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Out on the Town, Student Life

An afternoon at The Word: The history behind the Milton-Parc gem

by Albert Park on

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Over the course of their time at McGill, a large portion of students become familiar with The Word—a quaint bookstore located on Rue Milton. Even during its busiest hours, there is a special sense of serenity that emanates throughout the shop. A calm, coordinated silence embraces the room, and a warm light illuminates its dynamic window display. It is an ideal environment for patrons to explore its vast treasures: Hundreds and thousands of neatly lined books form an organized procession of the preserved works of Steinbeck, Frost, Locke, and countless other great minds.

The peaceful, homey feeling of the store traces back to its origins: The Word was officially founded by Adrian King-Edwards and Lucille Friesen in 1975. Before the establishment opened, the duo ran a bookstore out of their home.

“In 1973 to 1974, I lived […] in an apartment next door, it was a four and a half apartment,” King-Edwards recalled. “All the doors along the street looked the same. [Friesen and I] were running an underground bookstore in our living room, so we put a picture of George Bernard Shaw in the window, so people would know that’s [what we were doing]. The door would be unlocked and students from McGill would walk in and buy books out of our living room.”

The two ran the hidden bookstore for approximately a year and a half, also hosting activities, such as poetry readings for their visitors. During that time, King-Edwards and Friesen were looking for a place to expand the business.

“One morning I came out to walk the dog, and this place [which] was a Chinese laundry for 70 years, there was a sign on the door [of the building] saying ‘For Rent,’” King-Edwards said. “It was so obvious [what I should do], you didn’t even need to think about it. It’s a beautiful building, it’s perfect.”

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Today, the store is owned by King-Edwards and managed by his son Brendan King-Edwards. King-Edwards’ wife, Donna Jean-Louis, has worked at The Word for several years, and their assistant Scott Moodie has worked there for 25 years. In over 40 years of existence, the layout and look of the store has not changed much.

“I’ve seen someone come in here with a letter from a friend in Europe saying, ‘Go to The Word and get me a copy of Marshall McLuhan,’ and [the letter] had the directions for where it was,” elder King-Edwards said. “The [sender] had not been in the store in five years, but the person with the letter goes […] and finds [the book right away].”

The comforting consistency of the store’s organization also applies to its business model, which has remained constant. As a second-hand bookstore, it is able to provide a large selection of works from various time periods at a low price. Almost all of the books in the store sell for $10 or less. The store also buys and sells textbooks for McGill classes, with some professors exclusively ordering and selling their course books through the establishment. 

The Word maintains a focus on collecting and selling works of classic literature, art, history, philosophy, and poetry. The owners take pride in how the collection is curated.

“Every single book has been chosen by us,” the elder King-Edwards said.  “When people phone me to go to their homes to buy books and I go in and they have maybe 2,000 books, I only choose the ones that I absolutely need that are the best in that library. So I take maybe 200 to 300 books. Usually, we are also very fussy about condition.”

Perhaps more important than the items it carries is the role the store plays in the lives of the people of the Milton-Parc community, including students and professors at McGill. As a small, intimate setting, The Word provides a cosy space for its visitors in a way that larger bookstores typically do not.

“It’s kind of a refuge for [some of our customers],” younger King-Edwards said. “People will often pass by and visit, even once a day and they are stressed, maybe they are a professor at McGill [….] They know that they can come in here and […] that it will be relatively quiet and […] they can have a little bit of reprieve from their day.”

Confirming the younger King-Edwards’s view of the store, there is a grey armchair in the centre of the store, where some visitors will spend hours, seeking solace in a world of words. The setup enhances the reader’s ability to engage in his or her book and escape his or her life for a while. It is this intimate aspect of the store that helps the storekeepers to form a closer relationship with their patrons, which is a large factor that keeps people coming back.

“There’s all kinds of book collectors […] and a lot of our regular customers will come by at least once a week because they know every week we will have new books,” the elder King-Edwards said. “[People return to our store] because they like books [and because] we’ve developed a friendship with them, and we get to know them, and when you know someone for 30 or 40 years, there’s usually a close relationship.”

These interactions between the owners of The Word and its patrons extends beyond the physical store. Brendan King-Edward sends out a monthly newsletter, which customers sign up for online. The newsletter contains lists of the best books the store has acquired over the month, and announces community events, such as the Christmas party they hold in the store annually. 

“One of my favourite parts about working at the store is sending out the newsletters,” the younger King-Edwards said. “I have a lot of fun interacting with people online, whether it is through the newsletters [or] on Facebook [and] Instagram. There is a huge community that starts here and I connect with them outside the store.” 

Much like the classic works housed there, the store’s sense of community is geographically boundless and timeless. The Word prides itself in the welcoming environment it provides for customers.

“The relationships you build are amazing,” the elder King-Edwards said. “If I walk down a street in New York or London, I will always see someone I know [from the store.] In over 40 years, I [have met] hundreds and thousands of people.” 

The Word is an irreplaceable piece of the Milton-Parc area, anchored by people’s passion for reading. For students on a budget, it is a place to buy paperbacks for cheap. For collectors, it is the ultimate destination of a long journey to find a rare edition of their favourite work. For others, it is a sanctuary to spend a relaxing afternoon in good company. But ultimately, for all lovers of books, The Word is simply paradise. 

Montreal, News

Former Canadian High Commissioner James Wright speaks at round table event in Montreal

by Antoine Senkoff on

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On Jan. 18, former Canadian high commissioner to the UK James Wright spoke at the University Club of Montreal at the “Brexit’s Fallout on International Security” event jointly organised by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Association of Canada and the Montreal Press Club. The discussion centred on the consequences of Brexit on NATO, the European Union (EU), and Russia.

Since the Brexit referendum in June 2016, in which a majority of British voters chose to leave the EU, the conversation has turned to the terms under which the UK will depart the union. UK Prime Minister Theresa May's announcement of a ‘hard Brexit'—the complete withdrawal of the UK from the EU single market—on Jan. 17 was one of the relevant topics discussed at the event.

The discussion began with Wright providing his insight into last year’s Brexit vote. He explained why the referendum was held and his personal views regarding the campaign.

"It was not pretty to watch, it was not a sophisticated debate," Wright said. "Within the Brexit campaign, especially in the last few weeks, the disinformation and the misunderstandings of the implications of Brexit were profound."

Wright followed up with concerns about the economic ramifications of Brexit, saying that the latest announcements by Prime Minister May were worrying.

"Forty-four per cent of British exports go to the [EU], fifty-four per cent of British imports come from the [EU], so this is completely changing the economic and trade model on the part of Britain," Wright said.

Despite the fears expressed during the campaign and the hard line professed by May last week, Wright was hopeful that an understanding could still be reached between the UK and the EU.

"I am keeping my fingers crossed that reason will prevail and that a fair trade and customs deal will emerge between the UK and Brussels,” Wright said. “It will be in everyone’s interest that it works [….This is] especially true from a security perspective."

Wright’s views were echoed by McGill Political Science Professor Leonardo Baccini. In an email, Baccini told the //Tribune// that he sees the economic priorities of the UK moving further away from the EU.

"Theresa May threatened to make the UK a tax-haven country. That’s another way of saying, ‘If you guys are too tough with me, I'm going to get the help of investments from non-EU countries,’" Baccini said in an email. "We will see the UK getting closer to the U.S. [and] economically closer to Far East Asia for economic interests than compared to the [EU].”

McGill History Professor Brian Lewis sees the negative repercussions of Brexit extending well beyond the economy. Lewis said that he expects to see a detrimental effect on UK universities and research institutions as a consequence of Prime MInister’s May’s latest announcement.

"I think the UK universities are panicking right now. Not only have they lost students and student revenue, but it's also the loss of collaborative research grants funded by the [EU]," Lewis said.

At the talk, Wright shared his views regarding the potential future for NATO in light of the Brexit vote.

"Brexit does not change NATO, but it may change, and I hope it doesn't, some of the attitudes of European leaders to each other and I hope that doesn't colour or sour the environment within NATO," Wright said.

Wright ended his talk by addressing the pressing issue of Russia and its relation to Europe and the U.S. He said that NATO must continue to be vigilant.

"If [Russian President Vladimir Putin] is unhappy with the way in which some of the Russian minorities are treated in the countries of the former Soviet Union, then I would say that Mr. Putin is an old-style Russian leader and we cannot be naïve," Wright said. "NATO needs to be firm in its resolve and its support for its members, especially of the Baltic countries and it also needs to keep a close eye on what is happening on the ground in Ukraine."

News, SSMU

AVEQ criticizes government consultation efforts on sexual violence

by Sara Gruszczynski on

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Government consultation efforts

On Jan. 12, the Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ) released a statement in collaboration with the Association pour un Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (ASSÉ) in response to government consultations regarding sexual violence. Kristen Perry, AVEQ coordinator of Mobilization and Associative Development/English language media relations, said that AVEQ decided to release the statement after receiving an invitation to attend a discussion on sexual violence hosted by Minister Hélène David. Perry said that invitations much like the one received by AVEQ have been sent out to various groups including student associations and university administrations.

According to Perry, one vital component that was lacking is consultation with survivors of sexual violence.

“The thing [that is] very important when talking about sexual violence is that we’re listening to the people who have been most affected by [these assaults] and have the experience with which to advise how we can move forward with the processes that we have at our universities,” Perry said.

Possible affiliation with AVEQ

In the Winter 2016 referendum period, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) put forward a motion to affiliate with AVEQ. The motion, which proposed the creation of a $3.50 non-opt-outable per-student per-semester fee, passed council with 17 votes, five opposed and two abstentions, but the referendum question failed to be approved by the student body. SSMU has continued to sit-in at AVEQ meetings despite the motion’s failure and is still considering affiliation with AVEQ, according to Vice-President (VP) University Affairs Erin Sobat.

“AVEQ is a bottom-up federation that takes direction from its member associations, via regular members' assemblies,” Sobat said. “Decisions are largely based on consensus and SSMU is not bound by the positions of AVEQ.”

2015-2016 Arts and Science representative to SSMU Matthew Satterthwaite was opposed to joining AVEQ. Satterthwaite currently represents Graduate Neuroscience students in the McGill Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) and continues to speak out against AVEQ.

“AVEQ isn’t doing so well right now,” Satterthwaite said. “Members of SSMU decided against joining AVEQ last year and the same thing happened with PGSS [….] This has left AVEQ struggling both financially and with their influence. It’s hard to be taken seriously by the government or any other group you try to lobby when you represent so few students [and] schools.”

According to Satterthwaite, joining AVEQ would be costly for students and have little effect on SSMU members. However, Sobat believes that affiliating with AVEQ is still a worthwhile investment for SSMU members.

“While McGill students chose not to affiliate last year, AVEQ has matured extensively since that time and I think it is shaping up to be an extremely promising opportunity for provincial representation,” Sobat said.

Perry explained that AVEQ takes a more feminist approach to matters of sexual violence and strongly believes that this kind of perspective is needed, given the sexual assault policy implemented at McGill and other university campuses. Perry emphasized that including and empowering survivors is crucial.

“The point of this release […] was to make sure that we could push for the inclusion and the support for the inclusion of sexual violence survivors, so that their voices can be brought to the forefront,” Perry said.

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the SSMU motion regarding affiliation with AVEQ failed at its Feb. 11 2016 Council session. In fact the motion passed with 17 votes in favour, five opposed, and two abstentions, and so the question on affiliation proceeded to the Winter 2016 referendum period, where it failed to be approved by the student body. Further, the previous version included a quote that said that Concordia and the Université de Montréal had not affiliated in AVEQ. In fact, Concordia students voted to affiliate with AVEQ in its November 2015 by-election and the Université de Montréal has had no association with AVEQ. 

Science & Technology

Canadian universities team up to track down rare radio signals in space

by David Cohn on

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Space. The first image that comes to mind is probably the night sky, a tranquil blanket of empty blackness dotted with twinkling stars, but this image is deceiving. Not only are stars much more sparse in the universe than the sky may lead one to believe, but the vast voids of space that lie between them are neither empty nor quiet. Cosmic objects like stars, pulsars, and supernovae all emit electromagnetic radiation—ranging from gamma waves to radio waves—that travel at the speed of light in every direction. Modern astronomers know the causes of most of these phenomena, but some remain mysteries.

One of these unresolved types of radiation are fast radio bursts (FRBs), which are extremely short but intense pulses of radio waves. FRBs are of great interest, according to Director of the McGill Space Institute and professor of physics Victoria Kaspi, because of their unusual and still mysterious characteristics.

“They appear to be ubiquitous, […] but they haven’t been predicted and [they] weren’t expected, and so we really don’t know what they are,” Kaspi said.

Only 18 different FRBs have ever been detected by astronomers, although Kaspi estimates that around 1,000 hit the Earth every day.

Earlier this month, astronomers identified, for the first time, the galaxy from which one of these FRBs originates, marking a breakthrough in the subject. The discovery was only possible due to previous work done in 2015 by Paul Scholz, a McGill PhD student. Scholz found a recurring, albeit unpredictable, pattern of a particular FRB. Scholz’s discovery allowed a team led by Dr. Shriharsh Tendulkar, one of Kaspi’s postdoctorate students, to search for the FRB with a higher-precision radio telescope. The signal’s origin was identified to be a dwarf galaxy about three billion light years away from the Milky Way, providing key information for further discovery.

“If you see something that seems bright, it could be intrinsically faint but really close to us, but if it’s really far away, then it’s intrinsically incredibly bright and some physical process has to be able to produce a huge amount of energy,” Kaspi explained. “We’ve suspected for a long time that [FRBs are coming] from very, very large distances, which would imply that they have very high energies [….] We were able to measure the distance to this galaxy [from which the FRB originated] and that was the proof that we were looking for.”

Not much else is known about this galaxy, although Kaspi expects to soon see images from the Hubble telescope that would offer more information.

The next step in the quest to understand FRBs will likely involve the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), a new radio telescope being built in British Columbia as a collaboration between the University of British Columbia, McGill University, and the University of Toronto. Kaspi is a senior member of the team developing CHIME, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2017. CHIME will be Canada’s largest radio telescope, and its 1,024 antennae spread across four cylindrical reflectors will handle as much data every day as the global cellphone network does. CHIME will be capable of collecting data from a large section of the sky, which, according to Kaspi, may allow it to detect dozens of FRBs every day.

“I feel like Canada should know that we’re doing this,” Kaspi said, as she showed pictures of the telescope. “It’s a really amazing thing. It’s unique in the world.”

If all goes well, CHIME will position Canadian researchers at the forefront of the study of FRBs over the coming years and provide astronomers with the information they need to fully understand the cause of these mysterious signals.

Off the Board, Opinion

Reflections from the Women’s March on Washington

by Audrey Carleton on

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On the afternoon of Jan. 20, I dredged through Jeanne Mance Park, making an effort to step in the footprints of those before me, grasping large pieces of cardboard. I was running late to class, but that wasn’t my main priority. I was focused on getting to campus to meet four other friends, so we could quickly depart Montreal in a rental car and make our way to Washington, D.C. for the Women’s March on Washington.

For the duration of that evening, my friends and I made our way down the East Coast, a drive that takes around 12 hours. We arrived at the house at which we were staying at 2:30 a.m. Several hours later we awoke to head to the march, along with over a half a million other people.

And that was the march on Washington alone. Activists gathered for Women’s Marches around the world, including New York, Montreal, Paris, Sydney, and even Antarctica. The sheer quantity of marchers turning out to support equal rights across the globe was a feat in and of itself, and served as a beacon of hope for those feeling crestfallen after the inauguration of Donald Trump. The turnout at the march, and the energy among the masses, served as a reminder that, while some may suffer in more tangible ways than others, none of us are alone in handling the repercussions of what threatens to be a painful four years for many marginalized individuals. I am white, cisgender, and come from an upper-middle class background, meaning that I am protected from many of these repurcussions. But at the march, I wanted to stand in solidarity with those for whom the future is less safe. This was the most vital takeaway from the Women’s March on Washington—not just resistance to Trump, but the voices and values that this resistance fights for. 

The quantity of marchers that attended the March on Washington was enough to slow down the march itself; groups of impassioned protesters were occasionally brought to a halt. Though comforting to know that these lulls in energy resulted from the sheer size of the event, they also stemmed from the lack of communication and clear leadership of our ranks. This collective uncertainty served as a powerful metaphor for the apprehension that many marchers feel about their lacking political representation in the months to follow Trump’s election.

 

 

 

 

 

This was the most vital takeaway from the Women’s March on Washington—not just resistance to Trump, but the voices and values that this resistance fights for.

As a technically non-partisan event, the march garnered a large number of signs and cheers for issues larger than the recent election. Supporters donned signs that carried messages like “Love is love is love,” and “The future is female.” But for each of these signs voicing positive messages—calls to hope, affirmations, and positively-phrased statements of value—there was another sign held referring to Donald Trump in degrading terms, calling out his fake tan or his comb-over.

Cheers that spread through the crowds over the course of the march followed the same themes. For every minute-long chant of ‘This is what democracy looks like!’ or ‘We are the popular vote!’ there was one insulting Trump for characteristics that had little to do with his ideology, such as ‘Can’t build wall, hands too small,’ or ‘We need a leader, not a creepy tweeter.’

The latter calls are cathartic for many protesters, and they are certainly amusing; however, I found myself more impassioned when chanting the more hopeful and more productive messages. Anti-Trump chants place him at the centre of protesters’ attention, and sideline the ideals that motivated them to take a stand. Whether it praises or condemns, exposure is empowering. During his campaign trail, Trump garnered the most media attention among his competitors, which—despite a vast portion of this coverage being negative—ultimately contributed to his success. The same remains today: Chanting our oppositions to Trump himself, rather than his harmful ideas, only diverts attention from the issues we stand for and gives him more power—at least symbolically.

It’s important that the March serves as a catalyst for future protests and activist work in the coming four years and beyond. By framing our ideas in terms of the values we stand for, rather than the people we oppose, the popular voters have the chance to make their voices heard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audrey Carleton is a Student Living Editor at The McGill Tribune. She is a U3 student double majoring in Sociology and Environment. She enjoys running, and podcasts, and has a soft spot for the autobiographies of female comedians.

 

 

 

 

 

Hockey, Sports

NHL midseason review

by André Morin on

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Eastern Conference

Fresh off a nine-game winning streak, the Washington Capitals are the team to beat in the East. With balanced scoring and forward Alexander Ovechkin as dangerous as ever, the Capitals have been fiery on offence so far this season. In Columbus, the Blue Jackets are one of the league’s hottest teams. Netminder Sergei Bobrovsky is in Vezina Trophy form while forward Cam Atkinson and rookie defenceman Zach Werenski are having breakout seasons under Coach John Tortorella. Positional depth and continued success from superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have the Pittsburgh Penguins in position to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. The one surprise of the league this season comes from Toronto, where first overall pick Auston Matthews and a bevy of young stars are propelling the Leafs into playoff position.

Western Conference

Under new Head Coach Bruce Boudreau, the Minnesota Wild have surged to the top of the Western Conference. Goalie Devan Dubnyk leads the league in save percentage and the acquisition of veteran forward Eric Staal has paid dividends for the team. As always, the Chicago Blackhawks are one of the top teams in the West. The usual suspects, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith, are still getting it done for Chicago. With Vladimir Taransenko having another stellar season, the St. Louis Blues round out the top-three teams in the highly competitive Central Division. Iffy goaltending, however,  threatens to cut the season short for the Blues.The Edmonton Oilers, carried by their 20-year-old captain and league-leading scorer Connor McDavid, have jumped from the mediocrity of last season to become playoff contenders this year. While they lack defensive depth, their talent on offence could lead to some surprises come playoff time.

Hart Trophy (League MVP)

The race at the halfway point is between McDavid and Crosby. While Crosby has more goals in fewer games, McDavid plays on a much worse team. The young superstar has carried Edmonton from the bottom of the standings last to a potential playoff spot in his first full NHL season. At the moment, McDavid deserves the Hart Trophy.

Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year)

As their first and second overall draft slots would suggest, Matthews and the Winnipeg Jets’ Patrick Laine are the top two candidates for the Calder Trophy. Matthews recently caught up to Laine in point and goal totals. As the Finnish star is currently recovering from a concussion, Matthews will likely jump ahead soon. At this point, Matthews has shown that he deserves the Calder Trophy most.

Finals Prediction

Coming out of the East, the Penguins will once again use their star power and depth to make another run at the Stanley Cup. In the West, the Wild will show that their season is no fluke and Dubnyk will lead the franchise to its first finals appearance. In a series of contrasting playing styles, Pittsburgh will win the Cup, the first repeat winners since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-1998.
 

Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

AUTS’ “Heathers: The Musical” brings teen angst, musical numbers, and murder to Moyse Hall

by Ariella Garmaise on

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Since its release in 1988, Heathers has become a cult classic. Taking a jarringly dark approach to teenage angst, the original film follows Veronica (Winona Ryder) and her homicidal boyfriend J.D. (Christian Slater) as they seek unorthodox revenge on their classmates. A black comedy, Heathers finds hilarity in everything from social anxiety to murder. Heathers: The Musical, a 2010 stage adaptation written by Lawrence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy, pushes this juxtaposition a step further; characters joyfully belt out tunes like “Dead Girl Walking,” “I Am Damaged,” and “My Dead Gay Son.” Arts Undergraduate Theater Society (AUTS) takes another look at the beloved classic, in its rendition of Heathers: The Musical, running in Moyse Hall Theatre from Jan. 26-28.

University is an interesting time to explore Heathers’ high school themes, particularly because the cast and crew are at a perfect age to reflect on their recent high school experience. AUTS successfully created a production that satirizes high school without being too distant—Heathers: The Musical is a hyperbolic representation of adolescence, yet its core themes are still powerful.

“Heathers really hits home for me on the topics of mental health and bullying,” wrote director Kenzia Dalie in her director’s note.  

Heathers: The Musical is a somewhat sinister play—it would be easy to take issue with its myriad aggressive, bullying, and murderous characters. Despite the challenge, Dalie built an immensely likeable cast. Darragh McArdle and Colin McCrossan are brilliantly funny as bully jocks Kurt and Ram: Their duet “Blue” revealed a special knack for physical comedy. From her bold portrayal of bleeding-heart teacher Ms. Flemming, it is hard to imagine that actress Esmée Cook is only twenty. Olivia Woodhouse brought both hilarity and sympathy to school loser Martha Dunnstock. Each of these characters represents high school archetypes, yet the actors were never swallowed by stereotypes, instead delivering dynamic and interesting performances. Much like the original Heathers cast, the actors understood that their characters could be funny, cruel, and depressed—often all at once.

Caroline Portante was especially astounding, stealing the show as the lead,  Heather Chandler. This is only Portante’s second show with AUTS—she had an ensemble role in last year’s RENT—but Portante consumed the stage. A spectacular dancer, Portante was mesmerizing not only in choreographed routines, but also in delivering dialogue. Through haughty saunters, hair flips, and hip swivels, Portante embodied Heather in every movement. Portante had perhaps the most difficult challenge in making the cruel Queen Bee likeable, yet she delivered even Heather’s harshest catchphrases—including the famous “What’s your damage?”—with an irresistible charisma. Much like her peers, Portante understood that Heathers is about revealing the depth behind stock characters. 

However well-acted, the show was not without technical flaws. Background music often drowned out the voices of the actors. In one number, McCrossan’s microphone stopped working altogether. While the lead actors shined, some of the chorus members seemed unclear of their roles, mumbling lyrics, and missing the occasional dance move. This uncertainty extended to costume. While the titular Heathers captured the outfits of the original film perfectly, the chorus costumes were cartoonishly 80s. Extra corsets and gaudy leather jackets undermined the play’s underlying goal of authenticity. Ironically, and most likely unintentionally, this hierarchy most succinctly captures the high school totem pole.

Still, Heathers: The Musical is an impressive feat. The original film straddled the delicate line between satire and realism, between the vulgar and the intimate, between cruelty and comedy.  The AUTS team is up for the challenge, and expertly navigates these dichotomies, creating a show that is both heart breaking and laugh-out-loud funny.

 

Heathers: The Musical is playing Jan. 26-28 at Moyse Hall. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students. 

   

Commentary, Opinion, Private

Copycats should steer clear of Canadian politics

by Jordan Gowling on

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To many, the result of the American Presidential election was an upset. The outcome suggests that populism is on the rise in the United States, with Donald Trump depicting himself as the newest face of the movement, It seems that the Canadian practice of adopting certain forms of American culture is finding its way into the realm of politics. Copycats of Trump have invaded the Conservative leadership race: Kellie Leitch, Steven Blaney and now Kevin O’Leary are all taking pointers directly out of Trump’s playbook in order to facilitate more media attention and capitalize on what appears to be a successful political strategy in the United States. Yet whatever these candidates are trying to sell, Canadian voters likely won’t buy it: Canada’s political culture is too different from that of the United States for these would-be Trumps to thrive.

To try to apply Trump’s personalistic campaign strategy to Canadian politics would be like trying to get Lady Gaga to perform at a Trump rally—a mismatched pairing to say the least. The different length and culture of Canadian elections make Trump-style politics much more difficult in Canada. Canadian political leaders spend a much shorter amount of time campaigning compared to our American neighbours—the campaigning period for Canada’s 2015 national election was unusually long at 11 weeks. This past American election, meanwhile, spanned 596 days from the first announced candidate to election day. A shorter running period creates more time for governance in Canadian politics, whereas years of campaigning eclipse in-office political experience on the American scene.

Capitalizing on media attention and his own reality show persona , Trump ran a marketing campaign that exploited the emotions of the American voter.

Lengthy campaigns in the U.S. also allow the media circus to pervade and shape the race. This is essential in understanding how Trump was able to gain traction: Capitalizing on media attention and his own reality show persona , Trump ran a marketing campaign that exploited the emotions of the American voter. The influence of the media incentivizes American politicians to make themselves marketable, and candidates that succeed in this regard are more likely to come out on top—slogans like “Make America Great Again”, or even Obama’s “Change We Can Believe In” in 2008, effectively serve as brand names for their winning candidates. The Liberal Party’s attempt to do the same in 2015, with “Sunny Ways”, did not have a fraction of the impact.

In keeping with the Trump phenomenon, Canadian Conservative candidates have begun targeting the same groups Trump insulted during his campaign. In addition to pushing her “Canadian values” test for immigrants, Kellie Leitch has explicitly suggested following Trump’s example. Steven Blaney, meanwhile, has decided that telling women what to wear should be his main platform, citing a “Canadian way of living” as his reason. To top off this group of Trump disciples, we can’t forget the cutthroat businessman and reality star Kevin O’Leary, who has recently joined the race, but claims that if he wins he will not seek a seat in Parliament right away. Rather than reflecting substantive platforms, these are all political plays meant to capitalize on the coattails of a Trump victory by regurgitating controversial issues and rhetoric, which often translate into more media attention.

While the news time that Kellie Leitch has been getting lately—far more than her other twelve opponents—speaks to the possible success of this strategy, her mediocre polling results suggest otherwise. Further, past attempts at this tactic have not translated into much electoral success north of the border. This was demonstrated in Canada’s last election with Harper’s issue with the niqab: Controversial issues and political slogans failed to rally Canadians behind the Conservatives in 2015.

The Conservative party should not resort to imitating anybody south of the border, and most certainly not Trump. Canadians have always held a certain pride in differences from their American counterparts, and superficial politics based solely on sensationalism and controversy are unlikely to win out in Canada. So please, Kellie Leitch, stop talking about media-grabbing ideals and start talking about policy. Political spectacle will only get you so far.

 

 

Jordan Gowling is a U3 History major from Gatineau, Quebec. She enjoys reading, soccer, and drinking overpriced lattes.

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 

 
Features

Hooting and Hollering: A beginner’s guide to Montreal’s burlesque scene

by Selin Altuntur on

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Deep in the underbelly of St-Laurent’s nightlife scene lies the Wiggle Room—Montreal’s iconic burlesque club. Founded in 2013 by Jeremy Hechtman, the man who produced the annual Fringe Festival and opened the Mainline Theatre—the club is somewhat well-hidden behind a large black door. Only a small label on the mailbox and a bright orange pinup sign indicate what lies beyond the venue’s exterior. Upstairs, however, the Wiggle Room makes up for its subtle first impression—flaunting red velvet curtains, a classy-kitsch décor, and an impressively stocked cocktail bar. Every week, several burlesque shows with novel themes, ranging from Batman to Stephen King to Gwen Stefani, are performed on the Wiggle’s stage in front of boisterous crowds.

Campus Spotlight, Private, Student Life

Environment and society unite to address sustainability at student-run panel

by Emma Gillies on

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On Jan. 17, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) McGill and the Arts Undergraduate Society Environmental Council (AUSEC) hosted a panel discussion titled Society & The Environment: A Multidisciplinary Perspective.

Leacock 26 was packed as students gathered to see experts discuss the current ecological crisis—but as the name of the event suggested, the emphasis was more on the socio-economic implications of climate change. Over the course of the evening, speakers discussed the way that economy, politics, and indigenous cultures relate to climate change. The major focus of the night was on inspiring social change, as it is not just scientists, but members of society, that will decide the fate of the planet.

The panelists included Madhav Badami, a professor in the McGill School of Urban Planning and the School of Environment; Jennifer Gobby, a PhD student in Renewable Resources at McGill; Jad Robitaille, board member of Maisons Passive Quebec, which is a non-profit organization that publicizes energy efficiency standards and certifications in buildings in many European cities; Holly Dressel, a journalist, author, and documentary writer; and Nicolas Kosoy, associate professor in the McGill Natural Resource Sciences Department.

For Celeste Welch, U3 Science student and president of WWF McGill, it is important for students to recognize that sustainability is multidisciplinary. Welch hoped that the event would showcase a specific type of environmentalism that examines the interactions between the environment and society.

“Via this [multidisciplinary] perspective, students are able to see that society itself is largely reliant on the environment, and [that] social values often dictate decisions in environmental policy,” Welch said.

The first speaker of the evening was Professor Badami, who discussed population control. He reminded attendees that one of the greatest challenges facing humanity is providing for a population that is likely to hit 11 billion people by the end of this century, which demands more food and energy production. 

Badami also spoke about renewable energy. One massive obstacle in switching to renewable sources of power, such as solar or wind, is the transportation industry. He also referenced coal-mining towns in the Appalachian mountains in the United States as a challenge to environmental sustainability. As society moves toward cleaner alternatives of power, the future of these communities, which are economically reliant upon the coal industry, is a political unknown.

“In the recently concluded U.S. elections, what’s happening to coal country in Appalachia became a political hot potato,” said Badami. “You want to transition from coal to cleaner energy sources, but on the other hand, what happens to this industry […] and entire communities that are dependent on coal?”

Politically, the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is a lengthy process, but nonetheless a viable solution. Badami explained that pricing is another climate change mitigation strategy; fossil fuels must be taxed, and their extraction shouldn’t be subsidized.

While Badami focused largely on population and environmental policy, Robitaille took on energy conservation from an urban planning approach. According to Robitaille, buildings produce about one third of the greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, and as houses grow in size, so does the total area that must be heated and cooled. In addition, the rating systems of building sustainability are voluntary, and are often used by companies purely as a marketing ploy to advertise their spaces as “green.” 

Robitaille explained the two schools of thought when it comes to living more sustainably. The first is called “techno-fix,” which places the onus on urban planners and building companies to design buildings in ways that decrease the amount of energy consumed. The second is “behavioural change,” which places responsibility on individuals  to revert to a natural way of living.

During her talk, Robitaille asked students to raise their hands in favour of one school of thought. Nearly the entire room approved of behavioural change. However, when asked, “How many of you actually do this?” only a portion of the crowd raised their hands. For many university students, the thought of changing the way they live while balancing their packed social and academic lives may seem overwhelming. 

"There are some lifestyle changes that I've made while I've been at McGill, like recycling more, not using a car, eating less meat, and learning how to ride a bike,” Deanna Schrock, U0 Environment student and event attendee, said. “But the behavioral changes that were talked about in the presentation were on a much larger scale and are harder to achieve. Institutional change like techno-fix, in addition to manageable behavioral changes, is where we'll find  success in the long run.”

There are a variety of perspectives that must be considered when tackling environmental degradation. Though the science is clear, finding locally organized solutions and an understanding of other cultures is not always so. 

Kosoy explained the need for interdisciplinary approaches to climate change as a matter of consulting local communities affected in any decisions made about addressing it.

"We can only embrace interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary, […] we can only embrace participatory methods [if] communities have a say and they are the ones that can teach us way more than any books,” Kosoy said. “Understanding that that is the premise of any research in environment, any research in socio-ecosystems, brings our whole discussion together. It is inevitable for all of us in this room to be multidisciplinary." 

As part of respecting the needs of local communities—in particular, indigenous communities—affected by climate change, Kosoy placed emphasis upon taking ideas for solutions from cultures other than our own.  

“It's the 'otherness' that we have to embrace, respect, and understand,” Kosoy said. “Therefore, we don't have any other option but to dream a different world." 

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