On March 20, Divest McGill, Climate Justice Montreal, and other local climate activist organizations held a protest as part of Change Course’s National Day of Action, demanding that Canada’s “Big Five” banks remove their presence on Canadian campuses until they meet several conditions.
Among these are the cancellation of finances for pipelines like the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT), a commitment to avoid financing future fossil fuel projects, and a promise to gain free, prior, and informed consent from Indigenous groups before any future financing decisions concerning resource extraction.
The protest, which gathered several dozen people, departed from the Roddick Gates at 4:30 p.m. and travelled along Boulevard Robert-Bourassa until reaching
During the 2023 provincial election, Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative (PC) government refused to support a search of the Prairie Green landfill, which local police suspected contained the remains of several missing Indigenous women. This week, investigators found remains of Marcedes Myran on the site, proving that the calls for an investigation from Indigenous activists and families of victims were not only justified, but that government inaction actively obstructed justice.
The PC’s opposition to conducting the search was not a logistical decision as much as it was a demonstration of whose
lives the PC government deems worthy of recovery, and of whose suffering the state is willing to dismiss. The PC government’s justification—that “for health and safety reasons, the answer on the landfill dig has to be no”—makes their priorities clear. The well-being of the families forced to grieve without closure was not a factor in their chosen course of action, nor was the mental health toll of forcing Indigenous communities to fight for the dignity of their lost loved ones. If health and safety were a genuine priority of the PC government, as they have claimed, not only would the appropriate levels of support and involvement be granted to Myran’s case, but action would be taken toward protecting Indigenous women while they are still alive.
Mairin Burke News Editor
the Montreal headquarters of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). There, protestors played music, chanted, and wrote messages in chalk on the sidewalk as RBC employees and clients walked around them to make their way to their cars or offices.
Nicola Chevallier, a representative from Climate Justice Montreal, spoke to The Tribune about the importance of calling out the environmentally harmful actions of banks like RBC.
Content warning: Sexual violence, discrimination, stalking
In January 2020, McGill student Elizabeth* settled into Redpath Library’s Cyberthèque around 6 p.m., across from an unfamiliar man. Around 10:30 p.m., he began looking at her repeatedly, bumping his foot against hers. She moved her chair away to avoid the contact. As closing time was announced over the loudspeakers, the man began mumbling at Elizabeth with a distressed, urgent expression. She asked him what was wrong, but he continued to mutter, so she moved closer to hear him. He was
attempting to make small talk. Elizabeth didn’t want to chat, but also didn’t want to be rude. So, when he began to ask Elizabeth about her program and what she had been working on, she answered. When she asked reciprocal questions, he said he was a “graduate,” but deflected her other inquiries, including what his name was. This set off Elizabeth’s alarm bells, and she backed away.
Immediately, the man began asking questions about where Elizabeth lived, who she lived with, and how she would get home. He called her “very pretty.” Elizabeth felt that the man had purposefully waited for the library to start closing before making an advance. She told him she was in a relationship, worried he might “become irate or violent” if she rejected him.
The Tribune Editorial Board
(Armen Erzingatzian / The Tribune)
Students vote to make VP Finance a hired position, cut VP Sustainability and Operations role
SSMU President Dymetri Taylor elected for second term
Olivia Ardito & Eliza Lee Staff Writer News Editor
After extending the voting period for two weeks, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) closed polls for the 2025 Winter Referendum and Executive Election on the evening of March 21 with a voter turnout of 15.7 per cent. Polls were originally slated to close on March 7, but SSMU extended them for an additional week on March 7 and again on March 14 because the vote had failed to meet the required quorum of 15 per cent.
All nine of the referendum questions passed, including three changes to the SSMU Constitution.
Among these was an amendment that stands to make the Vice-President (VP) Finance hired by the SSMU Board of Directors, rather than elected by students. The Board would use a referendum vote to decide whether or not to ratify an appointed candidate. SSMU put forth the motion in hopes of ensuring that experienced and qualified candidates take on the VP Finance role. The question passed, with 87.7 per cent of voters casting a “Yes” vote.
SSMU President Dymetri Taylor explained in a written statement to The Tribune that as there is not enough time to hold a referendum to ratify the hiring of the VP Finance this year, ratification will likely be done through the SSMU Legislative Council. When asked about how SSMU will ensure that ratification by referendum vote runs smoothly in the future, Taylor reported that they will seek to combat low voter turnout by introducing incentives for students to vote. Taylor found that this strategy proved effective towards the end of the Winter referendum and election voting period. In SSMU email blasts reminding students to vote, there was a line explaining that if students voted, they would recieve access to Grammarly, Udemy, Antidote, and Headspace. He stated this incentive brought in 200 voters.
The second constitutional amendment sought to eliminate the position of VP Sustainability and Operations, and to merge the responsibilities of this role with other executives. Citing the role’s overlap with other executive positions, SSMU believes this measure will save $42,000 CAD and increase the responsibilities of the VP Internal to align with the workload of other executives. The question passed with an 83.6 per cent “Yes” vote.
Taylor noted that although the majority of SSMU executives are overworked, this issue stems from the bureaucratic, complex, and time-consuming nature of operations at the student union, rather than the number of duties officers are assigned.
“The issue is not the responsibilities, but how the SSMU is organized as a not-forprofit corporation,” Taylor wrote. “Thus, the summer will be a period in which we’ll be focused immensely on reorganizing how the SSMU is structured, involving Legislative Councillors more in all matters of the society, and updating the archaic functions that the SSMU still possesses.”
Hugo-Victor Solomon, VP External of SSMU, acknowledged the validity of con-
cerns that the amendments to the executive team could be anti-democratic, but emphasized the role students can play in creating change at the student union by getting involved.
“To these critics, I say: join a SSMU committee. Run to be a legislative [councillor]. Attend general assemblies—make your voice heard,” Solomon wrote. “What really brings change [...], isn’t the number of executive positions, it’s who is in those positions, who is supporting them as their part-time staff, whether they meet their mandates or not. An edit to a piece of paper or a PDF is a good place to start, sure, but it’s not the driving factor—we are.”
Finally, 81.1 per cent of voters cast a “Yes” ballot to remove Section 1.3 from the Constitution, which reads, “The preamble shall form an integral part of the Constitution.” SSMU claims that this sentence makes it vulnerable to litigation, as it enables parties to claim SSMU is in violation of its Constitution if the student union infringes upon any values listed in the preamble.
For Solomon, the removal of this clause was “long overdue.”
“[T]his was a moment where we realized for ourselves that this was an issue with clear legal and practical parameters that could be corrected with a number of words—barely a sentence—which had the potential of saving the society money on vexatious litigation, and putting power back in the hands of students,” Solomon wrote.
Students also voted in the incoming SSMU executive team for the 2025-2026 academic year. Despite recently facing calls for impeachment, President Taylor ran unopposed for re-election and won, receiving 74.6 per cent of votes.
Dylan Seiler and John Vogel were competing for the role of VP Finance. Seiler won with 54.6 per cent of the vote, 21.6 per cent more than Vogel. Seiler ran on a platform to improve financial accessibility, transparency, and efficiency within SSMU, specifically by addressing the understaffing of various committees under the VP Finance portfolio, such
as the Funding Committee.
Seiler wrote that it was a privilege to be elected as VP Finance.
“I look forward to carrying out the promises that I laid out in my campaign platform, over the next 12 months,” Seiler wrote. “I will mandate fiscal responsibility within the SSMU, reduce wasted student dollars, and create more transparency to show exactly where your tuition money is going.”
Kareem El Hosini ran unopposed to fill the vacant VP Sustainability and Operations seat and won with 82.4 per cent of votes. However, as the amendment to the Constitution passed, this position will be removed and El Hosini will not take office. El Hosini explained to The Tribune that the lack of voter engagement is SSMU’s responsibility to address, and is something that he hoped to tackle in the role.
“People don’t care enough to vote as a direct result of how the SSMU has been operating. Things should definitely change within the SSMU,” El Hosini wrote.
Hamza Abu-Alkhair and Raihaana Adira competed for the vacant VP Student Life seat. Abu-Alkhair is currently the SSMU Director of Clubs and Services and is undertaking the responsibilities of the position. Abu-Alkhair won with 52.0 per cent of votes, 10.3 per cent more than Adira.
Abu-Alkhair plans on spending the summer working out built-up back-end issues to prepare for the coming school year.
“Some aspects of my platform are going to heavily depend on the summer, and if I plan accordingly I’ll be able to continue the work on the guidebook that will house most of my ideas to serve as a reference for the clubs and services,” Abu-Alkhair wrote.
Seraphina Crema Black and Jaanashee Punjabi ran for VP External. Crema Black won with 51.4 per cent of votes, 10.4 per cent more than Punjabi received.
Punjabi expressed the importance of the new executive team supporting all students by reflecting their interests in the upcoming year. “I’m obviously a bit disappointed about not winning but I look forward to seeing all
the work the upcoming executive council will carry out and I wish them an amazing year ahead,” Punjabi wrote.
Crema Black declined The Tribune’s request for comment.
Incumbent Zeena Zahida was re-elected as VP Internal, receiving 88.5 per cent of votes. Susan Aloudat, who ran unopposed, was elected as VP University Affairs with 86.3 per cent of votes.
Aloudat expressed relief over the election meeting quorum as the new team can get to work for the student body.
“I’m very satisfied with the results. The team seems great. I’m excited to do some great work with them next year,” Aloudat wrote.
Alongside the constitutional amendments, the renewal of the $1.50 CAD semesterly Indigenous Equity Fee passed with a 74.3 per cent “Yes” vote. This fee funds the salary of the Indigenous Affairs Commissioner, the work of the Indigenous Affairs Committee, and supports projects by and for Indigenous student groups.
The question concerning the creation of a Francophone affairs fee passed with a 55.9 per cent “Yes” vote, which will fund francophone initiatives and opportunities for students to learn French through the Francophone Affairs Committee. This comes after voters rejected a question on the Creation of a Contribution to Support Francophone Affairs in the Fall 2024 referendum.
Students also voted to renew the SSMU Menstrual Health Project Fee, a $2.40 CAD per semester fee. The project distributes free menstrual projects in campus washrooms and residences through a monthly pick-up service. VP University Affairs Abe Berglas expressed that they were “unsurprised” with the fee’s renewal, noting that it will enable the project’s team “to keep working and slowly expanding their reach.”
Other questions that passed included the renewal of TVM’s fee, an increase to SSMU’s Safety Services Fee going towards DriveSafe, and the creation of a fee for Élèves des Champs.
Due to broken links in the original ballot, SSMU issued a new ballot at roughly 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 21, roughly six and a half hours after polls first opened. Any ballots submitted before the corrected ballot was sent out were not counted. (Bruno Cotler / The Tribune )
Divest McGill protests RBC’s fossil fuel investments Change Course’s National Day of
Ella Paulin Managing Editor
Continued from page 1.
“We’re here to tell RBC and all the banks that they shouldn’t fund fossil fuels, and that includes liquified natural gas, which might not sound as terrible as oil from the tar sands, but is just as bad in its process of production and its production of methane,” Chevallier said. “Today, we’re hoping to have some visibility around RBC and make it clear that they are not a clean company, neither on climate nor on human rights or Indigenous rights.”
Chevallier added that the protest was targeting RBC specifically because of the bank’s marketing towards students, for instance with their on-campus ATMs.
“[These initiatives] make it seem as if they are there for the youth, but in reality, they are the biggest funder of fossil fuels in so-called Canada,” Chevallier said. “So how could they be there for the youth when they are actively destroying the environment and our futures?”
An attendee of the protest who wished to
Action inspires demonstrations across Canadian universities
remain unnamed commented on the outcomes of RBC funding fossil fuel projects like the PRGT, which would transport liquefied natural gas 800 kilometres from northeastern B.C. to the province’s northwestern coast.
“This has terrible repercussions for Indigenous peoples who still inhabit their land, as most pipelines go through unceded territories and reservations,” they told The Tribune “We’re trying to show here today that we want them to get off these lands and stop profiting from the oil and gas industry.”
In a speech in front of the RBC building, Tamara Ghandour, U3 Science and a Divest McGill representative, called out six specific strategies that large banks use to ensure that funding for projects like this continues, including working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to apply pressure against protestors, lobbying the government for weaker climate measures, and increasing the efficiency of technology to extract resources.
Divest McGill achieved one of its foundational goals when McGill committed to divest from their direct holdings in publicly traded fossil fuel companies on the Carbon Underground 200 list in February 2024. But the March 20 action made it clear that the organization will continue to take action against environmentally destructive investments, both on campus and in broader Montreal.
“For many generations, the people of this land have endured physical and cultural violence at the hands of settlers,” Ghandour said during their speech. “We continue to witness the repression of Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island with ongoing pipeline projects that seek to erase Indigenous livelihoods by extracting from their lands and suppress their voices by criminalizing land defence.”
‘Gaza as a Compass for Thinking’ talk explores Palestinian resistance amid targeted attacks
Speaker Alia Al-Saji discussed colonization, dismemberment, and martyrdom in Palestine
Amelia H. Clark Staff Writer
Content warning: Mentions of genocide, death, and dismemberment.
The eighth event of Quebec Public International Research Group (QPIRG) McGill’s Spring into Action series, “Gaza as a Compass for Thinking,” took place on March 21. It explored the theme of “home” through accounts of Palestinians reclaiming their towns that had been reduced to rubble.
Keynote speaker and professor in McGill’s Department of Philosophy, Alia Al-Saji, drew upon her years of research regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict to discuss how the Israeli state has systematically debilitated the infrastructure of Palestine’s healthcare system. Al-Saji described how this action has maximized the harm done by targeted bombings, using the dismemberment of civilians as a means of colonization.
Al-Saji began the talk with a history of how Palestinians have experienced qahr which refers to the impact of colonial duration in Palestine—over the last few years. She first critiqued how the West paints Palestinians as either perpetual victims or vengeful terrorists. Al-Saji stated that it is critical to outline the logic of Palestinian resistance to understand that Palestinians’ rational agency is what motivates people to work against the actions of the Israeli state.
“What does it mean not to pity, but to bear witness to Palestinian resistance in returning to live on the land that Israel has made ‘uninhabitable?’” Al-Saji said. “For that matter, what does it mean to call the land ‘uninhabitable’ or ‘unlovable?’ For
whom and by which standards of humanity?”
Carl Bistrom, QPIRG McGill’s community research and working groups coordinator, emphasized the importance of platforming talks that raise awareness for advocacy in Palestine in an interview with The Tribune
“Our role is to give platforms to educators, and collaborate with many causes for the colonial perspectives,” Bistrom said. “When you’re looking at a place that is in the media, mainly through this horrific process of victimization, you’re not able to really pay attention to the experiences of people and how they understand themselves.”
One of the event organizers, Yasmine
Mkaddam, U2 Arts, highlighted how the talk exemplified Spring into Action’s goal of spreading awareness through education. The high attendance showed the importance McGill students place on student activism.
“Social media holds such a big space in decolonization and awareness, but I think that for true advocacy, we need to protest, educate, and advocate,” Mkaddam said.
“It goes beyond simply a post.”
Al-Saji continued the talk by explaining how the Israeli government creates Ashla’a —meaning dismembered body parts—every day in Palestine. She described how strategic bombings or hellfires are routinely used to debilitate citizens in Gaza, especially those who show active
resistance. Dismemberment is not a side effect of these targeted strikes, but the intended effect, Al-Saji argued.
“It matters how one dies dismembered under the rubble, how amputation takes place without anesthesia, and what care is available to the disabled body thereafter,” Al-Saji said. “The prognosis of maiming is no longer disability, but debilitating pain and slow death through infection and sepsis when the healthcare system has been shut down.”
Al-Saji noted that few news sources cover the aftermath of severe bombings and attacks beyond the body count. For Al-Saji, this lack of care shown to those grieving speaks to the dehumanization of Palestinians. In one such case on Aug. 10, 2024, Israel dropped 39 U.S.-made bombs on the alTabin school in the Daraj district in Gaza, which Israel justified by claiming it to be one of Hamas’ headquarters. This theory was proven false after the attack, at which point over 100 civilians, who had been using the school as a shelter after being displaced by Israel, were killed. Paramedics were unable to discern whom the dismembered body parts belonged to, and allotted bags of dismembered remains by weight for burial.
Al-Saji stressed that following Israel’s violation of the ceasefire on March 18, McGill students ought to stay up to date on Palestinians’ acts of resistance.
“Since Tuesday, the genocide has not so much resumed as intensified,” Al-Saji said. “And while the past hurts, histories of the present are excruciating.”
Divest McGill was founded in 2012. (Armen Erzingatzian / The Tribune)
The Spring into Action series takes place from March 11 to March 25. (Drea Garcia Avila / The Tribune)
SSMU Legislative Council postpones Midnight Kitchen funding debate
Council introduces new food pantry initiative to address campus food insecurity
Eren Atac Contributor
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its fifth Legislative Council meeting of the semester on March 20. The council discussed discretionary funding for the Midnight Kitchen, a SSMU food pantry initiative, and proposed amendments to the Policy on Harmful Military Technology.
The first hour of the meeting was devoted to discussing discretionary funding for Midnight Kitchen, a campus initiative that provides free meals to McGill students. Midnight Kitchen members raised concerns about Director of Clubs and Services Hamza Abu-Alkhair delaying approvals for the funding and the negative impact on Midnight Kitchen’s operations.
Midnight Kitchen staff member Danya Gilday expressed the urgency of resolving the funding issue, emphasizing the increasing demand for meals and the limitations imposed by a small kitchen.
“We have infrastructural challenges. We have a very small kitchen. Most of the food programs that we have spoken to around the country [...] they’re continually impressed with how much we do, considering how few staff we have,” Gilday said.
Abu-Alkhair elaborated that he delayed additional approvals due to concerns regarding whether Midnight Kitchen was meeting its mandate of hosting an adequate number of free lunch services.
“So with discretionary funding, what
A motion was raised to adjourn at 9 p.m., two hours into the meeting. Nearly every Council member rushed to second it (Ruby Reimer / The Tribune )
I understood is you’re serving students or organizations who are on McGill campus and not necessarily organizations that are outside the campus,” Abu-Alkhair said.
“There’s also the issue of the services per week. I believe you were doing two services per week. In my knowledge, it’s five in the mandate.”
SSMU President Dymetri Taylor clarified that the initial approval of Midnight Kitchen’s discretionary funding in 2021 authorized a 20 per cent discretionary fund allocation. The Council ultimately postponed further discussion of the issue until their next meeting due to a lack of context on the procedural intricacies of issuing discretionary funding.
Next, the Council introduced a motion to create a permanent food pantry to address growing concerns about food insecurity on
campus. SSMU is currently running a pilot project where a fridge and shelves of free food are open to students at all times in the ECOLE building at 3559 Rue University. Vice President (VP) External Affairs Hugo-Victor Solomon presented the motion, highlighting the shortcomings of past food insecurity initiatives on campus and the success of the pilot program.
“So far, we’ve had truly positive feedback. The food that we put in the fridge has been taken on a regular, gradual basis. It was clear that it’s not being taken all at once,” Solomon said.
Another focal point of the meeting was a Notice of Motion to Amend the Policy on Harmful Military Technology, specifically to remove its moratorium on referendum questions related to ancillary fees, which are nonopt-outable student fees that fund self-funding units of McGill, such as McGill Athletics. This moratorium had been in place
for several years, previously under the Climate Justice Policy, as a tactic to pressure McGill’s Board of Governors to divest from various causes such as fossil fuel investments. After reviewing the moratorium and its historical impact, Solomon concluded that while the moratorium was an effective strategy in the past, there may now be other ways to pursue action against harmful military technology.
The meeting ended with reports from various committees. The Environmental Committee’s report detailed several initiatives, including the upcoming McGill Environment Student Society Gala on March 28, and the launch of Terra, an environmental journal.
Moment of the Meeting
The Council discussed a motion regarding the SSMU Policy Against Antisemitism, which a judge recently issued a safeguard order against. Solomon announced a restart of the adoption process for the Policy, which would be updated to address community concerns from several student groups on campus more directly.
Soundbite
“I think it’s totally inappropriate that Midnight Kitchen was prevented from giving funds to the community for months without any explanation. I would like to move the Legislative Council mandate the Director of Clubs and Services to approve all discretionary funding requests from Midnight Kitchen and the Legislative Council to issue an apology to Midnight Kitchen.” — VP University Affairs Abe Berglas expressing support for Midnight Kitchen.
Arts students will no longer be able to pursue certain Independent Study Aways this summer Faculty of Arts cites an inability to ensure student safety abroad as the reason for the change
Daniel Miksha Staff Writer
Effective Summer 2025, BA, BTh, and BSW students at McGill will no longer be able to pursue Independent Study Away (ISA) programs outside of Canada. The change was initially announced by the Arts Office of Advising and Student Information Services (OASIS) on Nov. 14, 2024, in response to an update to McGill’s Policy on Student Safety Abroad.
An ISA allows students to earn credits towards their McGill degree while studying at a university on a pre-approved list of around 250 institutions. Unlike an exchange, students pursuing an ISA pay tuition directly to their host institution.
As of Summer 2025, OASIS will no longer approve ISA requests for international institutions. Though exchange programs are not affected, OASIS’ decision makes it impossible for students in the Faculty of Arts to earn credits at African institutions, reduces opportunities for studying at Chinese universities by 90 per cent, and lowers the original 73 American institutions they could earn credits from to just 13.
According to Manuel Balan, Associate Dean (Strategic Initiatives and Student Affairs) of the Faculty of Arts, this decision was made due to changes to McGill’s Pol -
icy on Student Safety Abroad. The Policy came into force on May 16, 2024, replacing McGill’s International Mobility Guidelines, last updated in 2013.
“[The Policy on Student Safety Abroad] explicitly [references] ISAs outside Canada, and it considers Faculties as being the sponsoring unit for these activities,” Balan wrote to The Tribun e. “After an assessment of what compliance and enforcement [with the policy] would entail for the Faculty of Arts, it was determined that we do not have the administrative personnel or expertise necessary to carry out these duties in an appropriate way.”
Balan added that OASIS’ decision to stop approving ISA requests outside of Canada could be reversed in the future if the Student Safety Abroad policy is modified or if the Faculty of Arts sees staffing changes.
Axel Hundemer, Acting Associate Dean (Student Affairs) of the Faculty of Science, affirmed that, for the time being, McGill’s Student Safety Abroad policy will not affect BSc or BA&Sc students’ ability to pursue ISAs outside of Canada.
“The Faculty of Science seeks to support students who are looking for international study opportunities,” Hundemer wrote to The Tribune . “At the same time, it is mindful of the need to be aligned with the
University’s Student Safety Abroad policy. We intend to continue to support ISA opportunities for students, with updated processes in place to meet the policy’s standards.”
Soso Cowell, U3 Management, completed an Independent Study Away at the London School of Economics. As a Management student, she is not directly affected by the policy change, but sees why it might pose a challenge for Arts students—her ISA was the only way she could go home for the summer while staying on track with her studies.
“As an international student, sometimes you don’t really want to stay in Montreal after the finals season. I’m English, my parents are based [in London], and I needed to take a summer class, so I [wanted to] try and find a course that’s approved by McGill at home. That was my main motivation [for my ISA],” Cowell told The Tribune
Despite closing the doors to Indepen -
dent Study Aways outside Canada, 140 exchange destinations in 39 countries remain available to students in the Faculty of Arts.
To compensate for the loss of ISA opportunities, Balan claims McGill is working to build new exchange agreements to give students more flexibility in their studies and allow them to travel farther and wider.
“There is a constant and ongoing effort to expand exchange opportunities for our students,” Balan wrote. “There are many opportunities to study outside McGill, and the Faculty of Arts is supportive of efforts to increase these opportunities.”
Editor-in-Chief
Jasjot Grewal editor@thetribune.ca
Creative Director Drea Garcia Avila dgarciaavila@thetribune.ca
Managing Editors
Yusur Al-Sharqi yal-sharqi@thetribune.ca
Shani Laskin slaskin@thetribune.ca
Ella Paulin epaulin@thetribune.ca
News Editors Eliza Lee Kaitlyn Schramm Mairin Burke news@thetribune.ca
Opinion Editors Ellen Lurie Lulu Calame Monique Kasonga opinion@thetribune.ca
Science & Technology Editors
Coco Zhang Leanne Cherry scitech@thetribune.ca
Student Life Editors Auxane Bussac Malika Logossou studentlife@thetribune.ca
Features Editor Amalia Mairet features@thetribune.ca
Arts & Entertainment Editors Kellie Elrick Charlotte Hayes arts@thetribune.ca
Sports Editors Anoushka Oke Clara Smyrski sports@thetribune.ca
Design Editors Mia Helfrich Zoe Lee design@thetribune.ca
Web Developer Laura Pantaleon Roberta Du webdev@thetribune.ca
Copy Editor Matt Adelberg copy@thetribune.ca
Social Media Editor Aliya Singh socialmedia@thetribune.ca
Business Manager Celine Li business@thetribune.ca
McGill, it shouldn’t take bodies to believe
Indigenous voices
The Tribune Editorial Board
Continued from page 1.
This case is not an isolated failure. It reflects a deeper pattern within Canada’s justice system; one in which Indigenous people’s knowledge and experiences are routinely dismissed.
The underreporting—and often misreporting—of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and TwoSpirited people (MMIWG2S+) cases creates a paradox of hypervisibility and invisibility. Indigenous women are hypervisible in the sense that they are often stereotyped in media and law enforcement narratives as sex workers or deceptive figures, reinforcing racist and harmful perceptions. These stereotypes are also often turned on them as a reason for their disappearances or murders. Yet, when they go missing or are murdered, they become invisible, receiving little media attention compared to white women in similar situations.
This discrepancy reveals a thinly veiled racism, where public empathy and urgency are reserved for certain victims while Indigenous women are objectified and denied the same humanity as white women.
Myran’s murderer’s documented history of white supremacist and misogynistic views points to the role of extremism in gendered violence against Indigenous women. His case is not just one of individual pathology, but is indicative of a broader climate in which Indigenous women are uniquely vulnerable—both to violence itself and to the state’s failure to provide protection or condemn its perpetrators. The ability to kill Indigenous women and evade consequences is not incidental; it is the result of a system that has long devalued their lives. Online hate—unchecked and ignored for years—serves as a breeding ground for this violence, yet law enforcement rarely intervenes until it is too late. Recognizing these murders as hate crimes is essential, not just for legal accountability but to acknowledge the ideology
Mia Helfrich Design Editor
CONTRIBUTORS
In my first year of university, I saw crowds of first-years playing games, eating snacks, and sporting matching Frosh t-shirts, aware that I didn’t have one. Over dinner, a friend said, “I’m worried you’ll be lonely this weekend.”
“No,” I responded with a smile. While I appreciated the care and concern, I planned to use the time to explore the city. I’d already filled my schedule with solo trips to Verdun Beach and the Biodome.
While my choice to abstain from Frosh partly revolved
that fuels them.
Systemic reforms must address how the government classifies, investigates, and reports on MMIWG2S+ cases.
The National Inquiry into MMIWG calls for alternatives to Canada’s current neocolonial justice systems and greater police accountability, but the police continue to rely on restrictive legal definitions that obscure the crisis. Data collection must be in line with the lived realities of those affected, not bureaucratic categories, and Indigenous leadership in policymaking is essential. Without it, decisions remain in the hands of individuals who are unaffected by the violence and are therefore able to dismiss its prevalence and severity.
The same systems that allow people to murder Indigenous women with impunity enable McGill to ignore the ongoing demands of the Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers), who are seeking a comprehensive investigation into the site of McGill’s New Vic Project, where the Mothers believe there may be unmarked
Indigenous graves. By refusing to properly investigate the New Vic site in accordance with the Mohawk Mothers’ wishes, the McGill administration has not only been complicit in colonial violence but has actively obstructed justice, prioritizing financial and reputational interests over truth and healing.
The Mothers have spent decades fighting for the dignity of their kin, yet McGill continues to dismiss their demands, refusing to acknowledge that the land on which the construction is taking place may hold the remains of missing children.
McGill students must critically reflect on their own lack of awareness about violence against Indigenous communities. The university itself, with all its power and resources, has—and continues to—suppress Indigenous claims rather than confront its colonial legacy. If McGill or the PC government truly care about reconciliation, they must not only listen to Indigenous voices but also reckon with the violent history they enable and seek to bury.
Solo side quests are self-care
around the event’s hefty price tag, it really centred on my obsession with solo trips. I love spending my afternoons meandering Old Port and adding new shops to my list. Wandering around the base of Mont Royal in autumn. Beyond a nice break from school and work, my random “side quests” give me a sense of self-fulfilment. Walking towards a destination I’ve chosen or completing a “challenge” that I’ve set for myself allows me to accomplish personal ambitions, even if they are small. My solo trips drive me to engage with the world around me, instead of being in a bubble at home or school. Ultimately, the objective of a good side quest is to feel a sense of peace. To step out of my hectic busy life and spend some me-time.
The internet, it seems, has recently fallen in love with the concept of the side quest. The term comes from video gaming, where a player is allowed diversions irrespective of the game’s main objective. From that original definition, the term has since grown to mean any fun, purposeful activity that doesn’t align with our work or school
lives. Side quests can be in the form of projects like learning a new language or crocheting a hat, but they don’t necessarily have to be productive. Aimlessly strolling through your local library—no goal in mind—works too.
On social media, many creators will vlog their trips to the park, painting, arcade, beach, and more. Usually, those side quests will be completed with friends. Mini-adventures with friends connect us in ways that simply can’t be done online or in a professional setting. Yet as side quests bond us to our friends, solo side quests bond us to ourselves. One doesn’t need a group of friends to play in the snow, look through shops, or go out to the movies. Doing common, social adventures in solitude is freeing—the only person I need to experience fun and relaxation is myself. Additionally, side quests often incorporate valuable selfcare practices like exercise, fresh air, and time away from screens. This isn’t to say that doing side quests on one’s lonesome can’t be lonely. On my fifth selfpicnic in the span of one summer month, I started to go a bit nuts. It
felt like the perfectly shady spot I’d found and the baked cookies I made were going to waste if I was the only one enjoying them. Not to mention how distressful it can be to stew in your thoughts for a day. Yet feeling comfortable in solitude is a side quest in itself, and a rewarding one. Through side quests, I get to direct my own adventures and explore places I might never have gone if I were with a group. It made me realize that treating myself to a nice experience is just as important as sharing it with friends. In fact, it has made me appreciate moments spent with others even more because the memories that would typically be mine alone are now shared amongst my friends.
As a student, I’m forced to spend a lot of time by myself—for homework, studying, and daily commutes—but through solo side quests, I’ve been able to embrace the solitude. Being alone isn’t “sad” but a necessary part of our lives, and I might as well have fun doing it. So, if you want to take that trip, go to that restaurant, see that movie, or embark on your first spring picnic, don’t be afraid to do it by yourself.
Celine Li, Daniel Miksha, Ella Gomes, Jasjot Grewal Katie Lau
TPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Alex Hawes Silva, Amelia Clark, Asher Kui, Annabella Lawlor, Bianca Sugunasiri, Bianca Tri, Daniel Miksha, Daniel Pyo, Ethan Kahn, Jamie Xie, Luken Castañeda Garces, Mahin Siddiki, Mairin Burke, Olivia Ardito, Reuben Noam, Samathar Senso, Sarah McDonald, Tamiyana Roemer, Zain Ahmed.
Aiqing Qiu, Anna Seger, Ariella Morgan, Eliot Loose, Lilly Guilbeault, Nour Khouri, Ruby Reimer, Ryan Dvorak.
Eren Atac, Isobel Bray, Jeanne Le Roux, Louis Chenot, Madeleine Le, Sammi Lai Armen Erzingatzian, Bruno Cotler
Point Counterpoint: A debate on pro-Palestine protest tactics
Aggressive protest methods may alienate moderates, and make for less effective movements
Daniel Miksha Staff Writer
Over the past year, persistent protests played out on McGill campus in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Though smashed windows, encampments, and sod-pulling make headlines, some of these protest tactics alienate more politically moderate members of the McGill community, resulting in a weaker activist movement overall.
I suspect a large block of the student body is passive with regards to pro-Palestinian groups on campus not due to a lack of sympathy for the suffering of Palestinians, but because they’re uncomfortable with the way protests in solidarity with Palestine are conducted.
To earn the support of moderates and form a more impactful political force, activists need to explicitly centre the humanitarian destruction wreaked by Israel’s campaign in Gaza, and be wary of using actions and language that can be misinterpreted or make people defensive.
Slogans like ‘Globalize the Intifada’ and ‘All the Zionists are Terrorists’ do not communicate the fact that the IDF killed at least 13,000 Gazan children since Oct. 7 of last year, nor the fact that Gaza has the highest rate of infant malnutrition globally. For many, the messaging associated with campus protests can either be impenetrable or easy
COMMENTARY
Louis Chenot Contributor
Uto misconstrue. By contrast, messaging that highlights the gravity of the human suffering unfolding in Palestine appeals directly to the conscience.
Furthermore, being a McGill student is a significant part of a diverse set of students’ identities, and activists should capitalize on the fact that our identity as McGillians unites us. Instead of chalking slogans like ‘McKKKill’ on the Roddick Gates, bringing some students’ identities as McGillians inadvertently under threat, activists should use slogans like ‘McGillians united for Palestine’.
If activists want to build the popular support needed to produce tangible change, they need to meet students where they’re at. Potentially divisive slogans need to be swapped for precise messaging, and opaque ideological language needs to give way to simple appeals to humanity. When so many lives are at stake, it’s irresponsible to risk alienating people sympathetic to the cause.
Disruption is the essence of effective protest
Yusur Al-Sharqi Managing Editor
The argument that confrontational protest tactics alienate moderates assumes that the approval of the politically passive should dictate activism. But how many of these so-called moderates were engaging with the cause before disruptive protests took centre stage?
Pro-Palestinian activists at McGill and broader Montreal have engaged in peaceful
resistance for years, holding demonstrations, raising funds, and organizing educational events. The encampment is a prime example. If peaceful and palatable messaging were enough, the killing of over 30,000 Palestinians— including more than 13,000 children—would have already moved institutions and “moderates” to action. Instead, universities like McGill remain complicit, continuing partnerships with weapons manufacturers and refusing to disclose investments, and “moderate” students continue to disengage. It seems to me that the discomfort that “moderates” feel is not about protest tactics but about apathy—otherwise, they would be at the fundraisers, marches, and book talks.
On two separate occasions, the McGill Board of Governors rejected recommendations to divest from arms manufacturers with ties to Israel. (Hannah Nobile / The Tribune)
necessarily about persuading the majority of students. In fact, numbers don’t seem to be an issue: The SSMU Policy Against Genocide secured the support of 71 per cent of student voters and saw the highest voter turnout of any SSMU election in recent history.
The debate over protest tactics for Palestine is not new, especially within the Arab community. Many Palestinians themselves reject aggressive demonstrations, often out of fear of reinforcing stereotypes or alienating potential allies. But history—and the present— shows that moderation has rarely been enough to achieve justice. Anti-apartheid activists were criticized for being dangerous. Suffragettes were labelled extremists. Yet in every case, history vindicated those who refused to cater to the sensitivities of the status quo.
Realistically, the protestors’ goal is to catch the attention of McGill’s Board of Governors and emphasize the urgency of the issue—not
As The Tribune has written before, “Student protest is meant to disrupt the status quo.” I don’t condone violence, but we can not continue to prioritize the protection of buildings over the lives of thousands of people. In fact, some experts argue that, once initial outrage fades, aggressive protest tactics end up receiving the most attention and subsequently result in action.
McGill’s administration will not change because students politely ask. It will change when its normal functioning is made impossible. Activists do not need to “meet students where they’re at” when where they’re at is a place of inaction.
Why the death of a broken USAID is an opportunity for a new world aid system
Indigenous peoples, have a particular duty to do so.
.S. President Donald Trump’s recent order to defund the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will undoubtedly have negative global reverberations. One hundred seventy-seven countries currently receive crucial foreign aid from the U.S., of which roughly three-fifths is distributed by USAID. This aid has been a lifeline for impoverished and war-torn regions since the agency’s founding almost 64 years ago. Haiti, for example, benefited from aid delivered in the wake of catastrophic earthquakes in 2010. But this aid was delivered through a highly flawed agency in need of dire reform. In light of this, European countries have an opportunity both to expand their aid networks to make up for lost U.S. funding and learn from USAID’s flaws. By reckoning with a new reality in which the global community can work constructively and collaboratively to undo injustice, the loss of U.S. funding can be turned into a force for good.
USAID was an important symbol within the global capitalist system, demonstrating that the U.S. could turn its highly privileged financial position into a meaningful force for good not only for Americans but for the broader human race. The program showed that affluent countries have a duty to fight against injustices globally, be they environmental or man-made. Indeed, countries like the U.S. and Canada which have benefited hugely from oppressive, violent, and generationally damaging practices such as enslavement and the genocidal killings of and ongoing policies against
It is within such a history of oppression, especially by western countries, that global aid programs should be understood. They have the power to re-distribute wealth and prosperity to those who have been robbed of it, and this is why the global community must react with decisiveness to make up for the loss in U.S. funding and extend programs where possible. Considering their history of benefiting economically due to the oppression of other nations, developed nations have a particular obligation and capacity to bring about meaningful change, especially in the sphere of climate adaptation which has been largely ignored by USAID.
Importantly, and most unfairly, the countries most affected by climate change are those who have historically contributed the fewest emissions. Europe has contributed 22 per cent of global cumulative emissions, giving it a strong imperative to help smaller, less developed countries adapt to and thrive in a changing earth system. Additionally, eco-racism has soared in recent decades with developed countries bringing about widespread ecological damage in the developing world. Ghana, for example, has become the dumping ground for the fast fashion industry, causing massive water pollution.
To address these issues, European nations can learn from the slew of serious issues with USAID that actually damaged long-term prospects for recipient countries. For one, despite a range of critically important investments, aid is often delivered with only short-term immediate economic growth in mind. Some of the U.S.
Despite USAID being formally founded in 1961, the U.S. has provided international aid since 1812, when Venezuela experienced a catastrophic earthquake. (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune)
government’s aid to Haiti, for example, supported low-wage garment factories instead of the kinds of sustainable agriculture that would help make the country self-sufficient and less reliant on food imports.
Perhaps more importantly, the question of who receives aid is a highly contentious one. Billions of dollars of USAID funding have been funnelled towards countries with pro-U.S. authoritarian governments. This is not to say that people should be punished for the actions of their unelected governments, but understanding why and how aid is distributed to some regions more than others is crucial to understanding how aid agencies can work more equitably in the future.
Trump’s recent push to sign a $500 billion USD ($721 billion CAD) minerals deal with Ukraine in return for a peace deal is a dangerous message that U.S. support always comes at a price. Modern aid agencies must use these failures as a blueprint for what not to do.
This is not to say that USAID should not exist. It should, and the decision to remove it will ruin the lives of many. To counter its loss, the rest of the world, and Europe in particular, must act boldly by restructuring and increasing funding for aid agencies to ensure that historic ills delivered on developing countries do not go unaddressed. Their impacts are being felt to this day and will continue to do so unless dramatic changes are made.
Sleep on it: ‘Share Your Sleep Story’ spotlights sleep as a healthcare and human right
An interview with the public engagement initiative of your wildest dreams
Eliza Lee & Jamie Xie News Editor Staff Writer
When all the world is asleep, the body is hard at work.
While many people view their resting hours as lost time, the Share Your Sleep Story initiative explores sleep as time invested in a deeply human act of being. The public engagement initiative highlights individuals’ experiences with sleep—and the effects of not getting enough—and seeks to bridge the policy gap between abundant research and a society that ignores the importance of getting a good night’s rest. Madhura Lotlikar, a McGill PhD student in neuroscience and the initiative’s founder, sat down with The Tribune to discuss the project, the impact of sleep loss on health, and sleep as a human right.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Eliza Lee (EL): To start off, can you talk a little about your current research outside the Share Your Sleep Story initiative? How did your research lead you to the project?
Madhura Lotlikar (ML): I have [several] different projects I’m working on, but the common theme is sleep loss. My priority is to understand the effects of sleep loss on human brain and memory and the ways to offset those effects [....] So I’m looking at if exercise training can make our brains resilient to the effects of sleep loss. Another project [...] is implementation of sleep research and rehabilitation settings, because there’s a lot of data on sleep issues in rehab settings. We have people who need support for stroke, [...] or traumatic brain injury or physical injury, these kinds of things—they have a lot of issues of sleep, but there is no translation of sleep research into practice.
When I started working in this field, I quickly realized that there is a lot of data on sleep health [....] I thought that there must be a lot of policies surrounding this issue, and I was baffled that there is very little [....] I was thinking that if we want to actually implement things in society, we need to understand what [those] who face sleep issues need [....] That’s where I was like, ‘Okay, we need to have some lived understanding, some lived experiences of these people.’ That’s just one part of the puzzle. It’s not going to solve things, but it’s just one part.
Jamie Xie (JX): Sleep is so human, but society sees it as a barrier to productivity and often tries to take that away from us. Could you talk a little bit about your perspective on sleep in the context of healthcare, and how we don’t give it the full respect of healthcare?
ML: There is a misconception that we are not being useful when we are sleeping. Actually, we are not being useful when we are not sleeping—if we don’t sleep, we are not going to be productive. Sleep is important for emotional regulation, mental health, productivity, and quality of life [....] I think a lot of people still take pride in not sleeping enough, because they want to say that they are busy, and as you said, that it’s very
personal. Sleep is not only governed by your individual factors, like [...] your sleep needs, but also by societal and social factors. What does society think about sleep? Do they think that you are lazy because you’re sleeping more, or you have more sleep-need? What social circumstances are you in? Are you coming from a low socioeconomic background? Maybe you have to work two shifts, two jobs, and you’re not going to kind of get enough sleep, or you have food insecurity.
Importantly, [sleep] also affects other diseases [....] You have data for people with Alzheimer’s—they have sleep issues. People who have sleep issues have an increased risk of dementia, cardiovascular diseases, mental health issues [....] Tackling sleep health is essential, not only for the individual, but for society as well.
EL: Returning to the impact of sleep on Alzheimer’s, risk of dementia, and other diseases—how does that impact the brain?
ML: When you’re sleeping, there are a lot of toxins that get removed from your brain that have accumulated throughout the day [....] That is one of the functions of the lymphatic system. For example, this protein called amyloid beta starts accumulating in your brain, and if you don’t sleep, it stays in your brain. That protein, amyloid beta, [...] is one of the important proteins that can get clumped into plaques, and is one of the
pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.
But there are other functions of sleep, such as [recovery]. The different stages of sleep help you to restore your brain and body. If you’re injured and you have chronic pain [...] your body is not going to heal and recover as much if you don’t sleep, or you have sleep apnea, or you are not getting full, restorative sleep.
EL: The Share Your Sleep Story initiative also describes ways to prioritize sleep through policy-making. Can you talk about how we can protect sleep through policy, and why it’s undervalued currently?
ML: There are a lot of misconceptions on sleep and its importance, and there is not a lot of awareness [....] Currently, sleep health education is very [minimal] for family doctors [....] They need to be asking about [patients’] sleep no matter what condition they have, because it’s integral to any disease that a person might [have] at a clinic. Sleep health education programs should increase—many times, [...] whenever [the people I talk to for the initiative] have sleep disorders or sleep issues, they just don’t get enough help. There are no accessible resources.
For night shift workers, for example, [...] maybe organizations [...] could provide them with some service to drop them off at home, because after working for 12 hours
in a very stressful environment, you don’t want to take the metro. Drowsy driving is a huge problem amongst workers [....] There is a lot of evidence and implementation is lacking.
JX: The role of the night shift worker, [...] and this idea of sleeplessness as a way of life—it makes me think about the way that society accommodates you. Before you were talking about how often we relegate these people to making a sacrifice for society [....] Can you talk about how we can accommodate workers’ needs and rights to sleep?
ML: Sleep should be a human right [....] If you’re not sleeping, it’s going to affect everything. In terms of accommodation, it affects your social life. [For those] who have circadian rhythm disorders, you are basically awake at the time that most of the society is not [....] Of course, that affects everything, from who you date to what you can do [....] You have to work on society’s time. It’s very difficult [....] Just decreasing the stigma and understanding sleep needs, [...] that is the first step before we can even start accommodating the needs of people.
Share Your Sleep Story is also run by co-director Adrián Noriega de la Colina, and team members Marie-Pier Villeneuve, Nour Chahine, Josianne Barrette-Moran, Hannah Moore, Jyothi Inampudi, and Stefanie Tremblay
The Share Your Sleep Story was created in collaboration with the Canadian Sleep Society. (Ryan Dvorak / The Tribune)
Continued from cover.
The man didn’t care, stating that he wanted to become close to Elizabeth because he didn’t have a woman in his life. He told Elizabeth he’d been watching her all night, and that he had stayed behind at the library to talk to her.
Elizabeth’s phone had died, and now the man was watching her computer. She continued loudly telling him to stop in hopes that other students would step in.
Finally, help appeared to arrive: A McGill security guard on his rounds began checking people’s student IDs. The man became nervous, saying he didn’t have his.
When the guard approached their table, Elizabeth mouthed “help”, and tried to show fear with her body language as he scanned her ID. Yet, when the man told the guard he didn’t have his student card, the guard walked away without escorting the man out, simply saying he should leave. Elizabeth’s hope was gone.
Elizabeth’s harasser began saying he wanted to take her home, describing what he would do to her. He asked her to “make out” despite her now-constant “no’s”. He told her he would follow her home, then stood “looming over” her. She told him she was going to call security because he was scaring her, which finally persuaded him
Elizabeth quickly used Facebook on her computer to ask her boyfriend to pick her up. As she made her way to meet him outside, she encountered another security guard at the exit. As Elizabeth told the guard about her situation, he repeatedly said she should have called security, and should have been less friendly with her harasser. When Elizabeth explained her dead phone, her fear of provoking the man, and another guard’s failure to help her, the guard began to make excuses. Elizabeth asked him to make security aware of the situation, then left. As she and her boyfriend drove away from campus, they saw her harasser lingering near the library complex.
Elizabeth submitted a ninepage document of explanation to McGill Security, asking them to review camera footage to identify the man. She described him as dark-haired, around 5 feet 10
inches. She also noted his dark-coloured backpack.
Elizabeth never encountered the man again—in person. But this past month, she saw a poster that had been plastered around Milton-Parc: “CALL 911 IF YOU SEE THIS MAN, 5’10-5’11, MCGILL GHETTO STALKER: TRIED TO BREAK IN AND HAS BEEN LOOKING INTO GIRLS WINDOWS”. The man? Elizabeth’s harasser and his backpack, five years later. ***
Elizabeth’s story is an example of Campus Public Safety’s frequent apathy towards sexual harassment in the McLennan-Redpath complex. More broadly, Campus Public Safety’s selective security approach—failing to protect women students, despite visibly employing many guards around campus—directly undermines the university’s core values of freedom and inclusion.
Why do students feel there is such a large security presence at McGill, yet still not feel safe in the biggest library on campus? Campus Public Safety must start taking those who report harassment in these core McGill spaces seriously.
Elizabeth’s story is not an anomaly. In October 2023, second-year Jessica* was studying on the second floor of McLennan. It was relatively empty, but a man sat across from her, adjusting his body to match her every move for over an hour. Eventually, he appeared to start filming her chest.
After around 10 minutes, Jessica found a security guard, telling him she suspected she was being filmed. The guard told her to call McGill’s security office “to take care of it.”
The man who appeared to have filmed Jessica suddenly exited the library past her and the guard. Jessica urgently told the guard that the man was right there, but the guard did not act.
“I’m paying this university so much money, I would expect them to invest in security that
wants to do their job and would actually be able to keep me safe,” Jessica said in an interview with The Tribune.
As Jessica left McLennan, she passed her harasser. When she turned around a few moments later, he was walking behind her. Jessica re-entered the library complex through Redpath, then re-exited through the McLennan doors. The man was still behind her. She booked it to the metro station, managing to lose him on the way.
In the coming days, the man frequently began leaving McLennan at the same time as Jessica. She continued making loops around the library complex on her way out, and he continued to tail her. After a few weeks, he stopped. She has not seen him since.
Jessica told The Tribune that, considering how apathetic a McGill security guard had been when she had reported her situation, she “wouldn’t ever go to [security] ever again” for help.
“Had the guy maybe stopped him that first time and just been like, ‘You’re not allowed in this building,’ at least, I might have felt safer,” she said. “But obviously, they didn’t do anything.” ***
In a written statement to The Tribune, the McGill Media Relations Office (MRO) confirmed that details about how Campus Public Safety operates are not public.
“In terms of complaints about how we dispatch resources, we do our best to serve our campus communities and their various needs,” the MRO wrote. “When we receive complaints, we take them seriously and seek to address the issues of concern.”
Yet, Elizabeth reports that she didn’t receive a supportive follow-up from McGill after submitting her complaint, beyond an email exchange saying her situation was being investigated. The emailers referred Elizabeth to the Office for Sexual Violence Response,
not Security’s failure to prevent sexual Redpath, and the need for an
Written by Mairin Burke,
News Editor
Support and Education, which had a waitlist at the time.
The MRO stated they were unable to speak about situations like Elizabeth’s and Jessica’s.
“We do not comment on them, notably out of respect for [their] privacy,” the MRO wrote.
If Elizabeth’s perpetrator is the same 39-year-old man believed to be the “McGill Ghetto Stalker” charged this month with voyeurism, then he has a documented history of sexual crimes, including against individuals under the age of 18. His multijurisdictional charges date back to at least 2010.
“They have cameras they could use to identify this man,” Elizabeth told The Tribune. “Do they really think my situation is the first time he’s come here?”
Jessica echoed Elizabeth’s frustrations.
“You have all this proof in front of you that there’s at least one guy who’s doing this, and it’s just like, you have a description, you’ve seen him,” Jessica said. “If [they] were to check the cameras, they would see it all happening [….] It would be so easy for them to just do their job.”
“Something is directly wrong with where [McGill’s] money goes,” Elizabeth said. “They make too many millions to keep letting these guys slide.”
The MRO said they were aware that a man was arrested in Milton-Parc, and that he had possibly harassed McGill students.
“Our understanding is that it may be the same person who appears to have targeted some of our students, living off campus, in a privately administered housing earlier this year,” the MRO wrote. ***
The Students’ Society of McGill University’s Vice-President University Affairs Abe Berglas described claims they’ve heard in an interview with The Tribune
that campus security is both unequipped for and unfocused on serving students.
“There’s a lot of justified concern about […] importing security guards who traditionally have been security for concerts or malls, and bringing them to a university environment,” Berglas said. “They’re stationed to buildings, and not people. So you’ll have them outside windows that were previously broken or outside the James Administration Building.”
Berglas addressed how people in favour of campus security often explain to them that the presence of guards makes them feel there are “‘reliable witnesses’” on campus.
“When things like discrimination or sexual and gendered violence happen to students, it makes me empathize with the desire for [...] security that would step in,” Berglas said. “I also think that does not need to be a security agent.”
Security’s failure to maintain libraries as open, accessible spaces for all is affirmed by the myriad of McGill Reddit threads describing the sexually inappropriate behaviour that students have experienced there. Meanwhile, reports of private security forces contracted by Campus Public Safety detaining actual McGill attendees or McGill calling on the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal to use force against student protestors raise major concerns among certain contingents of the student population about the aggressive tactics deployed by security who do take action. While students were required to present their IDs to access campus around Oct. 7, 2024, a man with a history of sexual crimes posing a threat to students in the library was allowed to stay there without any student card. Campus Public Safety’s priorities are out of line.
Berglas explained that a campus safety model they would like to see would be an “active bystander
not protected sexual harassment in McLennan- an active bystander culture
Editor & Designed by Zoe Lee, Design Editor
culture.”
“I think we should just responsibilize every McGill member, and that way, we will be safer,” Berglas told The Tribune.
Active bystanders indeed successfully helped protect an As sociation of Graduate Students Employed at McGill member in December 2024 from guards who had physically de tained her. Onlookers who record ed this incident helped hold the guard accountable and prevented escalation—Campus Public Safe ty’s supposed job. Holding security accountable can only be achieved by this kind of collective action.
***
McGill keeping its libraries open to all is essential. It is a civ ic duty for such a major institution to foster accessible spaces that give back to the community. But free access to university libraries does not mean they should be “freefor-alls.” In the written statement Elizabeth submitted to security, she expressed how guards’ inac tion emboldened her harasser’s behaviour, rather than resolving it. Her experiences have coloured her sense of safety on campus ever since.
“Since the incident, I am hes itant to carry on coming here at all hours by myself, and feel that I am not as safe on campus as I had assumed,” Elizabeth said. “At the end of the day, security guards are the centre of public safety on school grounds, and need to be more observant and compassionate instead of assuming things are alright or getting defensive.”
Instead of focusing on building new student spac es, McGill needs to focus on im proving its security in existing ones before threats to call Cam pus Public Safety like Elizabeth’s fail to deter perpetrators. we move into exam sea son and spend more late nights in campus libraries, effective and compassion ate security intervention must be McGill’s priority. In the meantime, we as a student community must
act on our peers’ pleas for help, and call out insufficient or harmful reactions from security guards when we see them.
*Elizabeth and Jessica’s names
Addressing perinatal mental health disparities among immigrant parents in Canada
New study focuses on first- and second-generation immigrant parents in Quebec
Daniel Pyo Staff Writer
Pregnancy and postpartum can be emotionally overwhelming, and for first- and second-generation immigrants, these challenges are often intensified by cultural barriers, discrimination, and limited access to mental health resources. According to Statistics Canada, nearly 23 per cent of Canadians were born outside of the country, making it essential to address the unique struggles immigrant parents face during this critical period.
In a recently published study in the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, Monica Vaillancourt, a PhD graduate in experimental psychology at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), explored the key factors affecting mental health among first- and second-generation immigrant parents in Quebec.
Vaillancourt employed qualitative methods, noting that traditional quantitative approaches often fail to capture the unique experiences of minority populations. She conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 women and 10 men, highlighting differences in perinatal experiences based on gender, cultural expectations, and healthcare access.
“Given that I was looking at minority populations, it’s important to have a qualitative component [....] Skills have been developed in quantitative [research], and they’ve been developed in the general population—[they] won’t
How
necessarily translate to other cultures,” Vaillancourt explained in an interview with The Tribune
Migration can be a major stressor, influencing parents’ mental health during pregnancy and postpartum. Vaillancourt found that firstgeneration immigrant parents are at higher risk for anxiety, depression, and perinatal distress due to factors such as discrimination, acculturation difficulties, and systemic healthcare barriers. In contrast, second-generation immigrants reported feelings of relief due to greater familiarity with Canadian culture, but in turn, encountered more intergenerational conflicts in parenting approaches.
Another key finding was the deficit in perinatal resources available to fathers. Many fathers reported feeling sidelined in prenatal and postnatal care, contributing to stress and uncertainty in their new roles.
“There aren’t a lot of resources for men [....] They would go to these prenatal classes, [and] there’d be maybe one slide about dads. There wasn’t so much on helping dads through this transition,” Vaillancourt said.
The study also emphasized the importance of perinatal interventions from healthcare providers and social workers in shaping long-term family well-being. Effective interventions can help mitigate stressors by providing culturally sensitive support, expanding paternal mental health resources, and addressing systemic barriers to healthcare access. When parents receive adequate mental health support during this crit-
ical period, it fosters better emotional bonding, strengthens family relationships, and enhances child development outcomes.
Early interventions can also reduce the long-term societal costs associated with untreated perinatal distress, including healthcare burdens and economic productivity losses. By prioritizing these interventions, healthcare systems can build more resilient families, ultimately leading to healthier communities.
“You get your biggest bang for your buck if you do interventions during [the perinatal] period,” Vaillancourt said. “If you have an influence on the parents, that influences the baby.”
Effective interventions can help mitigate stress by providing culturally sensitive support, expanding paternal mental health resources, and addressing systemic barriers to healthcare access.
Despite its strengths, Vaillancourt’s research faced limitations—particularly linguistic barriers.
“I wasn’t able to get a lot of asylum seekers or refugees [....] It’s difficult because I could only have my questionnaires and my questions in English or French,” she noted.
This constraint may have excluded some
of the most vulnerable populations from the study, emphasizing the need for more inclusive research approaches in the future.
Overcoming perinatal obstacles demands policy reform, improved healthcare access for all, and increased access to mental health services for both parents. With further research and systemic change, immigrant families in Canada can receive the resources they need for a healthier transition into parenthood.
mental health care improves the wellbeing of women living with HIV
Research calls for greater integration of mental health support in HIV care
Sammi Lai Contributor
For many women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), managing their health means navigating a complex web of challenges that extend beyond the virus itself. From dealing with stigma and past trauma to financial and caregiving responsibilities, addressing mental health struggles often takes a backseat. But new research highlights just how vital mental health care is in ensuring women with HIV stay engaged in treatment.
In a recent study, Alexandra De Pokomandy, associate professor at McGill’s Department of Family Medicine, found that women living with HIV who have access to mental health services tended to be more active in receiving treatment, calling for the inclusion of mental health support in HIV care.
HIV weakens the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight infections. If left untreated, it can give rise to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). While there’s no cure, antiretroviral therapy (ART) can effectively control the infection and allow people to live full and healthy lives.
However, HIV itself is not the only battle. Among people living with HIV, up to 68 per cent struggle with mental health conditions—with women disproportionately affected compared to both men with HIV and women without HIV. For women, the
intersection of experiences of sexism, past trauma, and stigma only compounds the effect of poor mental health.
“There are so many aspects of life of women living with HIV that add on to each other and they just increase the experience of oppression,” de Pokomandy said in an interview with The Tribune
Her team’s research found that poor mental health not only impacts the mental well-being of people with HIV, but also makes it less likely that they will seek and adhere to ART.
“[Mental health support] is going to benefit their entire health, including ability to optimize taking their treatment and reaching undetectable levels of viral loads,” de Pokomandy said.
The article also highlights differences in healthcare access between Canada and the U.S.. In Canada, many women living with HIV are recent migrants who might not be aware of available mental health services. In the U.S., the lack of universal healthcare makes cost another significant barrier to receiving HIV treatment.
“If people need to pay for mental health, they may have to prioritize other essential needs. But the barriers to mental health services are more than just the cost. Is it accessible? Sometimes it’s free, but there’s just no access,” de Pokomandy emphasized.
Even when services are available, lengthy waitlists, limited provider availability, and logistical challenges—like jug -
gling multiple jobs or long travel distances—make it difficult for women to seek help. Many women also take on caregiving roles, making it difficult to prioritize their own mental health.
“They will prioritize their own basic needs, the needs of their children, or the people they care for. Mental health is kind of this ‘extra service,’” de Pokomandy noted.
Stigma remains one of the major barriers to seeking mental health support, particularly for women with substance use histories as well as HIV.
“If women have to explain their whole story to someone outside the HIV clinic and they feel [a] perceived stigma, they won’t go back,” de Pokomandy said. “Even just disclosing their story to somebody else, [there is] the fear that it will be disclosed to the community, or just the fear of the judgment.”
De Pokomandy and her colleagues found that most women seeking mental health support prefer to do so within their HIV clinic, yet even these services can be difficult to access.
She emphasized the need for further research
into why women avoid mental health care, whether due to stigma, inadequate resources, substance use, or overwhelming life demands.
Ultimately, de Pokomandy calls on HIV clinics to take a more proactive approach in ensuring women receive the mental health support they need. Clinics must not only raise awareness of available services but also actively engage with their patients and adapt to their needs.
Canada’s fertility rate reached a record low in 2022, at 1.33 births per person with a uterus. (Lilly Guilbault / The Tribune)
Romancing Medievalism in the modern world
In looking back to the past, the present appears clearer
Annabella Lawlor Staff Writer
Candlelight contours and illuminates the deep reds of opalescent stained glass, the candle’s bearer traversing the vacuous shadows of the castle’s towering walls. Its gothic portals and stone arcades stand overgrown in twirling vinery and moss. Inside hangs a pastoral tapestry of enchanting animals: Unicorns, leopards, and quails. Dress fabric so sumptuous that one could get lost in its drapery as if traversing a tall meadow. The jewel-toned brocade, acanthus, floral, and vegetal pattern, accentuates its meticulous ornament with gilded needlework. An extension of the feminine face, the hennin, covers the hair, elongating the smooth forehead to new heights in its pointed, upward length. Metal clanging of chainmail helms, jewellery, and armour. Templar knights, serene maidens, glistening swords, flower crowns, a lute. The romance of the Middle Ages has been reborn once again, with the visual lexicon of Medievalism continuing to project its idyllic vision into the contemporary world.
In the past several months, Medieval Aestheticism has found its way into popular culture. Chappell Roan, the acclaimed singer and “Midwest Princess,” walked the VMAs red carpet in a loose-fitting, gauzy dress, faded green velvet robe with embroidered borders, and armoured leg plates. Carrying a sword and later donning full armour for her performance, she embodied the role of a medieval warrior. Earlier this year, she even wore a hennin—typical of the medieval feminine elite—to accept her award at the Grammys. Though not entirely Chappell’s doing, her historically situated fashion sense likely influenced Pinterest’s 2025 “Castlecore” trend forecast.
dies to its beholder, the EP-1320’s release indicates a monumentally diverse appropriation of the Middle Ages—one that fuses technological modernism with the sobriety of an illuminated manuscript.
In the essay collection, Whose Middle Ages? , academic medievalist David Perry writes, “We allow periods to take shape in our cultural imagination when they serve a purpose when we use them to define a present against its various pasts, whether through assertions of affinity or otherness.”
The choice to embrace certain aspects of the Medieval past is indicative of the current state of the world, for society adopts—and thus adapts—the past as a way of imbuing cultural agency into its history. The notion of a revival can never reenact the full truth, for culture selects certain historical elements which aid it in understanding itself
nine figures into structured garments, reminiscent of a soldier’s impenetrable armour, they rewrite the medieval history of masculine fortitude into a narrative of feminine authority.
Chainmail has entered popular culture as a status symbol of power, dominance, and resolve. The practice of its creation has even resumed, growing alongside the rising popularity of Joan of Arc’s status as a divine source of feminine agency. For multidisciplinary artist Amy Lang, her exploration of the chainmail medium has allowed a greater reflection on the history of the craft itself.
“It was about trying to figure out if the process of doing or making art can help us understand a little bit more about the art itself,” Lang stated in an interview with The Tribune
explored through history painting the notion of the pastoral medieval identity—one at peace with the natural landscape, living amongst the opulent flora, engaging in chivalric love affairs. They interpreted medieval tales and conventions, like The Lady of Shalott —adapted from a Tennyson poem of the Arthurian story—and La belle dame sans merci , drawing from the eponymous Keats work. These pieces, almost otherworldly in their natural beauty, were perhaps a physical projection of the self into luscious nature, as the public longed for an escape from enforced modern identity.
Michael Van Dussen, professor in McGill’s English department, and a medieval scholar and specialist in manuscript studies, spoke with The Tribune about the production of medieval manuscript culture.
However, fashion aesthetics have not been the only modern utilization of the Medieval; there is clearly a widening interest in the overarching themes of this early past. In January, director Baz Luhrmann opened Monsieur, a medieval-themed bar in New York’s East Village, to great acclaim. This is a clear departure from more playfully adapted historical venues such as taverns with barrelled beer taps and suburban castle-restaurants for combinatory joust-eating. Instead, Luhrmann adapts a more sombre style—dramatic candlelight, ornamental tilework, and vaguely religious imagery.
In a whole new realm, the Swedish electronics company teenage engineering released the EP-1320 medieval, a sampler loaded with, according to the website, “magical melodies, sultry songs and bubonic beats.” With gothic script and a beige frame, as if a parchment transmitting melo-
in its contemporary present. This can result in a serious abridging of the past, upholding its lexicon of historical inaccuracy resulting from romanticization, eclecticism, and systemic erasure. With limited documentation of the Middle Ages, the projections of its world as one of fantastical, pastoral, and even biblical proportions have altered its modern perceptions. The past as a venue for contemporary interpretation, though implemented on certain levels as a false construction of Europe’s “whiteness” and a self-aggrandizing myth of origin, is allowing the Middle Ages to be reclaimed as landscapes for feminine agency.
There has been a greater emphasis on the gloomy, more gothic aspects within the Popular Medieval. Dior exhibited their 2025 Cruise Collection in the garden of a Scottish medieval castle. With dark tartans and armoured bustiers, the collection retreats into the ruinous shadows of looming stonework, the muddy soles of handmade leather shoes, of a maiden, eternally condemned to a cloistered life in a tower. These garments are indicative of a growing resurgence of the aesthetics of warfare and the craft of chainmail. In putting femi-
Lang has searched the past, adopting this early blacksmith technique into modern styles, such as chokers, jewellery, and skirts. The craft acts both as a study and escape, as Lang weaves new meaning into its wire, centuries after its use in the Middle Ages. Her metalworks are astounding examples of this cyclical reconception of the Medieval, through reinterpretation, cultural reassertion, and a new imbuement of meaning.
“I think there is generally a turn towards escapism in whatever small ways you can get,” Lang said. “I tend to find there’s this Neo-Luddite return to simple crafts [...] for the purpose of making ornament that makes you feel like you’re part of a slower time.”
In exploring these traditional crafts and adopting the aesthetics of the past, society seeks a desire to feel connected to one’s belongings, now considerably reproduced in our post-industrialist world. The Victorian revival of Medievalism came at a time directly following the Industrial Revolution. A sense of disenchantment with mass production and placelessness among the steel frames of the new world led artists to retreat into the past to placate these plain landscapes of modernism. Pre-Raphaelite artists
“There’s this connection with the people who produced it. You have no idea who they are, or necessarily were, but you know that a human being delicately did [this],” Van Dussen noted, describing a laid-out 15th-century Book of Hours.
Adorned with heaps of pagecaressing marginalia , the vegetal motifs illuminate its gold leaf adornments, shifting with every stroke of light. It’s wonderfully powerful to witness up close, with its hundreds of pages hand-drawn by a workshop of artisans.
“When it’s all bespoke, like this—you could have 500 copies of the same text—every single one would be different. It would be utterly and numerically unique,” Van Dussen said. “That’s because every element is produced by hand. People make mistakes or they make different choices. They’re all going to be unique.”
The contemporary retreat into medievalism, I propose, is again, a direct product of the modern disenchantment with industrial practices that have rendered artisans powerless in the state of machine-reproduction. With the emergence of machine-based practices, such as AI art and fast fashion, our world feels an inexplicably lost chasm of the self, as we’ve drifted even further from pastoral connection since the Industrial Revolution. Perhaps these aesthetic adoptions are symptomatic of the temporal resemblance to a post-plague reimagining of newness and hope; or perhaps it’s the way modern people oppressed by billionaires in the American political system mirror peasants’ suppression by feudal landowners with absolute control. This retreat into the medieval, while simultaneously an insertion of feminine and queer narratives into the past, is a cry for help.
To feel disillusioned with the world is to feel disillusioned with the self. This romanticization of underconsumption—a cyclical resurgence—is hypocritical in its capitalization on pre-industrial aesthetics. We wander imaginative open fields in loose-fitting costumes, with chivalric loves, because modern society’s shortcomings have made this a fantastical impossibility.
The 1960s Medieval Revival saw aesthetic shifts in music, film, and fashion. (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune)
TNC’s student-written production of ‘Sphynx’ reaches professional levels of wit
The adventures of Jesse Eisenberg, the devil, and a radio
Bianca Sugunasiri Staff Writer
There’s nothing like the sheer terror of waking up hungover to discover the bad decision your alter ego made the night before. Particularly when that bad decision saunters into your kitchen and greets you with cheerful full-frontal. If that’s not enough to push you over the edge, throw in an impending blizzard that will instantly kill
anyone who ventures outside.
This is the unfortunate life of Gus (Hayden Jackson, U3 Arts), forced to confront his drunken one-night stand within the confines of his studio. The casual and cocky Theo (Sam Snyder, U2 Arts) proceeds to needle his uptight ways, goading him into doing the Proust Questionnaire. They partake in the typical activities of prideful intellectuals, from insulting each others’ book tastes to sassy matches of chess. Their tension relieves itself in a galvanizing fit of passion which quickly turns to panic when Gus realizes that the man for whom his affection has grown is pure evil. An ambiguous ending leaves audiences wondering who Theo really was: The devil, or just another nonchalant man.
“Proust” can be pronounced two different ways: Choose the correct one at your peril. (Photo via @tnctheatre on Instagram)
From the first shocked exclamation to the last blood-curdling scream, Tuesday Night Cafe’s (TNC) production of Sphynx captivated audiences. The storyline, composed of commonplace dialogues and impactful silences, successfully conveyed the flawed intricacies of
human relationships that so often elude attempts of romantic realism. Writer-directors Jack Bouchard (U2 Arts) and Odessa Rontogiannis (U2 Arts) embedded within humorous dialogue layers of awkwardly authentic connection. The limited confines of TNC’s space were stretched to creative capacity, enabling the audience to become flies on the walls of Gus’s apartment. And the acting felt so natural, as if the words were not lines, but conversations spilling from the actors’ lips.
Jackson’s portrayal of Gus was rich with raw emotion, augmenting the intimate realism of the play. He fell fully into his character of the awkward tortured artist in body, delivery, and interaction. His Jesse Eisenberg-esque voice cracks and erratic intonation were effortless, and the shaking of his hands so realistic that it may have been mistaken for nerves. His frantic interactions with pans and paintbrushes brought the space alive whilst betraying his obsessive compulsion for control.
Snyder’s enigmatic interpretation of Theo was dominating and eccentric, walking the tightrope of pleasure and spectacle. He projected carelessness in his body language: Sitting with his leg tossed in front of him, or intrusively rifling through Gus’s particularly placed belongings. His delivery of suggestive quips was skillfully natural; one example being his response to Gus’s rumination of not pegging him as a particular personality: “You didn’t peg me at all.”
The duo’s chemistry was so natural that
Cianalas brings Celtic charm to Montreal
The band’s first headline show was a resounding success
Isobel Bray Contributor
With St. Patrick’s Day behind us but spring ahead, the lilting Celtic tunes of Montreal-based band Cianalas make the perfect soundtrack for a city shaking off the last chills of winter. The band played their first headline show on March 19 at Quai des Brumes, a dimly lit bar on rue St. Denis with eccentric artwork lining its walls. It was the perfect setting for Cianalas—who, in just six months, have gone from busking on the streets of Montreal to playing their first headline show to a packed crowd. The attendees reflected the broad reach of the genre: Mostly 20-somethings with a smattering of older listeners, a reminder that folk music has a way of bringing people together across generations.
The night opened with Gráinne, a Montreal-based Irish band that also features a member of Cianalas. They moved between songs in Irish and English, combining classic favourites with original arrangements. Beneath the fiddle and steady beat of the bodhrán (an Irish drum), the lyrics conveyed much of what Irish traditional music is about—history with themes of loss and longing.
When Cianalas took the stage, they captured the room’s attention from the first note. People were up and dancing even in the crowded space. Brenna Logan (vocals, guitar), Abi Rees (accordion), Ella Partington (fiddle),
and Isabel Hayler Hughes (fiddle) bring a kind of chemistry that only comes from musicians who truly love playing together. Their set was a mix of instrumental and lyrical pieces, moving seamlessly between high-energy dance tunes and slower melodic songs. Logan’s vocals were strong, and the band kept an easy rhythm together.
One of the most striking things about Cianalas is how much they clearly love what they do, and their commitment to the craft. Even a brief technical mishap with the guitar couldn’t throw them off—the show must go on! They paused to thank the audience for supporting “Irish women in music,” a statement met with cheers from the crowd, reminding them of the tradition they are carrying forward, and the space they are making within it.
What makes Cianalas stand out isn’t just their technical skill or their ability to get a room dancing (though they do both with ease); it’s the feeling behind the music, the way it carries both history and home in it. Their name, Scottish Gaelic for “homesickness,” captures the sentiment perfectly. Hayler Hughes told The Tribune that they don’t see it as a longing to be elsewhere but, rather, as a deep-rooted connection to where they’re from. The name is fitting for a band made up of musicians from all over the U.K. and Ireland, who found each other in Montreal to build a new home together. Even though their music is rooted in Celtic tradition, they have also found musical inspiration in Quebecois folk music, further
it felt like an intrusion to observe. The lack of seamlessness in their interactions mimicked the familiar ebb and flow of strangers turning friends. Even in scenes that were not meant to be intimate, Jackson and Snyder were able to create palpable tension through glances and body language.
An honourable mention goes out to Ryan Jacoby (U0 Science), who plays Radio (literally); he stretched his role to its comedic limits. His delivery of well-placed interjections had audiences roaring with laughter. Whether it was a timely, highvolume condom ad—or the remarkably sentient comment of “Will you two just fuck already?”—Jacoby carved an unmistakable presence. He added a dynamic aspect to his static character by serving as a “Jim Halpert cam” for Gus, the two exchanging periodic glances at Theo’s flamboyance.
The production made refreshingly clever use of sound effects, props, and stage direction. Whether it was to spotlight Radio, to disguise a quick change, or to preserve the confidentiality of the intimate scenes, “fades to black” were tactfully employed. Lifting the lights to reveal snippets of dialogue and interaction in and amongst the implied intimacy emphasized the closeness of sex that goes beyond the act itself.
Sphynx was a beautifully executed piece from inception to production—a wonderful example of McGill students’ creative talents. It exemplified the messiness of human connection whilst reminding us of how a one-night stand can go so terribly wrong.
tying them to the city.
Hayler Hughes also spoke about the serendipitous way the band came together. She and Rees, despite attending the same high school in England, only met properly at a folk session in Glasgow years later while at university. They both wound up in Montreal on exchange and busked around the Plateau together. After realizing they both knew Partington and Logan through sessions and open mics around Montreal, they decided to form Cianalas. Their story, like their music, is about connection—about the way people, places, and melodies find their way to each other.
Cianalas welcomed Gráinne back on stage for an encore featuring both Canadian and Celtic classics like “Northwest Passage” and “Wild Mountain Thyme,” which had the whole bar singing along. The night was a reminder of why live music matters, especially now when big-
ticket concerts feel out of reach for so many.
Cianalas hosts a weekly folk session at McLean’s Pub on Saturdays from 2-5 p.m., welcoming musicians of all levels to join. As for what’s next, they’re planning a summer tour and hoping to get into a studio to record some of their arrangements. In the meantime, make sure to get out and support your local artists, whether they’re just starting out or they’re seasoned favourites.
You can find Cianalas on Instagram at @cianalas_music
The band played on Duluth Avenue this summer while busking around the Plateau. (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune)
Let the Madness begin: 2025 NCAA Basketball Tournament predictions
Ethan Kahn Staff Writer
March Madness is the premier college sporting event of the year. Sixtyeight squads in both the men’s and women’s tournaments will be looking to etch their names in college basketball lore. With unpredictable upsets and exciting endings sure to come, The Tribune outlines its picks for the winning team, player of the tournament, and Cinderella story for the men’s and women’s brackets days before the tournaments’ start.
Men’s Player of the Tournament: Cooper Flagg (Forward, Duke)
Is this a boring pick? Yes. Is it the right one? Also yes. Nobody in college basketball has been in the same stratosphere as Duke’s freshman phenom Cooper Flagg. The 6’9” forward has been nothing but stellar for the number one-ranked Blue Devils. This season, Flagg averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 48.8/36.8/83.0 per cent shooting splits. Before he goes number one overall in the summer’s NBA Draft, the Duke faithfuls will be counting on Flagg to lead their squad to their first national title since 2015.
Who will come out on top in the Big Dance? The odds of filling out a perfect bracket at random is one in 9.2
Cinderella: Colorado State (25-9, #12 seed)
If you are not an avid college basketball fan, you have probably not heard of Nique Clifford. Now is the time to get familiar. Clifford is leading the Rams in points, assists, rebounds, and steals and bringing them to a Mountain West Conference championship. Colorado State is ranked higher than their opponent Memphis in statistical wizard Ken Pomeroy’s rankings, and Memphis will likely be without guard Tyrese Hunter. If Hunter does not play, this one could get ugly quickly.
Men’s Champions: Duke (31-3, #1 seed)
It is hard to find a safer bet to progress to at least the Elite 8 in this year’s tournament than Duke, the ACC’s regular season and conference tournament champions. Cooper Flagg will (deservedly) get most of the attention, but point guard Kon Knueppel and big man Khaman Maluach will be crucial to the Blue Devils’ championship hopes. The one question mark is Flagg’s health—he went down with an ankle injury in an ACC tournament game and did not return for the rest of the tournament as a precaution. If Flagg is not at his best, guard Tyrese Proctor will have to carry some of the scoring load with his high energy and three-point shooting.
Women’s Player of the Tournament: Hannah Hidalgo (Guard, Notre Dame)
Notre Dame sputtered across the line to end their regular season campaign, losing three out of their last five games. If they are to get back to their mid-season form that saw them beat title contenders UConn, Texas, and USC, Hidalgo will be the key. The 5’6” New Jersey native was fourth in the country in scoring and anchors one of the best backcourts in the tournament alongside Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron. The Fighting Irish’s hunt to be the fourth #3 seed to win the NCAA championship rests on their All-American guard’s shoulders.
Cinderella: Vanderbilt (22-10, #7 seed)
Admittedly, upsets are much more infrequent in the women’s tournament. The first round is often a less chaotic affair. Seeds 7 through 16 have only won 31 per cent of their matchups. One team to watch out for is the #7 seed Vanderbilt Commodores, led by stellar freshman Mikayla Blakes. If they are victorious in their opener against #10 seed Oregon, they will likely have an intriguing showdown with Duke for a chance to advance to their
first Sweet Sixteen in over a decade. If Blakes can overcome the Blue Devils’ staunch defense, Vanderbilt will play spoiler.
Women’s Champion: Southern California (30-2, #1 seed)
The Trojans come into the NCAA Tournament as the team to beat. Led by sophomore All-American JuJu Watkins and prospective first-round pick Kiki Iriafen, USC fans will be hoping to avenge their
Big Ten tournament Championship loss to in-state rival UCLA. Southern California’s path to the Final Four is not easy, with potential showdowns with Southeastern Conference superpower LSU or scrappy underdogs NC State in the Elite Eight. Any of the one seeds have a great chance at claiming the title, but none of them have a duo as talented as Watkins and Iriafen. That is why the feeling in Los Angeles is championship or bust.
McGill hosts 2025 Jesters Canadian University and College Squash
Zain Ahmed Staff Writer
McGill University Squash made history on March 14-16 by hosting the Jesters Canadian University and College Squash Championships, an event that shattered previous participation records and showcased the university’s growing influence in collegiate squash.
The three-day tournament, organized by McGill Men’s Captain Mo Kamal in partnership with Squash Quebec, drew 77 participants from across Canada, nearly tripling last year’s attendance of 25 players. This turnout blew the 2023 tournament—which got cancelled due to lack of interest—out of the water. Most impressively, this year’s event featured both men’s and women’s draws at the Open, A, and B levels. This is a significant improvement from last year when no women’s category was offered.
“We had players from [Prince Edward Island], Manitoba, [University of British Columbia], everywhere,” Kamal said in an interview with The Tribune. “Some schools sent their coaches too, and there were people watching—it was truly a spectacular event.”
The tournament proved triumphant for McGill, with three students claiming national championships in their respective divisions. Kamal captured the men’s open title, Sarah Aki won the women’s open category, and Aly Gaber secured the men’s B division champion-
ship. This marked the first time in tournament history that players from the same school won both the men’s and women’s open divisions.
For Kamal, who recently began competing on the professional circuit and is currently ranked 495th in the world, the victory was particularly meaningful.
“It’s my first national title since I was 12, so it also meant more because I was able to win it at home,” Kamal said.
Women’s Captain Chloe Stoneburgh emphasized the importance of the tournament’s inclusive structure, particularly its offering of categories beyond just the elite circuit competition. Making it open to all levels drew more participants, more matches, and more even contests.
“It was rare to have that many people to play against who are your level,” she told The Tribune. “I’ve never had so many evenlymatched matches in a weekend. It was such an amazing experience.”
Stoneburgh noted that the unprecedented women’s participation was especially impressive.
“There were so many women playing, which is rare not only for university squash but for any level of squash,” she said.
Beyond competition, the event strengthened relationships between Canadian university squash programs. Representatives from other schools expressed support for McGill’s ongoing efforts to join the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference, where many Ca-
nadian university squash teams compete. This past season, McGill Squash has been fighting for recognition by McGill Athletics to qualify for the OUA. With all of their successes in both the league and the weekend’s event, they are heading into next season with significant momentum.
“Having coaches and alumni from other universities coming to us and asking how they can help us get into the OUA was really great networking,” Stoneburgh explained. “People were saying, ‘We will vouch for you,’ and honestly, that means the most to us.”
The tournament featured multiple social components, including a banquet that fostered connections between competitors.
“Everyone was thrilled. There was such positive energy,” Kamal reflected, describing the atmosphere throughout the weekend. “The vibes were really high on and off the court.”
Even beginners found success at the event; Kamal highlighted how one participant who had only started playing after a McGill introductory workshop this January finished third in her division.
With its record-breaking attendance, unprecedented participation from women athletes, and strong McGill performance, the tournament’s success offers
promising momentum for the university’s squash program.
The presence of coaches and supporters from established OUA programs at the event created valuable advocacy channels. These connections could provide McGill with formal endorsements when petitioning university administration and athletic governing bodies for recognition.
Kamal shed light on the emotions of the tournament’s conclusion.
“It was phenomenal, you know, the buildup of emotions plus the team cheering me on—it was special,” he said. “It just shows how far we have come and what we can continue to do.”
Squash was first played in Canada in 1882. (Drea Garcia Avila / The Tribune)
quintillion. (Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
“Money’s nice, championships are better”: Eagles’ banner year
Sure, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Superbowl, but at what cost?
Madeleine Le Contributor
Since Super Bowl LIX, many National Football League (NFL) fans are questioning their team’s plan for the next season, namely the reigning champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. After a rough and defeated exit during the 2023-2024 season, General Manager Howie Roseman saw the importance of the offseason, marking one year since signing star running back Saquon Barkley and drafting both rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. These significant pickups certainly proved their worth, turning a former 11-6 team into stars, bringing home the second Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia.
Hearing all this may suggest that the Philadelphia Eagles dynasty is in the works; however, ask any fan, and it might sound like they just came off of the worst season in history. Showcasing a strong blow-out to the Kansas City Chiefs brought attention to many underrated players from the Eagles. Barely losing a game all season, and always scoring in the draft, fans have become accustomed to a winning culture in Philadelphia. So far, the Eagles have lost 13 players from their Superbowl roster due to contracts expiring and a lack of franchise salary space. The Tribune recaps the loss of four players that taught Philly fans that the NFL is strictly business.
Milton Williams
Williams entered the offseason as one
of the top targets after the Super Bowl, generating a 12.5 QB pressure percentage, the type of talent that gets paid in free agency. Despite not playing as a starter in Philly, the defensive tackle was able to land a fouryear, $104 million USD contract, including a $24 million USD signing bonus and $51 million USD guaranteed. This comes after numerous signing rumours elsewhere, with the Patriots overthrowing a deal Williams almost finalized with the Carolina Panthers.
Josh Sweat
Josh Sweat was one of Philadelphia’s most unsurprising losses. As a fourth-round pick in 2018, Sweat spent his entire career with the Eagles. Returning to his former Defensive Coordinator, now Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Jonathan Gannon will get his star edge rusher back. Although fans are probably happy to see Sweat get his well-deserved $76.4 million USD contract, his return to Gannon surely is sour given the tampering disputes after his departure as coach.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Marking one of the most devastating losses for the Eagles was the unexpected trade of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who for many embodied the grit and underdog mentality of the team. After leaving for a year, Roseman brought Gardner-Johnson back knowing that he would rejuvenate the lethargic and uninspired defense. GardnerJohnson lived up to expectations, however, some believe that it was the attitude and the
drama he generated outside of the sport itself that led him to the trade block. The Eagles will miss their safety to the Texans, as there has to be more to the story here, given the lack of replacements in the league presently.
Darius Slay Jr.
After releasing CB Darius Slay Jr. to save $4.3 million USD in salary cap, Eagles fans expected the veteran to either return to his tenured Philadelphia or to where he was drafted in Detroit for his supposed final season. Slay, rather, signed a $10 million USD deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but given the success of both rookie corners, his departure was no surprise overall. Slay left with sentiments for the young stars, however, not including fan-favourite Eagles quarterback and Superbowl MVP Jalen Hurts in a conversation regarding the NFL’s Elite Quarterbacks. This certainly altered how Slay will be remembered in Philadelphia.
As Hurts famously said while signing his modest five-year, $255 million USD contract: “Money is nice, championships are better.” Eagles and other NFL fans should remember that players who ‘chase the bag’ often do not have their team’s best interests in mind in the first place, making their departures a little easier to swallow. Like it or not, the Eagles are going to look a lot differ-
Where’s the Ref? Israel and the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Reuben Noam Staff Writer
The movement to ban Israel and its teams from all upcoming FIFA tournaments has gained significant traction since February—a period of time contained, ironically, by ceasefire on its foundational end.
The “Show Israel the Red Card” campaign began on Feb. 19, when Celtic F.C. supporters in Scotland unfurled a huge banner reading “Show Zionism the Red Card” during a Champions League match versus Bayern Munich. The club’s ultras, known as the Green Brigade, distributed leaflets declaring Israel guilty of breaching international law. What started in Glasgow quickly went global. Stadiums from Spain to Chile have seen chants, banners, and a red sea of placards demanding Israel be sent off Backers of the movement state that ethical consistency is overdue in international sports. Over the years, FIFA has occasionally saddled up as the rightful sheriff of global football and booted rogue players from the saloon when the law (or at least public opinion) demanded. South Africa was barred for decades due to apartheid. Yugoslavia, ousted during the Yugoslav Wars. Chile, redcarded after their goalkeeper staged an in-game injury with a razor blade—yes, really. Indonesia and India, both banned
for respective internal issues within their football federation. Mexico, suspended in 1990 for fielding overage players in a youth tournament. Russia, kicked out in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine. Greece narrowly avoided a ban as recently as 2016.
It is a diverse sheriff’s log. Inconsistent, yet dramatic— “Where do you stop?” , we may be compelled to muse, reflecting on the many powerful countries (from China to India to the U.S.) with spotty human rights records. In short, FIFA does not always draw its pistol, but the question remains whether Israel’s actions—apartheid, occupation, and mass civilian murders—will see it placed on that storied wanted list.
As of Jan. 22, 2025, 382 footballers have died under Israel’s genocide. Israeli bombardment has killed youth footballers, coaches, even entire teams. The Palestinian Football Association mourns a generation of talent lost to politically motivated airstrikes.
True fans value human life more than any trophy. The movement’s supporters may point out that FIFA’s own statutes contain a code of ethics promoting human rights and fair play—ideals more in line with “candy from a baby” than “Israeli airstrike kills 400.” By banning Israeli teams, FIFA would be following the spirit of past boycotts that helped topple injustice. Such precedents
underscore a powerful message: When governments commit atrocities, the global community can unite to refuse “business as usual.” Exclusion from the World Cup can be likened to a kind of penalty that puts real pressure on a state’s public image.
Not everyone is cheering on this call. The reality is that Israel played their first World Cup Qualifier against Estonia this weekend, winning 2-1. Those in positions of power may balk both at the idea of losing money and at the idea of engaging in collective punishment. The Red Card Israel movement could torpedo the careers of Israeli athletes. Is it fair to dash the World Cup dreams of a young winger— say Anan Khalaili of Royale Union-Saint Gilloise—because of decisions made in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem?
Some may argue that if FIFA starts banning every nation with blood on its hands, we might end up with a very small World Cup indeed. But is it merely about goals and sponsorships, or can it also be about human dignity? The Red Card Israel movement passionately opts
for consideration of the latter.With the ceasefire broken and violence escalating once again, the Red Card movement may gain renewed urgency and visibility in the near future. At the same time, heightened tensions could make an institution like FIFA even more reluctant to act, fearing backlash or accusations of politicization, when the nation will likely see itself out early in the competition in any case.
The Philadelphia Eagles have only $27.0 million USD available cap space, with a handful of players to pay this NFL offseason. (Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
Celtic F.C. is one of only 23 teams to have won the UEFA Champions League. (Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
McGill’s Refugee Parliament: A collaborative effort to amplify migrant voices
Discussing political inclusion for refugees and migrants in Quebec
Malika Logossou Student Life Editor
On Saturday, March 15, the Refugee Parliament, in partnership with the International Development Studies Student Association (IDSSA), The Refugee Centre, and the McGill Refugees Research Group, hosted the Refugee Parliament Conference. Created in Fall 2022 by Alessia Mottet, Maria Radu, Saadet Serra, and Shona Moreau as part of their SWRK 400 (Policy and Practice for Refugees) course project, the conference’s first edition took place in 2023, with this year marking its second iteration.
The event focused on drafting two resolutions addressing the political inclusion and civic participation of refugees and migrants in Quebec, as well as ways to strengthen their integration into Quebec’s francophone culture and their access to higher education. The event featured collaborative discussions and workshops from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Levon Sevunts, Communications Officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), delivered a speech at the beginning of the event discussing the importance of these spaces and the contribution of immigrants to Quebec and Canadian society.
Mikaël Lam-Lussier, U2 Arts and Vice President of Outreach and Finance for the Refugee Parliament, highlighted McGill’s large immigrant population, emphasizing that the conference resonates with many students in an interview with The Tribune
“A good amount of the McGill population are immigrants, and because of that they should also be represented in both McGill as a school and also in the Quebec and Canadian governments,” he said.
“Even though maybe they don’t have voting rights [...], they’re still people that are in our society, and they are also contributing. Maybe some of them are going to be -
come citizens in the future. Maybe they’re going to stay in Canada, or they’re going to get employment. So because of that, we really want them to be represented at various different levels and to integrate well.”
Out of the over 20 attendees, most of whom were students, several told The Tribune that their motivation for attending stemmed from personal experiences as refugees, migrants, or allies to these communities.
Anastasiia Yemets, MA3 Education, shared her reason for being present at the event.
“I decided to come because it’s very much related to, first of all, my personal experience,” she said. “[The] second thing is that I’m working with refugees and doing my research on refugees’ experiences [and] I’m an immigrant myself. I do really love that this initiative [...] is happening. I feel it’s very much important to talk and be here, especially in the context of the global refugee and immigrant crisis.”
Additionally, Sofia Figueredo Prieto, U2 Arts and an immigrant to Canada, highlighted the lack of similar events in postsecondary institutions.
“As an immigrant here in Quebec, I have barely seen this type of event taking place especially in postsecondary institutions like McGill or my Cégep,” she stressed. “I think learning about experiences and opinions of the immigrant community here, in Quebec and in Canada in general, is really important, not only to address important issues concerning immigration, but also important issues concerning Quebec and Canadian society.”
From another perspective, Susana Baquero Salah, U3 Arts, shared how her interest in the refugee experience had been heightened by humanitarian crises in the Middle East, particularly the Syrian refugee crisis. The conference provided an opportunity for her to learn more about the struggles refugees face in Quebec.
“I feel like this Refugee Parliament conference was a great opportunity to be able to exchange more ideas about what it means to be a refugee in Quebec, more specifically, like applying it to the local context,” she said.
An essential aspect of the conference was its inclusion and discussions of the distinct challenges faced by refugees and immigrants from the Global South. Their reasons for migrating to Quebec often contrast with those from developed countries, making it crucial to incorporate their perspectives and create a safe space for them to share their concerns.
“It’s also helpful to understand the context behind an immigrant, say whether they are an economic immigrant or a refugee, or asylum seeker,” Prieto told The Tribune . “I’ve noticed that it’s harder for people from developed countries to empathize or relate with experiences of people from developing countries.”
The conference aims to impact policy change, with draft resolutions that will be shared with Quebec policymakers in the coming weeks. As Baquero Salah explained, refugees are directly impacted by the policies being discussed, which makes their input crucial.
“We have to listen to refugees’ perspectives and what they bring to the table when we’re making policies that affect them directly,” she said.
Jasmine Zhao, President of the Refugee Parliament Conference club and cofounder of the conference, emphasized the importance of sharing these concerns with policymakers.
“[Having] the power to at least make a little change or let the policymakers know what we think about the existing laws or how we could be better integrated into this country, [is] something that’s very much needed,” she added. “We can not only voice our concerns, voice how we are feeling about things, but also establish a sense of community, unity, inspire each
other and bring new resolutions to these matters.”
Zhao also explained that while the McGill community offers tremendous support with several professors and student organizations fighting for refugee and migrant voices to be heard, McGill as an institution should support its students in more practical ways.
“What universities can do better is to actually actively listen [to] their students’ voices and have more surveys or student bonding groups or club events that are tailored towards the refugee or migrant group,” Zhao stated. “[When it comes to] visas, tax forms, [students] need a lot of guidance on these kinds of issues because the policies are usually very different from their home countries.”
Many attendees also suggested ways McGill could improve its support for refugees and migrants.
“They could give a larger list of either tools that could help, such as access, for example, to healthcare and access to legal help, more help finding housing, especially for people that are just coming over and aren’t fully proficient in either French or English; that can be very difficult,” Lam-Lussier explained.
Looking ahead, the organizers aim to increase the conference’s reach and continue advocating for migrant and refugee rights through policy engagement and increased student involvement.
“We hope to expand [the conference] to have more participants, refugees, and migrants joining in every year to amplify their voices and to find their sense of community. We are supported by the UNHCR, the Montreal Refugee Centre, the McGill Refugee Research Group, many McGill professors, as well as the IDSSA. We hope to get more support in the future [...] and more outreach in the coming years,” Zhao said.
Find the Refugee Parliament on Instagram to help support more of their events.
The first conference took place in the Faculty of Law Building on Oct. 28, 2023. (Eli Kleinman)
March 29 Relay for Life event aims to fundraise for cancer research and support McGill Students’ Cancer Society gets student community engaged in the fight against cancer
Auxane Bussac Student Life Editor
In 2020, Judy Thelen and Eliot Frost created Beli, an app that allows you to rank restaurants you’ve been to. Activity tracking apps such as Letterboxd and Strava have exploded in recent years, but Beli has something a little different from them all: Leaderb to get exposed to a form of creativity and expression. The food world is full of thinkers, creatives, and people pushing t According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million cancer-related deaths occurred globally in 2022. These numbers are expected to increase in the coming decades, increasing the need for resources to be allocated to cancer research and support.
Worldwide, organizations such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) work to promote collaboration in cancer research and raise awareness about the causes and consequences of the disease. More locally, McGill faculty members also conduct basic and translational research in cancer at the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology. Alongside these groups, the McGill Students’ Cancer Society (MSCS) is a student-led organization on campus dedicated to making a difference for Canadians whose lives have been touched by cancer, working in close partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society. The organiza-
tion is committed to organizing fundraisers throughout the year to raise money to help fund cancer research and patient support initiatives.
Initially, the club was created to offer help and assistance to cancer patients and survivors across Canada through fundraisers—which remains the essence of MSCS today. For many club members, joining MSCS was motivated by witnessing a loved one’s battle with the illness. According to Mayumi Wong, one of the three Co-Presidents of MSCS, the role of the club—beyond raising money—is to create a supportive and safe space for anyone affected by cancer in one way or another.
“I initially joined MSCS back in 2021 as I wanted to support this very important cause, since I had witnessed some members
Know your neighbourhood:
in my family fight this disease,” she wrote in a statement to The Tribune. “[Our main goal] is to create a space that allows individuals who have been touched by cancer or who want to support this important cause to come together.”
The club’s activity primarily relies on fundraising events organized throughout the year, notably their annual flagship event: Relay For Life. Every March, MSCS organizes a large fundraising event that brings together community members to celebrate advocacy for cancer research and support. The event is structured with booths, performances, and games that reinforce community ties and help raise money. Since its first Relay For Life in 2013, MSCS’ Relay for Life has raised $354,916 CAD. Wong wrote to The Tribune that this year’s event is on the right track to reach its aim.
“Our goal is to raise $45,000 [CAD] for the Canadian Cancer Society this year, and so far, we have already surpassed $38,000 [CAD]!”
The 2025 edition will take place on March 29 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Tomlinson Fieldhouse where therapy dogs, team
Little Portugal
games, and other activities can be expected, with food provided by MSCS. The walkathon is also an important feature of Relay For Life.
“Cancer doesn’t sleep, and neither do we—this is symbolized by our walkathon where team members take turns walking around the track all night long, to symbolize how our support for affected individuals is ongoing,” Wong wrote. “The walkathon is interspersed with exciting performances, activities, and moments to reflect for an overall unifying experience.”
Besides fundraising and donation-based initiatives, MSCS also hosts an annual cancer research panel for students known as “Cancers & Answers” where cancer researchers speak about their current research. Louis Ghaleb, an MSCS committee member and a Master’s student in cancer research mentioned state-of-the-art advancements in a written statement to The Tribune
“Cancer research has come a long way in recent years. Instead of a one-size-fitsall approach, treatments are now becoming more personalized, designed to match the unique features of each person’s cancer,” he wrote. “New therapies can target the specific changes that make cancer grow or help the immune system fight it more effectively”
The McGill Students’ Cancer Society provides an avenue to be part of the progress toward a hopeful future while recognizing the suffering of those affected.
A historical and cultural tour of one of Montreal’s oldest neighbourhoods
Jeanne Le Roux Contributor
When Montreal’s winter becomes too harsh, a temporary escape to Little Portugal offers a charming refuge. The neighbourhood exudes the warm, laid-back atmosphere of southern Europe, even as snow piles up and plows roam the streets. Situated in the western portion of the Mont-Royal Plateau, Little Portugal stretches along several blocks of Blvd Saint Laurent, between Ave des Pins and Marie-Anne St. Given that Montreal is home to a thriving Portuguese community with over 40,000 residents, Little Portugal is filled with many shops, cafes and restaurants reflecting the country’s rich and unique culture.
According to Joaquina Pires, author of “Empreintes Portugaises,” a book highlighting the marks left by the Portuguese community in Montreal, the first wave of Portuguese immigrants arrived in 1953. As Canada and Portugal strengthened political and diplomatic ties, many Portuguese men immigrated to Montreal in search of better opportunities. By the 60s and 70s, they started to bring their families, leading to successive waves of immigration, primarily from the Atlantic islands of the Azores.
“Most people came to Montreal from the Azores due to the political and economic situation of the country. They were looking for better living conditions and opportunities,” Maria do Céu Castanheira, owner
of the local business Coco Rico, explained in an interview with The Tribune . “A lot of families also came to Montreal in the 70s, especially after the 25th of April revolution in Portugal.”
In an interview with The Tribune , Pires elaborated on why the Portuguese community settled in this particular area of the Plateau.
“They mainly established themselves in this area of the Plateau because houses and real estate were decaying and cheaper. The community mobilized to repair the houses and was able to restore them,” Pires explained.
As Portuguese culture flourished, many immigrants opened businesses, shaping the neighbourhood’s identity. Castanheira’s father opened the first Portuguese business in the area, Castanheira do RibaTejo, after immigrating to Montreal in the 1960s. Over time, the neighbourhood became visibly multicultural while maintaining many strong elements of Portuguese culture.
In 1975, the Parc du Portugal, located on Blvd Saint Laurent between MarieAnne St. and Vallières St., was renamed to honour the Portuguese community of Montreal. This key feature of the lively neighbourhood was designed by the landscape architect Carlos R. Martinez in 1980. It features many colourful tiles inspired by Portuguese architecture. One of the city’s standout features is the Azulejo
Mural, visible from Parc du Portugal. It was made by community members, involving the work of retired Portuguese citizens and art lovers, under the direction of Paulo Jones, Maria do Céu Castanheira’s husband.
“The mural was made in honour of the Portuguese community in Montreal but also to thank Canada for welcoming us. It was a gift from Portugal to the city,” Castanheira elaborated.
From the park, visitors can also spot an impressive painting of Portuguese singer Amalia Rodrigues. It is a tribute to the famous fado artist, a traditional musical genre in Portugal.
“It was a community project that was made under the direction of Paulo Carreira but made by the people of the neighbourhood,” Pires highlighted.
In addition to its architectural charm, Little Portugal is home to numerous traditional Portuguese restaurants that bring the rich and flavorful essence of Portuguese cuisine to Montreal. Pastéis de Nata, Portugal’s famous custard tarts, can be enjoyed at Coco Rico after a delicious roasted Portuguese chicken. Casa Minhota offers a classic Portuguese menu that includes sar-
dines and bacalhau (cod).
Due to its proximity to the McGill campus, Little Portugal is also home to many McGillians who have decided to adopt the Plateau lifestyle and embrace Portuguese culture.
“I love this Portuguese bakery that’s really close to where I am called Patisserie notre Maison. It’s probably my favourite part of the neighbourhood,” Steph Doerksen, U1 Engineering, told The Tribune
Little Portugal is an essential part of Montreal, as a vibrant and living representation of the city’s immigrant story. This rich cultural enclave makes Little Portugal a must-visit and an unforgettable part of Montreal.
Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide, with 2.26 million new cases in 2020. (Hannah Nobile / The Tribune)
Leonard Cohen lived in a house across from Parc du Portugal in the early 1970s. (Ruby Reimer / The Tribune)
