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Strike down John A. MacDonald

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24 compendium Quebec parties in a slightly less racist election than previous years

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EDITORIAL

Volume 108 Issue 1

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

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2075 Robert Bourassa Bld., Rm. 500 Montreal, QC H3A 2L1 phone 514.398.6784 fax 514.398.8318 mcgilldaily.com

The McGill Daily is located on unceded Kanien’kehá:ka territory. coordinating editor

Lydia Bhattacharya

managing editor

Arno Pedram

Strike down John A. MacDonald

coordinating news editor

Yasmeen Safaei news editor

Claire Grenier commentary + compendium! editor

Nellia Halimi culture editor

Panayot Gaidov

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contributors Claire Grenier, Yasmeen Safaie, Yasna Khademian, Paloma Hepler, Nelly Wat, Arno Pedram, Evren Sezgin, Lydia Bhattacharya, Jiawen Wang, NDP McGill, Celeste Cassidy, Vishwaa Ramakrishnan, Alexandre Edde, Simone Cambridge, Phoebe Pannier, Athina Khalid, Laura Brennan, The Woman Power, Sherwin Sullivan Tija

content warning: sexual abuse, anti-Indigenous racism, colonialism

n an online statement released August 8, 2018, Victoria, B.C. mayor Lisa Helps pledged to remove the statue of Canada’s first Prime Minister John A. MacDonald which stood outside City Hall. The move is the first in Victoria’s reconciliation efforts with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, an initiative started by Indigenous activists and the city in 2017. As Canada’s Prime Minister, MacDonald advocated for “an Aryan Canada.” He was one of the key architects of residential schools, serving as the Superintendent General of Immigration and Indian Affairs. MacDonald oversaw and fought for the expansion of the first residential schools, despite reports of the death and the physical and sexual abuse of students. In 1885, during a speech in the House of Commons, MacDonald stated, “we have been pampering and coaxing the Indians; [...] we must take a new course, we must vindicate the position of the white man, we must teach the Indians what law is.” Protests over MacDonald’s presence in public spaces have erupted both domestically and internationally. Statues of MacDonald have been and continue to be vandalized in Kingston (2013), Regina (twice so far in 2018), and here in Montreal (thrice between 2017-2018). In 2016, Wilfrid Laurier University’s Board of Governors also decided to remove a statue of MacDonald from their campus. The

government of Scotland, MacDonald’s home country, recently announced that it will remove references to MacDonald from scotland.org, their tourism website, due to his treatment of Indigenous peoples. The discussion around removing colonialist statues has been met with resistance. On August 17, the Conservative Party of Canada posted a video in response to Victoria’s decision to take down their statue of MacDonald. In the video, the party asks those in favour of removing his statue to consider MacDonald’s legacy as building “the most spectacular country in the world,” rather than as a founder of the residential school system. The Conservative Party warns us in the video against “eras[ing] history,” but minimizes MacDonald’s responsibility in the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples. The Conservatives want us to buy into Canadian exceptionalism*, which is only possible if one erases its colonial past and present. Removing his statue is not erasure, it is a much needed attempt at reconciliation. Maclean’s magazine has created a map showing the public spaces dedicated to MacDonald in cities around the country. There are two in Montreal: a monument downtown and a high school in Parc-Extension. Victoria B.C.’s response to the current discussions represents one way of starting to address the impacts of colonialism in Canada. The City of Montreal should respond to local Indigenous activists attempting to remove celebrations of colonialism and should fully engage in reconciliation in the public space. *see the online glossary at mcgilldaily.com/glossary

Published by the Daily Publications Society, a student society of McGill University. The views and opinions expressed in the Daily are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of McGill University. The McGill Daily is not affiliated with McGill University.

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September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

News

International News Claire Grenier The McGill Daily

SLAV at the Jazz Fest. Floods in Kerala

his summer’s Montreal Jazz Fest faced intense international controversy for its support, and production, of SLAV, a musical described as a “theatrical odyssey based on slave songs”, featuring white creators and mainly white actors. Due to the violent history behind the show’s subject matter, the lack of Black representation in the performance caused outcry and sparked protests. In creating the show, Robert LePage and Betty Bonifassi consulted artists of colour and were encouraged to include more artists of colour in the show, yet did not follow these recommendations. One reviewer for the Montreal Gazette commented, “[the performers] wearing scarves in their hair and flowing skirts, mimed picking cotton; and that’s where things began to fall apart. Accepting the image of white women picking cotton requires a significant degree of cognitive dissonance. It was but the first of many such instances.” The following protests lead some showgoers to accuse protesters of threatening free speech, telling them to instead focus on the art. The same reviewer had comments on this matter as well: “This is not a comment on their talent but their skin colour, which pretty much disqualifies them from credibly portraying black slaves.” SLAV’s remaining performances were cancelled at the Montreal Jazz Festival after the controversial show quickly gained widespread attention and even caused some performers to withdraw from the festival in protest. The show is still scheduled to be performed early next year in other parts of Quebec.

erala, a state located in south-western India, is practically underwater, new NASA satellite images show. Since August 8, the Indian state of Kerala has experienced a particularly horrendous spell of monsoon rain, and subsequent flooding. Over 400 people have lost their lives in the flooding epidemic, with close to a million others displaced. Rescue operations have since ended but significant funds are needed to start rebuilding and rehabilitating the land. In line with Kerala and India’s past actions during natural disasters, the government is denying any and all offers of foreign aid, a move which local officials are condemning, considering the level of damage in the area. Instead, the government of Kerala has set up The Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund for civilian donations. It is expected that Kerala will continue to suffer damages both physically and financially. Farming, construction, and tourism were all put on hold during the height of flooding, and the state’s largest airport in Kochi was shut down for a number of weeks, only recently resuming service. In comments made to Reuters, the State Financial Minister of Kerala T.M. Thomas Isaac said he expected GDP for the area to drop by two per cent It is estimated that the tourism industry, responsible for roughly ten per cent of the state’s economy and 25 per cent of the state’s jobs, will suffer a $357 million loss as a result of the flood. The Chief Minister of Kerala now believes that the original estimate of $2.8 billion USD for damages and repairs across the province will not be enough to rectify the trauma.

Student Protests in Bangladesh

wo students died in a violent bus crash in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on July 29. The tragedy has since caused outrage, prompting other students to organize protests over the condition of the country’s roads. The accident in question occurred when a speeding bus from a privately-owned company ran into a group of students, killing two, and injuring many others. Accidents like this are not uncommon in Bangladesh; the World Health Organization estimates that around 300,000 people die in road accidents in the nation each year. In protest of the bus crash and the general unsafety of the roads, students in Dhaka protested these conditions by taking over the streets, only letting emergency vehicles through and making sure that all drivers are in possession of a license. Despite the success of these students, reports say that during their takeover congestion in the city dramatically decreased, the Bangladeshi Government is outraged at their conduct, using violent measures to “control the problem”. In early August, authorities resorted to beating protesters with batons, even using water cannons and tear gas on student demonstrators outside Dhaka University. A prominent journalist, Shahidul Alam, has also been arrested for his comments made in support of the protests and against the government. Alam is now coming forward with allegations that he was tortured by authorities while in custody. Activists are concerned that if authorities continue abusing students on the street, this abuse will continue while protesters are held in custody. While the government of Bangladesh is not in support of the students and their actions, they recently tabled a new piece of legislation including some of the demands put forward by the student protesters called The Road Transport Act 2018, which is now awaiting legislative approval.

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

News

Canada-Saudi Arabia Human Rights Dispute Ontario elections

n August 2, Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs tweeted her shock over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s arrest of women’s rights activist Samar Badawi. Badawi’s brother, Raif Badawi, also an activist, has been detained since 2012. In her tweet she expressed her anger over the situation and called for the release of both siblings. “Very alarmed to learn that Samar Badawi, Raif Badawi’s sister, has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. Canada stands together with the Badawi family in this difficult time, and we continue to strongly call for the release of both Raif and Samar Badawi,” wrote Freeland. The following day both the Canadian Foreign Ministry and the Canadian Embassy in Saudi Arabia also shared tweets with similar sentiments to Freeland’s. On August 5 the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry responded, also via Twitter, saying Canada had a “negative” attitude and was “interfering with the internal affairs of the Kingdom”. The Ministry further declared that no new trade or investments will be made with Canada. Then tweeting the exile of Canada’s ambassador to the country, demanding that he leave within the next 24 hours. The Saudi government has also suspended all flights to Toronto, withdrawn support for over 15,000 students studying in Canada, with the exception of medical students who are allowed temporary stay in the country, and is moving all Saudi patients receiving treatment in Canada to other countries. Canada has stood behind its claims and has recently gained international support through a letter signed by numerous international dignitaries. As Saudi Arabia plans to behead a female activist for the first time in the Kingdom’s history, Canada is standing by Freeland’s original comments, with Prime Minister Trudeau saying in a press conference: “Canadians have always expected our government to speak strongly, firmly and politely about the need to respect human rights around the world. We will continue to stand up for Canadian values and human rights.” There is no word yet if Canada will make an attempt to withdraw from its existing arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

oug Ford, leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, became the new premier of Ontario following the party’s majority election win on June 7 of this year. The election of Ford disrupted 15 consecutive years of Liberal government in Ontario, ousting Kathleen Wynne as Premier. The Liberal party, for the first time in 161 years, did not win enough seats to maintain party status, winning only seven seats across the province. The NDP, led by Andrea Horvath is now the official opposition party. During the campaign Ford did not provide a fiscal platform like the other candidates, instead offering a list of promises with a focus on restoring “respect for the taxpayers”. Since his election, Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives have followed through on a few of their promises. Highlights of the Ford government’s actions include: the cancelling of municipal elections for the Regional Chair position across the province, the termination of Ontario’s Basic Income Project, withdrawing from Ontario’s cap and trade program and related energy programs, and reverting back to the province’s 1998 sex-ed curriculum instead of using the controversial 2015 version. Most recently, Ford introduced the Buck-A-Beer program, one of the main policies of Ford’s campaign, which would mandate the lowest price for a can of beer to be $1, with incentives for breweries to offer beer at this price.

Letter from the News Edtitors

ello and welcome back to school, McGillians! We here at the Daily News team hope you had a lovely, carefree summer full of relaxation, and free of McGill-related thoughts. We know that most “newsworthy” news is

about the world being pretty damn horrible (which is one surefire way to break the trance of summer), but that doesn’t mean that our reporting has to be depressing. We believe that reporting the news is an essential part of creating an educated community and beyond that, a compassionate one. We would like to encourage these sentiments and translate them into tangible actions. At News, we will now provide resources at the end of our articles to direct you, the reader, to charities and organizations involved in the story at hand. News doesn’t have to be depressing, it can be empowering, uplifting, and inspiring no matter the content. With open hearts and uncapped pens, The McGill Daily News team

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

News

“Survivor-centric approach” must come first

Gendered & sexual violence policy report releases recommendations Yasmeen Safaie The McGill Daily content violence

warning:

sexual

n July 2018, McGill University’s Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy (GSVP) Report was released to the public following a series of related events over the past year: the implementation of Bill 151, the open letter drafted by former SSMU VP External Connor Spencer, Coordinator of mobilization for AVEQ Kristen Perry, and Co-Founder and National Chair of Our Turn, and the student walk-out organized last April. The drafting of the report also comes as a result of the numerous publicized gendered and sexual assault complaints from the past two years. These instances include those against former VP External David Aird, former SSMU President Ben Ger in 2017, as well as the lawsuit against Assistant Professor Pasha Khan and McGill student Sarah Abdelshamy by former Assistant Professor Ahmed Fekry Ibrahim who was accused of sexual assault this past July. The writers of the GSVP report are Caitlin Salvino, the coordinator, with Bee Khaleeli and Priya Dube, acting as advisors for the report. The report breaks down the history and continued advocacy of gendered violence and sexual assault at McGill as well as recommendations to the administration to integrate into the GSVP. On May 10, 2018, the Provost and Vice-Principal Professor Christopher P. Manfredi sent out an email to McGill students, faculty, and staff introducing the new Ad Hoc Senate Committee on Teaching Staff-Student Intimate Relationships headed by Chair, Sinead Hunt. The Committee is in charge of gathering online testimony where students and staff can either submit their personal opinions, or discuss their own lived experience(s) of sexual violence and assault which will be sent to the Chair. The committee is fairly confidential, due to it technically being under the McGill Senate, as a result the transparency of its progress is limited. However, a final report of the Committee’s work will be produced and shared publicly sometime during December 2018. In addition to the Chair, the Committee is composed of three members of the academic staff, Professor Debra Titone (Psychology, faculty of Science), Professor JeanJacques Lebrun (Medicine, faculty of Medicine), and Professor Brian Lewis (History and Classical Studies, faculty of Arts). There are also three students, Safina Adatia (Medicine), Bee Khaleeli (Arts), Naomi Vingron (PhD

program in Psychology) as well as two alternate student members who may substitute for a student member during Committee meetings. Manfredi explained that until the work of the Ad Hoc committee is complete, the Guidelines on Intimate Relationships between Teaching Staff and Students, a more detailed draft of existing regulations and policies, would continue to be in place as the working policy at McGill. But this may still lead to some issues, as report advisor and student representative on the committee Bee Khaleeli said in a phone interview with the Daily: “the McGill Sexual Violence Policy says that a relationship between a professor and their student is non-consensual but that isn’t necessarily [made clear] across the board and in other McGill policies [...] [we need to be] explicit in what we expect from people”.

The Committee is in charge of gathering online testimony where students and staff can either submit their personal opinions, or discuss their own lived experience(s) of sexual violence and assault which will be sent to the Chair. The GSVP report emphasizes the importance of acknowledging that people of colour as well as those who identify as non-binary have experiences with sexual violence which oftentimes go unrecognized.An important fact, Khaleeli pointed out, considering how the committee members are “not very representative of [...] the people who are [generally] more vulnerable to sexual violence and more vulnerable to the abuses of power that produce the types

of violence that this committee [typically] deal with,” there is a high level of “consciousness”. Khaleeli elaborated: “I think that it’s very regrettable [...] that the committee is a little bit more homogenous [but] I think that there is a consciousness of [...] how we do case studies [...] how certain scenarios look different if we were talking about somebody is from a religious minority how would [these scenarios] look different if [...] we were talking about a queer student and a professor of the same gender and [...] taking those dynamics into account.” The report includes recommendations in terms of training members of the McGill community in “general anti-sexual violence training,” “in depth disclosure and investigation training,” as well as “training for members of the GSVP Committee.” Khaleeli, the implementation coordinator of these training sessions, is also in charge of drafting the policy of training, as well as conducting “pilot sessions” with members of legislative counsel and SSMU executive members. Currently, only SSMU employees including members of the Board of Directors, and members of the legislative counsel are mandated to undergo training; however, there is a hope that in the upcoming year, training will be required for either five members or 50 per cent of a club’s membership of all SSMU clubs and services. The training sessions currently scheduled for this year will be approximately one and a half hour workshops that will be “very interactive because I think that it’s always more valuable to do a dialogue based peer to peer [interaction] rather than just lectur[ing] at someone,” says Khaleeli. These workshops will focus on “broadly defining sexual and gendered violence on a wider spectrum of what race culture produces and contextualizing that

[with] various forms of oppression [...] like racism, transphobia, transmisogyny, class relations.” “It’s very much like a collaborative workshop [...] just because I find that otherwise people don’t really gain as much [...] it’s always good when people are producing the answers themselves,” explained Khaleeli. Priya Dube also expressed a hopefulness about the training sessions. “I’m most hopeful about the bystander intervention component of the training process [...] it creates a community of accountability where everybody participating in these spaces [be it] in a club, [during] orientation week, in a classroom, in a study group [...] you have become a part of a community of accountability.” “Bystander intervention,” says Dube, is “the idea that we are all part of a broader community, and everybody should be caring for one another, and if you see something wrong., and even if it’s not your friend and you don’t know that person, you can tell right from wrong. You’re a moral being who has that conscience [and] you should take action because if you don’t then who will?” While the creation of the Committee, as well as the establishment of the Office for Sexual Violence Response, Support, and Education (OSVRSE) in March 2018, are important responses from the McGill administration, both Khaleeli and Dube expressed the importance of further change. “I think often it’s easy to feel like ‘oh this Committee happened so there has been an administrative solution so we are good’ but I think something that’s going to come out of this is also we cannot just produce a report with recommendations [...] it needs to be received and taken into account and [...] subsequent work needs to be done [and] needs to be identified,” says Khaleeli. Dube explained how there is hope that more people in the

“I think there is a consciousness of [...] how [the Committee] does case studies [...] how certain scenarios look different [...] and taking those dynamics into account.” —Bee Khaleeli, Implementation coordinator and advisor of the GSVP Report

McGill community will become involved in advocating for change with how sexual assault is currently handled at McGill. “What was exceptionally interesting to me was how many people came out the day of the walkout [and who] did not participate in anything else. though that showed solidarity and support and [was] very important, I just wish that the community at large [...] would make use of the spaces and channels available to them to actually advocate and make concrete changes and not just [...] take a Snapchat about walking out of class.”

“I just wish that the community at large [...] would make use of the spaces and channels available to them to actually advocate and make concrete changes and not just [...] take a Snapchat about walking out of class.” —Priya Dube, co-advisor of the GSVP Report Dube went on to explain that “the three pillars of the report [...] support, report, and advocacy. So the advocacy portion has an Our Turn Task Force. It’s whole point is to educate [and] raise awareness, not only about the policy but about prevention measures [and] support measures [...] I think that’ll give more opportunities to people to engage and be involved.” “Ultimately I think it comes down to the people in the positions of power themselves” Dube continued, “[to have] the willingness to take a survivorcentric approach rather than a scandal-minimization, approach so it’s a culture change that’s required.”

News

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

The Open Door shelter awaits relocation this October

A community expresses the necessity of empowerment and empathy Yasmeen Safaie The McGill Daily content warning: sexual assault

he Open Door, a drop-in centre which provides services to homeless and low-income people located in St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, is scheduled to relocate to Notre-Dame-de-laSalette in Milton Park near the end of October. The shelter was started in 1988 and has been operating for the past 30 years. Recently, the church that housed The Open Door, was sold to a condominium developer which is forcing The Open Door to move locations. According to its website, The Open Door helps between 1,800 and 2,200 people per month, ranging from regular, occasional, or one-time visitors. The center is open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. The Open Door provides several services for it’s visitors. They cater to “immediate needs” by offering breakfast and full course meals from the morning until its closing time, as well as a clothing depot, and the services of a retired nurse who works on site every operating day. It also provides visitors with haircuts every Friday, a laundry room, a free phone line, free eyeglasses, spiritual counselling, as well as a worship team which engages people with live music as part of its goal to “build up the self worth” of those staying at The Open Door. In an interview with the Daily, David Chapman, the director of The Open Door, explained that one of the unique aspects of The Open Door is that “we also have a policy where if we know that someone’s working through a trauma and they’re really at their wit’s end we will make it so that the rest of the community adapts themselves to that person.” To put it another way, says Chapman, “it’s the only place in the city of Montreal where you can come in and scream and yell for 25 minutes. [...] If we know that someone has just lost a loved one, or who is at their wit’s end, we’ll make a way [for them to work through their trauma].” The Open Door does not have a discharge policy. While the centre is not technically a wet shelter, as they do not serve alcohol to visitors, it does admit people who are highly intoxicated and provide them with the same services. At larger centres, if someone is visibly intoxicated,

Nelly Wat | The McGill Daily they are not allowed into the shelter, explained Chapman. Chapman says that it is an easier process for many of those who are homeless to apply to jobs at The Open Door itself. The whole centre is run by the homeless community themselves including the laundry service, the kitchen, and the front desk. This aspect, explains Chapman, breaks down categories of volunteer, employee, and visitors. The Open Door operates with the idea of “the homeless serving the homeless.” James, a volunteer with The Open Door, explained to the Daily how he started off helping out at the centre by doing his community service hours there from November 2017 to February 2018 before becoming a full-time volunteer in March 2018. “I was having a lot of problems with my back [...] I had an infection from drug use and it resulted in surgery [...] I was having a hard time walking so I figured if I could come here and do my community service it would be easier. When I finished, [...] I decided to stay on because [...] Zack and David who were running the place [...] what they say and what they do[...] they’re authentic and it really inspired me and I started feeling really good about being here with them and learning from them [...] so I stayed on as a volunteer here and I just recently applied for a grant so that the government

would supply my wages and they agreed to it so I’ll be able to stay on [...] I want to stay on for as long as possible.” Chapman also explained how many people of Inuit background he has met at The Open Door come to Quebec from Northern Canada in order to obtain medical services and choose to stay in the province. However, due to the requirement of those who work in Quebec to speak French, many are unable to find permanent jobs. According to a document written by Donat Savoie and Sylvie Cornez, advisors to the Makivik Corporation (one of the partners of The Open Door), other reasons for migration include physical and sexual abuse, primarily of Inuit women. The Open Door provides flights back home for visitors who have experienced extensive hardship acclimating to life in Montreal, such as Anna*, an Inuit woman who is returning to her community after recently leaving an abusive relationship. The centre also has a housing program primarily for its Inuit visitors. In September 2016, The Open Door received approval from the Government of Canada’s Federal Homelessness Partnering Strategy for a grant which enabled the centre to house and support up to 16 Inuit men and women in a permanent

housing location. As of April 30, 2017, ten individuals have been given housing. In terms of its own housing, The Open Door has been operating in St. Stephen’s Anglican Church for the most part of the last 30 years. However, its move to the new location has logistical as well as emotional challenges. Many of the visitors of The Open Door have been living in Atwater and will find it difficult to get to the new location in Milton Park. Kevin, a regular visitor to The Open Door explained to the Daily, “when they move I don’t know what these people in Atwater are going to do [...] unless they’re going to go all the way to Parc Avenue [...] Maybe they’ll be able to get a bus from here to go there.” For the first few months, The Open Door is planning to have volunteers waiting in Cabot Square near St. Stephen’s Church who will help people get on the metro to go to the new centre. The new location is expected to also include essential renovations. In the current location, “you can get clothes or get washing done [...] the only thing they don’t have [which] they used to [have] and [which] the new one [will have] I think is a shower [...] [currently there is also] only one bathroom [...] and nine out of ten times you go to the bathroom there’s someone there,” says Kevin.

James also explained how the new space will also hopefully allow The Open Door to extend their hours in order to house more visitors during the day. “These people are left out on the street [...] then they get tickets for loitering and they get tickets for this and that but what do you expect them to do? If they had day centers to go to there would probably be a lot less loitering in the parks.” Chapman explained that the new move has been in the works for the last two years, during which he has visited forty potential spaces for the new location. He has faced the same response: “Not here please... we like what you’re doing [but] not here please.” “Most people like the idea of having services for the homeless and having resources like intervention workers [who] take people to detox and rehab [...] and access to healthcare and housing and this sort of thing but [...] when it comes to actually having it in their neighborhood all of a sudden there’s a new spirit that emerges.” James, however, has another outlook to services at The Open Door. “I think [my favourite thing about volunteering here] is the people and the connections that I have it’s being able to help people [...] I go home at night and I feel good” “You really realize the importance of relationships because you never know what’s going to happen... twenty-four hours can change a lot.”

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

commentary

Not Your Oriental Fantasy Navigating racial exotification on campus

Yasna Khademian Commentary Writer

s a person of colour on campus, you sometimes run into strange situations. At times, my identity has been reduced to my ethnicity, as people perceive me as either an example of the “oppressed Middle Eastern woman,” or as an exotic fantasy, rather than a peer. I believe that this phenomenon is part of the racialization of people of colour, which is characterized by a process of “othering” and by having internalized preconceptions forced upon me, instead of being valued as an entire individual with diverse identities and interests. A striking example took place during my first year at McGill; I was walking on campus when another student I had never spoken to before called me over. She asked: “Are you Egyptian?” and was visibly confused and in disbelief when I contradicted her, proceeding to say “Really? Are you sure? I could’ve sworn you’re this Egyptian girl I met.” After I said no again, she turned to her friends while I was still standing there and commented “I could’ve sworn it was her.” I’m American — my father is Iranian and my mother is white. Still, I take a lot after my father, resulting in people often asking if my mom was a babysitter when I was younger.Usually I can laugh off these situations. However, this pervasive racism that women of colour like me face also results in unpleasant encounters, where people have assumed that I am not from around here (I live a ten hour drive away from Montreal). They believe that because my name sounds foreign, it could never belong to a Canadian or an American. Conversations like these sting because they reinforce the presumption I was taught growing up — that there is no space in society for someone like me.

I’m American — my father is Iranian and my mother is white. Still, I take a lot after my father, resulting in people often asking if my mom was a babysitter when I was younger.

Nelly Wat| The McGill Daily This lack of understanding in Western society causes many students to see me as a representative of my whole ethnic group, and as an embodiment of all the racist stereotypes that surround it. This also leads to exhausting streams of questions solely centered around my ethnicity, as if it was the only thing that defines me. I do not mind when people have genuine curiosity and a kind intent to learn more about my culture, but when it is the only thing ever asked of me, alongside “Are you sure English is your first language?” it strikes a chord. McGill has attempted to create a more inclusive space in recent years, but there has not been a significant impact on students yet. Rez Project’s workshops on Race and Colonialism contains lots of essential information on the effects of racism, and the people who lead the project are so passionate and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, the way the topics are approached does not leave students with lasting impressions. The event usually occurs later in the evening, and the long duration of the meeting results in many students not absorbing information and simply sitting there. This is because they are required to listen, as if in class, instead of actively participating in discussions. The questions stemming from the videos we watched and conversations we had were oftentimes met with hesitancy or disinterest, and did not lead to strong engagement. Additionally, the choice of identity of people of colour are often limited, because we are forced to exclude everything else that encompasses how we identify ourselves. I love

being Middle Eastern, and I love that part of me; still, it is only one part of me — not my whole identity. I want to be allowed to exist as more than my ethnicity. However, it is difficult to do so when people seem uninterested in hearing more than an explanation of the colour of your skin. Even while trying to educate themselves about racism, they can unintentionally assume your experiences are solely limited to your identity as a person of colour. This ignorance and racialization denies us the right to exist as multidimensional beings with many facets and interests. While a white person only has to bear the weight of their actions on a personal level, a person of colour is seen as a representative of their race or ethnicity every day. This phenomenon does not disappear when we attend university; the racialization of people of colour on campus is still far too widespread. It even happens in some activist circles and can create an extremely alienating university experience.

This ignorance and racialization denies us the right to exist as multidimensional beings with many facets and interests.

My personal experiences on campus are also a result of sexism and orientalism. More specifically, the stereotypical depictions of “the Orient” — North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia — created by the Western world, which are themselves a consequence of colonialism. I visited the Orientalism exhibit at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris this summer, and seeing the paintings that helped shape much of the Western world’s view of “the Orient” was astonishing. The women in these paintings existed purely as exotic sexual objects whose purpose was to pleasure men. The diversity of religion and ethnicity in the Middle East is reduced to a generalization of it being a homogeneous culture. A culture in which the women appear exotic and submissive in harems, eager to be dominated by Western men, while “the Orient” as a whole is portrayed as backwards and uncivilized. In the context of orientalism, when engaging with Middle Eastern women, Western men assert their own dominance through a sense of cultural and racial superiority. This stereotypical perception of Middle Eastern women translates into the fetishization we face today. I have been approached by white men who saw me as a foreign object, and it is an additional dehumanizing aspect of racialization. All of us at this school were admitted on the same criteria, and have come to study as equal peers. However, it is exhausting trying to learn how to navigate university for the first time while your identity and space on campus are continuously questioned or denied.

However, it is exhausting trying to learn how to navigate university for the first time while your identity and space on campus are continuously questioned or denied. I feel very lucky to attend a university where I am able to connect with people from around the world. I have felt much more welcome in Canada, while studying at McGill, than during my whole life in the United States. But I still have to defend myself and my identity against racialization, which is the reality for so many other students of colour. Actions of the past are never separated from the reality of the present. We cannot go back in time and prevent injustice, but we can work now to make sure our experiences are no longer shaped by the legacy of colonialism. I believe this starts with the people with privilege in our system listening and promoting stories like mine.

SCI+TECH

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Is AI racist?

Machine learning, the justice, system, and racial bias Paloma Hepler Sci+Tech Writer

ccording to The Sentencing Project’s Report addressed to the United Nations on racial disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system, racial disparities exist at many levels within the American justice system. The report details how Black Americans are far more likely than white Americans to be arrested, convicted, and to have longer sentences in jail. The cause of this racial disparity is deeply rooted in a violent history; factors like systemic poverty and implicit bias in policing and sentencing processes are not new phenomena. Consequently, Black Americans are disproportionally represented in both the justice, and prison systems. The implementation of algorithmic usage into justice-related decision-making could potentially help alleviate this problem. Theoretically, algorithms would leave no room for human error and bias in decision-making. This strategy has already been introduced in some capacity, as the use of algorithms is being incorporated into judicial decision making in the evaluation of a defendant’s likelihood to commit future crimes (recidivism risk assessment). Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS), developed by the private company Equivant (formerly known as Northpointe) in 1998, is an algorithm widely used in the United States to make predictions about a defendant’s recidivism risk. COMPAS consists of a 137-item questionnaire which takes note of the defendant’s personal information (such as sex, age, and criminal record) and uses this information to make its predictions. Race is not an item on this survey, but several other items that can be correlated with race are included in the COMPAS risk assessment. The resulting risk assessment score predicts the defendant’s risk of committing a crime within 2 years, and can be used to inform judges when making decisions about sentencing. In May of 2016, ProPublica published an article claiming that the COMPAS algorithm exhibited racial bias. The article cited statistics on over 7,000 arrests in Broward County, Flor-

Laura Brennan | The McGill Daily

[a]s part of its development, COMPAS could have learned from previous cases [...] which include results influenced by systemic racial bias. ida that took place from 2013 to 2014. One of the indicators of this racial bias is the shocking disparity between COMPAS’ classification of Black and white defendants. Black defendants who hadn’t recidivated within two years of their release were 45% more likely to have been classified as being at higher risk, whereas only 23% of otherwise identical white defendants received the same classification. ProPublica’s article garnered attention, and was met with backlash not just from Equivant, but from academics who further analyzed the data. The

Race is not an item on this survey, but several other items that can be correlated with race are included in the COMPAS risk assessment.

ProPublica article argued that COMPAS was making unfair predictions by underestimating recidivism rates for white offenders and overestimating them for Black offenders. In response, Equivant argued that COMPAS was a fair assessment because Black offenders were more likely to recidivate than white offenders, and that they were simply exhibiting predictive fairness. Equivant further argued that COMPAS actually predicted recidivism risk at the same rate for Black and white defendants within each risk category (the risk assessment is scored on a scale of 1 to 10). In January of 2018, Julia Dressel and Hany Farid, Darmouth College computer science academics, published a paper titled The Accuracy, Fairness, and Limits of Predicting Recidivism, which, among other things,

concluded that ProPublica and Equivant were using two different definitions of fairness that could not be simultaneously satisfied by this algorithm. Furthermore, they found that COMPAS was no more accurate in making predictions than an algorithm with a 7-item questionnaire created by the authors of the paper. Both performed at approximately 65% accuracy. This new algorithm walso showed the same trend of predictive fairness as the COMPAS algorithm (the trend that had first been criticized by the ProPublica article). While there is public access to the 137-item questionnaire used, Equivant is a private company, and exact information on how the algorithm itself works has not yet been released. This naturally leads to the following question: how are algorithms developed in the first place? In machine learning, algorithms are fed data and learn from it. They make predictions based on trends they recognize, which can pose a problem if they have been fed “bad” data. Presumably, as part of its development, COMPAS

could have learned from previous cases and records, which included results influenced by systemic racial bias. If previous cases demonstrated bias in favour of white defendants and at the disadvantage of Black defendants, the COMPAS algorithm would use that information to make its predictions. An algorithm is only as good as the data it is fed.

An algorithm is only as good as the data it is fed. Because the exact design of COMPAS itself is unclear, it raises a lot of important questions. The factors discussed in this article, such as how we define fairness, the accuracy of a program, and the potential downfalls of computer learning, prompt us to ask: should A.I. be used in decision-making within the justice system, where the consequences of its inaccuracy are life-changing? Is it just to use an algorithm created by a private company, who has not disclosed the actual logistics of their logarithm, to make decisions in a court of law?

FEATURES

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

THE POLITICS AND ACCESSIBILITY OF HIV PREVENTION BY ARNO PEDRAM

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

THE POLITICS AND ACCESSIBI

Arno Pedram The McGill Daily

was in France when I first considered taking PrEP. I went to my family doctor to see if she could give me more information about the pill and how to take it. She asked me what PrEP was, and I told her that “it’s a drug one takes every day to prevent HIV transmission, it’s working and everyone’s talking about it!” Her tone switched from confusion to disbelief: “well, the best method is still to protect yourself!” [i.e. using a condom]. I blushed, ashamed: I could see the images she saw when she clicked her tongue. I could taste the disgust in her dismissal. The door of the doctor’s office closed behind me as I processed what had just happened. “What a fucking asshole!” I shouted in the street, witnessless. Without even knowing about my sexual practices — we had never discussed them — she had felt entitled to judge me on her own perception of gay sex as diseased.

WHAT IS PrEP? Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a prevention treatment that commonly refers to the drugs taken to prevent HIV transmission. When taken properly, it is 99% effective at preventing the transmission of HIV, more effective than condoms, which are estimated to be around 96% effective. But, unlike condoms, PrEP doesn’t prevent other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The pill is made of emtricitabine and tenofovir, and commercialised under the name “Truvada.” Other generic versions have been available in the US since 2004. The drug can be taken in two ways: either by taking a pill every day or by taking it on demand for a few days surrounding sexual

HIV, HIV+, HIV- and aIdS

encounters. Common side-effects include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and dizziness, but in most cases, these minor symptoms resolve themselves over time. To receive a PrEP prescription, one has to be considered “at risk” by a doctor and go through health tests. Once prescribed PrEP, a recipient must meet with their doctor every 3 months for a health check. PrEP was only approved by Health Canada in 2016. PrEP is only now becoming more widely accessible in Canada, although access to PrEP also depends on provincial health regulations. In Quebec, a bottle of 30 PrEP pills, which lasts about a month if taking it on a daily basis, more if taken on demand, costs about $85 CAD under the RAMQ coverage.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a prevention treatment that commonly refers to the drugs taken to prevent HIV transmission. This price has remained the same despite the fact that the price of the medication has been decreasing as more generic versions of the drug are being produced. When PrEP was initially distributed, it cost $830. Generic versions of the drug have driven the cost down to $242. Although the Quebec government pays a quarter on PrEP of what it previously did, PrEP users in the province are paying the same price.

HIV is the abbreviation for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which can (but not necessarily, especially under treatment) lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Everyone has a serological status: HIV positive (HIV+) or negative (HIV-), positive meaning one lives with the virus, while negative means one does not. HIV status can be transmitted but AIDS cannot, as AIDS is not a virus.

PrEP or PEP?

PrEP is a pre-exposure treatment, whereas PEP is a post-exposure emergency treatment you can get within the 72 hours after an encounter you think might have exposed you to HIV. You can request the treatment in hospital emergency rooms. The chances of PEP protecting you from contracting HIV are high if you take it right after exposure, but its efficacy decreases quickly after 72 hours. In Montreal, PROTEGES is a program for men who have sex with other men, which allows you to access PrEP for free if you don’t have the means to. The program also offers acess to doctors and nurse to prescribe you the drug, follow your health, and have access to a sex therapist for free. The program is trans-inclusive.*

While Indigenous peoples and Black people make up 4% and 3% of the Canadian population, they each represent 21% of the people living with HIV in Canada, totaling 42% of people living with HIV. PREJUDICE IN THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE The McGill Daily sent out a survey regarding people’s thoughts on PrEP in Canada. Twelve people on the pill and five people not on the pill responded. According to the respondents, the most common barrier to access was economic (13 out of 17). The other reported barriers of a medical nature (i.e. not being considered “at risk” or not finding a doctor to prescribe it) (7), racism (3), informational barriers (i.e. didn’t know much

about the drug) (3), transphobia (3), immigration status (2), health (i.e. side effects) (1), age (i.e. having parents potentially knowing) (1) and serophobia (1). The size of the surveyed population does not allow for broader generalizations, but it does convey certain medical reluctances to administer the drug. These reasons often perpetuate injustice with regards to class, race, gender, and sexuality. The question of accessibility to PrEP is therefore political. HIV rates are found disproportionally in marginalized communities: of all the people living with HIV, men who have sex with men are the most represented category amongst adults (44%). Moreover, while Indigenous peoples and Black people make up 4% and 3% of the Canadian population, they each represent 21% of the people living with HIV in Canada, totaling 42% of people living with HIV. Those populations are also disproportionately living in poverty depending on whether they are Indigenous, what their race is, on their gender, and on their immigration status, which affects negatively their access to health.

“The awareness and usage of PrEP in South Asian communities is not nearly as much as what is seen amongst white, cis, gay men” — Abhirami Balachandran

The McGill Daily contacted the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP) to inquire about the awareness of PrEP in South Asian communities in Canada. In

response, the Women’s Health Coordinator for ASAAP told the McGill Daily that “the awareness and usage around PrEP in South Asian communities is not nearly as much as what is seen amongst white cis gay men. [...] A lack of agency and social mobility continues to be a leading cause for the lack of usage of PrEP amongst South Asian women. Women are also far less likely to inquire about PrEP for fear of stigma associated with being on PrEP. Many women do not even disclose to their doctors that they are sexually active because of how it is perceived in South Asian communities. There is also the misconception that they are not at risk of HIV if they are in ‘monogamous’ long-term relationships.”

Sex workers also face political barriers to accessing PrEP: a 2012 study surveying sex workers found about half of the respondents have experienced anti-sex worker stigma with doctors. The study outlined “whore stigma” as a social phenomenon shaming sex workers “for transgressing gender norms, such as asking fees for sex, satisfying men’s

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

SIBILITY OF HIV PREVENTION wHat is SEROPHOBIA?

Serophobia is the fear of people living with HIV. It comes in different forms. For example, on dating apps, people sometimes write that they are or are looking for someone “clean” or “healthy” (i.e. HIV negative/STI-free. People living with HIV or with an STI aren’t dirty or unhealthy; you can be healthy while living with HIV. Less stigmatizing formulations such as simply “HIV negative” should be used. lust and fantasies, being vectors of disease, and being a source of transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including, HIV/AIDS, into mainstream society.” State criminalization of the buying of sex under

(BC) since 2013. However, information about this program was poorly disseminated and as a result only 23 people are benefiting from it. As Métis and non-status Indigenous people are not recognized as Indigenous under the Indian Act, they have been excluded from this program. BC has furthermore made PrEP available to all British Columbians for free as of January 1st, 2018. Despite these efforts, however, PrEP remains inaccessible for many populations. Rural populations especially face serophobia and homophobia. The Daily Xtra reported a lack of access to information about the drug, few doctors willing to prescribe PrEP or do the quarterly check-ups required for taking the drug, and people tearing down posters around HIV prevention.

BAREBACKING, SEX-ED, AND SAFE SEX AFFORDABILITY The Daily also surveyed people’s opinions on the drug and what it meant for their habits and their community. Of the people taking PrEP or in the process of getting it, many (7) linked it to reduced anxiety and/or increased feeling of security around having sex. PrEP for some (3) meant more condomless sex but, overall, people seemed to have the same amount of sex, and increased safety for those who had condomless sex regularly previously. Critics of PrEP will say that the drug encourages less safe sex, and many critics blame

Nelly Wat | The McGill Daily Bill C-36 fosters this kind of attitude by marginalizing sex workers and by furthering the idea that sex workers are a threat to society’s moral health, endangering them both at work, at the doctor, and in their everyday life. Some provinces have tried improve access to PrEP among marginalized communities. First Nations and Inuit people with Indian status have technically been able to access PrEP for free in British Columbia

PrEP for the recent drastic increase in STI rates. Although PrEP might encourage condomless sex for some, it is important to remember that it comes to prevent transmission of HIV for many people who had condomless sex regardless before. Moreover, the relation between PrEP and increased STI prevalence is actually a misconception; a study presented at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections showed that PrEP is actually reducing the rate of other STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhea by up to 40%. Indeed, people on PrEP have regular 3-month tests that are often paired with STI testing, and have access to more information about safer sex and STIs.

PrEP is redefining safer sex, but not everybody is on board. PrEP is redefining safer sex, but not everybody is on board. Respondents to The Daily’s survey on PrEP talked about being potentially perceived as a “bareback whore,” (barebacking, i.e. the practice of condomless sex) while others that weren’t on PrEP noticed a greater insistence for people on the drug to look for barebacking, and expressed the fear that PrEP would lead to the resurgence of other STIs. With PrEP, safer sex comes to be redefined: taking PrEP is a new safer sex practice that comes with a certain protection from HIV and regular checks that also give people access to general STI prevention tools and knowledge. PrEP’s redefinition of safer sex has evolved in a context of misinformation about STIs, a lack of political will, and political backlash to sexual education, akin to the Ontario government’s scrapping of its 2015 sex-ed curriculum to reinstate its 1998 version. A 2010 document from the Sex Information and Education Council of

Canada (SIECCAN) reported that although sexual health has gotten better in Canada over the years, “the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections among Canadian young people is unacceptably high and poses a significant threat to their current and long-term health and well-being”. In a context of a population poorly educated on safer sex practices, redefinitions can challenge people’s preconceptions and foster tensions.

PrEP, and other methods of practicing safer sex, are only affordable and accessible to a restricted number of people, mapping health inequality further onto dominant power dynamics, from the doctor’s office to the bedroom. PrEP redefines safer sex and helps prevent the transmission of HIV. Nevertheless, PrEP’s redefinition of safer sex, which, although helpful in many ways and to many folks, is still marked by enduring power dynamics of class, race, sexuality, and geography. PrEP, and other methods of practicing safer sex, are only affordable and accessible to a restricted number of people, mapping health inequality further onto dominant power dynamics, from the doctor’s office to the bedroom.

Criminalization of HiV

In many countries, including Canada, people living with HIV are being convicted of serious criminal offences and sentenced to significant time in prison for not disclosing their HIV status — even when there is no transmission and people have taken highly effective precautions that mean the risk of transmission is exceedingly small. In other cases, people are facing more serious, discriminatory charges simply because they have HIV — even when there is no risk of transmission.

U=U

*To learn more about PrEP & get a prescription: - The Montreal study on PrEP under which you can be prescribed the drug and see a sexologist for free: PROTEGES. You can contact them to set an appointment at proteges@rezo sante.fr or 514-714-8176. - French Facebook group about PrEP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ PrepDial/ - Rezo’s page on PrEP: www.rezosante.org/38-articles/renseignetoiprep.html

U=U stands for “Undetectable equals Untransmittable” which is a slogan to remind people that HIV+ people who take antiretroviral therapy (ART), achieve, and maintain an undetectable viral load have no risk of sexually transmitting the virus to someone else.

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Culture

When Brown-Eyed Boys Swim A short story from our new literary column “Isthmus”

Evren Sezgin Columnist

aba told me we came from the Caspian Sea. I walked past a man who smelled like Baba (Turkish for father) at the corner of Saint Laurent and rue Rachel. Large puddles from the early afternoon showers were growing to my right. I followed them down the street. A woman rode in the bike lane, her red dress and baby blue heels dancing with the yellow of the Montreal night. “What are you doing, you idiot!” Jenny said on the phone. She called me when she realized I walked past my date and the bar. “Turn around!”

I walked past a man who smelled like Baba (Turkish for father) at the corner of Saint Laurent and rue Rachel. I had broken up with my first serious boyfriend two days before. I downloaded Tinder on my mother’s recommendation, and a couple hours later my roommate had scheduled a date with Gim, a man I had met in my first year at McGill. We introduced ourselves over drinks. “A dry martini,” he said. I hesitated. Scanning the menu, I remembered the times my ex would order for the both of us. The waitress shared our uneasiness – it looked as if it was her first night on the job, her white button-down shirt fit awkwardly on her body, as new shirts sometimes do. “So, you’re from the Netherlands?” I asked. “Just north of Amsterdam, in Alkmaar.” Gim’s voice was quiet but strong in its Dutch accent. He went on to tell me about his life and desires, professing his love for South American politics and confessing that he wants to be like his uncle. After graduating in America, he had moved to rural Brazil and never returned. At the end, he missed his mother’s funeral and the first steps of his little nephew. Then Gim moved on: he spoke of adopting a Quebecois accent in French. He spoke of working on a Concordia executive student board. He spoke of the South Atlantic Ocean. Gim asked for the bill. He reminded me of a lion I had seen in a documentary. He seemed so far away, even though we were in the same room. “Let me take you to another bar,” he said. He had a large mouth and thin lips. I only saw white teeth when he smiled. “I used to live in this area.” We left, and although I had spent the night as a passive listener, I was the one to hand my credit card to the waitress. Metal letters printed on the wood frame of the next bar spelled, Dieux du Ciel. “Fancy name,” I said, passing Gim as he held open the door. The waitress greeted him by his name and he ordered beers in response. This time, we spoke across a small wooden table. The atmosphere here was different: the uneasiness had passed, as the drinks at the

Phoebe Pannier | The McGill Daily first bar had made us closer. Now, we talked to one another in a mild demeanor. It reminded me of running into an old friend. Gim led the conversation once again, telling me about his strained relationship with his mother, and his ties to the rural parts of the Netherlands. “I had a couple Turkish friends in middle school,” he said, his pint half empty, the blackboard with the beer specials of the day written in chalk above him. “Very cool.” “Yeah, there was this one kid I was really good friends with,” he leaned back in his chair, his long legs brushing against mine. Gim wore a black shirt and black denim pants, his hair golden in the darkness. “Yea, I went over to his house once, and it was actually so funny, because, you know Turkish people, they all live in the same house: the mother, the father, the grandmother, the great grandmother, and all eighteen siblings and cousins. It was hilarious!” “Haha,” I responded. “You’re right.” There were times to fight, and others to let things roll over, like ocean waves crashing down on a body that lay in the sand on a summer day. I had learned when to correct men who thought they knew my ethnicity and culture and when to stay quiet. I knew that finding new love was not going to be easy. “Yea, I even picked up some Turkish words like…”

My racial identity became the topic of conversation when Gim asked what my name meant, or if there was any meaning to it at all. I thought of my Baba. When he flew from Istanbul to Los Angeles thirty years ago, would he have imagined his son washing his hands as a

little boy, convinced that soap was the only thing that distinguished his skin from the complexion of his white friend. “‘Cay’, right” he looked at me, waiting for validation. His eyes were playful. His eyes were dangerous. “Yep,” I said. “Tea.” “And, uh,” he paused, “What’s the word for yes?” “Evet?” “Yes, haha,” Gim said, “Evet, oh my god, haha.” My racial identity became the topic of conversation when Gim asked what my name meant, or if there was any meaning to it at all. I wondered what would happen if I had asked him the same. I knew that I was not expected to. I knew I don’t get to ask the questions that blue-eyed boys do. We left the bar, and Gim walked me home. Going down Saint Dominique, he pointed to his old apartment. “I used to live there, you see the one with the green door?” We had been in Montreal the same amount of time, but Gim seemed more confident here. He had found his place on these cement roads and fountain-centred parks.

He seemed to have confidence in himself. I wondered what other things blueeyed boys have that I don’t. We sat on a circular staircase on Aylmer, where I lived. We split cigarettes and made small talk about the warm weather. Gim told me of the time that he went to LA, about how he stayed near the beach in Santa Monica, and how he was never ID’d at clubs despite being eighteen. “That’s just my white privilege, I know,” he said, as if anticipating my response to his story. He said the words “white privilege” so loosely, as if they came to his mouth like water from a hose. He asked me about the last time I was in a relationship. When met with silence, the clouds spoke loudly over us. We talked about our eve-

ning, and when I asked him to spend the night, he responded, “No, if I wanted to, I would have told you. I always get what I want.” He delivered the message with purpose. He seemed to have confidence in himself. I wondered what other things blue-eyed boys had that I don’t. The Montreal heat stuck to my body.

Baba told me I came from the sea. I knew how to swim in blueeyed water. Gim stood on the stairwell looking at his watch, then he left me at my door, and kissed me. “I’ll text you,” he said, walking down the stairs of the apartment building. His accent seemed changed; his voice had become more direct and pointed, as if he was saying, “I’ll get you the money next week.” “See you!” I responded, my mouth jumping at the occasion. I hadn’t noticed that I had been silent for so long. Stop overthinking, the voice of my ex echoed in my head. I remembered a fight we had in Parc LaFontaine. I had pointed at the Swedish-branded pillows in a display case, wondering why he did not share my anger that they were appropriated from traditional Turkish patterns. Baba told me I came from the sea. I knew how to swim in blue-eyed water. I remembered Baba telling me not to fight a current. I let the world carry me out, and I watched the shore fall behind me. I was alone in the sea. Breathing.

Our new bi-weekly column is accepting submissions! Have an experience you want to write about? Send it to us at isthmus@mcgilldaily.com!

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

culture

Les Vraies Demoiselles d’Avignon Every exhibit needs a soul

Lydia Bhattacharya The McGill Daily

s the best known local art museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is a staple for the city’s art scene. After the largely whitewashed exhibit Napoleon: Art and Court Life in the Imperial Palace earlier this year, seeing the work of contemporary Black artists featured in the new Picasso exhibit was a welcome relief. Running from May 12 to September 16, the exhibit titled From Africa to the Americas: Face-toFace Picasso, Past to Present, pieces together Picasso’s life while offering an intersectional critique to his art that is hard to find in other museums. Nathalie Bondil, the general director of the MMFA, explained that, “the front of this exhibit was envisioned in a different way

“Picasso was not as important as the art from the 35 different countries he collected art from...” from other museums [who showed this exhibit], because I thought that Picasso was not as important as the art from the 35 different countries he collected art from, and the contemporary artists who have reacted to, and been influenced by his work.” Upon entering the exhibit, echoes from Mohau Modisakeng’s video installation Passages reverberate around the darkly-lit room. The sound of water sloshing immediately immersed me into a solemn, meditative space. Here, every wall is covered in art, and large blocks of text on the inspiration behind the pieces span every surface.

This first impression was contrasted by the ambiance of the next room. In a bright hallway, Picasso’s early work is placed next to African and Oceanic pieces from his private collection. Extending over the entire exhibit are two timelines: one that provides key dates from the history of European colonization, and another which focuses on Picasso’s life. Through it, as Bondil told me in an interview, “you can understand that [...] from his birth in 1881 to his death in 1973, Picasso’s life acts as two bookends for the beginning and end of European colonial rule in Africa and Oceania.” Picasso was born a year before the French colonization of Oceania and four years before the Berlin Conference of 1885, in which European powers divided subSaharan Africa into areas of political, economic and cultural domination. In 1960, 17 countries (in addition to the French colonies) declared their independence from European powers. Thirteen years later, Picasso passed away. While Picasso’s work will always be a staple in museums for the audiences it pulls in, the most powerful work in this exhibit actually comes from contemporary Black artists as well as from the African pieces found in Picasso’s private collection. Angolan artist Edson Chagas’ photo series Tipo Passe (Passport Photo), is made up of headshots with traditional Central African masks on people wearing contemporary clothing. Chagas uses symbolically charged masks in a context where they have been removed from their conventional use. By reappropriating the African mask, Chagas critiques the ignorance of Western artists (like Picasso) who had little interest in the meaning of the work they “collected,” and shows how contemporary African people are confronted with multiple, sometimes contradictory, identities. One of the largest pieces in the exhibit, Zanele Muholi’s Phila I, Parktown from the series “Somnyama Ngonyama,” towers

Phoebe Pannier | The McGill Daily

over the viewer, and through heightened contrast, makes the artist’s skin look similar to inflated latex gloves. As pointed out in the museum label, this piece “address[es] themes of domestic servitude, while simultaneously alluding to sexual politics, violence and the suffocating prisms of gendered identity.” This is likely the piece you have seen advertised around the metro, as it was selected to represent the exhibit, but to witness it in full size is truly awe-inspiring. The last room brings the exhibit’s discussion of decolonizing art to a full circle. The large space has looming dark walls and eerie music and speeches playing from Atlantis Fractured. The artwork here bursts with color as Kehinde Wiley’s Simeon the God Receiver hangs next to Moridja Kitenge Banza’s photograph Authentic, No. 1 from the Authentic photo series. Banza juxtaposes colorful patterns from Africa with colorful patterns that colonizers brought from Holland to show how material goods have become globally intertwined.

The contemporary art world is still rooted in settlercolonial language and beliefs. The heart of the exhibit lays in the works of contemporary Black artists and their reappropriation of techniques and images that were stolen from colonizers. By seeing Picasso’s works placed directly next to the African pieces that “inspired” him, it becomes clear how much the contemporary art world is still rooted in settler-colonial language and beliefs. This exhibit is a mustsee for those who want to watch the careful deconstruction of Picasso’s work and the celebration of traditional and contemporary Black art. However, by only looking at Picasso through a lens of race and colonialism, there is a lot to his story that is left out. Known for drawing nude adolescent girls in provocative positions throughout his career, Picasso was much more than simply a byproduct of colonialism. He was a predator. Hopefully in the future museums will tackle the challenge of critically approaching white male artists with an intersectional lens. Significantly, the MMFA worked with the Montreal-based organization The Woman Power

The Woman Power | Artist to create a video installation and curate a side exhibit that explores the identity of the women behind the famous painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. As an essential example of the avantgarde movement, the artwork has long been lauded as one of Picasso’s best works; however, it is only in recent years that people have begun to address the problematic politics behind Picasso’s art like his sexism and fetishization of women. To help start this conversation, the MMFA asked The Woman Power to redesign Les Demoiselles d’Avignon into a piece of art that would reflect the identities of the women in the piece. The Woman Power co-founder Joanna Chevalier said the organization found its roots once she became “tired of the art scene in Montreal, [as] it was always thin white women doing dope things, and [she] wanted to see [herself] in it, be a part of it. So, [she] decided to do the same thing but with [herself], just to have that kind of representation, to just have more black women and POC and be seen on a platform.” One of the key goals of the group is to welcome “open conversations, positive dialogue,

and doing art mixed with culture to share our story, because people won’t share our story if we don’t do it ourselves.” As a woman of colour, Chevalier understood that Bondil’s offer to rethink Les Demoiselles d’Avignon was a chance to reinterpret the painting to make it reflect the importance of starting new discussions around the depictions of women of color in media. This was achieved by renaming the piece Les Vraies Demoiselles d’Avignon. From there, The Woman Power changed the media of the work by making it a collage that highlights the uniqueness of each woman photographed. Every figure in the piece shows women of color holding fruit and wearing white a complete rejection of Picasso’s sexualized female figures. Using this “update” of the painting as a conversation starter, The Woman Power has hosted open discussions about the identity politics around being a woman, and especially a woman of color. Through these discussions, The Woman Power adds a muchneeded dose of intersectionality to museums and elevates the show from an exhibit to a work of art in its own right.

NAVIGATING M

16 Jiawen Wang Features Writer Content warning: depression, suicide, and mental illness

came into my first year at McGill with wide eyes, sweaty palms, and a bad case of undiagnosed depression. When I walked into the Brown building seeking help the second month of school, after McGill’s shininess had worn off, I heard words like “depression”, “severe”, and “medication”. Riddled with internalized stigma, and the beginnings of an age-typical identity crisis, I did what any freshman would do in the face of big revelations —I ran the other way. I didn’t come back until the next fall semester, but by then it had gotten worse, as most untreated illnesses do. My experience is one of many; whether you’re currently struggling, have a friend that’s struggling, or just need a safe space to vent, hopefully you’ll find something below that works for you. All of these services are free of charge for McGill students unless otherwise stated. The list is not exhaustive, and not all of them will be a right fit for you, but do not procrastinate your wellness. Keep looking for something that is. Peer support The Peer Support Centre (psc. ssmu.ca), founded in 2013, provides confidential, face-to-face, one-on-one support with a McGill student volunteer. You can drop in during their hours, or make an appointment online to speak with a peer who has “[undergone] more than forty hours of training on topics such as active listening, ethical conduct, confidentiality, and a range of common student issues. While the SSMU building is under construction, they are located on the second floor of 3471 Peel St. Nightline (nightline.ssmu.ca) is a student-run call centre at 514398-6246, open 6 PM to 3 AM during the school year. They provide anonymous, judgement-free active listening crisis management, and referral services, free of charge. They also have an online instant messaging support called Chatline. The Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) (sacomss.org) provides

support to survivors of sexual assault throughout the entire year. They have a hotline, drop-in appointments, and hold support groups. They consult or train many of the other McGill groups listed below, and can advocate on the behalf of McGill students and staff for conflicts related to sexual assault.

“Schedule time to be with (good) friends, and be vulnerable and willing to open up to them most McGill students are more supportive than you’d think” — Anonymous Other peer support services include Vent Over Tea (ventovertea.com), an active listening service which pairs you with a student volunteer in a local café. If you’re living in rez, another source of support can be floor fellows, who are trained to respond to mental health issues. Off-Campus services Living in downtown Montreal means that you are not limited to services within McGill. Along with several helplines, Montreal also has a variety of free health centres and non-profits that can offer help. Centre local de services communautaires (CLSCs), or local community centres often offer several mental health and referral services. Some require Quebec medicare or outof-province health cards, and some (but not all) offer services in English. You can check the Quebec Wellness Centre site (sante.gouv.qc.ca) to find one close to you that suits your needs, or the off-campus list on the McGill Student Health Service website. The same page lists a few private clinics, but most of these require a fee upfront, especially for non-Quebec residents.

Face à Face Listening and Intervention Centre (faceafacemontreal.org) opened in 1982 as a listening service for those in need. It has now expanded to include free 8-week counselling sessions, support groups, and listening and referral services all focused on empowering people experiencing tough situations. It is located a 14-minute bus ride or a 26-minute walk from the McGill area. Head & Hands (headandhands. ca) provides free drop-in medical clinics to 12-25 year-olds, regardless of their access to health insurance. They are open Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 4:45 PM and are able to see 10 people by random draw, rather than on a first come, first served basis. You’ll meet with a friendly health educator followed by a physician. They are a 33-minute bus trip from the McGill area. Some 24/7 phone services you can try include the bilingual TelAide, a listening service at (514) -935-1101. If you’re struggling with addiction, Drugs: Help and Referral (DAR) (reachable at (514) 527-2626) provides bilingual information, support, and referral services that connect you with a certified counsellor. Info-Social puts you in contact with a psychosocial intervention worker. They can be reached via the number 811. Interligne offers 24/7 phone, text, email, and online chat services for the LGBTQ+ community. They can be reached at 1 (888) 505-1010 through text or (514) 866-0103 on the phone. Find your Community Your mental health and healing process will intersect with many facets of your identity. Though the following groups are not all mental-health related, connecting with like-minded people and staying informed in a safe space can make all the difference. The Social Equity and Diversity Education Office (SEDE) (www.facebook.com/equity.diversity/) was “founded in 2005 in response to issues surrounding harassment and discrimination at McGill.” They work closely with many other groups listed above. They host workshops, events, consultations, and provides grants to support research and knowledge exchange, all to incorporate equity as a fundamental part of a McGill education.

Queer McGill (www.facebook. com/QueerMcGill) is “a social, political, and informational support service for queer students, by queer students.” Part of SSMU, they hold workshops, meetings, “gayme” nights, among o t h e r activities, and host an active Facebook forum. They also provide staffer training sessions every semester for anyone who wants to get involved.

Your mental health and healing process will intersect with many facets of your identity. The Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) (www.facebook. com/UGEMcGill/) is an “antiracist, trans-positive, feminist organization” with a variety of resources that help to advocate and educate the McGill community about gender-based op-

pression. They have a library of gender-related reading material, a zine, drop-in appointments, and a co-op that sells menstrual products, safer sex products, sex toys, and other gender-empowerment items on a pay-what-youcan basis. You should also look into cultural, identity and advocacy groups and resources like the Black Students’ Network (BSN), the First Peoples’ House, Arab Student Network, McGill Students in Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), as well as local groups outside of McGill such as the South Asian Women’s Community Centre. Some groups and events at McGill, like the following, focus on mental health more specifically, and are a great way to stay informed and practice self-care. Students in Mind Mental Health Conference is an annual conference organized by students that includes panels, workshops, activities and speakers. The next conference is set to be held in January 2019. McGill’s chapter of jack.org holds selfhelp workshops and self-care activities, a speaker series, and

MENTAL HEALTH

“You can access other services outside McGill. I had a bad experience for the two years I saw my psychiatrist here at McGill. I hated the appointments because my concerns were always dismissed and she continuously diminished [the importance of] my trauma. One day she said something and I knew I couldn’t tolerate it anymore. I found out my provincial non-Quebec insurance covered the service at other public and some private practices. It made me realise that there are more care options outside campus and that I didn’t have to stay within McGill.” — Anonymous student

Sherwin Sullivan Tija | Illustrator local “summits” where students gather to discuss mental health. The parent organization of jack. org also holds regional and national summits. McGill Student Association for Collaborative Mental Healthcare (CMH) holds multi- d i s c i plinary discussions about Quebec’s mental healthcare system, with a focus on engaging future mental health workers and researchers. They have an annual conference and hold networking opportunities for graduate and medical school students. Healthy McGill (www.facebook.com/ healthymcgill/) is a more general health group part of Student Services. They have several helpful resources on their website and have a portion of their peer health educators involved in their Mental Health and Wellbeing team. McGill Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (MORSL) (www. facebook.com/morsl/) is another helpful resource. It offers a cozy lounge located on the second floor of the Presbyterian college in front of the Milton Gates, places

of worship, workshops, and their own spirituality magazine, Radix. McGill Counselling and Psychiatric Services Both services fall under the broader group of Student Services, so any full-time or part-time student, who has paid the Student Services fees, has access to them. They are open the entire year, including the summer months. To get a counselling appointment, you have to make an appointment on the phone at (514) 398-3601, or go in-person to Suite 4200 of the Brown Building. Bring your McGill Student ID card and a copy of your insurance to your first appointment. Your first session will be an hour-long assessment, where the clinician establishes a personal plan for you, which might consist of individual therapy, group therapy, self-directed online therapy, and/or workshops. This fall, they’ll be re-introducing dropin counselling appointments. If you access individual therapy, you have the right to ask for a clinician of a specific gender,

a French-speaking clinician, or one that is part of the PRIDE Counselling Team —members with experience in helping LGBTQ+ students. McGill’s Psychiatric Services are located in the same building, in Suite 5500. To make an appointment, you’ll need a referral from either a family doctor or from a clinician from Counselling. You’ll need your McGill ID Card along with your McGill Insurance or Health Card (provincial or Blue Cross). Usually, if you’re struggling, the first stop will be McGill Counselling.

“Schedule blocks of time for studying and self care. Write them down and make them realistic” — Taylor, U3 Nursing Most criticisms of the McGill counselling and psychiatric services are of their long wait times and their failure to meet the demand of students. For example, last Winter, more than 1,000 McGill students signed a petition expressing concerns about the medical note system, Student Service’s diversion of funds away from mental health services, the lack of mental health integration into other services, and the lack of input from the larger McGill community in their decision-making process. In the past, wait times have ranged from three weeks to over

a month for initial counselling appointments, though the wait is generally shorter for psychiatric services. The earlier you book, the better; don’t wait until it gets worse. In the works is the Rossy Student Wellness Hub, which will be located on the third floor of the Brown Building. In an interview with The Daily, Martine Gauthier, Executive of Student Services, stated that “the main goal of the [The Hub] is to simplify access to McGill’s health and wellness services,” and represent a collaboration between physical and mental health services. They’ll have a new drop-in clinic, a common room, and a website that lists their services. They will house facultyspecific wellness advisors and the campus Shag Shop. Academic Support and Other McGill Services The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD, mcgill.ca/osd) can provide resources and accommodations for students with mental health issues, disabilities, and chronic health conditions. They provide workshops, exam accommodations, note-taking services, and tutoring. The McGill Student Health Centre (mcgill.ca/studenthealth) is available to students who have paid the Student Services fee as part of their tuition and allows you to see a doctor or a nurse. Make an appointment at (514) 398-6017. The McGill Mental Health Hub (mcgillmentalhealthhub.ca) provides a variety of online resources and referrals to other services, within and outside of McGill.

Empower Me is a service open to students who are under the SSMU Health & Dental Plan. They have a 24/7 hotline which you can reach anywhere in North America at 1(844) 741-6389. A trained counsellor can provide you with a confidential, short-term online counselling via video, or phone. Know your student rights. Formed under SSMU’s University Affairs Committee, the “Know Your Rights” website (studentrights. ssmu.ca) and campaign give a breakdown of your rights as a student. These include exam deferrals, exam conflicts, accommodations, and links to official McGill policies and charters. Emergencies If you or someone you know is in danger, call 911. McGill Security can be reached at (514) 398-3000 for the downtown campus. However, when calling the police, be mindful of Montreal and Canada’s history of police brutality and racism, and consider the safety of Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) around you in the presence of the police. Suicide Action Montreal: 24/7 hotline at (514) 723-4000. TRACOM Centre for Crisis Intervention can be reached at (514) 483-3033, and provides both phone support and shortterm crisis housing. McGill offers Urgent Care Safety Appointments, where you can immediately meet with a psychiatrist at Psychiatric Services, Brown Student Services Building, Suite 5500, West Wing, Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The student testimonies were edited for clarity

MCGILL’S 1926 JEWISH BAN

Alexandre Edde, Vishwaa Ramakrishnan, Celeste Cassidy NDP McGill

nti-semitism is a hostility or hatred of Jewish people. While this “hatred” is often understood to express itself violently—as it did during the Holocaust and the pogroms— anti-semitism has also expressed itself in subtle ways, including at McGill. The McGill administration’s anti-semitic practices During the early 20th century, the United States and Canada saw an influx of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who were fleeing religious persecution. Many of these immigrants settled in Montreal, where Jewish people thrived despite anti-Semitic hostility from the local population. Jewish immigrants often saw university as a means of upward socioeconomic mobility, functioning as a gateway into the elite of society. First generation Jews, encouraged by immigrant parents who wanted to see their children thrive in their new home, performed exceedingly well academically and soon made up a significant portion of university students at McGill.

In 1926, McGill university adopted an informal ban on “Hebrew” students from outside Quebec. In 1913, 6.8% of McGill students were Jewish; by 1924, this number had risen to 25%. Professor of Religion and Jewish Studies at Concordia University and the author of AntiSemitism in Canada, Dr. Ira Robinson explains that Jewish students were perceived as being too “academically concentrated.” Supposedly, this warranted their reduction in academia in favour of students who were more “well

rounded”: all codewords used to legitimize the reduction of the number of Jewish students admitted to McGill. In 1926, McGill University adopted an informal ban on “Hebrew” students from outside Quebec. In 1929, the Faculty of Arts increased the admission grade average requirement to 70% for Jewish students, then further increased it to 75% in the 1930s, while the grade requirement for non-Jews remained at 60% throughout that period. Additionally, the faculties of Medicine and Law instituted admission quotas that capped the number of Jewish students at 10% of the faculty’s student population. These policies achieved their desired results; by 1935 McGill’s the proportion of McGill students who were Jewish had dropped to 12%. Although these policies were “purely administrative” and were never officialised, it was an open secret that McGill wanted to restrict the number of Jewish students at the university. In fact, many thought it normal that Jewish students would have to achieve better grades than their non-Jewish counterparts. It would not be until shortly after the second world war that these racist policies would be phased out. A broader context of generalised antisemitism Anti-Semitic sentiments in Montreal and Canadian society at the time of the quotas were not limited to the academic sphere. Canadian Jewish historian Irving Abella describes Canada during the 1920’s-1930’s as “a benighted, xenophobic, anti-Semitic country” in which “Jews were excluded from almost every sector of Canadian society.” In Montreal, Jews were generally not hired as engineers, bankers or lawyers (except at Jewish firms). Virtually every Canadian university that had a sizable Jewish population implemented discriminatory measures similar to McGill’s. Furthermore, anti-Semitic sentiment was wide-spread on Canadian university campuses; in a 1933 survey, 80 percent of the University of Toronto’s non-Jewish students did not want to admit Jews into their clubs. Discriminatory

policies against Jewish students were deemed justifiable as Jewish students were regarded as a threat to a ruling elite of Anglo-Saxon Protestant in Quebec. In many ways, the quotas and higher admission standards were part of a larger effort by the ruling Anglo-Saxon Protestant elite to maintain the social status quo. Many administrators felt that Jewish students were limiting the access to education for Anglo-Saxon students. Universities were an environment in which future elites networked. As Dr. Robinson puts it, admitting many Jewish students “clashed with social expectations,” because it fostered the inclusion of Jewish members within elite circles of society.

In many ways, the quotas and higher admission standards were part of a larger effort by the ruling Anglo-Saxon Protestant elite to maintain the social status quo. In May 1934, Dr. Samuel Rabinovitch was appointed as leading intern at Montreal’s Notre-Dame hospital. The other medical interns, predominantly Francophone, saw his appointment as a threat. The other interns called a Jew treating Catholic patients “repugnant.” Soon thereafter, the interns launched the first medical strike in Canada’s history, demanding that Rabinovitch resign. The strike was a widely publicized affair. It received broad support from the population and from FrenchCanadian nationalists. Under pressure, Dr. Rabinovitch eventually resigned.

Nelly Wat | The McGill Daily

The Société Saint Jean-Baptiste, who represented many French nationalists who opposed Rabinovitch, also campaigned against Jewish immigration to Quebec under the leadership of future mayor Jean Drapeau. Their anti-semitic petition received over 150,000 signatures.

“Israel is the great fact of life of Jews in the 20th and 21st century”, and that, as a result, it “becomes impossible to differentiate between Jews and Israel.” — Dr. Ira Robinson

Parallels with contemporary anti-Asian discrimination This type of discrimination is not just limited to the past. Today, Asian students need better grades than their non-Asian counterparts to be admitted into Ivy League Universities such as Harvard. Harvard University is currently being sued for discriminating against Asian American students in their admission processes. The lawsuit has been brought by Students for fair admission which claims that “Asians get the Ivy League’s Jewish treatment” a reference to the racist quota policies against Jews that were also implemented in Ivy League institutions. Struggles that Jewish students face today When asked what current challenges Jewish students and academics face, Dr. Robinson cited the politicization of the Jewish identity with regard to the state of Israel. He stated that “Israel is the great fact of life of Jews in the 20th and 21st century”, and that, as a result, it “becomes impossible to differentiate between Jews and Israel.” In other words, many Jewish students may feel compelled to “[enunciate] a certain attitude toward Israel,” particularly one of political support. This conflation of Jewish identity with support for Israeli policies makes for an environment in which students may feel boxed into a set of beliefs due to their religion and/or ethnicity, making constructive political dialogue difficult. This is not to say that instances of anti-Semitism do not occur during or outside of such political debates; they do. Anti-Semitism must be called out and made accountable at every opportunity. Conclusion It’s important that we as McGill students are aware of our university’s discriminatory past. If we hope for our university and society to be places of equal opportunity, it is vital we understand where we have gone wrong. We as the McGill student body need to educate ourselves and take some responsibility for the University’s antiJewish policies by fighting against present and future anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination on the basis of people’s identities in the McGill community. This is vital if we do not want the politics of hate and racism to return to campus life.

A COLONIAL INSTITUTION Celeste Cassidy, Vishwaa Ramakrishnan, Alexandre Edde NDP McGill

ince its inception, McGill University has been, and continues to be, a colonial institution. The University’s colonial roots reach back to James McGill, the University’s namesake, who bequeathed much of his wealth to the founding of the school upon his passing. The University’s website describes McGill as an ambitious Scottish fur trader who worked hard to rise to prominence in Canadian society, and left a purely positive mark. This portrayal of McGill as a man who “took great care of the welfare of others” glosses over darker parts of his legacy, namely his ownership of both Black and Indigenous slaves. In 1960, historian Marcel Trudel published “L’esclavage au Canada français” which, among other things, revealed that James McGill was a slave owner. Trudel’s research confirms that the name McGill does not embody the principles that the University allegedly stands by, such as equity and inclusiveness, but rather the colonial notion that people of certain races can be used. Moreover, around the turn of the 19th century, McGill became a major landowner, buying tens of thousands of acres of land in both upper and lower Canada, which had been previously unjustly seized from Indigenous peoples. Between his ownership of slaves and his possession of stolen Indigenous land, McGill epitomized a picture of colonial success in his domination and subordination of Indigenous and Black people. For many Indigenous and racialized members within the McGill community, colonialism is a daily reality. The name McGill only serves as a further reminder of the cultural genocide of their ancestors and the continued discrimination they face. Still, de-colonization seems not to be a priority for the university’s administration. Not only does their biography of James McGill present a whitewashed narrative, but the university continues to engage in settler colonial behaviour. Settler colonialism is an international issue. The Israeli occupation and settlement of Palestinian territories like the West Bank is a contemporary example of the aggressive colonialism that McGill engages in. The university invests in companies that profit from the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, such as a $2 million investment in RE/MAX. RE/MAX is known to finance the development of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian land, settlements which have been ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice. By disregarding international law, the university

makes a statement on where it stands in the violent dispossession of Palestinian territory and identities. McGill’s financial support for RE/ MAX, a company furthering the Zionist settler colonial agenda, sends a powerful and disturbing message. Based on their actions, McGill shows an open disregard for the McGill University Mission Statement and Principles when it comes to profiting off of modern-day colonization. McGill’s investments have not gone unnoticed by student activists part of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement. They have been urging the University to divest from companies profiting off Israeli settlements. BDS was formed in 2005 with the aim to end the Israeli government’s oppressive regime in Palestine through non-violent economic boycott. This pacifist tactic is comparable to the one used to take down the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Between his ownership of slaves and his possession of stolen Indigenous land, McGill epitomized a picture of colonial success in his domination and subordination of Indigenous and Black folks. In September of 2017, following advice from the Judicial Board, the SSMU board of directors voted that BDS was discriminatory in nature and violated SSMU’s Constitution and Equity Policy by targeting a specific nation, namely, Israel. However, BDS’ qualm with Israel is one founded on a disagreement with its government’s policies, not its identity as a nation. In fact, BDS works specifically to target governments and corporations, not individual citizens, who uphold oppressive colonial policies. They have a set of clear demands that focus exclusively on Palestinian rights and do not hamper on the rights of Israeli citizens, 20% of whom are Palestinian Arabs. The SSMU decision to make BDS unconstitutional at McGill is troubling, especially for Palestinian students, who are attending a university that is profiting off of the continued ethnic cleansing of their country. It is also a reminder that

we as students have much work left to do in combatting colonial structures on campus. A testimony of McGill’s current colonial reality is the underrepresentation of nonWestern anti-colonial perspectives in academic teachings. For example, the Indigenous studies program is only offered as a minor, partly because there aren’t enough funds put into the creation of a variety of Indigenous contentrelated courses to fulfill the requirements for a major program. Outside of the Indigenous Studies program, Indigenous perspectives are even more limited, with most departments at McGill focusing nearly exclusively on eurocentric academic knowledge. This Eurocentrism is apparent when looking at the syllabi for various courses at McGill. The introductory course to international relations, POLI 244, draws its reading material almost exclusively from Western scholars and textbooks. The same goes for GEOG 210, an introductory geography course on “global places and peoples.” Such courses deal with a subject matter that is international by nature, yet are taught through a purely Western lens. Even though authors sometimes attempt to limit ethnocentric bias, their study of other political systems and cultures is heavily influenced by the Western scientific method. This is based on empirical analysis of observable phenomena through a series of predetermined steps. That is not to say that Western epistemology is by any means weak — empirical analysis is a cornerstone of higher learning — but rather that it dominates the discourse at McGill to the detriment of other forms of knowledge, namely Indigenous epistemological systems. Our

Jude Khashman | The McGill Daily

highlighting of this fact is not to criticize professors for their choice of subject matter, they are of course more than qualified to do so, but rather to underline that McGill as an institution that promotes a Eurocentric academic culture. Complementing a Eurocentric curricula with scholarly work from non-Western and Indigenous scholars, in addition to rethinking Western academic methodologies, would go a long way toward eroding colonial teaching on campus.

In order to decolonize McGill, everyone needs to commit daily to the anticolonial effort

Ending colonialism isn’t something that can happen instantly, but there are concrete steps that we as students can take towards decolonizing McGill. Those who attend talks on campus or SSMU legislative council meetings have heard the sentence “the McGill campus sits on unceded Kanien’keha:ka land.” Reiterating this statement at each event may seem redundant to some, but in doing so we reclaim past and present identity of this place, an identity whose origins are eroded by the name McGill. A land acknowledgement certainly is a respectful gesture that honours the injustice this university has perpetuated; however, it does not heal the ongoing damage of hundreds of years of oppression. In order to decolonize McGill, everyone needs to commit daily to the anti-colonial effort; the fight for decolonization is one of actions, not

just words. Here are various ways to increase your awareness and get involved on campus: EDUCATE YOURSELF AND OTHERS: - Take a course about race and/or colonialism - Read Indigenous Writes by Chelsea Vowel (read and buy Indigenous work in general) - Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action, learn about residential schools, reconciliation and decolonisation - Take Indigenous studies courses - Attend McGill’s Indigenous awareness week events in midSeptember - Attend Black history month events in February - Learn about microaggressions and educate people around you as to why they are harmful

ORGANIZE, GIVE SUPPORT, RESIST: - Support/get involved with the Indigenous Student Alliance - Support/get involved with Black Students’ Network - Engage with BDS in the fight to divest from companies profiting off of Israeli settlements by liking SPHR’s Facebook page. - Show solidarity with people struggling against colonialism through protesting, organizing, writing and material support. - Join the facebook group “settlement reparations for Indigenous people Montreal and surrounding area” to provide material support to Indigenous people around you. - Support Black and Indigenous-led initiatives around you: attend events, pay artists, support and share their work - Organize events and campaigns to counter colonialism on campus and in your community We hope to see you at a rally soon!

DINING HALLS, DRI

A comprehensive guid

Simone Cambridge The McGill Daily

1. Bishop Mountain Dining Hall Location: 3935 Rue University Hours: Mon to Fri: 7:30 AM – 9:30 PM; Sat and Sun: Brunch 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM, Dinner 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM Features: Home-style meals, salad bar, pastries Writer’s Pick: Falafel special days Vegetarian and vegan options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $$ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

2. Douglas Dining Hall Location: 3851 Rue University Hours: Mon to Fri: 7:15 AM – 10:00 AM, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: Comfort classics and made to order breakfast Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★

3. Athletics Café Location: McGill Sports Complex Hours of Service: Mon to Fri: 7:30 AM – 6:30 PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: hot meal specials (get there early!), smoothie bar, snacks Great for: before or after a workout Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $$ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★

4. New Residence Dining Hall Location: 3625 Avenue du Parc Hours: Mon to Fri: 7:30 AM – 9:30 PM; Sat and Sun: 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM Features: pasta bar, grill station, waffles on weekends, pizza, sushi, dessert bar, salad bar Vegetarian and vegan options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: III Budget: $$$ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

5. Première Moisson* Hours: Redpath Library location: Mon to Thurs: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM; Fri: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM; Sat and Sun: 10:00AM-5:00PM New Residence Hall location: Mon to Fri: 7:30 AM – 7:00 PM; Sat and Sun: 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM Features: pastries, salads, desserts, sandwiches Great for: a chocolate fix Writer’s Pick: double chocolate cookie a.k.a. your mid study session sin Vegetarian options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: IV Budget: $$ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★

*multiple locations

6. Paramount Fine Foods Location: Trottier Building Hours: Mon to Thurs: 8:00AM – 5:30PM; Fri: 8:00AM – 2:00PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: Middle Eastern food, pastries, smoothies, and sandwiches Halal and vegetarian options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★

7. Vinh’s Café* Locations: Genome Building and Strathcona Music Building Hours: Mon to Fri: 9:00AM – 5:00PM; S at and Sun: Closed Features: a selection of Vietnamese eats Writer’s Pick: hot pho on a cold December day, unmatched Vegetarian and vegan options available Wheelchair accessible Noise level: III Budget: $ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

8. Starbucks Location: Carrefour Sherbrooke Hours: Mon to Fri: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM; Sat and Sun: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM Features: beverages, pastries, sandwiches. Stroll into that lecture 15 minutes late with your iced coffee in hand – of course it was worth it! Vegetarian and vegan options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $$ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★

9. Carrefour Sherbrooke Dining Hall Location: 475 Rue Sherbrooke Hours: Mon to Fri: 7:30 AM – 9:30 PM; Sat and Sun: 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM Features: traditional meals, soups, salad bar, and stir fry station using locally sourced ingredients Great for: before a night out on Saint Laurent Vegetarian and vegan options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $$ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★

10. Dispatch Café Location: McConnell Engineering Building Hours: Mon to Thurs: 8:00 AM – 6:30 PM; Fri: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: specialty coffee, sandwiches, and pastries Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★

11. Frostbite Location: McConnell Engineering Building Hours: Mon to Fri: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: ice cream in tons of delicious flavours, and free ice cream days towards the end of the semester. Bonus: If you fail an exam below a 30% you get free ice cream! Vegetarian and vegan options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $ Methods of payment: Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

12. McConnell Café Location: McConnell Engineering Building Hours: Mon to Thurs: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM; Fri: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: grill menu, poutine, sandwiches, make-your-own pasta and salad bar, pizza, snacks Vegetarian options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: III Budget: $ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★

13. Royal Victoria College Dining Hall Location: 3425 Rue University Hours: Mon to Fri: 7:30 AM – 9:30 PM; Sat and Sun: Brunch 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM, Dinner 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM Features: stir fry station, pizza, Taco Tuesdays, meals, sandwiches, salad bar, pasta a la carte Vegetarian and vegan options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: IV Budget: $$ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Mandatory & Saver Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★

Macdonald Campus

IVE-INS, AND DIVES

de to on-campus dining

18. Thomson House PGSS

14. Subway

16. Soupe Café

Location: Arts Building Hours: Mon to Thurs: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM; Friday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: sandwiches, salads, cookies and chips Vegetarian options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: IV Budget: $ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★

Location: Burnside Hall Hours: Mon to Thurs: 7:30 AM – 8:00 PM; Fri: 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: assorted pastries, sandwiches, soups, and salads Writer’s Pick: chicken salad wrap or sweet potato burrito Vegetarian and vegan options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★

15. Snax Location: Leacock Building, First Floor Hours: Mon to Fri 8AM – 6PM; Sat & Sun: Closed Features: pastries, sandwiches, candy, drinks, snacks Great for: a quick bite between lectures at Leacock Vegetarian and vegan options available Wheelchair accessible Noise level: II Budget: $ Methods of payment: cash only Rating: ★ ★ ★

17. Education Café Location: Education Hall Hours: Mon to Thurs: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM; Fri: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM; S at and Sun: Closed Features: sandwiches, snacks, and baked goods Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★

Downtown Campus

Location: Post Graduate Students Society Building, 3650 Rue McTavish Hours: Mon to Wed: 11:30AM – 8:30PM; Thurs & Fri: 11:30AM – 8:30PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: an affordable restaurant menu, daily specials, bar, and outdoor patio. Their coffee and bar service is open until 11PM Mon to Wed, and until 12AM on Thurs and Fri Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $ Methods of Payment: Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

19. Med Café Location: McIntyre Medical Building Hours: Closed until further notice (fire damage) Features: self-serve buffet, pizza, pastries, snacks Vegetarian options available Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: IV Budget: $$ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★

20. Second Cup Location: Stewart Biology Building Hours: Mon to Thurs: 8:00 AM–6:00 PM; Fri: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: soups, salads and sandwiches Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★

21. Avvocato Café Location: Chancellor Day Hall Hours: Mon to Thurs: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM; Fri: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: breakfast foods, lunch specials, pastries, snacks Great for: A bite to eat before your trek up to McMed Writer’s Pick: The BLT sandwich – an affordable classic Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: I Budget: $ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★

22. Café Twigs Location: Barton/Macdonald Stewart Building at Macdonald Campus Hours: Mon to Fri: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: gourmet coffee and healthy options made with locally sourced ingredients from McGill’s Macdonald Farm Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: I Budget: $ Methods of Payment: OneCard, Meal Plans, Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★ ★

23. Student Run Café

Nelly Wat | The McGill Daily

Location: Barton/Macdonald Stewart Building at Macdonald Campus Hours: Mon to Fri 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM; Sat and Sun: Closed Features: home-cooked favourites and pizza Wheelchair accessible Noise/Crowd level: II Budget: $ Methods of payment: Cash, Interac, MasterCard, Visa Rating: ★ ★

GLOSSARY

22 Phoebe Pannier, Arno Pedram, Ariane Beck The McGill Daily

he McGill Daily has an accessibility issue. Its language has been, and often remains, inaccessible to students outside of critical theory. Evolving vocabulary can be useful to describe situations or identities which cannot

be properly discussed with outdated, offensive terminology. However, introducing terms without providing explanations creates echo chambers which exclude the same people it attempts to empower, often along the lines of immigration status, class, and access to education. The following terms and their definitions are provided as a tool to understand some of the more obscure vocabulary used by the Daily.

Like all words, especially words which are regularly debated by both scholars and folks on the Internet, their meanings shift constantly. The ways in which they have been defined may not work for all situations, nor may they be applicable in five or ten years. The following definitions were all researched to be as anti-oppressive and accurate as possible, but they’re not perfect. Certainly with time, the

GENDER & SEXUALITY

way we write and the way we think about difference will change, and language will follow suit. So use these definitions as a tool to read this paper, not as an end-all be-all rule. Think a definition is not accurate? Want to give us feedback? Want us to add an entry? Visit the glossary website page, and send us your anonymous input at www.mcgilldaily. com/glossary.

DISABILITY

Gender: A social construct which puts people into distinct categories (man, woman, nonbinary) based on how masculine or feminine they are perceived to be, amongst other things. Despite being a social construct, gender has real implications for people, and self-representation of gender is a legitimate performance of identity. Heteronormativity: The belief that all people fit into the gender binary and that heterosexuality is the default sexual orientation. It also assumes that men and women have specific and separate roles within social and romantic partnerships. Two-spirit: An Indigenous term and identity that encompasses queer sexual and gender identities while also not being limited to them. Two-spirit identities carry a cultural, social and historical relevance that goes beyond Western concepts of gender and sexuality. It is not a term for non-Indigenous people to identify with. Queer: A term used by non-heterosexual, gender-questioning, or nonconforming folks to self-identify. Queer can be used universally as an umbrella term or in reference to queer theory, i.e. the study of non-normative genders and sexualities.

Disability: A term which includes things such as restricted mobility (physical disability) or atypical brain functions (psychosocial disability). Disability can be present from birth or develop during life. Disability activism has exposed how disability is not a matter of individuals not fitting society’s standards, but rather, that disabled people are created by society’s active disregard of accessibility. Neuroatypical: Refers to people whose neurological function doesn’t conform what the medical community defines as “normal.” Neuroatypical people could be on the autism spectrum, the schizophrenia spectrum, or they might have learning disabilities, among other non-neurotypical conditions. Person-first language: The practice of writing “person with disabilities,” rather than “disabled person,” which many people find to be disrespectful since it grammatically positions the disability as primary to the person. Sometimes, people prefer to be referred to as a “disabled person,” because the outside environment actively “disables” them.

RACE & COLONIALISM Cultural appropriation: When people within culturally dominant groups benefit from the cultures of culturally marginalised people, while still oppressing those people for practicing their own cultures. Typically, it’s white people wearing garments like bindis or dreadlocks, though in certain contexts POC are also capable of culturally appropriating from other POC. Racialization: The process of ascribing racial identities to a group, with social, political, cultural and/or economic consequences of privilege and marginalisation. In contemporary North America, racialization is a product of white supremacy, with the purpose of continued domination. While it is often borne out of domination, racial groups sometimes come to identify with the ascribed identity, out of pride in their background (or for other reasons), and thus that racial identity becomes a self-ascribed characteristic. Settler: Someone who is not indigenous to an area and establishes, enforces and/or benefits from control over it. A colonizer can be differentiated from a settler in that the settler remains in the area whereas a coloniser can be removed from the area. Zionism: A modern political movement advocating the establishment of a Jewish state in the biblical land of Israel. Two thirds of the Palestinian populace were displaced in the war that led to the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. In the contemporary context, Zionism has come to represent a colonial attitude and practice towards Palestinians as a political movement that recognizes only Israeli/Jewish hegemony and legitimacy to self-determination in historic Palestine.

SEX WORK

ANTI-CAPITALISM

Abolitionists: People who want to fix the problems in the sex work industry by making sex work illegal, punishing both clients and sex workers. Abolitionists often conflate sex work and sex trafficking, and deny that sex work is work — thereby advocating for reforms impacting both sex work and sex trafficking without accounting for any difference between the two. Decriminalization: Elimination of criminal penalties against sex workers. This attitude recognizes sex work as work, allowing sex workers to be protected by workplace laws and organise into unions more easily. Legalization: Abolishment of laws banning sex work, and replacing them with laws regulating sex work. This approach gives elected officials zoning permissions for sex workers, often ending up in sex workers being pushed to the edge of the city, in dangerous, unregulated zones. Legalization also often encourages greater scrutiny of the state into the practice than other forms of job, and suspicion that they are more likely to have STIs.

Gentrification: The process by which lower- or middle-income neighbourhoods are appropriated by higher-income populations, usually resulting in the displacement of immigrant and lowincome residents. Signs of gentrification are rent hikes, increasing police presence, the use of euphemistic terms such as “redevelopment” by real estate agencies that cover for the expulsion of long-time tenants, or the opening of shops catering to a higher-income class, amongst others. Means of production: The non-labour factors which create products of economic value, for example: materials, facilities, tools or machinery. Human labour is distinct from the means of production, though it is another component needed to create goods. Socialism: A political and economic system wherein means of production and/or industries are made common property by the state for the citizens or by corporations for the workers.

MORE AT MCGILLDAILY.COM/GLOSSARY!!

Th is j ou oke tda is ted

FROM THE ARCHIVES 23

Compendium!

September 4, 2018 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Quebec parties in a slightly less racist election than previous years McGill students confused by “jarring” campaign signs found around campus

Athina Khalid The McGallWeekly

n August 23, as McGill students enjoyed the final weeks of their summer vacation, Philippe Couillard called a provincial election. While most McGillians will spend September at OAP, getting smashed at Café Campus, and “exploring” Montreal by going to cafés in the Plateau, a provincial election will be in full-swing right under their noses. The Liberal Party of Québec, led by Philippe Couillard, is hoping to win a second term. The party led Quebec from 2003-2012, and again from 2014-2018. In 2012, their attempt to raise in-province tuition resulted in widespread havoc. McGill students partook in the student protests with strength and fervour. Some even viewed their involvement as a part of their University Experience™! The Parti Québecois (PQ) defeated the Liberals in 2012, only to lose to the Liberals in 2014, in an election over-

run by the PQ’s failed attempted to revive an ethno-nationalist separatist sentiment. Although the victory of Couillard’s Liberals was a relief when compared to the confused, racist remains of a left-wing party (the PQ), the Liberal’s austerity measures have led to a decrease in the quality of health and education services. In response to the failures of a de facto two-party system in Quebec, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) was formed. The centre-right, quasi-libertarian party claims to provide Quebec voters with a never-before-heard option: privatize everything! The CAQ is polling at 37% while the Liberals are at 32%. Additionally, like the PQ, the CAQ believes that immigrants should take a “values” test before being granted citizenship. It is unclear what the test will consist of, but some suspect that testees will have to quote lines from «Le coeur a ses raisons», the acclaimed Québecois TV show starring iconic

In late September (TBD)

Québec actors Marc Labreche, Anne Dorval, and Celine Dion. Québec Solidaire (QS), the only veritable leftist party in the province, had three Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) in the last Legislature. Their policies are comprehensive and their polling numbers have doubled. That said, even if they were to triple their seats, they would still only have 9 out of 120 seats in the National Assembly. ¡Viva la revolución! One would think that the fact that a racist centre-right party and a less racist centre-right party are vying to win the election on October 1 would prompt activism in student centres, such as McGill. Alas, McGill’s international student population is largely uninterested by Quebec politics.

“Couillard, il est sérieux avec son nom?”

said Camille de Labranche, a management student from Paris. McGill’s Canadian student population thinks Quebec politics are irrational: “Quebec’s politics are so based in racism and French-Canadian identity,”

the staff of

said Tom, a Political Science major from the GTA, who may or may not have voted for Doug Ford. McGill’s in-province population is largely composed of anglophone Montrealers, who are equally disdainful of Quebec politics: “I’m from Westmount, and I’m moving to Toronto as soon as I graduate,” said Claudia, who is from Westmount and is moving to Toronto as soon as she graduates (honestly, we’re surprised she hasn’t already left). Despite the fact that the new government’s policies will affect McGill University through its provincial funding and McGill students through the province’s regulation (or lack thereof ) of tuition — not to mention the rest of the province’s 8.215 million residents — McGill students will spend September completely oblivious to the ongoing election. And, despite the fact that the election is in full swing, McGillians have reported feelings of shock and confusion when faced with the “jarring” campaign signs found around campus.

The McGill Daily

the 2018-19 editorial board.

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