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Ask Ainsley, Student Life

Ask Ainsley: “How do I talk about condoms with my partner?”

by Ainsley on

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Dear Ainsley,

I am bad at negotiating condom use and will often not mention it if the other person doesn’t. What are some tactics to bring this up when my partner doesn’t want to?

Sincerely,

How to Wrap it Up?

Dear HTWU,

I always used to pride myself on my ability to have open conversations about sex. That said, a little while ago I realized that I was having the exact same problem you’re having, and was letting myself get pressured into having sex without a condom. Part of the problem a lot of university students have is that we’re relatively sheltered and don’t believe that anyone we like or have slept with could possibly be carrying any kind of STI. The possibility of getting pregnant seems even more out of reach. However, as many as one in four university students has or has had an STI at some point. So, the risk of contracting one is very, very real.

I would recommend always carrying a condom or having them in your bedroom. One of the great things about McGill is that free condoms are never too far out of reach. You can find them in places like residence halls, the Health Centre, the Arts Undergraduate Society’s SNAX cafe, and a plethora of other student centres across campus. You never know when you may end up having sex, and I personally always carry a couple out with me in case one of my friends ‘gets lucky.’ If your partner is complaining that they don’t want to wear it, you may have to give them an ultimatum: No glove, no love. If they’re worth your time, they won’t pressure you into it. In the long run, you don’t want to be with anyone who puts their pleasure over your wellbeing anyway.

 

Have a question for Ainsley? Ask here.

Student Life

Fiddling around: McGill Shulich School of Music students move from performance halls to the streets

by Audrey Carleton on

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During the school year, students in McGill’s Shulich School of Music seldom take a break from rehearsing and performing. Finding themselves unoccupied after the chaos of the school year, Rebecca Jacobson and McKenna Glorioso, both U3 Violin Performance in McGill’s Schulich School of Music, seized the opportunity to test the waters in the Montreal busking scene.

Although not an uncommon move for musicians in their position, playing in such an exposed atmosphere can be daunting for anyone; however, Jacobson and Glorioso feel that their past experience had prepared them for the task.

“I’ve [been busking] since I was, like, five,” Jacobson recalled. “When I first started playing, [my teacher] would have all of her students go at Christmas time and play Christmas carols and raise money for the pregnant women’s shelter in San Francisco […] It sounded really bad, but we were so cute, so we made so much money.”

While Glorioso does not have the same experience busking on sidewalks, she finds it similar to other performance jobs she has taken on.

“I guess this is my first time busking, but it doesn’t feel that different from other weird gigs I’ve done before,” Glorioso said. “It doesn’t feel very different from playing in the back of holiday parties or things like that.”

Playing on the streets has also provided Jacobson and Glorioso a reprieve from the typical formality of classical performance. While formal concert halls maintain a distance between performers and their audience, busking breaks down this barrier and allows for a unique connection between the two.

“It's been super great to be able to connect with strangers in a way we usually can't,” Glorioso said. “Most of the time we perform, we're dressed formally and standing on a stage, so it's pretty incredible to see visceral emotional reactions from people standing three feet away from us.”

Western European classical music, hip-hop, folk, and pop musicians are all playing in the same environment, which encourages musical exchange and an atmosphere of mutual learning and respect for everyone's music.

After finding their bearings in the world of Montreal street performance, Jacobson and Glorioso learned that their popularity and financial success on any given day was directly correlated to the content of their set list.

“[It’s important to] cater to your audience,” Jacobson said. “You need to be in tune with what people like to hear, and sometimes you need to make sacrifices, like not playing the thing that you want to play.”

Jacobson and Glorioso have found unique success in playing songs that are famous and easily recognizable by the masses. Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major, for example, is typically a crowd favorite.

“Everyone in the world knows that piece,” Jacobson said. “It’s just the bane of every classical musician’s existence, but people respond to what they recognize.”

Jacobson and Glorioso have also found that their own energy and enthusiasm affect the size and attentiveness of the crowd they bring in.

“[Busking has] made me think a lot about how to connect with an audience and what draws people in,” Glorioso said. “There’s a noticeable difference in the overall mood and the reactions we get from people when [Jacobson] and I are obviously having a good time or getting really into it.”

While the majority of audience feedback Glorioso and Jacobson have received has been positive, they have received an occasional snipe from a passerby. One notable comment highlighted classism within the world of classical music.

“One guy came up to us and started admonishing us for playing music in the metro because it’s below us,” Jacobson recalled. “[He told us] classical music is above this ‘dirty metro.’”

Like many local street musicians, Jacobson and Glorioso have found the opposite to be true. Many public spaces in Montreal require expensive licenses to perform, preventing tourist-heavy locations from being accessible to musicians who lack the resources to purchase a permit. For this reason, Jacobson and Glorioso have been limited to performing in metro stations.

“I would almost understand him saying you’re taking up the space of people who would need this money,” Glorioso said, adding her analysis to the situation. “I would understand someone saying you can make money somewhere else—but also, we can’t right now [due to permit requirements]. Also, this money is paying for my groceries.”

Jacobson and Glorioso have found that performing classical music on the street creates an equal playing field between Western classical and other genres of music. Contrary to the opinion of their aforementioned passerby, Jacobson and Glorioso consider the fact that classical music is often considered superior to street performance to be one of the advantages to doing it.

“[Busking] puts all types of music in the same place,” Glorioso said. “Western European classical music, hip-hop, folk, and pop musicians are all playing in the same environment, which encourages musical exchange and an atmosphere of mutual learning and respect for everyone's music.”

 

 

 

Sports

Aussie rules in the land down under: A foreigner’s take on Australia’s most thrilling sport

by Aaron Rose on

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For 80 minutes I sat baffled trying to understand what the heck was going on. Out of the 85 thousand in attendance at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), I was assuredly the most confused. A couple Carlton Draughts certainly didn’t help my cause; I was helpless. If I could summarise it in two words, I would say AFL is unorganized chaos. Thirty-six men run up and down an ovular field assaulting each other while trying to kick a football-like-ball through the uprights, located at either end of the field. AFL players have an NBA player’s height, a soccer star’s stamina, and NHL toughness. Not only is it legal to jump onto an opponent, but it’s actually mandatory that you knee them in the back while going up to get the ball! It’s a completely absurd sport—but in the land down under, they love it. The game I went to, the annual ANZAC Day Clash, commemorating the Australian and New Zealand Army Core, the Collingwood Magpies absolutely obliterated the Essendon Bombers 142-73.

Footy in Melbourne is like hockey in Montreal—it’s a religion. With nine teams located within a stone’s throw of each other in Melbourne, the city’s Footy fans are divided. While I couldn’t get into the fanaticism, rooting for Collingwood was not an option. The Magpies are like the Yankees—they’re the biggest AFL franchise, and the fans love them or loathe them. Essendon, too, has a storied past and a massive fan base, but with 12 players suspended for performance enhancing drugs, they were more like lovable losers.

I’ve been to some pretty spectacular sports games, in unbelievable venues, and the ANZAC game at the MCG ranks up there with the best of them. Built in 1853, the “G” is the oldest stadium in the world. It was the centrepiece for the 1956 Summer Olympics and has a capacity over 100,000. Even with a first quarter score of 52-7, the stadium’s atmosphere was electric. Sure, some Essendon fans decided to end the misery and leave early, but the Collingwood section never quieted. Vuvuzela horns blared out while massive black and white Magpie flags flew throughout the game. The stadium was only quiet when fans mumbled their way through the pre-game national anthem.

I learned quickly that if you aren’t a supporter of a footy team in Melbourne, you’re a social pariah. Therefore, when I arrived in Melbourne I settled on my local team—the North Melbourne Kangaroos. I understood them as an upper-middle-of-the-pack team with a few aging veterans who have never been able to get over the hump. This season wasn’t supposed to muster up to anything special. But since I arrived in Melbourne, the Kangaroos have been near the top of the AFL ladder over half way through the season!

Fast forward a bit, and I’ve too started watching a few games. I’ve learned a little bit more since the ANZAC game, but not much. I’m still bewildered by it all. But that doesn’t really matter because I’m part of the community now. To me the AFL is another opportunity to go and have a few drinks while enjoying the beautiful weather in Melbourne with a couple of ‘mates.’

Science & Technology

The new kids on the block

by Maya Keshav on

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The universe is expanding—and so is the periodic table. Four new elements have recently been added to complete the seventh row. Though the elements were discovered over the last year, it’s only now that the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has released the element names for public review. If you were thinking of naming one after your dog, though, think again. IUPAC has strict guidelines: New elements are exclusively named after mythology, minerals, places, properties, or scientists.

Element 113 will be nihonium (Nh), for “Nihon”, the Japanese word for Japan. The patriotic name has special significance because nihonium is the first element to be discovered in Asia. The researchers at the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science hope “that pride and faith in science will displace the lost trust of those who suffered from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.”

Meanwhile, elements 115 and 117 also honour geographical regions. There’s moscovium (Mc), for Moscow, and tennessine (Ts), for Tennessee. Moscovium and tennessine follow a long tradition of naming elements after locations significant to their discovery, like germanium named after Germany or scandium named after Scandavania.

Finally, oganesson (Og) is the proposed name for element 118, after Russian chemistry professor Yuri Oganessian. Born in 1933, Oganessian is credited with discovering some of the heaviest elements on the periodic table, known as transactinoid elements. This would be the second time an element has been named for a living person, after chemist Glenn Seaborg was recognized with seaborgium, element 106. Meanwhile, element 104, rutherfordium, honours McGill’s own physicist, Ernest Rutherford.

The new elements have actually been on the periodic table for a while, hiding in plain sight under the unremarkable placeholder names of ununtrium, ununpentium, ununseptium, and ununoctium. However, it’s only now that the discovery teams have been invited to propose the new names.

(DePiep / Wikipedia)
 (DePiep / Wikipedia)

Dr. Jan Reedijk, who coordinated the efforts between IUPAC and the research teams said, “I see it as thrilling to recognize that […] these new names also make the discoveries somewhat tangible.”

Tangible, however, is not how these elements could be described. They’re superheavy, which means that each element’s nucleus has a huge number of protons. To create a new superheavy element, researchers bombard heavy elements with slightly lighter elements to artificially form, if only for a moment, a novel chemical matter. With a super short half life, the transactinoid elements only exist briefly in the laboratory before decaying.

“A particular difficulty in establishing these new elements is that they decay into hitherto unknown isotopes of slightly lighter elements that also need to be unequivocally identified,” said professor Paul J. Karol of IUPAC.

As the hurdles for discoveries get higher, elements are manufactured in increasingly impossible conditions, which begs the question—how big will the periodic table get? That depends on how many protons can physically fit into an atom’s nucleus. Predictions range widely, from a maximum of 137 to 184 protons. One thing’s for sure—the periodic table’s seventh row may be filled in, but the future likely holds even more additions.

Opinion

English versus French: A false dichotomy

by Amin Guidara on

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Having grown up a son of French and Tunisian immigrants in the West Island, a mostly English-speaking part of Montreal, I have had a curious experience with language. Although Bill 101, The Charter of the French Language, was at first necessary to preserve the French language in Quebec, current attempts to ‘promote’ the language, like the provincial government’s proposal to add French to English business signs, are simply useless. Laws like these wrongly present English as a threat to the French language—a misconception that has driven Quebec’s language policies for far too long. If the government wishes to promote French, it should promote more francophone artistic content rather than ratifying aggressive and useless laws.

From an early age, I witnessed the scapegoating of English by those seeking to protect French in Quebec. During my Bill 101-mandated time in a French elementary school, students would get in trouble if they were caught speaking English. At that time, I did not really think about it. It was only in high school that I realized that this rule did not protect French but purposefully targeted English: No Hispanophones or Arabophones got in trouble for speaking Spanish or Arabic. Quite the contrary: Languages such as these were celebrated during the multicultural festival. Unlike Spanish or Arabic, English was seen as the rival language to French, as if the two were fundamentally unable to coexist.

This culture of linguistic adversity I experienced in school is visible in Quebec’s language laws, which reflect a dismissiveness of the province’s English minority. With the most recent business sign law, the Quebec government—much like those who banned English in my school—again seems clueless about ways to promote French in Quebec without simultaneously conveying an inferiority complex to the English language.

 

 

[…] the Quebec government should address the real issues facing French in the province. English is not the enemy: Budget cuts in culture are

When all is said and done, renaming businesses like Toys-R-Us will not protect or promote Francophone heritage in Quebec. Of course, every Quebec citizen has the right to be served in French, as it is the only official language. But it should be obvious to most that French is not threatened in France just because KFC is called KFC and not PFK. The same should stand in Quebec.

Instead of focusing on the false dichotomy of French versus English, the Quebec government should address the real issues facing French in the province. English is not the enemy: Budget cuts in culture are. Last year Quebec’s Ministry of Culture and Communications suffered a $2.5 million budget cut, which will undoubtedly affect the creation of new French artistic content. The fact that only an average of 8.4 per cent of films screened in the past five years in Quebec were Quebecois is surely not a sign of a thriving industry. Although 42 per cent of books sold in Quebec were published by Quebecois distributors, there needs to be more promotion of all forms of Quebecois art. More Quebecois artists need to be promoted locally, but also in the broader French-speaking world. On this front, Quebec could imitate France and demand that around 20 per cent of video streaming service content be produced locally. A truly living and vital language is one that is used in the creation of art, the backbone of culture.

It is long past time for Quebec to abandon its fruitless over-compensation in regulation of English, and instead look for cultural solutions to fully recognize the power and potential of its official language.

 

 

Amin Guidara is a second year Political Science and Software Engineering student. He enjoys watching soccer and Quentin Tarantino movies.

 

@McGillTribOp | [email protected]

 

 

 

 
Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

The Apology: More than just a number

by Natalie Wong on

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Statistics illustrate the gravity of a situation from the scope of its impact—for instance, over 200,000 women and girls, euphemistically termed ‘comfort women,’ were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War. Yet, the individuals affected by these circumstances often get lost in the vast numbers presented.

The Apology is a documentary by debut filmmaker Tiffany Hsiung that premiered at Toronto Hot Docs this year. It focuses on the personal stories of growth and resilience of surviving comfort women, known fondly to many as ‘grandmothers.’

Grandma Gil is a featured survivor of the comfort women system, who was taken at the age of 13 after following a man who, after telling her she would find work in a factory, brought her instead to a comfort station. She recounted crying out “Mom! Mom!” in pain during the rapes, hoping that her mother who lived across the ocean could rescue her. Grandma Adela, a survivor from Manila, recounted being kidnapped by Japanese soldiers and forced into a truck with her two best friends at the age of 14. They were driven to a comfort station, and while she screamed and refused to go inside the dark building, she was brutally knocked out by a soldier.

“When I woke up, I was already bloody,” she said. “Bloody down there.”

Grandma Cao from China, who was taken at the age of 18, recounted giving birth to two babies—a boy and a girl—during her time at the comfort station. After giving birth, she strangled one, and threw out the other.

“I had no choice,” she said, recalling how emotionally damaging the experience was.

These strong women—most of them over the age of 80—fight tirelessly for justice and reconciliation. They re-live the pain of their memories, sometimes to hostile audiences, in order to ensure history will not repeat itself.

I am well-acquainted with the comfort women issue. In addition to going on a study tour with a non-profit organization called the Association for Learning and Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (ALPHA), I have written extensively about the issue. With ALPHA, I visited a museum in Seoul. It featured an artifact from the war: A condom with the word “attack” written on it in Japanese, signifying the sentiment echoed in the militaristic system when it came to sexual slavery. It’s hard to imagine those on the receiving end of such hatred and misogyny.

As I watched The Apology, I could not help envisioning the condom from the museum in contrast to the young, terrified girls who endured these daily attacks. Hsiung provides a glimpse into the impact of the war on the survivors, following their continual growth and struggle to move forward and to hold the Japanese government accountable for their actions.

These strong women—most of them over the age of 80—fight tirelessly for justice and reconciliation. They re-live the pain of their memories, sometimes to hostile audiences, in order to ensure history will not repeat itself. Films such as The Apology and other outreach efforts expose these stories to the public, but as of today no formal reparations have been made as the right-wing, ultra-nationalist Japanese government adamantly whitewashes history.

The Apology provides an international, unified narrative that offers a glimpse at the individuals behind the overarching term of ‘comfort women.’ One cannot walk away from the film without a sense of anger at the ongoing injustice towards these survivors. As a woman in the decisive generation that will impact the course and recounting of history of the comfort women issue, this documentary illustrates living history’s ticking clock— many of these women have passed away without a chance to tell their stories. Within a few years, many of those who remain will pass on. The efforts of the grandmothers and their supporters should not be futile. Remaining generations must continue to hold Japan accountable until these grandmothers receive the apology they deserve. Only then will history be reconciled.

Out on the Town, Private, Student Life

Tech-free tea time

by Christina Santella on

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There is a unique experience around each corner in Montréal. Of the many internationally-inspired cafés, Camellia Sinensis Tea House, nestled in Montreal’s Quartier Latin, is the epitome of serenity. Located on Rue Émery, this gem allows customers to escape from the fast pace of the city and enjoy a cup of tea without the ties of electronic devices. Founded in 1998 by four tea connoisseurs—Kevin Gascoyne, Jasmin Desharnais, François Marchand and Hugo Américi—the tea house continues to showcase a plethora of carefully selected teas from each co-owner’s annual spring travels around Asia.

Every inch of the tea shop’s interior emanates tranquility. Dim lighting, hushed conversation, warmly-coloured walls and furniture, and a welcoming staff all contribute to its sense of calmness. The zen music played in the tea house is carefully selected from a wide range of styles to uphold the coveted ambiance. Table seating is restricted to two or three people to avoid large groups and to permit quiet conversation. The staff even strike a gong to signal when the noise exceeds a comfortable level.

Perhaps one of the most unique aspects of this spot is its tech-free enforcement, which was implemented several years after the tea room opened.

“At one point, I came into the tea house and there were probably 11 laptops open,” Gascoyne said. “Nobody was talking to each other and the whole art of conversation was lost.”

This concern over customers’ distraction from the present drove the owners to eliminate Wi-Fi from the shop entirely. The intention behind this is to provide an honest experience in which the customer is focused on the imported tea and the present moment—not on their cell phone.

“Something that is quite different from other places that you go is that there is just this ripple of conversation, people reading books,” Gascoyne said. “You get this very mindful sense of present space.”

Though the choice to remove Wi-Fi in the midst of today’s technological era was a daring one, customers have responded very positively.

“What keeps me coming back is absolutely the calming, zen atmosphere and superb tea,” said Samantha Simpson, a U2 Finance student and a frequent guest at Camellia Sinensis. “The no [tech] zone offers a rare opportunity to enjoy a book or your friend’s company without any distractions.”

 

 

 

 

The no [tech] zone offers a rare opportunity to enjoy a book or your friend’s company without any distractions.

Another key component of Camellia Sinensis is its educational facet. In particular, the Camellia Sinensis team has published prize-winning tea books, operates two tea schools—one in Montreal and the other in Québec City—offering over 20 workshops and courses, and they even hold conferences tailored to address specific questions about tea and its health benefits.

“We’re involved in all sorts of educational programs,” Gascoyne said. “All related to this catalogue that we put together every year of the teas we buy in Asia.”

Housing 243 teas—each bought directly from growers across Asia—Camellia Sinensis’ tea catalogue has gained world renown and earned the shop a position among the high-end tea shops of Montreal.

“What initially drew me to the shop is the [freedom from technology] as well as its high rank in the Montreal tea scene,” Vanessa Antonacci, Montreal local and guest at Camellia Sinensis, said. “The immense variety of authentic teas is definitely what keeps me coming back.”

Each of the four co-owners specializes in teas from different regions of Asia. Marchand, who selects green teas and aged Liu Bao, and Desharnais, who chooses teas of all styles, each specialize in a distinct region of China. Américi’s regional specialty is mainly Wulong and green tea produced in Taiwan, Japan, and Vietnam. Gascoyne’s domain of expertise is black tea, found in regions of India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. This year’s visit was Gascoyne’s 23rd consecutive spring spent in the Himalayas tasting and meticulously selecting the best single lots of tea for the shop.

Given the shop’s extensive and diverse array of high-grade tea offered, Gascoyne understands that it can be quite daunting to novice tea drinkers. As such, he and his co-owners strive to make the shop accessible to all.

“We really [aim] to have [our tea] as a democratic product,” Gascoyne said. “Everybody could taste how good tea is, regardless of whether they know at what altitude it was grown at or the cultivar it was made from.”

“The ideal visit is to let us introduce [one] to an adventure in [tea] tasting,” Gascoyne said. An adventure in this off-the-grid environment is all the more exciting.

~~

Visit Camellia Sinensis online here, or visit their Facebook page.

 

 

 

 

Opinion

McGill’s non-indigenous allies must reexamine their efforts

by Ashley Bach on

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Non-indigenous allies at McGill need to be conscious of their actions and intentions. These allies often wish to act in solidarity with indigenous peoples and students. They are usually well-intentioned, and the solidarity is greatly appreciated—so long as allies do not overstep their boundaries. A few ways in which I’ve noticed allies overstep their positions include speaking on behalf of indigenous communities, tokenizing indigenous speakers, and projecting their own views of indigenous peoples onto students, then using these projections to further their own causes. A clear example was the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) General Assembly (GA) in the Winter 2016 semester, where a motion relevant to indigenous students was proposed without proper consultation. In part, this comes back to McGill’s lack of indigenous students; with only 230 of us enrolled, it is hard to see who we are and hear our diverse opinions.

Instead of further explaining these boundaries, it is more important to discuss how allies can ensure that they can make a positive change. There is much work to be done at McGill, and indigenous students certainly need a strong force of allies behind them to precipitate this change.

Allies must regularly reassess why they’re being allies. If one is being an ally only to further one’s own cause, then he or she should not claim to be acting in solidarity with indigenous students. Sometimes, however, such circumstances are not clear—for example, when allies truly do care about indigenous issues and are working on a related cause. There is potential here for allies to to co-opt an indigenous issue to garner support for another unrelated cause, as was done by some supporters of the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) motion (BDS organizers later personally apologized for the incident). Consequently, non-indigenous allies must regularly reassess their motivations.

 

A few ways in which I’ve noticed allies overstep their positions include speaking on behalf of indigenous communities, tokenizing indigenous speakers, and projecting their own views of indigenous peoples onto students, then using these projections to further their own causes.

In addition, allies on campus should always try to connect with indigenous students if they’re working on an indigenous-related topic. This year, after holding multiple indigenous leadership positions on campus, I realized how little allies and clubs reach out to indigenous student groups. In fact, McGill’s administration reached out more to the Indigenous Student Alliance (ISA) this past year than all other clubs and student groups combined. Involvement can range from a show of good faith, such as inviting clubs to an event, to more active participation by Indigenous students, peoples, and communities, which is necessary for any campaign about an Indigenous issue. The Indigenous Affairs Coordinator at SSMU is also available. It is important to not speak on behalf of indigenous peoples; we may be marginalized, but we aren’t incapable of speaking for ourselves.

One successful instance of allyship this past year was the collaboration of the ISA and the McGill Students Indigenous Studies Journal (formerly KANATA) in helping the journal to become a better ally. It was a long, exhausting process—but in the end, many positive changes were made. Now, both groups feel much more connected and in solidarity. I hope other student groups will follow this example.

As well as listening to Indigenous voices, allies must be informed about the cause they’re supporting. Indigenous issues are multifaceted and complex. It is important to explore various news updates (such as the 2016 Indigeneity and Allyship Report), band council and cultural publications, and articles by indigenous writers in order to get an in-depth understanding of a cause, who it affects, and its implications for indigenous students and peoples. This entails coming to a holistic understanding of topics in order to respect all perspectives, which is especially important given that indigenous peoples are diverse and politically pluralistic.

As indigenous students on campus continue to tackle problems at McGill, including disproportionately low enrolment, lack of indigenous course content, racism, and prejudice, we need our allies to support us in our battles. The ISA, which presently operates as a student group with the support of the First Peoples’ House, has applied for SSMU Club Status to improve accessibility, visibility, and support for Indigenous students. I encourage all allies to stay on the lookout for news about the ISA, follow the suggestions detailed above, and, above all else, connect with indigenous students!

 

 

Ashley is a U3 student in environmental science and a member of Mishkeegogamang Ojibway First Nation. She is the coordinator of the Indigenous Student Alliance, is a University Representative and Communications and Outreach co-chair for the Ivy Native Council. She is also a co-founder and member of the McGill Students Chapter of AISES. She frequents the First Peoples’ House and is thankful for the incredible friends she has met there. Her academic interests include indigenous health, environmental health, and chronic diseases.

 

@McGillTribOp | [email protected]

 

Basketball, Sports

The Raptors impressed in the playoffs, despite their exit at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers

by Abdul Atta on

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From the very start, the odds were stacked against the Toronto Raptors in their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. By the start of the series, they had played the most games in the playoffs with 18. They had battled past the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat with superstars like Paul George and Dwyane Wade, only to face LeBron James, the 4-time MVP. Yet, they continued to persevere through impossible odds. The Raptors managed to tie up the series at two games apiece before losing to a Cavaliers team that won it all. Kyle Lowry overcame his shooting woes with clutch shots in games three and four, DeMar DeRozan seemingly found his touch, and Bismack Biyombo was an unstoppable, immovable force on defence. The team gelled at the most crucial point in every series. Their perseverance is more remarkable considering that Toronto had only 24 hours to prepare for their first ever Eastern Conference Finals appearance.

The Raptors endured a seven game series against the Heat whilst the Cavs coasted into the Eastern Conference Finals, posting Instagram and Snapchat videos of team bonding activities and dinners during their very generous nine-day break.

Can Raptors fans say it is fair that the number one seed got nine days of rest? Absolutely. They swept two consecutive teams in the playoffs—which in itself is a hard and rare feat.

Is it fair that Toronto got so little time to rest before their biggest matchup? Yes, it is. The Raps simply could have won their games earlier if they wanted more rest. The Cavaliers deserved nine days off because they worked hard to win those eight games in a row during the playoffs.

 

The most important lesson a sportsman learns is to not make excuses for himself—true winners will find success no matter the circumstances.

This is not to deny the Raptors’ hard work—their results speak for themselves. Nevertheless, the extra days would have been merited only if the Raps won their first two series in five or six games as opposed to seven.

The main argument against having longer breaks between series is fueled by pure pride and dedication to being an athlete. The most important lesson a sportsman learns is to not make excuses for himself—true winners will find ways to win no matter the circumstances. Of course a seven game series is toiling and difficult, and these athletes welcome all the breaks they can get. But professional athletes are venerated because they endure adversity. They accomplish Godlike feats that common men and women can only dream of achieving. Arguably, the fact that Canada’s only NBA team did not have a break before their series against Cleveland made Toronto fans more proud of their two wins in the series.

Despite having played more games than anyone else in the playoffs, the Raptors managed to pull off two great results in a row. They silenced doubters like Stephen A. Smith of ESPN's First Take by demonstrating what a winning mentality can achieve. In spite of Cleveland’s nine-day break, the “Other” team, the disadvantaged team, the underdog of the series and the playoffs, gave them a dogfight. Ultimately, that is what all athletes dreams of: Winning in the worst circumstances, under the worst conditions, and against all odds. Proving without doubt that you are the best in the world. There are no extra days off that could ever replace that feeling.

 

Opinion

Bill C-14’s flaw: Who deserves the right to die?

by Jin Lee on

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In 2015, the Supreme Court declared the existing absolute ban on physician-assisted death unconstitutional in the landmark case, Carter v. Canada. In this case, two women, both of whom suffered from degenerative diseases, argued that their inability to access physician-assisted death was grounds for discrimination because neither had the physical ability to commit suicide. Although the Liberal government’s recent Bill C-14, referred to as the Assisted Dying Bill, responds directly to this decision, it faces criticism for ignoring some of the basic conditions set by the Court in the Carter decision. Despite opposition from the Senate, the House of Commons has yet to concede (as it should) that Bill C-14 remains too restrictive.

Presently, C-14 only grants exemption from prosecution to physicians with terminally or irremediably ill patients expected to die from natural causes. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, ruled that any competent adult with intolerable pain and enduring suffering—with no restriction that he or she should already be dying—should have the right to access physician-assisted death. The bill thus excludes non-terminally ill persons, such as the physically disabled or paralyzed—many of whom feel that being expected to die anyway should not be the sole criterion for the service. As the Court ruled in the Carter decision, terminally ill patients are simply not the only patients who should be able to exercise self-determination. The government should therefore revise C-14 to accommodate this fact.

 

 

The process of assisted death is predicated on a desire and a willingness to end one’s own life. The fact that one will likely die anyway is sufficient, but not necessary, to motivate that desire.

On one hand, the bill’s condition of terminal illness represents a precautionary limit. If one is expected to die after a period of suffering, one is in little danger of changing his or her mind, especially given that the alternative is a quick and painless procedure. However, that is precisely the problem—it does not represent enough of a choice. The process of assisted death is predicated on a desire and a willingness to end one’s own life. The fact that one will likely die anyway is sufficient, but not necessary, to motivate that desire. Assisted dying is supposed to allow a patient to exercise his or her autonomy in the face of incredible suffering, but limiting the service to those who are going to die anyway does nothing to encourage that autonomy.

While some fear that allowing assisted death for non-terminally ill patients will lead down a ‘slippery slope’ of medical malpractice, widening Bill C-14’s eligibility criteria will have far less consequential results for a major reason: C-14 would still only provide patients the right to request death, but not a service of ‘death-on-demand.’ The Court ruled that physicians are capable of assessing patients’ ability to consent. Moreover, physicians can, importantly, refuse to perform the service out of principle. Whether physicians will at any point be mandated to comply with death requests was left unanswered by the Supreme Court; however, this should ultimately be left to the discretion of Canada’s medical institutions.

Bill C-14 reflects restraint in both the number of people it applies to and the controversy it hopes to avoid by limiting its own usage. Nevertheless, at the same time, the Carter ruling is currently the final word on assisted death: Any legislation set forth to entrench its conclusions should, at the very least, not take backward steps in a misguided attempt to play it safe. Given that the government has now decided to move forward with drafting a law on assisted dying, it must acknowledge the fact that terminal illness should not represent the sole condition in which one suffers enough to warrant a right to die.

Jin Lee is a U2 Philosophy student, and is an avid hockey fan. He enjoys camping, hiking, and being in the outdoors in general.

 

@McGillTribOp | [email protected]

 
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