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SSMU Legislative Council address resignation of VP External

by Nina Russell on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council met on Oct. 18 to address the resignation of the SSMU vice president (VP) external, Marina Cupido. Cupido resigned on Oct. 10 due to mental health concerns partially stemming from the heavy workload of the position. The position itself also fell under scrutiny, as the council discussed the appropriate use of executive social media platforms. The discussion was following Cupido’s controversial Facebook post on Oct. 2, which condemned the newly-elected Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ). Meeting lengths and the restructuring of SSMU’s fees were also up for debate.

Motion Regarding Responsible Representation

McGill Arts and Science Senator Bryan Buraga introduced a Motion Regarding Responsible Representation in response to Cupido’s now-deleted post. In the post, which was retracted on Oct. 11, Cupido criticized the CAQ’s “xenophobic, far-right” policies and discussed their implications for students at McGill. The motion, which was tabled at the previous Legislative Council meeting, recommended that SSMU remove the Facebook post and apologize. It also outlined steps for preventing and addressing such instances in the future. Under the motion, operators of SSMU social media accounts would have to ensure that social media posts represent the consensus of the Legislative Council or the Executive Committee, rather than just being matters of personal opinion.

Arts Representative Andrew Figueiredo asserted the importance of the motion in ensuring that the student body’s opinions are represented in student government.

“I think this motion requires that SSMU takes certain steps to be sure that its […] opinions are actually reflecting what is being said by the people who are in SSMU,” Figueiredo said. “I think that this doesn’t encumber [SSMU external communications] in any way, it just makes sure that our voices are being heard [….] It’s a motion that’s made from a place of wanting our student government to represent students, and I think that’s the least we can ask for.”

Vincent Mousseau, stand-in for the Social Work Representative, raised concerns that the motion would negatively impact SSMU’s ability to condemn oppressive policies and protect marginalized students.

“I feel like it’s very irresponsible to have a motion that’s going to stifle the expression of elected members of this student union,” Mousseau said. “We know [which policies will negatively affect our students], and we need to be naming them. We need to be critiquing them, and not just putting out [vaguely] worded statements that give some semblance that we’re willing to critique and [instead] actually [do] something concrete to stand up for our students. And in a larger sense, I think it’s important to understand the way that an amendment like this would appear to marginalized students, who are in need of [our support].”

Following an hour-and-a-half–long debate, the council voted against the motion, with 13 opposed, 10 in favour, and three abstentions.

Generative Discussion on VP External Position

The council discussed how to address the vacant VP External position. SSMU President Tre Mansdoerfer announced the SSMU executive board’s plan to redistribute the position’s duties among existing commissioners. While the idea of holding a by-election was mentioned, council decided that a new VP seven months into the year might not be cohesive with the team.

“We will not be running a by-election for the VP External role, [and, instead], we will be creating new student staff positions for the External portfolio to cover previous projects that were previously under the responsibility of the Vice President,” Mansdoerfer said. “As such, we will create a Francophone Affairs Commissioner position, a Sexual Violence Mobilization Advocacy Commissioner, [and] we will be doubling the hours of certain commissioners.”

Though some raised concerns regarding the increased workload for these commissioners, Mansdoerfer stated that a three-person advisory board would be established to offer institutional support and advice on matters specific to the role.

The next SSMU Legislative Council meeting will be held on Nov. 1 in McConnell Engineering Room 603.

Creative, Podcasts

The Curiosity Podcast | Episode 2: “Don’t Read the Comments”, exposing truths in our discourse

by Tristan Surman on

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This week on the Curiosity Podcast we discuss several important news stories regarding the Institute for Islamic Studies, the difference between Concordia and McGill, Queer History Month!

I talk to Sarah Segal-Lazar about her play “Don’t Read the Comments”, and how artists are shining a light on our discourse surrounding sexual violence. Lazar’s play uses subversive techniques to put the audience face to face with their own responsibility in our societal discussion.

By Tristan Surman

Commentary, Opinion

Deromanticizing academic passion

by Madeline Wilson on

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There’s a chance that you don’t have a passion. Or at least not one easily consolidated into an academic discipline. That’s okay. Countless others probably don’t either.

According to a study by researchers from Stanford University, use of the encouragement to simply ‘find your passion’ has increased in frequency in recent years. Many students have heard something similar before: “It’s okay that you don’t know what you want to do with your life yet! University is where you’ll find your passion.”

Often, the conversation doesn’t extend beyond this solitary, all-encompassing assurance. The grandiose idea that undecided or directionless students will serendipitously discover, or eventually develop, a true calling at university is pervasive. Although the saying is often a false promise, that doesn’t mean that the university experience as a whole can’t still serve as a pathway to fulfillment.

The primary implication of the find your passion mantra is that passion is a pre-existing entity, such as an academic discipline, with which students’ interests will inevitably line up. This isn’t always expected to be a perfect alignment—many political science students hate political theory. Still, those who advocate for the existence of a passion presuppose that students will resonate with a discipline in the specific way it has been packaged for academic consumption. The narrative presumes that at university, all students will find a natural or developed match. “Choose one (1) or more lifelong passions from the drop-down menu or bundle now to save big.”

The fallout from the ‘find your passion’ sentiment, then, is that it reinforces the impasse experienced by students who worry about their future. Those who don’t worry about their future are seen as lazy, unmotivated, and unrealistic. Those who do are keeners who don’t know how to enjoy the moment and who plan too far ahead. Everyone around these students jumps at the opportunity to reassure them that it’ll all work out.

This doesn’t mean, however, that attending university as a path to self-discovery is entirely useless. The idea that a passion is a single, pre-existing entity is outdated. Emphasis on acquiring an undeniable passion downplays the value of finding one or more activities or topics that bring personal fulfilment. You don’t have to be passionate about something to find it fulfilling. Instead of hastily adding that sociology minor, consider understanding the specific aspects of activities or subjects that motivate you to do them. For me, it’s an initiative that’s self-aware of its limits, which manifests itself in endeavours as obvious as satire and as removed as hiking. For others, this specific aspect may be helping those in need, environmentalism, working on a team, or editing writing for clarity. University as an institution is inaccessible in a wealth of ways, but it does lend access to a unique community and set of perspectives that extend beyond simply ‘get involved!’

Some people do have a passion, and that’s great. An under-acknowledged portion of students might not. But that’s not a reason to quit searching for fulfillment in a general sense. There’s a difference between resignation and acceptance, and only one of those allows you to move forward.

Features

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

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