The McGill Tribune Vol. 42 Issue 24

The McGill Tribune

We need to talk about Montreal’s secret conversion therapies

PG. 5

Constellations of responsibility Combatting pseudoscience with reason and rationality

PG. 8-9

PG. 10

(Drea

PG. 2

Paper straw–infused beverages might become norm amid single-use plastics ban

Ghazal Azizi News Editor

At Bar des Arts (BdA), students are encouraged to bring their own reusable cups or buy old Frosh ones to avoid single-use plastic. But BdA manager Sam Baron estimates that the student bar goes through approximately 50 plastic cups every Thursday.

As of March 28, however, a Montreal municipal by-law has banned the distribution of all single-use plastic items across the food industry. With only one more day of operation left in the school year, BdA is still working out the details of its transition away from plastic, a struggle shared by many campus businesses.

The City of Montreal passed the by-law in August 2021

Alternative drag: Screwing the patriarchy and feeding the children

Selma Ghad speaks on the vitality of alternative drag and supporting queer art

Suzanna Graham Staff Writer

When host Selma Ghad opens her show Coven, she invites her audience to take an oath where they promise to fuck with the patriarchy. From there, the cozy Diving Bell Social Club becomes a witching circle—an entrance

into the wondrous world of alternative drag.

Coven is a far cry from the traditional drag that populates mainstream media.

Instead of glossy queens lip-syncing to top-40 hits, the show features burlesque performers, drag kings, and plenty of fake blood.

Over the past four years

of producing and hosting Coven, Ghad has created a space to cultivate community and empower queer people who enjoy the unexpected. The latest edition of the show, which I attended on March 24, served as a tribute to Björk, an Icelandic avant-garde performer who’s become an absurdist icon.

as part of the city’s efforts to make Montreal a zero-waste city by 2030. Since December 2022, manufacturing and importing “harmful single-use plastics” has been banned by federal legislation, and the sale of these items will be prohibited as of December 2023. While Montreal’s ban was announced 18 months ago, many campus businesses have yet to part ways with their plastic consumption.

PG. 4

Your guide to student elections

Notes from students who campaigned and lived to tell the tale

Simi Ogunsola Staff Writer

Election season always creeps up sooner than you expect it to. Throughout April, clubs, services, and offices all over campus are recruiting new executives, and students are thrown into the frenzy of student election season. Bulletin

boards fill with posters, Instagram stories become base camp for campaigns, and CVs everywhere hold their breath. But what exactly does running for a position look like? What’s happening behind the headshots and the almost-ironic captions? Could you ever brave the student election? I sat down with some current execs to

discuss their experiences running for student-elected positions.

Hassanatou Koulibaly, U3 Arts and Science, is currently vice-president (VP) Student Life of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and recently clinched next year’s VP Sustainability and Operations position.

“One of hundreds”: Student group platforms McGill’s street harassment stories

Garcia / The McGill Tribune)

Walk Them Home Montreal starts anti-harassment initiative on Instagram

Harry North Staff Writer

Content Warning: Mention of sexual harassment, assault

Walk Them Home Montreal, a McGill student group dedicated to tackling street harassment in Montreal, began sharing students’ anonymous testimonies of harassment over Instagram on March 16. The group reports receiving over 100 submissions since January 2023.

Students submit their stories using the testimony link on Walk Them Home’s Instagram page or by messaging the organization directly. The student group then posts the stories anonymously on their page.

The posted stories have included accounts of chasing, stalking, cat-calling, racist comments, aggressive shouting, unwanted sexual gestures, and physical groping. One individual wrote that their experience was just “one of hundreds.”

Walk Them Home Montreal President Laura Voermann, U2 Arts, founded the group in October 2021 after her friend encountered street harassment late at night. Initially, the group provided educational resources and volunteer services, such as walking people home. Now, they focus on prevention and increasing awareness.

Voermann said they started sharing stories to platform student experiences similar to her friend’s.

“Whenever I hear stories like this, it just kind of makes me think, what if that was my friend, what if that was me? What if that was one of my family members?” Voermann told The McGill Tribune . “It’s just terrible. It happens so often. And a lot of women have no idea what to do, or a lot of women have said they’re used to it and they kind of just play it by ear and understand it’s something they have to be

concerned about. It’s just weird to me how normalized it is.”

The initiative follows similar efforts in the U.S. and U.K.—such as Everyone’s Invited, which exposed rape culture in some 3,000 U.K. schools in 2021.

Walk Them Home Montreal—who are not affiliated with McGill or the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)— previously shared anonymous testimonies in early 2022 but re-launched the initiative this year with the help of Spotted: McGill, a student-run culture and meme page, who posted about the initiative.

Spotted: McGill told the Tribune via Instagram that it is important for student groups such as Walk Them Home Montreal to tackle sexual and street harassment.

“We think any initiative aimed at lending visibility towards sexual harassment & prevention is so vital to the McGill community,” a representative wrote. “Most women [and] BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour] can relate to a lot of the responses the page has been getting, and it’s really disheartening to see how many of us have gone through scary incidents of harassment on the street.”

In a statement to the Tribune , McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle did not comment directly on the Instagram posts but outlined how McGill’s Campus Public Safety Department works with the community to promote student and staff safety. She pointed to the services the department provides, such as safety escorts available 24 hours a day, at both the downtown and Macdonald campuses.

“Agents patrol the campuses, manage access, transport students and staff with disabilities[,] as well as respond to incidents and emergencies. Ensuring the safety of the McGill community is our ultimate and continuous goal,” Mazerolle wrote. “The Campus Public Safety department’s Night Route Maps also outlines recommended routes for

navigating the campus in the dark and locate[s] emergency phones for contacting additional security.”

Other initiatives to tackle harassment around McGill include SSMU’s WalkSafe, a volunteer-led service that walks students home. The Office for Sexual Violence Response, Support and Education (OSVRSE) and the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) also provide free support, educational tools, and sexual violence sensitivity training.

OSVRSE had to close in mid-October due to staff shortages—the Tribune found that the office had only one employee at the beginning of Fall 2022. Services were re-routed through the Office of the Dean of Students to ensure continuity for ongoing cases. OSVRSE reopened in January at a limited capacity.

McGill also mandates the sexual violence education program “It Takes All of Us,” which was re-launched earlier this year. The program seeks to educate students and staff on the bystander effect and how to prevent sexual harassment and violence.

Walk Them Home Montreal vicepresident Lily Marchand, U3 Arts and Management, however, believes that the testimonies highlight how McGill is still not dealing with street harassment sufficiently. She noted that the emergency phones around campus, which have a blue light at night, need to be more readily available.

“I have mostly discovered how unequipped McGill is to deal with this sort of stuff,” Marchand said.

Voermann also feels that McGill needs to take street harassment more seriously.

“McGill and SSMU need to do [...] more to prioritize street safety as a major issue that affects McGill students,” Voermann said. “[They should] read the testimonies of so many students who have encountered street harassment and feel unsafe.”

Gabrielle Adams, U1 Arts, was recently harassed in the metro by a man who followed her around the car and made unwanted sexual gestures at her. Bystanders made no effort to intervene.

She told the Tribune that there needs to be more awareness at McGill and that men, in particular, must listen to those who have experienced harassment so they can learn to intervene in the moment.

“Girls get it. I don’t think I know one girl who hasn’t been at least catcalled,” Adams said in an interview with the Tribune . “Talking to guys, it’s kind of different. It’s more like focused on what consequences he should face rather than listening and saying, ‘oh, how are you feeling?’”

Adams also believes McGill needs to publicize its security services more effectively and take action to prevent street harassment in general.

“The school needs to be prepared at all times to be able to deal with their students that go through this,” she said. “I’m sure it happens every single day, multiple times a day [...] we’re 40,000 students.”

In 2018, a Statistics Canada study of gender-based violence and unwanted sexual behaviour found that one in three women had experienced sexual harassment in public places in the previous 12 months. The most common types were unwanted sexual attention and unwanted physical contact.

The posts on Walk Them Home Montreal started just before McGill’s latest Policy Against Sexual Violence annual report was presented to the McGill Senate on March 22. The report detailed 105 sexual violence disclosures in 2022, with the definition of sexual violence including actions of sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, sexual exploitation, indecent exposure, and distribution of sexual images. Of the 105 disclosures, only 15 individuals chose to file a report.

For any member of the McGill community in need of support regarding sexual violence, OSVRSE can be reached at 514-398-3954 or osvrse@mcgill.ca; SACOMSS can be reached at main@ sacomss.org or over Zoom using the instructions on sacomss.org; the Office of Mediation and Reporting can be reached at omr@mcgill.ca; and the province-wide Sexual Violence Helpline can be reached at 1-888-933-9007.

“One of hundreds”: Student group platforms McGill’s street harassment stories

A 2021 study conducted in 15 countries, including Canada, found that 84 per cent of women had experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. (Christopher Li / The McGill Tribune)

Walk Them Home Montreal’s resources include self-defence tips. (Drea Garcia / The McGill Tribune )

Arts, Science Undergraduate Societies endorse letter to divestment and democratization

McGill Nurses for Planetary Health penned call to action in December 2022

Tillie Burlock Sports Editor

The McGill Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) and the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) have voted to endorse a call to action letter penned by the McGill Nurses for Planetary Health (MNPH). The document demands that the university divest from fossil fuels and democratize its Board of Governors (BoG). MNPH sent the letter to the BoG on Dec. 12, 2022, and AUS and SUS voted to formally support it on March 15 and March 22, respectively.

The letter highlights the links between planetary and human health and outlines a number of concerns regarding McGill’s investment in fossil fuels. It emphasizes McGill’s connection to companies such as the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Canada’s largest fossil fuel funder, and TC Energy—the company behind the Coastal Gas Link pipeline going through unceded Wet’suwet’en territory. McGill had invested $11,982,749 in RBC and $2,610,419 in TC Energy as of Dec. 31, 2022.

“We wanted to come at divestment from a different angle,”

Naomi Pastrana Mankovitz, U2 Nursing and the co-chair of MNPH, told The McGill Tribune. “Climate change is intimately tied to health [....] With the increase in temperatures, there’s an increase in communicable diseases [....] As nurses, we have a duty to advocate for public health. So it falls within our mandate to advocate for climate justice.”

MNPH’s decision to write the letter came on the heels of a 2022 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that identified the urgent need to protect public health from the worsening effects of global warming, a call health-care professionals have been making for years.

AUS hopes their vote of solidarity will continue to raise awareness about McGill’s connection to the fossil fuel industry.

“[The letter is] aligned with the views and beliefs of the AUS and the constituents we represent,” AUS President Ghania Javed wrote to the Tribune. “We hope to incorporate and follow sustainable event planning at AUS and will be also looking into ways we can stop supporting

companies that have investments in fossil fuels and instead support companies and initiatives that are actively fighting climate change.”

The university’s refusal to divest despite widespread student support has led to calls for the democratization of the BoG—which is primarily made up of unelected members. The BoG has repeatedly rejected divestment motions passed by the Senate, McGill’s highestranking elected governing body. The Students’ Society of McGill (SSMU) has also called for divestment and pressured the BoG to accelerate its review processes.

“At this point, it falls into the hands of a few people that are not reflecting the majority interest of the university,” Pastrana Mankovitz said. “Democratization is to make sure that the voices of the university are heard.”

The letter has garnered support from staff members across McGill. With over 80 professors, assistant professors, and faculty lecturers signing on, MNPH believes the movement to divest and democratize will continue to gain traction across faculties. Natalie Stake-Doucet, a PhD student and faculty lecturer

Divest McGill has been fighting for the university to divest from fossil fuels since 2012. (Jinny Moon / The McGill Tribune)

at the Ingram School of Nursing, signed the letter as she believes the BoG’s continued investment in fossil fuels contradicts the body’s mission statement.

“By refusing to divest, the [BoG] is making a political statement, one that appears to put profits before students,” Stake-Doucet explained to the Tribune via email. “Divesting from fossil fuels should no more be a debate in the academic community than discussing whether the earth is flat. It is frankly shocking that we would need a petition to convince the [BoG] to divest, but here we are.”

MNPH also consulted Divest

McGill throughout the letter-writing process. DivestThey supports the call to action and believes it is well- timed as, with the BoG set to reconsider divestment on April 20.

“[The call to action] shows that we’re great in numbers,” Emily Hardie, U1 Arts and a member of Divest McGill, told the Tribune. “It’s very contradictory when McGill itself as the university produces so much climate research when they’re actively profiting and funding from the top emitters of the climate crisis and, therefore, threatening our futures as students, faculty, and staff.”

Along Party Lines: Communist Party of Canada launches new campaign to slash living costs, raise wages in Quebec

Adeline Fisher Staff Writer

On the night of April 1, the Communist Party of Canada (CPC) held a meeting in Montreal to kickstart a campaign against unaffordable living costs at the Greek Workers’ Association of Quebec. Before the meeting, The McGill Tribune sat down with Liz Rowley, leader of the CPC, to learn more about the campaign and its implications for students.

The CPC’s campaign to roll back prices depends on the formation of a coalition between students, trade unions, farmers, and other financially vulnerable groups. Rowley hopes this strategy of mass mobilization will take the form of students and workers joining together to protest, sign petitions, organize public meetings, and pressure their Member of Parliament.

According to Rowley, most of the Communist Party’s newest recruits are under the age of 40. In her opinion, the participation of students in the CPC, and the political engagement of non-voting Canadian youths, shows promise for change.

“I have great hopes that young people today are just as gripped with the notion of the importance of peace, of social justice, of equality, and of socialism, as they were when I was young,” Rowley said. “And that being the case, I have great hopes for [...] and confidence in the future [....] Young people and people of conscience can change this picture. I am sure they will.”

Since the age of 17, Rowley has been interested in political activism, social equality, and workers’ rights.

Stirred to action by her strong views on the Vietnam War, Rowley joined the CPC in 1967. Today, she is mounting a campaign in pursuit of those goals— more specifically, to lower the cost of food, fuel, and housing, and to raise wages.

In 2022, the cost of food rose by 10.3 per cent, the cost of rent by 12.4 per cent, and the price of gas temporarily reached 207.2 cents per litre in June of that year. Meanwhile, wages relative to labour productivity in the business sector have fallen by an average of three per cent. Rowley blames big corporations for the hikes and believes that only the federal government has the power to curb these trends.

“The government should be raising corporate taxes, which are very low. They should be introducing a windfall profits tax, which the NDP [New Democratic Party] is also calling for,” Rowley explained. “They should be providing tax reductions for working people, [and] we would like to see a progressive tax system where the load is on those most able to pay, which means corporations.”

Unless the government adopts policies to roll back prices and lower taxes—the Goods and Services Tax in particular—Rowley warns that students will see the consequences of government inaction in the form of higher tuition fees, more expensive groceries, and rising costs of offcampus housing.

“I think [McGill students] need to be concerned about student debt,” Rowley said. “And also tuition fees, which are very high, and are going to exclude people who might want to go to university. A lot of students are eating out of food banks.”

Earlier this year, the Tribune reported on the increasing number of McGill students experiencing food insecurity due to the soaring cost of meal plans and on-campus food

prices. In some cases, this has led to disordered eating and malnutrition among students.

About 39 per cent of postsecondary students in Canada suffer from food insecurity, often sacrificing meals to pay for tuition, rent, and textbooks. At the same time, the average cost of rent nationwide also

surpassed a record-breaking average of $2,000 in 2022.

“Students are worried about [...] the question of what [to] do if you have a huge debt when you graduate,” Rowley said. “Can you afford to buy a house, can you decide that you want to marry, can you decide that you want to start a family?”

Party leader says campaign’s success depends on collaboration between students, unions, and farmers

In 2023, the cost of groceries is projected to rise another five to seven per cent. (facebook.com/pcq1965 )

Paper straw–infused beverages might become norm amid single-use plastics ban

Lack of guidelines and limited customer support delaying transition, campus businesses say

Ghazal Azizi News Editor

Continued from page 1.

“It’s all up in the air right now,” Baron told The McGill Tribune . “As great as it sounds, in theory, there’s not been much guidance from the province on how to actually implement it on the ground.”

Baron says the bar intends to clear out its supply of plastic cups before locking up shop on April 6, after which the upcoming management team will spend the summer sketching an alternative plan.

To ease the transition for businesses, the City of Montreal has developed a webpage to list restrictions and guide food vendors towards alternative suppliers. Rabih Rouhana, manager of Café Castel, located steps away from Desautels Faculty of Management, believes the guidelines are not clear enough and says the café did not have enough time to adapt.

“The customers don’t like the new recycling things, they

like the plastic more,” Rouhana said in an interview with the Tribune . “Now we’re in the process of changing, [but] we didn’t get [much time]. We have found several suppliers but we’re discussing the prices and everything.”

Kyun Ko manages the Korean eatery Opiano, located inside Le Cartier building on Peel Street. He is also dissatisfied with the lack of notice and guidance from the city.

“Honestly, it would have been much better if we had received [a notice] through mail or something like that so we would have been able to prepare,” Ko told the Tribune . “Mostly we had to [...] hear through other people that plastic will be banned.”

While BdA does not foresee any price hikes caused by the plastic ban, both Opiano and Café Castel will likely increase their prices in the near future. Rouhana says the markups might be around two to three per cent, increasing Café Castel’s current $5.07 latte to $5.22 before taxes.

“[No price changes] for now just to make the clients get used to everything, but in the future? Of course, it’s going to affect

our prices,” Rouhana said. The city has promised to be lenient as merchants exhaust their old stock of plastic items. Though a first visit for violating the by-law will result in only a warning, borough inspectors— who have been tasked with enforcing the ban—can penalize both businesses and individuals alike for failing to adhere to the

ban, with fines ranging from $300 to $4,000, depending on one’s record of offences.

While client cooperation has been fairly high, with the majority bringing their own cups to BdA, Baron is frustrated with those who still resist or fail to partake in eco-friendly practices.

“Every single time this happens, I’m really at a loss.

In the Headlines: Week of April 4, 2023

Madison

Local : Unhoused man Guylain Levasseur suing SPVM, City of Montreal

National : Federal government releases 2023-2024 budget, deficit larger than predicted

I just don’t know why people can’t bring their own mugs,” Baron said. “I think that our best move personally is you either come with a cup, or you don’t get a cup. Or you buy one of the reusable ones, which is more expensive [....] Even if it is paternalistic and it forces people [into] sustainability, I kind of don’t mind.”

As of April 1, H. Deep Saini officially became McGill’s 18th Principal and Vice-Chancellor. Saini is replacing Suzanne Fortier, who stepped down on Aug. 31, 2022 for unspecified reasons. The process that led to Saini’s appointment was somewhat prolonged: Fortier announced her decision to leave the university in January 2022, after which the Advisory Committee for the Selection of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor began its search. On Nov. 14, 2022, McGill announced that Saini had been chosen and approved by the Board of Governors, one of McGill’s highest governing bodies.

Saini comes to McGill after a two-year stint at Dalhousie University as Principal and Vice-Chancellor. He earned his PhD in plant physiology from the University of Adelaide after completing his undergraduate degree at Punjab Agriculture University in botany. He is the first person of colour to become Principal of McGill.

In the week leading up to taking office, Saini was seen walking around the downtown campus, taking photos and chatting with students on McTavish while also posing for an official photoshoot just outside the Armstrong Building.

An unhoused man is suing the City of Montreal and the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) for issuing him 230 tickets over the course of four years. Guylain Levasseur, the man in question, claims that he was targeted by police because he refused to move his campervan while handing out supplies and providing shelter to houseless people near the Beaudry metro station.

The lawsuit states that from 2015 to 2019, Levasseur was continually harassed by police for trying to help houseless people in Montreal’s Gay Village. On some occasions, like in the summer of 2018, Levasseur claims he was issued up to seven tickets in one day, and 14 over the course of two weeks. Tickets ranged from parking infractions to “vehicle issues.”

Levasseur’s case precedes the recent deployment of Montreal’s Équipe mobile de médiation en intervention sociale to the area where Levasseur provided support. Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante announced the move to provide more social and psychological aid to the Beaudry-Gay Village area in February 2023.

On March 28, the Canadian government revealed its 2023-2024 federal budget, which accounts for the recession projected to hit Canadian markets in the coming year. With an estimated deficit of $40 billion, the government is introducing new programs to reduce taxes on projects geared towards limiting carbon emissions and companies that invest in “greener” technology.

The budget also includes almost $200 billion in health-care funding, with $13 billion dedicated to dental care to be rolled out over the next five years for families that earn less than $90,000 annually. At the end of this year, the federal government will be launching a national suicide prevention hotline that will receive $158 million in funding over three years.

Many Canadians, though, are excited about the one-time grocery rebate that will give families up to $467, along with the regular Goods and Services Tax credit, and single people up to $234.

International : Protestors gather outside Trudeau’s Montreal office to denounce Roxham Road closure

Since the closure of Roxham Road—an irregular border crossing into Canada for asylum seekers—on March 25, activists in both Canada and the United States have called for its reopening because of the harm the closure is inflicting on migrants. On March 29, protestors gathered outside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Montreal office to denounce the decision. Holding banners with slogans like “open the border” and “closed borders kill,” activists told journalists on the scene that the only change closing Roxham Road will bring is death because asylum seekers will have to take more dangerous routes.

Canada and the U.S. agreed to shut Roxham Road as part of the revamping of the Safe Third Country Agreement—a 2004 agreement that determines what happens to refugees and asylum seekers that try to enter Canada by land via the U.S. The deal to close Roxham Road was actually reached over a year ago, but both governments kept it secret because there would have been “no advantage” to announcing the agreement before a closure came into effect.

More than 8,000 businesses are estimated to be affected by the single-use plastic ban in Montreal.(Nick Fewings /Unsplash)

Edward-Wright

Managing Editor

McGill : New Principal takes office at McGill

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Student Life Editors Abby McCormick & Mahnoor Chaudhry studentlife@mcgilltribune.com

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Ali Baghirov, Margo Berthier, Ella Buckingham, Melissa Carter, Roberto Concepcion, Ella Deacon, Julie Ferreyra, Adeline Fisher, Suzanna Graham, Jasjot Grewal, Charlotte Hayes, Jasmine Jing, Monique Kasonga, Shani Laskin, Eliza Lee, Oscar Macquet, Zoé Mineret, Harry North, Simi Ogunsola, Atticus O’Rourke Rusin, Ella Paulin, Dana Prather, Maeve Reilly, Maia Salhofer, Sofia Stankovic, Caroline Sun, Harrison Yamada, Yash Zodgekar

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The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University. Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor’s name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff.

We need to talk about Montreal’s secret conversion therapies

The McGill Tribune Editorial Board

Last week, an investigative report by Journal Métro revealed that churches across several Christian denominations in Montreal were enacting sexual orientation change efforts (SOCEs) for 2SLGBTQIA+ people, a practice more commonly known as conversion therapy. Although it was officially criminalized by federal law last year, these churches perpetuate the psychologically harmful, abusive, and traumatic practice behind closed doors. During Journal Métro’s investigation, an email warning of journalists’ undercover infiltration was sent to over 100 churches, indicating the pervasiveness of SOCEs in Montreal churches and the active collaboration to protect the cult of secrecy that surrounds them.

These “therapies,” which at times resemble exorcisms, find their roots relatively recently in the 19th century and reflect the remains of various Christian churches’ ongoing attempts to exert power and control over people. By brainwashing mostly young, and often vulnerable queer and trans people into thinking their sexual orientation or gender identity is an illness or deformity, these branches of the Christian Church

OFF THE BOARD

Mahnoor Chaudhry Student Life Editor

impose and form their ideal vision of a nuclear, heterosexual family.

Quebec has a long history of resistance to religious intervention grounded in laïcité, the separation of the state from religion, and its religious neutrality. But Journal Métro’s investigation exposes the province’s hypocrisy, specifically how the Church relies on covert endorsement from politicians. Bill 21 prohibits the province’s citizens who work in public service from wearing religious symbols on duty, but the persistence of conversion therapies—despite being far more harmful—does not receive the same fervour. And the province’s repeated financial support for transphobic organizations that support SOCEs, such as Pour les Droits des femmes Québec, blatantly proves where its values stand.

Mayor Valérie Plante reacted to the outcome of the investigation with an outraged tweet, demanding that SOCEs be stopped. Yet the municipal government has not offered any concrete solutions. If Montreal wants conversion therapies to “cease immediately,” then action must be taken accordingly. The current federal ban on conversion therapies is not retroactive, indicating that these therapies were acceptable before the law was implemented in 2022,

while simultaneously invalidating the trauma of survivors who cannot seek legal redress. When exposed by Journal Métro, the accused churches claimed to have misinterpreted the law, or blamed the provincial government for not making it clear enough.

Under the guise of simple “conversation” or the alternative name of “reparative” therapy, these pseudoscientific conversion practices are still allowed to take place. This problem does not simply exist in a vacuum within antiquated psychological practices or Christian belief systems, but is systemic to the province. Quebec’s health-care system similarly misrepresents queerness and relies on scientifically unsound and homophobic stereotypes, signalling the need for a larger reform of how state institutions approach queer identities. Conversion therapies, even when they don’t bear the name, happen anywhere that an individual is treated as deviant for their sexual orientation or gender identity. Banning SOCEs must be accompanied by not only necessary justice for survivors, but also a dramatic change in the way our institutions approach queer and trans flourishing: By listening to the concerned communities first.

The pro-conversion therapy

‘Basant’: A fading memory

river Nile.

Slowly, gently, tenderly, we prepare the kite, making sure it’s armed and ready for its biggest fight. Tomorrow, it will be time to launch it into the sky, along with the many other kites on perhaps their first flight. Signalling the coming of spring, the patangs will speckle the horizon with splashes of yellow, red, blue, black, and white.

argument that individuals are free to “seek help” can no longer be accepted. SOCEs imply that a queer identity is something to be healed from, and that one must change their sexual orientation or gender identity instead of challenging the homophobic and transphobic system that invalidates their existence. Criminalizing conversion therapies will not suffice to make internalized oppressions disappear. Queer and trans people need representation, life and joy, and resistance. As institutions like McGill are burgeoning with young students still exploring their identities, universities can play a key role in changing the harmful biologically essentialist and heteronormative codes of today’s society. One concrete way is to increase funding for the Gender, Sexuality, Feminist, and Social Justice Studies department. McGill must also acknowledge the existence of SOCEs in Montreal and take a clear stance against bigotry, as the general ignorance about Montreal’s conversion therapies only perpetuates their existence. Spreading the word about Journal Métro’s investigation and shining light on the risks taken by their journalists will be essential in finally putting an end to the continuous invalidation of queer and trans people’s humanity.

The paper rustles in my hands, light on my fingers, delicate, flimsy, daring to tear apart if treated with the slightest harshness (much like me). I put the wire through the holes, stretch the paper out, and add a little tassel to the end, making the patang my own. My dad stands on the opposite end, guiding and guarding, because he knows if this kite, my beloved guddi, gets the slightest rip, my eyes will let loose the

I wake up to the smell of jalebis and halwa wafting in from the kitchen, inviting us to adorn ourselves in pink, yellow, and orange for the much-anticipated festival of Basant My siblings and I put on our sharpest kurtas and run up to the roof, where my father is setting up the kites and making light-hearted conversation with the neighbour, boasting about the strength of his string and already challenging him to a duel.

All around us, roofs and terraces fill up with families submerged in electrifying joy, as vendors hark from down below, inviting us to buy sweet and savoury delicacies and traditional artifacts. The sun begins to rise, kites take to the sky, and the beats of the dhol gain momentum.

It is the spring of 2007. My

relatives and cousins have all arrived, and we carry my great uncle, Aachoo Mamoo, who is terminally ill, up to the roof, along with his bed, in order to fulfill his dying wish of “celebrating Basant one last time.” He lies on the charpai, a traditional, woven bed, as my dad and uncles take up their kites, arm them with the most powerful dori (the string used to fly the kites), and wrap their hands in cotton bandages––a necessary precaution to prevent the string from slicing your hands through––to prepare for the kite fights.

They put themselves in teams, my dad with his brother and my mom with hers, with one member holding the big, heavy roll of dori and the other flying the kite itself. To make us feel included, they ask us to run with their patang, from one end of the roof to the other, so the kite has enough wind and momentum to soar directly into the sky.

And then, chaos ensues. “Pecha lag gaya!” shouts Baba, announcing that his kite is caught in another and the first battle of the day has begun. Everyone halts, holding their breath and staring high up into the sky, squinting to watch the two kites battling it out. Masterfully, Baba

begins pulling on the string and letting it go, as his brother supports him by skillfully rolling and unrolling the string, artfully displaying the last 28 years of kite-flying teamwork.

Aachoo Mamoo props up on the charpai in excitement and, using all his strength, begins to guide my father and uncle, with his 50 or more years of experience in the art. Shortly, we see the other kite start to dwindle, and as it falls from the sky, our entire family bubbles with cheer and excitement, commending Baba on his skill and celebrating the win. And so, the evening passes. The battles continue, the kites soar high and fall low, and by evening, we’ve all had a hearty share of celebration and are already anticipating next year’s festivities.

However, next year never came. Not only for Aachoo Mamoo but for the rest of us as well. With the increasing production and use of unsafe doris, coated with glass and metal fillings that proved fatal for many, the government banned the festival altogether. So, if tomorrow I was granted one wish, I would channel Aachoo Mamoo and ask to relive the spring of 2007, to celebrate Basant once again.

Monique Kasonga Staff Writer

As a Torontonian, I, like many, have always recognized Montreal as better than our own city. The ability to legally drink fresh out of high school in such an artsy city was just one of the many reasons McGill was number one on my list. While oftentimes I do yearn for the familiarity of the streets of Toronto, Montreal has been an incredible new adventure in itself. With so much

Why Montreal stands out above the rest

to offer, I can confidently say that it is the best place to be as a student, and a recent report by The Honest Professor agrees with me. Montreal ranks as the number one student city in the world, and special mention is given to McGill as the best institution to study at in the city.

One thing that most young people, particularly students, are looking for is aesthetics––and to enhance their social media feeds. What else would we use as the cover of our Instagram photo dumps if not

some random person’s house that happens to have a beautiful spiral staircase, colourful door and big bay window? Montreal is one of the rare places where ill-favoured modern North American architecture doesn’t line the streets, and the charm of historic buildings with oldstyle masonry still stands. This sets Montreal apart from other cities, particularly Toronto, where historically-infused urban configurations are confined to only a few neighbourhoods. Instead of seeing the same grey condos at every corner, you get to see the charming Victorian-style Plateau houses—and maybe even live in one, too.

Pair that architectural beauty with walkability, and the streetscapes can resemble a gallery. Very few university students living downtown have cars, and paying for a monthly metro pass is not necessary or feasible for all students. So, when you can walk with ease to various destinations without worrying immediately about contributing to vehicle pollutants, you find yourself in a greener, and more pleasant, home.

The blend of French and

COMMENTARY

Genevieve Downing

Contributor

On March 13, the Jesuits of Canada, a religious order of the Catholic Church, released a list of priests and brothers that have been “credibly accused” of sexually abusing minors.

The list dates back to the 1950s, accounting for more than 27 accused men, 24 of whom are deceased. Several of the men listed worked for a period of

British colonial influences that can be seen in Montreal’s architecture, language, and cuisine define the city’s unique history. But this city is also where immigrants, their descendants, and Indigenous peoples have resisted the imposition of a unilingual and monocultural identity, contending that what we now call Montreal has a more dynamic character.

On top of the unbeatable nightlife that makes it the Sin City of the North, Montreal serves as a vibrant cultural hub, putting the Canadian mosaic into practice. Numerous establishments boast an interior design and ambiance that represents the city’s reputation for art, music, and fashion. Want Afrobeats or Latin fusion or Caribbean jazz? Do you need to stock up on Australian or RussianJewish goodies? Montreal’s got you set. The city also has several excellent universities, places where people of different cultures and nationalities meet and come together. When the institution supports individuals and embraces their history and diversity, it marks a site of possibility. And known for having flourishing music and art

scenes, Montreal features a large number of theatres, museums, and art galleries presenting both domestic and foreign talent. The Montreal Jazz Festival, Osheaga, and Igloofest make up just a few of the music festivals held at various times of the year in the city. Having festivities and activities to look forward to year-round, indoors and outdoors, is one of the great, unique aspects of Montreal.

While this all may seem like an ad to convince students to choose Montreal as their fouryear home, it isn’t. The truth is, Montreal, like any city, has its flaws. In a perfect world, the city would not be getting less and less affordable for students, inflation would not have us pinching pennies, and housing prices would not be going up. However, compared to other cities like Toronto or Vancouver, Montreal has a more affordable cost of living, and a lot of history and culture to offer in turn. The learning doesn’t start or stop in the classroom—our city brims with lessons. With a never-ending Montreal to-do list, I feel grateful to be in such a great student city, the best one in the world.

An act of transparency for the Jesuits of Canada

time in Montreal, in institutions such as Loyola High School and Collège Jean de Brébeuf. This repeated pattern of abuse, which is far from unique to Canada, within the Catholic spiritual community and system of worship creates ripples of abuse that continue to permeate the lives of many, especially those assaulted as children.Growing up in the Catholic Church and attending a Catholic high school, priests were presented to me as allknowing figures of guidance,

making it that much easier for them to prey on those who follow. In order to continue to fight against sexual assault in sacred spaces, there needs to be a continuous effort to eliminate abuse and larger monetary reparations to those who have been harmed in the past.

In December 2019, the Jesuits of Canada began compiling an audit of all cases of abuse and boundary violations, pledging to release a list of those credibly accused to the general public. The

term “credibly accused” refers to a situation where there is enough evidence to legitimize allegations, but not necessarily enough to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. These efforts can be validating to survivors; seeing the name of their abuser called out for their crime can at times provide peace of mind. The list is meant to be a living document as ongoing investigations into abuse continue. The Jesuits have further pushed for efforts of reconciliation by establishing guidelines for healing, accountability, and prevention of future acts of abuse and sexual harassment. Additionally, every Jesuit candidate must partake in a psychological evaluation to ensure they are fit to become a Jesuit, as well as yearly training on abuse prevention and celibate living.

While these efforts certainly take steps in the right direction, the church must do more to eradicate sexual violence within its sacred spaces. In France, cash reparations ranged from $21,128 to $63,386 per individual case. Another

potential measure, albeit controversial, should be the removal of mandatory celibacy from the Catholic priesthood. Though the pressures of celibacy should never be granted as a legitimate excuse for pedophilic abuse, abolishing this measure could modernize the church and create a safer environment for all.

The statement issued by the Jesuits of Canada asserts that the past cannot be rewritten, but this reveals calculated accountabilityon the Church’s part. With many accused priests and brothers deceased, little judicial action can occur against specific perpetrators. The lack of criminal proceedings allows them to get off scot-free, condemned for their actions only beyond the grave. The Jesuits’ involvement in the creation and perpetuation of residential schools across Canada, for example, has not been adequately redressed. Ten of the 27 men on the list abused minors in residential schools in First Nations communities and in Spanish, Ontario. While minor reparations have been paid, the government

must begin to take larger steps to support Indigenous peoples in Canada, especially survivors, and that begins with greater transparency about the past, such as in the Catholic Church’s recent repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery. We must ask the essential question—did the Church know all along, and keep it under wraps while the priests were still practicing? There exists a long history of secrecy within the Church, with information only being revealed when convenient, as seen in the recent exposé on active conversion therapy practices in Montreal churches. The Jesuits of Canada must reveal more names, for if the priests still living fit into the pattern, abusers still exist within the system and will perpetuate this cycle until exposed.

The Church must continue to be held accountable, starting with reparations for the past and proactive steps toward safeguarding the dignity of its followers in the future. For an institution as old as the Catholic Church, a reckoning is long overdue.

A recent study by The Helpful Professor ranked Montreal as the best student city in the world. (Eva Blue)

More than 216,000 people have been abused by Canadian priests since 1950, according to the Sauvé Report. (Michael Swan)

Glycans: The key to better gut health

McGill researchers set fibre-consuming bacteria aglow with fluorescent labelling

K. Coco Zhang Contributor

The gut microbiome has attracted a slew of research interest, leading to the discovery that a poor gut microbiome can cause various diseases, including Type 2 diabetes and cancer. More recent research has delved further into the negative health outcomes associated with a poor gut microbiome while proposing strategies to improve gut health.

In a new paper published in Nature, Bastien Castagner, an associate professor in McGill’s Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and his team detail their recent discovery of the fascinating connection between the gut microbiome and glycans—large carbohydrate molecules found in plants, animals, and microbes. The use of fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), where glycans are labelled with fluorescent tags, allowed them to identify potential clinical interventions to improve gut health.

Glycans, also known as polysaccharides, are essential for maintaining tissue structures and energy storage. They are obtained from foods such as buckwheat, mung beans, peanuts, soybeans, and papayas, and can be secreted by the body through mucus.

Most glycans consumed cannot be broken down by enzymes in the body. Instead, they are fermented into short-chain fatty acids, which serve as nutrients for gut microorganisms and cells in the colon.

Some species of the gut microbiome

prefer certain glycans over others, which suggests that the type of glycans we consume can influence which microorganisms proliferate in our gut.

Dietary glycans, then, could be used to promote the growth of desirable species in the gut, thereby improving overall health.

Although past approaches, such as stable isotope probing and genetic screening, have been used to study the link between glycans and human gut microorganisms, their applications are limited to controlled settings in laboratories. To circumvent this conundrum, Castagner and his team proposed a new approach that can be applied in natural, more complex bacterial communities, such as the gut microbiome.

“The method that we developed to label bacteria consuming a polysaccharide molecule does not require the bacteria to grow, nor do we need to have prior knowledge about the genes involved,” Castagner wrote to The McGill Tribune. “We need the bacteria to be alive and actively take up the fluorescent glycans, but we do not have to give them all the nutrients they may need to thrive and multiply, which is difficult to do in vitro.”

FACS works by attaching fluorescent molecules to glycans, allowing glycans to have a shiny, fluorescent appearance. Upon taking up the fluorescent glycans, the bacteria will begin to glow, making them identifiable under the microscope. The researchers will then be able to pinpoint the glycan-consuming bacterial species based on their fluorescence.

Some stones are better left unturned

Using FACS, the study found that bacterial species, such as Prevotella copri, Collinsella aerofaciens, and Blautia wexlerae, are able to consume glycans.

“As we understand more and more the role of the gut microbiota in diseases, we see that we can probably develop therapies for some diseases by manipulating the gut microbiota,” Castagner wrote. “This can be done in different ways, but using glycans that support specific bacteria is a good way to do this.”

The use of glycans to feed certain bacterial species is known as the prebiotic approach, which the human body can typically

do on its own.

“Indeed, nature uses this trick. In human breast milk, there are human milk oligosaccharides, whose function is to support some bacteria in the developing microbiota of the infant,” Castagner wrote. “Similarly, we can change the microbiota of adults using glycans. But in order to do this, we need to understand exactly who is eating what[.]” Castagner and his team believe that their paper lays the groundwork for future clinical strategies to improve the gut microbiome using glycans, which may have important implications for treating diseases like cancer and diabetes.

No-till farming, an alternative, sustainable method of agriculture, faces challenges in Morocco

Harrison Yamada Staff Writer

In recent decades, the many negative effects of tillage, the practice of turning over soil after harvesting crops, have become increasingly evident: It disrupts soil structure, accelerates soil erosion, and causes runoff of pesticides and fertilizer, damaging adjacent ecosystems.

No-till farming, a practice that involves leaving the soil largely undisturbed, has been proposed as a more sustainable and less destructive alternative. The technique does not require the use of colossal tractors and instead proposes planting seeds in small, shallow openings in the ground, and pressing down the soil to cover them by employing smaller tractors or even doing it by hand.

Professor Joann Whalen, who teaches in McGill’s Department of Natural Resource Sciences, has been on sabbatical in Morocco this year at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, working on the Daily Century Model (DayCent)—a model that simulates the movement of carbon and nitrogen through agricultural systems—and researching the effects of no-till farming. Her recent publication shows her findings while exploring the logistics of implementing no-till farming in Morocco.

“We use this model to make tools that farmers can use to see how choosing no-till methods and other carbon-saving practices […] will increase their carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Whalen said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “Farmers that can show such improvements will be eligible for

payments in the emerging carbon markets.”

Whalen believes there are two major benefits to no-till farming: Measurable improvements in soil stability and minimal resource consumption.

“We measure soil parameters to have an idea about the soil’s ability to resist erosion, store water, and support a rich diversity of microbial and animal life,” Whalen said. “Because no-till farms minimally disturb the surface vegetation and plant residues, they can store more carbon in the soil under certain conditions.”

Farms often benefit from hidden ecosystems that preserve nutrients and moisture. In arid and semi-arid regions such as Morocco, it is especially crucial that the soil retain moisture if it is to remain fertile. Scientists like Whalen also closely measure the carbon-absorbing properties of hidden ecosystems to better understand whether they can mitigate climate change.

No-tillage farming also requires a smaller quantity of typical resources than traditional farming methods. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, no-till farming saves 33 litres of diesel fuel per hectare.

“Burning less diesel fuel saves the farmer money while reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the tractor,” Whalen said.

Widespread adoption of no-till farming could be key in making agriculture more efficient and sustainable, but there are challenges to implementing it.

“The main barrier to implementing no-till farming in Morocco is the cost of investment in the suitable farm machinery,” Whalen explained.

“A big farm can justify the investment cost, but the majority of farms in Morocco and throughout sub-Saharan Africa are owned by smallholders who subsist on less than two hectares of land. Those with limited resources are not able to finance the purchase of no-till machines.”

The climate crisis compounds this issue because it disproportionately impacts smallholders. Droughts and heat waves, for example, strain crop yields, causing shortages that are much harder to handle for smallholders than large farm owners.

“Smallholder farmers need our support to carefully manage their scarce water resources, already under pressure due to overpopulation and inefficient distribution networks,” Whalen said.

Whalen believes that supporting carbon markets, trading systems in which carbon credits are bought and sold, is essential to making no-till farming more feasible.

“Farmers will be able to do more carbon farming when they get compensated for doing so,” Whalen said. “When you are offered the option to offset your carbon emissions, for instance when you buy an airline ticket, check the box. Your dollars could be a source of extra income for a smallholder farmer enrolled in a verified carbon farming program. By supporting this farmer’s livelihood, you help them to keep producing healthy, nutritious food for their family and local community.”

Among lush Amazonian flora in Oriente, the eastern region of Ecuador, pits of viscous, black oil dot the landscape. Iridescent streams infiltrate the rainforest. Aerial shots of unobstructed canopy cover are starkly contrasted with footage of large oil rigs set up in the forest. A few frames follow before the video shows a baby writhing from a skin rash. Minutes later, a woman cries as she describes the struggles she faces trying to pay for her 18-yearold daughter’s cancer treatment.

Sitting over 5,000 kilometres away in a lecture hall at McGill, I watched these scenes unfold before me in the documentary, Crude: The Real Price of Oil. My class was discussing Aguinda v. Texaco, Inc., a court case filed in 1993 in which the plaintiffs—over 30,000 Ecuadorians from the Oriente region—argued that they had been adversely affected by oil extraction in the region at the hands of Texaco, an American oil company and a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation. The Oriente region is home to less than five per cent of Ecuador’s population, and a large portion is a part of the region’s five Indigenous groups, including the Cofán, Secoya, Siona, Huaorani, and Quichua.

The plaintiffs alleged that Texaco used sub-standard technology and, in the process, spilled over 18 billion gallons of toxic waste in the Ecuadorian Amazon. They claimed that oil entered water sources that locals used for drinking and bathing. Following the pollution, the plaintiffs said their communities saw increases in sickness, cancer, and death, which they believed were due to the contamination from Texaco’s operations in the region.

Before digging into the details of this

case, I only had a notion of the impact that extractive corporations can have on the communities they operate in. I had read about similar cases, but as I dove into this lawsuit, my sense of the barriers to convicting corporations was heightened. I went down a seemingly endless rabbit hole of legal documents, corporate strategies, and horror stories of what happens to those who try to oppose them.

After nearly 20 years in court, the case was finally decided in 2011. An Ecuadorian court ruled that Chevron had to pay $18 billion in damages, later reduced to $9.5 billion after Chevron appealed the decision. Despite the landmark victory, over a decade later, the money still has not been paid. Instead, Chevron retaliated, arguing that the case was fraudulent and illegitimate. As a part of Chevron’s strategy to refute the decision, they went after one person in particular: Steven Donziger.

Donziger, one of the lead lawyers for the plaintiffs, was met with charges of extortion and fraud following the judgment. According to a 2009 internal memo, Chevron’s “L-T [longterm] strategy [was] to demonize Donziger.” The American lawyer has been in a legal battle against Chevron since 2011, which has resulted in a six-month prison sentence, nearly three years under house arrest, the detainment of his passport, and a disbarment. Most recently, on March 27, the United States Supreme Court refused to hear Donziger’s appeal.

While Donziger’s personal legal battle with Chevron is characteristic of corporations’ legal tactics, his unjust targeting pales in comparison to the broader fight: Thirty years have now passed since the communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon first filed their lawsuit, but they have yet to receive justice. But the focus, especially that of mainstream media sources, has been shifted to the plight of one individual.

“I want to emphasize that what happens to me is not determinative in terms of what happens to the people of Ecuador,” Donziger told me in an interview. “It has very little to do with it, actually. But it is important because what’s happening to me is a component of a fossil fuel industry playbook to try to use private corporate prosecutions to silence lawyers and activists who do this important type of accountability work.”

The nature of extractive corporations means that community harm is inevitable and, therefore, must be litigated against. Canada supports multiple extractive industries, particularly its massive mining sector. Shin

Constellations responsibility

How Chevron

By: Shani

Imai, a professor at the Osgoode Hall Law School University, oversaw a 2016 report violence associated with Canadian mining companies in Latin The report, which the team described as being only tip of the iceberg,” documented deaths—some of which were targeted—403 injuries, and 709 of criminalization. A total different Canadian mining companies were involved in these incidents.

Even when this violence documented, it is rare for companies to pay restitution to the communities they have impacted. Imai told one way corporations can wriggle of accountability is through networks of subsidiaries: Parent companies can spread their assets across different branches all over the A company’s subsidiary in American country, for example, have almost no assets, making virtually impossible to sue damages made to a community. the same time, the community not be able to sue the parent company because it is legally separate subsidiary. As of 2019, for Chevron had at least 33 subsidiaries according to the United Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

“So anywhere you can sue, can say either, ‘we don’t have or ‘it’s not our fault,’” Imai said. the responsibility is spread the place. They make tons of but you can’t get a hold of it.”

Jaye Ellis, an associate professor at McGill’s Faculty of Law, explained that corporations can often conviction because they easily loopholes in human rights regulations.

Promoting corporate responsibilities, which are non-legally binding guides of how corporations can operate ethically, is solution proposed by legal scholars. The United Nations’ 2011 Guiding Principles, in particular, outline the ways in which companies should operate respectfully in the

Constellationsresponsibilityof

Chevron keeps getting away with it

Shani

Laskin,

of York report on Canadian America. research only “the documented 44 were deemed 709 cases total of 28 companies incidents. violence is companies communities told me that wriggle out networks companies across many the world. a Latin example, may making it for any community. At community would company separate from its instance, subsidiaries United States Commission sue, they have assets,’ said. “All all over of money, it.” professor explained often evade easily find regulations. social non-legally corporations one

Staff Writer

communities they work in and along their supply chains. Soft obligations such as this cannot enforce immediate changes. But Ellis suggests that over time, in tandem with other domains of law, they may create a significant “constellation” of social pressure for companies.

“These different parts of international policy and domestic law and international law, as well, are beginning to sort of knit together, so that you’ve got a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ situation happening for parent corporations,” Ellis said. “If they choose to maintain willful ignorance of the undertakings of their subsidiaries, then they are in violation of this political commitment. If they look into the affairs of their subsidiaries, but they don’t do anything about the risks that their subsidiaries are creating, then they owe a duty of care and they could be liable to the people who are harmed.”

Other scholars are less optimistic about the viability of social responsibility for corporations. Without any laws forcing corporations to adhere, Imai explained, they simply do not have to. Chevron even cites the UN Guiding Principles on its website, writing that the corporation “commits to respecting human rights” and that they “can play a positive role in the communities where [they] operate.” Superficial commitments to sustainability and ethics are common across most extractive corporations.

“You’d think [corporations] were community development organizations, instead of these rapacious, extractive companies,” Imai said. “They have all these codes. They say, ‘we protect the environment, we don’t violate human rights’ but that’s called corporate social responsibility. [....] So you can have the best codes in the world and if the company gets in trouble, there’s no mechanism for investigating them [...] and if the companies don’t want to cooperate, then what kind of system do you have?” So what else could hold corporations to account?

Certainly, media has a role to play. By spotlighting injustices, journalists can spark the attention of the general public. Donziger’s case has gained massive media traction and has helped place social pressure on Chevron, but it is just one of many other corporate injustices that have, by contrast, not come to light. What about the countless legal battles from which journalists cannot derive a tragic hero?

The violences corporations inflict overseas are often obscured from populations in Canada or the U.S. because of the massive amount of resources they can wield to evade liability, not to mention targeting activists and lawyers such as Donziger. But just because it occurs outside of our vision does not mean that the violence of Western corporations can be ignored. As an incubator of future Canadian miners, McGill’s Mining Engineering program and its internship offerings could reflect on the ethical impacts of its curricula.

To Imai, the struggle then is to mobilize against the financial and political power of corporations such as Canadian mining companies.

“I think that the Canadian public is concerned and we just need to somehow make the politicians accountable,” Imai said. “And it’s very hard because the mining lobby is huge, it’s powerful, it can put a lot of pressure on very specific individuals. But it’s not just that I see hope. I see that there is a critical mass of Canadians who know about the issue and really want to see something done.”

Ultimately, while the power of multinational corporations can appear all-consuming, it seems that there are avenues for change. The network of activists, lawyers, and legal scholars shedding light on the human rights abuses of corporations also spreads wide in reach and influence. But getting Chevron to pay the communities of the Oriente region and setting legal precedents to convict future corporate violences will by no means be easy.

“I think the answer is multiplatform campaigns that include a strong legal component, but also the lobbying, media, and public education components,” Donziger said. “Only the people affected, I think, have the capability to vanquish some of these large and powerful fossil fuel companies but [...] no one person can do it alone.

“The skill set, or the team, needs to be multi-dimensional, needs to have good leadership, and a coordinated strategy with these cases, and you can also win them [with] just a tiny fraction of the resources spent by the oil companies to fight.”

Designed by: Drea Garcia Avila

Combatting pseudoscience with reason and rationality

Trust stems from understanding the science of misinformation

Ali Baghirov Staff Writer

Albert Einstein once said that “two things are infinite: The Universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the Universe.” Although a quick fact-check shows that the acclaimed physicist might not have actually said this, the essence of the statement remains clear—there are no limits to human folly. Pseudoscientific beliefs and mistrust in science are a testament to this statement, yet the subject remains a complicated and multifaceted problem.

Pseudoscience is a body of “knowledge” that is presented as scientific yet is not confirmed by rigorous scientific methods such as the criterion of falsifiability. As a branch of science denialism and misinformation, pseudoscience includes ideologies such as evolution denialism, opposition to vaccines, and flat-Earthism.

While some pseudoscience fields pretend to be scientific (like homeopathy), others are built on denying well-established facts. One infamous example is the denial of the fact of evolution.

“People who disbelieve [evolution] often do so because it clashes with their beliefs, they experience cognitive dissonance,” said Jonathan Jarry, science communicator at McGill’s Office for Science and Society (OSS) and co-host of the Body of Evidence podcast. “So how do they resolve this? The easiest way is to explain science as false— they maintain their pre-existing belief [....] Our brain is not really a science adjudicator—it’s a lawyer that wants you to win every time in order to save face, and it takes effort to move away from this compulsion.”

While Earth’s spherical shape is more obvious than the fact of evolution, there are flat-Earthers who claim that satellite images are fake. And these are not isolated individuals exclaiming their disbelief: Entire communities have formed because they share the same sense of scepticism. Flat-Earthers even have their own website where they sell maps of flat Earth.

“Flat-Earthers really exemplify the main characteristic of grand conspiracy believers—they may not agree on what the truth is, but they all agree that the mainstream narrative is wrong,” Jarry said. “Sometimes, it’s just a lack of expertise to make sense of what is good information and

what isn’t. Sometimes, it’s about emotions, about what feels right. And very importantly, there’s a social component—if you look at the flat-Earthers, they’re a part of a community.”

Jarry further suggested that what unites believers in conspiracy theories is the illusion of having shared, secret knowledge that the rest of society cannot access. While beliefs like evolution denialism and FlatEarthism have been around for centuries, the Internet has exacerbated the phenomenon of misinformation.

“Nonsense has always been with us, but now we have bloggers with millions of followers, despite them having no relevant scientific education,” said Joe Schwarcz, the director of McGill’s OSS and professor of chemistry, in an interview with the Tribune “They have learned the language of science, they’ve clothed themselves in the garb of science, and they can sound very appealing.”

The enormous amount of information available on the Internet often makes it difficult to distinguish reliable sources from fraud, especially if pseudoscientific claims are presented with a veneer of professionalism—something that Schwarcz discusses often on his podcast, The Dr. Joe Show.

“As soon as [scientists] hesitate, when we have to sprinkle our language with ‘but’s and maybe’s,’ [pseudoscience promoters] jump in there,” Schwarcz said.

Professor Samuel Veissière, co-director of the Culture, Mind, and Brain program at McGill and associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, added that research into the propagation of pseudoscience has become a hot research topic itself.

“Mechanisms of information polarization online have been extensively studied in cognitive science: An overabundance of information, paired with a climate of low trust in the collective, tends to create cognitive bottlenecks for evolutionarily ‘cheap’ information like threat, moral outrage, social affiliation, and mass herding,” Veissière told the Tribune

Yet, distinguishing science from pseudoscience might not always be easy—as a consumer of information, at some point, you have to trust somebody. According to Veissière, extensive research in cognitive science has shown that when it comes to decisions about who and what to trust, the source of information is often more impor-

tant to readers than the content.

This presents an issue when individuals trust a news source or a content creator on the Internet and believe them regardless of whether the information conveyed seems reasonable. Even traditionally trustworthy sources, though, must be questioned.

A good example is Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 paper in The Lancet , which linked autism to measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines. Though Wakefield was later found to have falsified data, the suspicious attitude towards vaccines grew in popularity—as evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic—proving that scientific merit is also influenced by the publisher’s reputation.

Wakefield’s fraudulent publication also showed the vulnerable side of peer review and demonstrated the need to devise ways to ensure replicability and integrity in research. According to Jarry, while some incentives exist to replicate previous research, young researchers are primarily encouraged to conduct original investigations rather than reproduce earlier studies.

“While we in the world of science worship at the altar of peer review, peer review is not the end goal,” Schwarcz said. “When a reviewer is asked to review a paper, they have to assume that the data presented was properly gathered and that the paper was honestly written because the reviewer cannot redo the work—[they] have to assume legitimacy.”

Yet, even when valid scientific results are presented, they are not always communicated effectively. Complicated terminology is one reason for this: beta-D-fructofuranosyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside might sound like a toxic compound, but it is actually the

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry name for sucrose (sugar).

“[Scientific] jargon can be twisted by people who either don’t know how to interpret it or who want to lie to the public to make [a] paper say things that [it] didn’t [mean to] say, and most people are not going to check the paper itself,” Jarry said.

While more robust science education in schools is one way to combat science misrepresentation, deeper socio-historical reasons often lead to science mistrust in marginalized communities, such as Indigenous and Black communities in Canada. For a long time, “science” was used to legitimize white supremacy and inflict violence on Black and Indigenous peoples, as well as other people of colour. A notorious example of this is the Tuskegee experiment in the United States from 1932 to 1972, during which the United States Public Health Service and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention actively prevented Black men from getting syphilis treatment so that researchers could study the natural development of the disease.

“Science can be associated with dominant groups and symbols that carry a strong connotation of aggression,” Veissière wrote. “Science ‘skepticism’ in these cases is a maladaptive, but understandable[,] protective mechanism.”

Veissière added that effective strategies to restore marginalized communities’ trust in science would be to “recruit local leaders and trusted community members who can act as ‘influencers’ to help people gain trust.”

When working to educate and build trust, scientists must be realistic about what communities are interested in listening to their arguments. While attempts to debate anti-vaxxers or flat-Earthers are futile, there are better approaches to combat science misrepresentation.

“We have to focus on a rather large segment of the population who really have questions, who legitimately don’t know, because there is so much information and misinformation,” Schwarcz explained. “We have to concentrate on [those] who [are] willing to be convinced with proper scientific arguments.”

Before trying to convince people, the first step is much simpler: We need to listen.

“Do more listening first—if you want to convince somebody, you have to earn their trust,” Jarry said. “Earning their trust starts with listening to what they have to say and showing them that you care about them as a person and about what they think.”

Earlier this year, 11 American states officially proclaimed March 26 as National Science Appreciation Day. (Literary Hub)

The Ancient Greek geographer Eratosthenes estimated the circumference of the Earth in the second-century BCE using shadows. (mcgill.ca )

Your guide to student elections Notes from students who campaigned and lived to tell the tale

Simi Ogunsola Staff Writer

Continued from page 1.

She told The McGill Tribune that those who are interested in a spot on the team must nominate themselves and fill out an election kit (simple enough), attend the candidate’s meeting to learn about election procedures (and scope out the competition), meet with the current position holder (to get the tea), and then, with the help of a $300 budget, campaign, campaign, campaign.

Koulibaly explained that her road to involvement with SSMU came simply from enjoying doing fun things with friends in clubs at McGill. Having been involved in different clubs during her time here, she was looking at her experiences and asking, “what’s next?”

“I’m not really a student government type,” Koulibaly said in an interview with the Tribune . “I like vibes. I like student engagement, student life, and extra-curriculars.”

Having seen some of the amazing opportunities, Koulibaly said she only wanted to be more of a part of it all.

Amidst the campaign itself, Koulibaly cited her friends as a huge source of strength and her biggest support system. She relied on them to fill in wherever she needed help, whether that was designing campaign posters or spreading the word about her plans for office.

“Your friends are helpful because they kind of create a network for you,” Koulibaly explained. “The friends of your friends will know who you are because of your mutual friend […] even if you’ve never spoken to them, they have an unspoken faith in you.”

Current Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS)’s VP External Rohan Rastogi, U1 Arts, also decided to run for a studentelected position after falling in love with his extracurriculars. Following his role as recording secretary for AUS in his first year, meeting the team, and attending legislative council

McGill’s hidden campus

The best study spots come in threes

Margo Berthier Staff Writer

You walk out of class, belaboured and exhausted, and attempt to find someplace to study or hang out. You jump from Redpath to McLennan, soon to realize that all of your options are either overcrowded, noisy, or not to your liking. Are you in desperate need of a calm, isolated place, or just something different, but don’t know where to look? Say no more; here is a list of some of McGill students’ favourite underrated spots on campus that everyone should enjoy.

Marvin Duchow Music Library

Located on the third floor of the Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, the Music Library offers students a variety of different spaces, from silent study zones to collaborative work areas. As you enter the space, you are greeted with warm natural sunlight stemming from large windows, as well as comfortable couches and large tables to spread out your work.

Max Finn, U3 Arts, is a big proponent of studying at the Music Library.

“I love coming here. There are big windows, it is very spacious and calm, and it is never crowded,” Finn said. “I love the large desks, and there is even a floor where you can sit and observe vinyls.”

When in dire need of a break from school work, take a stroll and discover the material of the Rare Books and Special

meetings, he decided he had to be a part of it.

“The best part of the process was researching the position and figuring out my platform,” Rastogi told the Tribune

Both executives saw running for a position as something to do for themselves, while expanding both their personal and professional networks. Koulibaly explained that, as a student studying STEM, it was nice to do something completely outside of her realm of study––it made her approach it with a renewed intentionality. The election process was, for her, a chance to learn an incredible amount about herself and different communities within the school. She also learned to stretch her ideas and see just how far they could go.

“When you campaign and you hear what [ideas] other people have, or you see what needs are, you realize how your ideas can change,” Koulibaly said.

She cites the competition as pushing her to make her own

ideas and initiatives better. Both candidates highly encouraged others to run for student government positions and provided their peers with a few tips. Rastogi suggests reading up on the different positions and finding one that best aligns and suits your interests, and then just going for it. Koulibaly, in a similar vein, emphasized, particularly to people feeling

fearful or concerned about the campaign, the importance of finding a position that aligns with their interests.

“There’s no right or wrong answer, you just run for what you believe in,” Koulibaly said. So, choose a position that suits your fancy, take a deep breath, and whoosh your CV through, leaving all fears behind. Happy campaigning!

Collections Room. You will find one of the most important academic music collections in Canada, with more than 200,000 scores, recordings, books, journals, and online resources. The library’s knowledgeable staff can also help you locate any material you are interested in.

680 Sherbrooke

After indulging in Montreal’s rich musical scene, take a short trip to 680 Sherbrooke and make your way to the ninth or 12th floor. Tucked away in this hidden gem of downtown campus are breathtaking views of McGill that often grace Instagram stories. Surprisingly, only a handful of McGill students are aware of what this building holds beyond language classes, so

don’t miss out on the chance to discover this secret oasis for yourself!

Charlotte Mineret, U2 Arts, told The McGill Tribune more about what students might not know about this spot.

“I really enjoy going to 680 Sherbrooke on the ninth floor,” Mineret said. “The view and open space are fantastic, and since not many students know about it, it is generally empty.”

Islamic Studies Library

Nestled in the heart of the downtown campus on McTavish Street, facing the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) University Centre, lies the perfect building for students seeking a peaceful study spot: The Islamic Studies Library. As

you step inside, take a moment to appreciate the stunning Gothic architecture, with almost all furnishings crafted from wood. You’ll feel as if you’ve stepped into a fairytale. For the ultimate calm study environment, head to the Octagon Room. With its stainless steel windows casting a warm light, it’s the quietest spot on campus.

Gery Delepiere, U3 Arts, discovered this library in his first year and has gravitated toward it ever since.

“The Islamic Studies Library is very calm and small enough to be cozy,” Delepiere told the Tribune . “The Octagon Room is just beautiful, and the books surrounding you give off a nice work vibe.” However, the Islamic Studies Library offers more than just a tranquil place to hit the books. With over 100,000 volumes of monographs and almost 1,000 serial titles, it boasts a rich collection covering the entire span of Islamic civilization. From early Turkish and Egyptian printed books to Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, and Persian manuscripts from the 12th century, this library is a treasure trove for anyone wanting to learn more about the world of Islamic culture and history.

McGill’s campus has so much more to offer than the overcrowded, loud libraries of the McLennan-Redpath complex. Try immersing yourself into the warm musical atmosphere of the Music Library, snapping a picture of campus from the ninth floor of Building 680, or losing yourself in the fairytale of the Islamic Studies Library to find your ideal study spot on the downtown campus.

“A lot of work, but definitely rewarding:” Execs give their advice on running in student elections. (mcgill.ca)

The Marvin Duchow Music Library is one of the most important academic music collections in Canada, with more than 200,000 scores, recordings, books, journals, and online resources. (yelp.ca)

BtS of BdA

By the time you’re reading this, it’s almost Thursday

Naomi Gupta Contributor

If you happen to be located within a kilometre of the Leacock basement on a Thursday evening, then surely, you’ve grown accustomed to the faint smell of beer and the distant sound of a 2000s hit blaring from the speakers. If you’ve even so much as wandered down the stairs leading to the basement, you’ll find a seemingly never-ending line of undergraduate students slouched against the wall, anxiously staring down the door of the Arts Lounge. And, if you brave the line and successfully make it in, you’ll get the chance to join in on all the fun that is navigating a small basement area jam-packed with sweaty students all desperately trying to avoid eye contact with every person they’ve ever matched with on a dating app.

As unappealing as that may sound, Bar des Arts (BdA) is actually a huge hit: Week after week, faculty-wide undergraduate students pile into the Leacock basement and queue for over an hour just to get a taste—or, should I say, a sip—of the experience. What may seem like a benign student bar to many raises the question: To what does BdA owe its ongoing success?

For an event involving hundreds of students, BdA is impressively wellcoordinated. Weekly, the 41 staff members and seven managers undertake significant preparation with Thursday looming. Throughout the weekend, staff members choose the theme and promote their event on social media, and every

Sunday, a beautifully-crafted Instagram post reveals the theme for the following week. Better than their excellent use of Canva are the event titles: Witty puns that combine “BdA” with a reference to the weekly theme, the best one being “PdA”—BdA’s Valentine’s Day event.

On the day of, staff members arrive 45 minutes before the start of the event, at which point students have already started queuing up, and get the basement ready before assuming their roles for the evening.

“Anouk, our Personnel Manager, is mainly responsible for coordinating that,” Mitchell Horwood, U3 Arts and BdA cochair, shared in an interview with The McGill Tribune . “During the weekend, she creates a schedule for all available staff for the evening, with three one-hour shifts.”

Staff work two shifts out of three, during which they rotate between the bar, the grilled cheese table, the ticket booth, and the door. There are also a few staff scheduled on walk-around to ensure the event runs smoothly.

That being said, there have been a few BdA mishaps—one of which occurred early into the academic year when a student brought a glass cup into the Arts Lounge.

“That’s why we have staff stationed at the entrance—their job is to check bags,” Horwood explained. “At our third event of the year, this guy came in with a backpack with a hidden pocket we didn’t see, which contained a glass cup. Naturally, he used the cup to drink and dropped it, at which point it shattered

everywhere . Aside from having to clean up the mess in the middle of BdA, the mop we used had not been washed from the week before. It smelled awful and stank up the entire Arts Lounge. It was a very stressful 30 minutes—which we feared would tarnish our reputation—but thankfully, it didn’t.”

Behind BdA—or “the most democratic space on campus,” as manager Sam Baron, U3 Arts, refers to it— is a team of dedicated undergraduate students committed to serving $1 beer and providing an accessible and affordable space for students to let loose.

“I really think that’s what brings people here—this sense of community,

where everyone has a place,” Sam Reiken, U1 Arts and BdA publicity manager, shared with the Tribune . “BdA is something on campus that reminds people that studying isn’t the only thing McGill has to offer.”

As the academic year comes to a close, so will BdA—the final event of the year takes place this Thursday before the student bar goes on a four-month hiatus. After such a successful year, one can only hope that the next one will be just as promising. By the looks of it, students have nothing to worry about: BdA’s reputation, along with its 2,000-follower Instagram account, just goes to show, once again, that Arts does it best.

BdA’s managers and staff prepping the Arts Lounge for “St. Paddy’s DAy” on March 16. (MingXi Gu / The McGill Tribune)

From breakthroughs to classics, dive into the international programming of Montreal’s repertory cinemas

Charlotte Hayes Staff Writer

In an age of endless sequels and superhero movies dominating the box office, a select few repertory theatres remain in Montreal, working to persevere the rich history of film and expose audiences to a broader selection of films, from new indies to classics. Repertory cinemas, otherwise known as revival houses, primarily screen classics, but many also showcase arthouse films on their first runs.

Montreal staples Cinema du Parc and Cinémathèque Québécoise do just that, running classic Canadian, French, and international films while also offering a platform to films from established arthouse directors and upand-coming auteurs.

Where chain movie theatres, like Cineplex, screen any new release from a large studio, regardless of its quality, repertory theatres pay careful attention to curating an experience that both educates and enriches the moviegoer. They act as counterprogramming to the indistinguishable heaps of mass-market entertainment churning through multiplexes every six weeks or so, offering a way to not only engage with cultures you may not be exposed to in your day-to-day life but also film cultures that Hollywood does not place a premium on. Doing so allows viewers to see films on the big screen released long before your time and far from your surroundings. The McGill Tribune asked staff at repertory cinemas about their programming philosophies and what their theatres have in store this summer.

Jean-François Lamarche, assistant general manager of films at Cinema du Parc, explained how the theatre screens films and manages distribution in Quebec and Canada. The theatre owns and operates three separate cinemas, each catering to a different neighbourhood. Cinéma Museé, located near the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, primarily screens English documentaries, while Cinema du Parc screens new arthouse releases and older films featured in collections such as Parc at Midnight. Movies shown at Cinema du Parc are primarily in English but cater to a bilingual clientele by offering films subtitled in French. The third theatre, Cinéma Beaubien, may be most unique in its approach to programming. Serving a primarily francophone neighbourhood, Beaubien screens almost exclusively French films from all over the globe. Lamarche, who has been working with Parc since 2006, is not only involved in program selection at all three theatres, but plays a major role in the distribution of several films that screen at Cinéma Beaubien. Annually, he visits international film festivals in the hopes of finding some hidden gems.

“So when we go to these festivals, most of the time these films are not [acquired] yet for Quebec, Canada or North American [distribution],” Lamarche told the Tribune . “We help them scatter.”

Back at Cinema du Parc, Lamarche is in constant search of the newest arthouse sensation, be it from an established auteur like Wes Anderson—a favourite of the theatre’s patrons—or a surprise

hit like Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), which holds the record for the longest-playing film at the theatre at 26 consecutive weeks. This year, he has his eye on acclaimed horror director Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid (2023) as the theatre’s next big sensation. Apart from Beau is Afraid , Lamarche is excited for audiences to get a chance to see Brother (2023), a new film set in Toronto that started its run at Cinema du Parc on March 17.

“We don’t see many films from elsewhere in Canada,” Lamarche noted. “Most of the productions [are from] Quebec.”

Guillaume Lafleur, programming head at Cinémathèque Québecoise, shared a different philosophy about Canadian cinema, choosing to focus more on its preservation than distribution. In an interview with the Tribune , Lafleur explained how Cinémathèque Québecoise not only operates as a theatre and showroom for the public, but also as an extensive archive, particularly for Canadian projects. Founded in 1963, the Cinema now possesses Canada’s secondlargest film archive, just behind the National Archives. Today the collection boasts nearly 40,000 films, mostly of Quebecois and Canadian origin. Although films from the archives are frequently screened, Lafleur works with many international distributors and consulates to curate featured collections or retrospectives unique to the Cinémathèque. The process of curation, he says, is inherently political and reciprocal as the process involves collaborators from across the globe.

“For instance, we could go to the Italian Cultural Institute to

talk to them about a retrospective that we want to do, for instance, we could do one on [Mario] Monicelli,” Lafleur said. “We have like 10 films of Monicelli. If Italian diplomacy could help us, we will be able to show 20 films.”

In June, Cinémathèque Québecoise will screen a retrospective of the films of Mauritanian director Med Hondo, which Lafleur believes will be a highlight of their spring schedule. Harvard University is home to an extensive collection of Hondo’s work and will collaborate with Cinémathèque Québecoise to curate the exhibition. The retrospective will also feature work from French and Canadian film historians. This isn’t the first time that his work will be displayed at the theatre—the filmmaker came to Montreal in the 70s to attend the conference on independent filmmaking in South America and Africa held by Cinémathèque Québécoise.

“I’m just discovering his work, and I was clearly amazed,” Lafleur said. “We’re just discovering all this tremendous work from filmmakers from Africa. So it’s just wonderful that we will have the chance to share it very soon.”

From beloved classics to long-forgotten gems, there’s a palpable sense when you enter both Cinema du Parc and Cinémathèque Québécoise that you’re in good hands: Someone has picked the best of the best for your viewing pleasure. Repertory theatres are vital for keeping the culture and history of film, both domestic and international, intact. By preserving and rescreening films, these theatres ensure a

brighter future for independent filmmakers looking to connect with audiences buzzing for cinematic experiences.

Repertory theatres also provide a low cost and low barrier to entry for exploring new films. With student prices often available and tickets hovering around $10 for a student ticket, these theatres are much more affordable alternatives to going to Cineplex, where ticket prices are currently on the rise. They also offer a mode of discovering a variety of filmmakers and styles that may have been lost within the algorithm of a streaming service. Unlike algorithms, curators make selections based on quality and historical significance rather than simply what most resembles another piece of content you enjoyed. They open the doors for anyone to access film history and experience it as it was originally intended, with other people and on the big screen. The medium of film was created to provide an escape from reality while reflecting and providing insight into the world around us, not just as vessels to view more CGI. The movies shown at these repertory theatres place value on craft and creativity rather than just content.

Montreal is home to a rich and diverse scene of independent repertory theatres, giving Montrealers a glimpse of modern and historical, independent and international films. Cinema du Parc and Cinémathèque Québécoise are two shining examples of theatres that care deeply about the movies they show, curating collections for their audiences and celebrating independent filmmaking, both new and old.

Lights, Camera, Fokus!

TVM Fokus Film Festival shines with French selections and killer bubbles

Ella Buckingham Staff Writer

It was a 1920s-movie-premiere-meetsafter-class-hangout. The vibe and fashion of the crowd at Cinema du Parc on March 23 seemed the perfect mix of what the night’s event represented: A showcase for some of Montreal’s up-and-coming film directors and a celebration of the friendships that made the films possible.

Consisting of over 40 submissions, this year’s Fokus Film Festival presented a wide variety of talent, which, thanks to Fokus’ new rule, allowed entries from anyone in the greater Montreal area and broke outside of the typical

McGill bubble. Acting as McGill’s longestrunning (but not its only) film festival, Fokus gives Montreal filmmakers a platform to share their work, creating opportunities often not present at the university level. While the provincial government allots creative funding to Concordia and UQAM, McGill is designed as more research-focused.

“My biggest gripe with McGill, which I love going to and enjoy, is we have little creative support at an academic level for people who want to venture into fields that aren’t as academically oriented,” said Sofia Andrade (U1 Arts), President of Student Television at McGill (TVM), in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “TVM’s greatest impact at Mc-

Gill is that we offer the opportunities and the equipment and the funds to those who want to do creative things on campus, to do it without having to sacrifice other things.”

Anyone can submit their pieces to the Fokus Film Festival either through an open-call general submission option by March 12 or by participating in TVM’s 72-Hour Filmmaking Contest from March 9-12. Six general submissions, representing the filmmakers’ artistic toils of months or years, were nominated for awards such as Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Performance. A panel of six judges, including John Castillo, a music professional development professor at McGill, and Ned Schantz, a cultural studies and cinema professor in McGill’s English department, judged the films then and there.

The 72-Hour films—which had to be written, shot, and edited in under three days—had the opportunity to take home the coveted Best 72-Hour Film. This year, The Story of Chad Chambers claimed the honour, a comedy which tied in social media and hair dryers in a medley that had the whole theatre crying with laughter. The creativity and passion of all participants were evident in the other 72-Hour films as well. With wide-ranging topics from Night of the Attack of the Killer Bubbles From Outer Space, a sci-fi flick that featured…well, killer bubbles, to Bug, an experimental film taking the focus of both a bug and a computer virus, you couldn’t help but wonder how these films came together in such a short amount of time.

The general submissions were no less impressive. Composed of mixed media films, such as claymation and animation, as well as student-made movies, the range of films kept the audience on the edge of their seats for the entire festival. Featuring scenery like iconic staircases and colourful apartment buildings that will seem all too familiar to Montreal residents, the film La Ligne followed a ballerina who steps outside of the bounds of her profession and trusts herself. In Travail d’equipe, created by the makers of Night of the Attack of the Killer Bubbles from Outer Space, deadtime media, a nightmare group project got a little too out-of-hand.

“Filmmaking is scary because it feels like there’s a high barrier to entry, [and] that’s true,” Andrade said. “You need a lot of money, people to teach you, but TVM is there to provide that, so you can only worry about learning the stuff.”

As the interview ended, Andrade then turned to wave at one of the actors in The Story of Chad Chambers who yelled, “Thank you for the opportunity to show our film!” Not a paid ad, but it might as well have been.

This year’s screenings and awards ceremony drew a full house, immediately followed by an afterparty at Tipsy Cow. Hopefully, in upcoming years, the films will showcase collaborations between McGill students and the larger Montreal community, which judging by the hard-core networking happening that night, might very well make the cut.

Alternative drag: Screwing the patriarchy and feeding the children

Selma Ghad speaks on the vitality of alternative drag and supporting queer art

Suzanna Graham Staff Writer

Continued from page 1.

Performers welcomed the challenge, coming to the stage as a spiked brain-eating demon, singing live with the help of a rubber chicken, and performing burlesque dressed as an oyster (you’d have to see it to believe it). Every performance took the audience on a new journey, matching Björk’s thematic range throughout her career. But that’s what alternative drag should be— an adventure into the unexpected.

“[Alternative drag is] kind of like an extreme sport,” Ghad said in an interview with The McGill Tribune . “You don’t know if the artist is going to do something absolutely insane, you’re not going to understand if it’s going to turn left or right or up or down. You have no idea—and that’s the part I find thrilling. It’s like a rollercoaster in the dark.”

Armed with a background in circus and street performance, Ghad and her (drag and personal) partner of 20 years, Uma Ghad, have used their platform to create space for alternative artists. Selma spoke about the lack of op -

portunities for alternative drag, citing the unique requirements for a performance of that calibre, not a lack of interest.

“You can’t go to a regular Friday show at a bar that’s not aware of what’s happening and vomit blood on stage,” Selma said. “It’s not okay for the audience; it’s disrespectful because they did not consent to it, and it’s not a good place for your art to be celebrated.”

Together, Selma and Diving Bell have fostered a space where alternative performers can really go wild. When performer Anaconda LaSabrosa makes it rain (with potato peels) or Uma Ghad’s freaky skin-peel prosthetics clutter the stage, Selma addresses the crowd in a semi-intermission while her fellow drag artist Moxxi Hollow mops up the evidence.

While Coven is a space for queer people to be silly and perform in front of a loving and supportive crowd, it also serves as a radical horizon of possibility. Within the transphobic repressions of our current political environment, it’s impossible to ignore the exponentially increasing legislation threatening the safety and existence of drag art -

ists and trans people, not just in the States, but here in Montreal as well.

During the show, Uma spoke about how American drag bans are a stepping stone to banning trans people as a whole. Selma also reminded the audience that homophobic violence is still prevalent in Montreal, where people send Selma and Uma hate messages for hosting drag brunches where children are present. Under their powerful ignorance, these homophobes can’t understand that as

professional artists, the queens create shows that are appropriate for their audience.

Selma uses Coven as a place to aggressively take up space as a queer person and empowers fellow queer people to do the same. While alternative drag—in all its horror-filled and unexpected glory—may not be for everyone, any ‘danger’ found within the art form serves the positive reciprocal exchange of energy between audience and performer. Selma goes to great lengths to offer

trigger warnings and get consent from her audience and performers to harbour a safe environment.

“We’re dressed up like adult clowns,” Selma said. “Whoever you are, there’s a drag show for you. Look into the world and check out a show that fits your interests, because drag artists do so much.”

Check out future renditions of ‘Coven’ and other House of Ghad performances on Instagram or on the Ghad’s website.

The mix of French and English films honoured Montreal’s linguistic landscape, contributing to the cultural representation present in the festival. (cinemaduparc.com)

From campy performances to political activism, ‘Coven’ has a little bit of everything. (urbania.ca)

Marathon of Sport brings together students and Special Olympians

motionball team raised over $7,300 for Special Olympics Canada

Sarah Farnand Sports Editor

On April 2, 19 Special Olympic athletes and roughly 70 student participants gathered at the McGill Currie Gymnasium for the motionball Marathon of Sport. The day included various competitions, like floor hockey, dodgeball, soccer, a relay race, and benchball, as well as a pizza lunch, poster-making competition, raffle, and an awards ceremony.

motionball is a nonprofit organization that raises funds and awareness for the Special Olympics Canada foundation. This year, McGill’s

motionball chapter raised $7,365 in two months, with the top team raising $1,779.

The event was organized by a large team of McGill students including motionball codirectors, Avery Alexander, Alyssa Barbuto, and Chrissy Colizza. Ten teams with differentcoloured t-shirts hosted a mix of Special Olympic athletes and McGill students, with representatives from several varsity teams including both men’s and women’s hockey, men’s rugby, baseball, and lacrosse, and women’s volleyball and soccer. Among other student groups in attendance were a team representing the Faculty of Education, a fraternity, and even some friend groups.

“I think getting involved allows for the

gap to be bridged together between the McGill community and Special Olympic athletes,” Alexander told The McGill Tribune. “And we just want to create a more inclusive sport environment for everybody at McGill and Montreal.”

After putting the committee together only two months ago, the preparation for Sunday’s event was hectic.

“Given that we did this event in record time, it was pretty intense. But it all turned out wonderfully. We had a great turnout,” Barbuto told the Tribune

Alexander added, “A lot of the parents have been coming up, just telling us how much they appreciate this, how much their kids are having fun.”

Many of the Special Olympic athletes have been participating in motionball’s Marathon of Sport for years. Peter Yong, a member of the green team, has been attending since 2015.

When asked what his favourite part of the Marathon of Sport was, Yong had no doubt:

“Benchball.”

Benchball involves tossing balls to your teammates who are lined up on the other side of the gym behind a bench. If you successfully complete a pass without being blocked by the other team, you join your teammates, with the ultimate goal of having the entire team behind the bench.

Yong also enjoys meeting the other athletes and playing with his team. Outside of the Special Olympics, he plays soccer in Montreal.

“[I play on the] West Island at the Lakeshore, ” Yong told the Tribune

Another athlete, Michael Kucyznski, is also

Know Your Athlete: William Rouleau

Rouleau led Redbirds hockey team in points during 2022-23 OUA playoffs

Tillie Burlock Sports Editor

As a kid, William Rouleau was always a fan of sports. His natural athleticism made things easy: Golf, tennis, baseball. Whatever sport he was put into, Rouleau excelled––except for hockey.

“I first got into hockey when I was about three, four years old,” Rouleau told The McGill Tribune “Wasn’t the greatest, probably one of the worst out there. I was kind of a lunatic as a kid, too. I didn’t really care about the puck, just saying hi to my parents in the stands.”

However, this quandary didn’t last long. Rouleau started to get serious about hockey around age 10, when the goals started to come with ease.

“I was the youngest player on my team that year,” Rouleau explained. “And still, I think I was in the top three scoring leaders in [the whole] league, and then a year after, I was the first, and then just in general, I had a better understanding, like, oh, I’m good at [hockey].”

Unlike many of his peers, Rouleau never considered playing in

the NCAA—playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) was always the goal. And despite the difficulty of moving to Rouyn-Noranda—10 hours away from his home in Saint-Basile—at just 17 years old, he doesn’t regret it for a second.

“Surprisingly, in my first year [with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies], I was part of a team that broke multiple records,” Rouleau said.

“We won the President’s Trophy, the Memorial Cup. We set a record for the most wins in a season, we tied a record of most consecutive wins of 25 in a row [....] I had the chance to play with such great players.”

His time with the Huskies also gifted him the most memorable moment of his career: A gametying goal against the Halifax Mooseheads in the 2019 Memorial Cup round-robin.

“That was a good way to start the career,” Rouleau said with a grin.

The decision not to pursue professional hockey was tough for Rouleau, especially considering his remarkable final year in the QMJHL with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, where he racked up 27 goals and 34

assists.

“Playing pro means there is a lot of uncertainty,” Rouleau explained. “I’ve always had an interest in my schoolwork and in my first year of Junior, I talked with one of the guys that’s here [Matthieu Gagnon], and we talked about how coming [to McGill] together would be amazing, so it was always in my head.”

The busy travel and playing schedule Rouleau maintained throughout his Junior career meant school was often a secondary priority, but he has found the academic side of McGill, where he studies finance, just as enjoyable as the athletic.

“I like my program, but to see how competitive it is around here [....] It’s scary. But as a competitor, I like it. I like that challenge of being good at something other than hockey.”

But the transition to McGill proved no easy task. Not only did Rouleau, a francophone, have to play on a majority English-speaking team for the first time, but he had to adjust his playing style—he wasn’t in the QMJHL anymore.

“There is a big difference just in the way the format is because you

a long-time motionball participant. His passion for sports and love for meeting new friends keeps him involved with the Special Olympics.

“[I have been coming] for a couple of years, I think since 2018 but I am not too sure,” Kucyznski said. “I like everything [about motionball]. Sports [are] my number one thing.”

Kucyznski is a true sports fanatic who enjoys watching hockey and baseball and playing floor hockey and softball.

Hakeem Walker Bruce, a five-time motionball-er, was ecstatic to be back at the Marathon of Sport. When asked about his favourite event, Walker Bruce went with a more general answer:

“motionball. Just everything included.”

Outside of motionball, however, Walker Bruce enjoys soccer and basketball, and— evidenced by the moves he busted out later that day—dancing.

Walker Bruce wrapped up his interview with a hug (a practice varsity teams should strongly consider adopting).

The day finished with a dance party-turnedbattle, where all participants ended up in a conga line, before meeting at the centre of the gym for awards.

The motionball Marathon of Sport program serves as a crucial bridge between McGill and the Montreal community. It gives Special Olympians a much-deserved opportunity to play the sports they love and meet new people in a relaxed environment dedicated to community building— something we could all use a little more of in our lives.

don’t play as many teams or games [in USPORTS],” Rouleau said. “The physical aspect of the game is so different. The speed is different. It’s a lot tougher to play in this league than it was playing Junior.”

Rouleau found what he missed the most from the QMJHL was the big crowds at games, mentioning the Carnival game as one of his most memorable moments of the season.

Despite the adjustments, Rouleau found the Redbirds to be more than welcoming. Teammate

Max Blanchard even piqued an office interest for him.

“He’s so good at guitar, insanely good,” Rouleau said. “He played for me at the start of the year [....] [and] I picked it up right after.”

After a promising first year where he took home USPORTS All-Rookie honours, Rouleau looks forward to next year with the ‘Birds. To conclude the interview, Rouleau answered the all-important question: What is your favourite Taylor Swift song? “22.”

The #NoGoodWay campaign aims to end the use of the R-word in everyday conversation. (Sarah Farnand / The McGill Tribune)

Rouleau says that while speed and passing have always been his strengths on the ice, his scoring ability and “killer instinct” have improved over the years. (Matt Garies / The McGill Tribune)

Varsity Report Card: Winter 2023

The Tribune Sports Section reviews the Martlets'’ and Redbirds'’ winter seasons

Jack Armstrong, Sarah Farnand, Julie Ferrerya, Anoushka Oke, Zoé Mineret

Artistic Swimming

Julie

Ferrerya Staff Writer

Winter 2023 was a successful season for the McGill artistic swimming team. After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions, the team returned to the Canadian University Artistic Swimming League (CUASL) with a hunger for success. The young team, composed mainly of first-year swimmers, faced not only teams that had competed over the past two years, but also coordination challenges with the majority of the team never having swum together before. However, this new core seems to only have bolstered the group’s creativity and added to its momentum.

After dominating at the McGill Invitational in January, with medals across the experienced and novice categories, the team took the Eastern divisional championships in stride, taking home five medals—including two golds and two silvers.

For their spectacular season, resilience, and overall creativity, the artistic swimming team deserves the coveted A+.

Redbirds Hockey (14–8–4)

abundance of talent and determination. The team got off to an explosive start, winning seven of their first 11 games thanks to their rock-solid defence. The Redbirds maintained their momentum throughout the season and finished third in their division, earning a spot in the OUA playoffs.

The team breezed past the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the first round but fell to the Concordia Stingers in the quarterfinals, abruptly ending their season. Despite the loss, the future is bright for this young Redbirds hockey team with a year of experience under their belt and a number of new additions on the horizon.

Martlets Hockey (2–20–3)

The Martlets’ impressive athleticism earned them the silver medal in the RSEQ championship, finishing behind the Citadins with 12 victories and six defeats. This performance earned the team a Nationals qualification, where they finished seventh overall, a fine end to a remarkable season.

A key factor in the Martlets’ stellar performance was the variety of talent on the team. Co-captains Victoria Iannotti and Charlėne Robitaille were both named first-team all-stars in the RSEQ Conference. Robitaille also earned USPORTS AllCanadian Status. Clara Poire, rightside hitter, also played a key role in the qualifications for play-offs, while Audrey Trottier landed her 1,000th career assist during the season.

Sarah

Farnand Sports Editor

The Martlets earn an A for their brilliant achievements during the season. The team dominated due to their sportsmanship and the expert leadership of coach Rachèle Béliveau. With the team’s strong core of returning players and newcomers, fans can expect the Martlets to fight for the title next year.

Redbirds Basketball (6–10)

Jack Armstrong Contributor

Samuel Chaput and third-year forward Haris Elezovic were named RSEQ All Stars. Top performers like Elezovic supply hope for the future, but the few bright spots couldn’t save the Redbirds’ disappointing season.

Martlets Basketball (3–13)

Zoé Mineret Staff Writer

Jack

Armstrong Contributor

After narrowly missing out on the University Cup Tournament last season, the McGill men’s hockey team returned to the ice for the 202223 season with high expectations. The Redbirds sported a relatively young team this year, with first-years making up over a quarter of the roster. But, where the Redbirds lacked in experience, they made up for in an

It was a rough year for the Martlets hockey team: They walked away from the season with a whopping two wins. The team had to learn to succeed without star forward Jade DownieLandry and star goaltender Tricia Deguire, both of whom graduated at the end of last season. The absence of these two phenoms was evident—the team had 17 more wins last season with much of the same roster otherwise. To the Martlets’ credit, one of their wins was against Université de Montréal, who finished second in the RSEQ conference this season. For now, our best advice for the Martlets is to forget this season and focus on the next.

Martlets Volleyball

(12–6)

Zoé Mineret Staff Writer

The Martlets volleyball squad left both crowds and opposing teams in awe with their spectacular play throughout the season. Incredible service aces, digs, and stuff blocks set the tempo for the fast-paced sets that defined matches.

The McGill men’s basketball team entered the season as defending RSEQ champions, but their quest to win their second consecutive championship got off to a rocky start and never recovered. The Redbirds lost their opening four games in heartbreaking fashion, with two of the four losses decided by a single basket, and were unable to string together wins all season. The tide began to turn in the final stretch of the year, with the Redbirds winning three of their last four games, but it was not enough to earn them a spot in the RSEQ playoffs. The season did provide some positives, however, as fifth-year transfer guard

The start of the 2023 season left fans hopeful that the Martlets Basketball team had finally found a winning recipe after two consecutive wins against Concordia and Laval. The game against Laval marked coach Rikki Bowles’ first official RSEQ win and was a well-deserved breakthrough for the Martlets, who went winless last season. Despite the great start, the Martlets were unable to maintain that momentum and repeatedly lost games by significant margins, with an average point differential of 13 in their losses. However, rookie Daniella Mbengo earned the RSEQ title of Rookie of the Year and made the All-Rookie team alongside teammate Stephy Tchoukuiegno. Not only did the contributions of both players boost the Martlets’ performance this season, but they are also a beacon of hope for the team’s future.

The Martlets finished the season last in the RSEQ standings and did not qualify for the playoffs. The outcome was disappointing considering the team has the resources and player strength to achieve better results, if only they could find the right rhythm.

USPORTS Track Athlete of the Year as well as RSEQ Track Performance of the Year. Success stemmed from the experience of the team’s veterans, but was also fostered by a talented cohort of rookies who consistently picked up points. Thrower Ella Villeneuve and sprinter Donna Ntambue were two such rookies: Both athletes performed consistently at regular season meets, medalled in RSEQ championships, and competed in the USPORTS National Championships. At McGill’s home meet, Ntambue broke the 60-metre dash record previously set by phenom Jorden Savoury. Both teams finished third overall in the RSEQ rankings, just a cut below their top finishes at regular season meets.

Swimming

Anoushka Oke

Creative Director

Track and Field Anoushka Oke Creative

Director

The track and field team had a fantastic season, with strong individual performances leading the team to allaround success. One standout was third-year Matthew Beaudet, who broke record after record in the 1,500 and 3,000-metre races. At the end of the season, Beaudet was awarded

The swim team’s long season wrapped up with impressive third place and fifth place finishes from the women’s and men’s teams, respectively, in the USPORTS National Championships, where 22 teams competed. McGill athletes won seven medals, including a double gold from second-year Pablo Collin in the 400-metre freestyle and the 200-metre freestyle. Other stellar performances came from second-year Naomie Lo and second-year Isabel Sarty, who won bronze medals in the 200-metre butterfly and the 50-metre butterfly, respectively. Their performance at Nationals was a culmination of their success throughout the regular season—the women’s team won all four of their Quebec Cup competitions, while the men finished first in two of the meets and second in the other two. Both teams also dominated in the RSEQ Championships, with each finishing first. Due to their success across both the men’s and women’s divisions, McGill swimming earns a well-deserved A from the Tribune

The Martlets volleyball squad has now competed at Nationals in back-to-back seasons. (Matt Garies / McGill Athletics)

Martlets track and field star Donna Ntambue broke the McGill record for the 60-metre dash by 0.27 seconds at the McGill Team Challenge in January. (Matt Garies / McGill Athletics)