the Carleton catcher that sailed over the second baseman’s head. In the following inning, third-year outfielder Sasha Lagarde delivered a timely double that brought home two runs to make it 3-0.

A controversial call highlighted the top of the third: Outfielder Jonathan Duforest made a spectacular catch running backwards and then falling over, but the umpire ruled that Duforest had dropped the ball when he fell. McGill’s home crowd did not seem to agree with the umpire, but the call stood, leading to two Carleton runs.

Redmen starting pitcher Sam Greene threw a solid six-inning outing, allowing those two runs and striking out six Ravens. In the seventh inning, fourth-year relief pitcher Henry Dennis replaced Greene and subsequently gave up a three-run homerun that put Carleton up 5-3. The Ravens tacked on two more runs and then shut down the Redmen in the bottom of the seventh.

McGill’s frustration was summed up by Sasha Lagarde’s seventh inning at-bat, from which he was ejected after arguing balls and strikes with the umpire. General Manager Jason Starr, too, was ejected after he came out to defend his player.

Following their initial loss, the Redmen shifted their focus to the importance of the next two games in the series, both of which they must win in order to claim the conference title.

“We’ve got to take the next two games one at a time,” Redmen Head Coach Casey Auerbach said after the first game. “We have to worry about winning the next game first [before worrying about the deciding game three].”

Despite the loss, the team remained optimistic heading into the second game.

“A lot of things didn’t go the way we wanted them to go,” relief pitcher Bobby Finnie said. “But, we are resilient. We’ll fight back. Same thing happened last weekend, and we came out and killed [Universite de Montreal] the second game.”

The Redmen subsequently turned those words into action: They clobbered Carleton with an 11-0 mercy-rule victory.

After Jared Kersh walked with the bases loaded to score a run, Duforest collected two runs batted in with a single to centrefield in the second inning to make it 3-0. Emerson Dohm and Michael O’Toole took back-to-back walks to bring in a run for the Redmen, and Dominic DeFelice singled to score yet another run. McGill put up seven runs in that second inning, giving starter Rocky Hroch a comfortable lead going into the third.

With an 11-0 lead heading into the top of the fifth, Hroch could allow only one run in order to secure the mercy rule victory for the Redmen. The starter went above and beyond, inducing three consecutive groundouts to claim the victory and his second career no-hitter.

The Redmen beat the Ravens 7-4 in Ottawa on Oct. 14 to take the series and claim their fifth consecutive divisional title. Both the Redmen and the Ravens have an automatic berth into the national championship playoffs which begin on Oct. 19.

Moment of the games

Redmen game-two-starter Rocky Hroch forced a groundout to end game two and complete five innings without allowing a hit.

Quotable

“It’s very possible that we play [Carleton] in the national championships. It happened last year. We played them in the conference final, and then in the national championship. They’re a good ball team. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens again.” – Redmen game one starting pitcher Sam Greene

Stat Corner

The Redmen walked nine times and collected 16 hits in the two games, contributing to a combined 14 runs scored for the day.

Science & Technology

Canada bans artificial trans fats from all foods

by Angelina Giordano on

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On Sept. 17, Canada made a leap in ameliorating the health of Canadians across the country by officially adding artificial trans fats to the List of Contaminants and other Adulterating Substances in Foods.

Trans fats are usually created by adding hydrogen molecules to liquid vegetable oils, turning them into a semi-solid state. This process is known as partial hydrogenation. The resulting trans fats can increase the shelf life of many foods while adding taste and texture.

Although they are commercially-viable for use in the food industry—particularly in the production of baked goods, margarine, and shortening—trans fats have been linked to chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.  According to Adriana de la Parra Sólomon, a MSc candidate in Human Nutrition at McGill, although trans fats should only make up a small percentage of our diets, their commercial production has greatly increased our intake past its natural limit.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, annually, trans-fats lead to 500,000 deaths globally due to their role in cardiovascular disease.  

“The problem with trans fats is that they make food more palatable, sometimes a little too [palatable], which may drive over-consumption,” André Portella, a postdoctoral fellow in Nutrition and Neuroscience said. “In this particular situation, we have a deadly combination [of] overconsumption of an unhealthy component [in the over-consumed food].”

While prohibiting artificial trans fats in Canadian products is a positive improvement for the health sector, enacting the ban is not a novel idea. The Task Force on Trans Fat recommended that the Government of Canada enact laws to protect Canadians from trans fat health risks back in 2006. Meanwhile, Denmark became the first state to ban trans fats in 2003, with the list growing steadily to include countries such as Switzerland, the United States, and Thailand.

Portella believes a complex array of factors may have influenced the slow acceptance of the ban in Canada.

“[There was likely] a fear of imposing such a strong restriction,” Portella said. “Science is not something [that is] easy to digest. There is a lot of contradictory evidence […] even for the most certain knowledge [….] Another possibility is [… that] pressure from economic sectors that have something to lose with the ban.”

Nonetheless, although there is a two-year grace period and naturally occuring trans fats, such as those found in meat and dairy products in small traces, are still permitted, Canada is ahead of most countries in trans fat regulations, joining fewer than a dozen others.

Industries will keep looking elsewhere to find a replacement for trans fats, but that does not necessarily mean that the ban was a bad idea.

“There is no downside to eliminating trans fats,” Joe Schwarcz, director of the McGill Office for Science and Society states and author of ‘Stoned on Food,’ said. “Although replacements like coconut oil may not exactly be ‘healthy’, they are certainly not worse than the partially-hydrogenated fats.”

The increase in trans fat bans is due in part due to the release of a step-by-step guide by the World Health Organization (WHO), which explains how to eliminate them from the global food supply. This action has motivated Canada to take on the pressing issue of trans fat regulation and show the world that they are ready to move forward with protecting their citizens’ health.

Student Life

An open letter to Café Campus Tuesdays

by Sanchi Bhalla on

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Bonjour-hi mardi rétro,

How’ve you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while—probably since the night before my last midterm.

On behalf of Montreal’s student community, I would like to thank you. I am grateful for six-dollar pitchers and the ensuing nights that I don’t remember. Swinging and dancing to Footloose and Grease with all of my friends while subtly avoiding creepy CEGEP boys was a huge part of my first-year experience and taught me a valuable real-world lesson: If someone makes you uncomfortable, go hug your friend at the other side of the circle. I will definitely try this out the next time my boss screams at me.

While I know that none of your patrons were alive when the majority of the playlist came out, it still fills us with nostalgia. “Remember Flower Power?” I would yell at a fellow member of Generation Z over the deafening sounds of Good Vibrations. Ah, the ‘60s. As a left-leaning woman of colour, I’m sad that I wasn’t around to see North America in that period; I was truly born in the wrong time. Like most of the girls on your dance floor, I’m not like other girls–I’d much rather get down to John Travolta than Post Malone. You allowed me to express my quirkiness and individuality with all of my fellow Martlets, who also wear black sneakers and a cool crop top.

What truly makes my Café Campus experiences memorable is the crowd: A flock of dirty younguns vying for the “Sloppiest Kiss of the Year” award. Nonconsensual grinding, having a crossfaded New Rezian spill beer all over you, and being surprised, every single week, by the appearance of the ancient Café Campus man are what make you an intriguing rite of passage.

Naysayers will say that the playlist—even its order—hasn’t changed since your birth. I say, why ruin a good thing? Personally, I like knowing that I will rage to Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” at exactly midnight and that “Y.M.C.A.” means that it’s almost time to leave.

You’re no less Insta-worthy than any mosh pit at some ‘cooler’ venue. I don’t need live performances by screaming artists; instead, I can listen to Jacques St. Claire’s cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” while slipping around on the suspiciously-sticky floor.

When I think back on my time at McGill, I won’t be nostalgic for my classes, my friends, or Montreal. I’ll be nostalgic for twisting and shouting at my true home: Café Campus.

Love,

A fan who wants to dance with somebody.

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