The McGill Daily Vol. 109 Issue 4 by McGill Daily

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Content

September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Table of Contents 3 EDITORIAL

12 CULTURE

4 NEWS

14 SCI+TECH

Still No Clean Water in Neskantaga First Nation

In Solidarity: A Colonial Context Reclaiming Birthing Methods Government Inaction after Mount Polley Disaster Restorative Justice in Practice Indigenous Education Resources

9 FEATURES

Indigenous Architecture with Douglas Cardinal

AGM &

September/October Indigenous Events Calendar

Soupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On!

15 Horoscopes! 16 COMPENDIUM! Crossword!

Our popular workshop series continues!

Call for Candidates All members of the Daily Publications Society (DPS), publisher of The McGill Daily and Le DĂŠlit, are cordially invited to its Annual General Assembly:

Wednesday, October 23rd @ 5:30 pm Location TBA

The presence of candidates to the Board of Directors is strongly advised.

The DPS is currently accepting applications for its Board of Directors. Positions must be filled by McGill students, duly registered for the Fall 2019 and Winter 2020 semesters and able to serve until June 30th, 2020. We are also looking for one Graduate Representative and one Community Representative. Board members gather at least once a month to discuss the management of the newspapers and make important administrative decisions. To apply, please visit

dailypublications.org /board-of-directors/how-to-apply/

September 24 (Tuesday) & October 1 (Tuesday) Room 724, 680 Sherbrooke St. W. @ 6 p.m.

Attend our weekly news meeting! Pick up pitches, share your ideas, talk about investigations. The meetings are open to everyone - current contributors or anyone who's interested in writing!

Every Thursday (next meeting: September 26) Room 724, 680 Sherbrooke St. W. @ 5:30 p.m.

Check out the details on facebook.com/themcgilldaily

EDITORIAL

Volume 109 Issue 4

September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

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Still No Clean Water in Neskantaga First Nation content warning: colonial violence he Neskantaga First Nation declared a state of emergency for the second time this year on September 14, the day after both their primary and back-up water pumps broke. The damage to both pumps led to the contamination of the community’s tap water. Even after being boiled, as recommended by a federal advisory, the water has reportedly caused headaches, fevers, and skin infections. In light of the health risks posed to the community, the Chief of the Neskantaga First Nation, Christopher Moonias, called for an evacuation notice, which the Canadian government has rejected. The lack of access to clean drinking water in the Neskantaga First Nation is a clear human rights violation, indicative of the government’s purposeful disregard for Indigenous peoples in Canada. The First Nation has been under a boil water advisory and without access to safe tap water since 1995, which has fundamentally altered everyday life in the community. Prior to the elementary school’s closure on September 15, its filtration system had been a key source of safe, clean drinking water for Neskantaga First Nation residents alongside a temporary Reverse Osmosis Unit on the nearby Attawapiskat Lake. While the school was open, it was a normal part of the children’s day to fill water bottles and containers to take home to their families. This not only took critical time away from their education, but put the responsibility on children to provide safe, drinkable water for their families. Both the government and the media are characterizing boil water advisories as the results of “challenges [in] infrastructure,” as opposed to clear displays of racism and colonial violence through the government’s failure to provide basic life necessities to Indigenous communities. Despite having been promised a new water treatment facility by 2018, the First Nation is still waiting for an operational facility nine months after the deadline. On September 13, the Neskantaga First Nation made an emergency evacuation request to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) for 188 of the residents most directly impacted, which included individuals with chronic illnesses, infants, and elderly people. Over 18 hours later, ISC rejected Chief Moonias’ evacuation request, which he announced to members and residents of the First Nation via Facebook. Kevin Deagle, Press Secretary for the Minister of Indigenous Services, stated that the Ministry had a “firm commitment to resolving this issue and ensuring access to clean water for [the] Neskantaga First Nation,” despite not

having sent pump repair technicians to the community until 48 hours after the original request. The Neskantaga First Nation remains reliant on bottled water just months after Trudeau announced plans to ban single-use plastics. Following the rejection of their evacuation request, Chief Moonias called for a self-evacuation. As a result, the community is faced with financial uncertainty: residents are staying in hotels at their own expense in order to access safe drinking water. Councillor Allan Moonias stated that “it’s probably going to cost [the community] half a million dollars.” Seamus O’Regan, the Minister of Indigenous Services, told The Globe and Mail that the Ministry respects “Chief Moonias’ decision to evacuate his community and [is] focused on ensuring that community members […] have the health and wellness supports they need.” He vaguely added that the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs “will work to minimize any financial impacts that result from the selfevacuation,” with no clear indication of how much of the financial burden will fall back on the community. Indigenous Services Canada has also claimed that a new water treatment system will be ready in October, but community members are skeptical, given that the project was promised to be completed by 2018. As areas across Canada are impacted by disparate water crises, it is important to keep context in mind. Chief Moonias expressed that he “will not involve [himself ] in any discussion that will compare [the Neskantaga First Nation] with other First Nation communities.” He added, “our issues and crisis is unique and should be treated as such.” There are currently 56 separate areas in Canada affected by boil water advisories, each facing their own struggles and their own issues – all caused by the same government’s violence. We must condemn such violations of human rights and the Canadian government’s dismissal of people in crisis. In light of the upcoming climate march on September 27, we must recognize that sustainability practices which do not include Indigenous realities are counter-productive. While it is important to reduce plastic waste, the Prime Minister cannot call for a blanket ban on single-use plastics while the government’s willful inefficiency leaves many communities with no choice but to rely on them. According to Chief Moonias, no GoFundMe page is affiliated with the Neskantaga First Nation at this time. You can support the Neskantaga First Nation by donating to the Gathering of Rivers for Community Care, a charity the First Nation is affiliated with through Matawa First Nations Management.

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In Solidarity: A Colonial Context ISA and BSN Talk Solidarity on Campus

Yasna Khademian The McGill Daily content warning: sexual violence, settler-colonialism, anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism and slur

n September 19, three students from McGill’s Indigenous Student Alliance (ISA) and three students from the Black Student Network (BSN) came together for a public roundtable on the topic of solidarity and allyship – specifically in the colonial context of McGill University. Among the panelists from ISA were Janelle Bruneau, Noah Favel, and Catie Galbraith. Chloe Kemeni, Kai Trotz, and Ayo Ogunremi were the panelists from BSN, with Ogunremi co-moderating alongside Galbraith. Ogunremi opened the panel, remarking that it was “a very appropriate day” to be talking about solidarity. This past week, a series of photos and videos of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in brownface and blackface in the 1990s and early 2000s were found and published online. “It was a very hurtful and astounding image to witness for anyone who has experienced any kind of racial discrimination,” Ogunremi told the audience. This pervasive bigotry and white supremacy, he said, has been institutionalized into our political system.

“I came here and realized that I don’t need to be that way –I dont need to be white [...] I’m Black and if you have a problem with it, that’s really on you.” — Chloe Kemeni

Kemeni, whose advocacy on campus centres around racial justice and the prevention of sexual violence, brought up the topic of intersectionality. She underscored the fundamental role of violence in allowing McGill students to operate in Tiohtià:ke: what settlers call Montreal. “Rape was used as a tool to take this land that we stand on,” she stated.

The University Experience At an overwhelmingly white university, finding these safe, shared spaces can be extremely important for Black and Indigenous students. Favel, who is a member of the Cree Nation, grew up in Calgary, Alberta. “There’s not a lot of appreciation for Indigenous people there,” he explained; “it’s something you try to hide.” Around four years ago, Favel began working as a forklift driver, and at the panel, he recalled his first day at work. “I go into the lunchroom. I walk in, and all these old, white forklift drivers are talking about all these drunk natives in Calgary,” he explained. “They looked at me and they had a very surprised look on their face and said, ‘Are you Indigenous?’ And I said, ‘no, I’m not.’” But being a part of ISA and being around Indigenous students, Favel says, has changed that. “That doesn’t even remotely cross my mind now – I’m proud to be Indigenous.” Bruneau, who is from the Northwest Territories, echoed his statements. “They make navigating a world Indigenous people were never meant to be in a lot easier.” “Say someone says something really shitty in class,” Bruneau explained; “I can go to my Indigenous friends, and they validate it and make me feel that my feelings are normal.” It’s about the solidarity of having people around you who share a common history, she said. “You don’t have to explain where you’re coming from […] that labour – you don’t have to do it with Indigenous students on campus.” Trotz agreed, adding that “coming to McGill and having a community of people who are like-minded and who know those experiences, validates you as a person.” Kemeni, whose family immigrated to Canada, explained the internalized pressure she felt growing up to “adopt ‘white’ stereotypes and attributes” in order to be successful. “I came here and realized that I don’t need to be that way – I don’t need to be white,” she explained. “I’m Black and if you have a problem with it, that’s really on you.” McGill as a Colonial Institution The moderator posed the question of McGill as an institution, asking if it has decolonial aspects. One topic that was brought up was that of land acknowledgements. “It’s a contradiction [for McGill] to use land acknowledgements to say ‘we’re anti-colonial,’”

From left to right: Catie Galbraith, Noah Favel, Janelle Bruneau, Kai Trotz, Chloe Kemeni, and Ayo Ogunremi. Photograph courtesy of Allan Vicaire Favel explained, because the burden of making those land acknowledgements rests largely on Indigenous students and Indigenous professors. Regarding the Indigenous Studies program at McGill, Bruneau added that it feels strange to her. “[The professors] talk about us in a such a way that trivializes our identity and puts us at a static point in history, in a book or a painting, like we are not in this room,” she said. “They operate under the assumption that we are not in higher education.” Trotz also emphasized the lack of Indigenous and Black professors at the University, as well as the fact that even though Montreal has a large Black population, “you don’t see that on campus.” Role of Non-Black and NonIndigenous Allies For ISA, Bruneau says, allies are critical because they can take on the emotional labour that is too often delegated to Indigenous students. When ISA was tabling and campaigning last year to change the R*dmen name, she told the audience, it was important that non-Indigenous allies took on the burden of talking to aggressive onlookers. “Often all of their comments were directed at the visibly native person,” Bruneau explained, “so having a settler ally on the table really helped […] take some of the load off of us, so that we don’t have to do it all alone.”

As for Kemeni, she says that one of the most crucial things an ally should do is listen. Trotz echoed this statement, adding that it’s important to know “that your ideas matter and how you feel matters.” “It’s literally as simple as just giving someone a hug,” Kemeni said, “and saying ‘I see you, you’re doing it, and we’re gonna get through this together.’” She added, “it’s such high stakes when it has to deal with you.” At the same time, Kemeni explained, it’s important to ask yourself “why am I doing this?” and to understand the intention of why you’re doing something, because too often, there is still an element of white saviourism. Trotz added to the dialogue regarding the role of non-Black allies in dismantling anti-Black racism. “It’s important to have a space where our bodies our prioritized,” she stated, “in classrooms and on-campus, Black and Brown bodies are not prioritized.” But too often, Trotz says, people see BSN as “exclusive,” and they received comments saying that Black Frosh was “discriminatory.” Kemeni stated that in addition to the anti-Black microaggressions from non-Black people regarding the BSN, “folks are scared because they don’t know how to navigate a space.” “When you come from a racialized background, you’re always aware of your body and the space you’re taking up and how you navigate

the world,” Kemeni explained. But for people who don’t have that experience, they have to deal with this new uncomfortability, where spaces aren’t automatically accommodating you. But in addition to the solidarity between non-Black and/or nonIndigenous allies and these communities, the panellists touched on solidarity between Black and Indigenous peoples.

“[The professors] talk about us in such a way that trivializes our identity and puts us at a static point in history, in a book or a painting, like we are not in the room.” —Janelle Bruneau

In the colonial context, Tratz stated, both Black and Indigenous peoples have “two incredibly oppressive histories.” “There’s so much we can learn from one another.”

September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

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McGill

Reclaiming Birthing Traditions Indigenous Advocates Talk Maternal Health

Daisy Sprenger News Writer

Content warning: colonial violence

n September 19, as part of Indigenous Awareness Week, people gathered to hear a panel of experts on Indigenous practices of maternity, pregnancy, and birth. The panel was mediated by Dr. Kent Saylor, a member of the Mohawk Nation, pediatrician in Indigenous communities, and current director of the McGill Indigenous Health Professionals Program. Also present was Dr. Ojistoh Horn, a member of the Bear Clan, the Mohawk Nation, and from the community of Kahnawake. She practices family medicine, longterm geriatric care, prenatal care, and baby care at the Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre in Kahnawake. The other panelist was Stacy Williams, who works as a doula with the Indigenous Birth Keepers Group, which operates in Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre, located in Surrey, British Columbia. The panel proceeded from Saylor’s welcome into a chance for Horn and Williams to share their knowledge and experiences. Horn started by contrasting traditional Indigenous approaches to birth with the realities of giving birth today. Historically, she told the audience, birth was a multi-generational community event.

Elder generations provided support and experience, and younger women used it as a learning opportunity. In her presentation, Horn questioned the modern “dissociation from this process until we are actually in it.” This “disassociation” makes the birthing process more stressful than necessary, aggravating depression and anxieties. Adding to this, many Indigenous women are forced to travel long distances in order to reach a hospital. And although rural Indigenous communities may have a clinic, they are often deemed insufficient, and pregnant women are strongly encouraged to travel to larger cities. Both Horn and Williams underscored the trauma of having to give birth in a strange hospital, without the comfort of one’s community. In stark contrast to the traditions of familial support, oftentimes, only one relative is able to join the mother – if at all. What Horn and Williams are both doing, within each of their communities, is a start at providing additional birthing options and support to Indigenous women. In this vein, Horn spoke of creating solidarity amongst the few Indigenous practitioners of medicine. Similarly, Williams’ work within the Indigenous Birth Keepers Group is a way to provide support and reclaim tradition. Through the group, expecting parents can access doulas, who provide emotional

Daisy Sprenger | Illustrator

and spiritual support, both during and after pregnancy. There are also parenting and childcare programs available, as well as the chance for new parents to connect with elders in the community. Horn then mentioned some of the alarming statistics regarding birth and pregnancy within Indigenous communities. According to the National Collaborating Center for Aboriginal Health, Indigenous mothers are disproportionately affected by premature and stillborn births. This may be attributed to toxic pollution and insufficient access to proper nutrition – a part of the larger, structural mistreatment of Indigenous communities. The systemic exclusion of Indigenous people in medical studies only worsens the problem. But Horn also reminded the audience that as troubling as these facts are, this negative lens provided by mainstream media is not the only narrative. On a positive note, the rate of breastfeeding among Indigenous communities is on the rise. Due to the institutional and historic separation of Indigenous women and their children, traditional practices of caring for children after birth have been disrupted. Macleans reports that as part of forced assimilation in the early 1900s, the Canadian government started making Indigenous women travel to federally-operated hospitals, disrupting various birthing traditions such as the inclusion of extended family members. But according to the 2018 Quebec First Nations Regional Health Survey, more than half of First Nations children between ages zero to five are now being breastfed, compared to less than 40 per cent of children in 2008. Breastfeeding has numerous positive benefits for babies, such as the development of motor, intellectual, social, and emotional abilities, per the report. There have been numerous efforts from Indigenous advocates across the country to provide new mothers with more resources and opportunities to embrace traditions historically denied them by the impositions of the colonial government. At Kateri Memorial Hospital in Kahnawake, Vanessa Rice has been a breastfeeding support worker for the past two decades, starting to work with new mothers in the 24 to 28 hours after birth. In a 2018 article, Rice tells CBC, “Having the support as soon as moms come home with their baby, I think that’s what makes their breastfeeding journey

Daisy Sprenger | Illustrator very successful. Peer support is what is in demand and what has been happening in our community.” And in Manitoba, the Manitoba Indigenous Doula Initiative was recently founded, providing women with during and post-birth traditions, such as the placenta ceremony. Speaking on this, Horn explained to the audience, “there are a lot of those outcomes that we know anecdotally, but we don’t necessarily have the research to back [them] up.”

This work is “out of love, and it’s just from the heart.” — Stacy Williams

Williams recounted her experiences as a doula as incredibly varied. She emphasized how every mother is different – a reality that is unfortunately often overlooked. There is a problematic tendency, she says, to generalize within dialogues about Indigenous communities. It’s critical

to remember that “Indigenous” is a very broad term, and that each community has different practices and traditions. Within these communities, Williams says, each mother and family will have different outlooks, personal histories, and levels of comfort and desires. Part of her job as a doula is to listen to the mothers and provide them with the best possible experience. This may vary from seeing them through a traditional home-birth with a midwife, to trying to make a birth in a hospital more comfortable. She doesn’t think of this sort of community-oriented approach to birth as work. To her, “it’s out of love, and it’s just from the heart.” Finally, Horn explained her own personal journey and change in approach to medicine throughout her career. Despite some initial skepticism as a young medical practitioner, she summed up her reconciliation of the importance of tradition: “our stories may not necessarily be rooted in science, but at least they’re giving our women their cultural knowledge.” It is this cultural knowledge that supports and rebuilds communities, while reclaiming the process of life.

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September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Beyond

Mount Polley: A “Textbook Case of Corporate Negligence” Government Inaction Five Years After Disaster

Tara Alami News Writer

communities, including the Lhtako Dené, T’exelcemc, and Xat’sull First Nations, learned of the disaster content warning: colonial from friends, and were not notified by Imperial Metals or the provincial violence government. Five years after the ittle has been done to account disaster, Imperial Metals has not for the Mount Polley mining faced criminal charges. Quesnel Lake, one of the bodies of disaster, one of the biggest environmental disasters in water most affected by the spill, is a Canadian history, which began on crucial source of fish and drinking August 4, 2014. Due to a breach in an water for the Lillooet Tribal Imperial Metals-owned copper and Council, which represents seven gold mine, approximately 24 billion First Nations local communities in litres of slurry and toxic waste were the Northern St’át’imc Territory. It spilled into Quesnel Lake, Polley provides a critical source of protein Lake, and surrounding waterways in for members of these First Nations, British Columbia. Local Indigenous as salmon is the primary food

Quesnel Lake, one of the bodies of water most affected by the spill, is a crucial source of fish and drinking water for the Lillooet Tribal Council.

source in the area, with alternative replacements costing up to 3.8 million for each community. Though the fish habitat was supposedly protected under the Federal Fisheries Act, Imperial Metals was repeatedly given an Environmental Management Act permit from the BC Ministry of Environment, to release waste directly into Quesnel Lake. Furthermore, several government and independent reports detailed the mine’s substandard construction both before and during its operation and preventable flaws in the dam’s design. Two years after the breach, Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley mine resumed operating and was granted a permit allowing the dam to continue discharging waste into Quesnel Lake, until 2022, disregarding the Fisheries Act and the demands of Indigenous communities. As for now, the mine has deferred operations since May 31, due to low copper prices.

Two years after the breach, Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley mine has resumed operating.

this year Prime Minister Trudeau and Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson have failed to act on the deadline – August 4, 2019 – to file charges against Imperial Metals, in spite of the disaster being, as The Tyee reports, a “textbook case of corporate negligence.” Though not often focused on in the media, Canada is a global force in the mining industry, and has a history of irresponsible practices and neglect of environmental devastation. Non-profit British Columbia’s Liberal organizations, like SumOfUs and government, headed from 2011 Reform BC Mining have petitions to 2017 by Premier Christy Clark, addressed to Prime Minister failed to file charges against the Trudeau, Minister of Fisheries and company while receiving millions Oceans Jonathan Wilkinson, and of dollars in donations from mining Minister of Justice David Lamett, giants, including Imperial Metals, in order to hold Imperial Metals which has donated almost $200,000 accountable for the Mount Polley mining disaster, to enforce the to the B.C. Liberal party. Bev Sellars, Chief of Xat’sull Federal Fisheries Act, and to reform First Nation at the time of the B.C. mining laws. Further, Amnesty incident, attempted to file private International is pushing for a public charges in 2017, but was rejected inquiry into British Columbia’s by BC Prosecution Services. As of mining regulatory regime.

Phoebe Pannier | The McGill Daily

September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

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Beyond

Restorative Justice in Practice Indigenous Court Opens in Calgary

Emily Black News Editor

he Calgary Indigenous Court (CIC) opened on September 4, operating weekly and overseen by four judges with deep ties to various Indigenous communities. Eighteen months in the making, the court deals mainly with bail and sentencing hearings, setting out to approach crime through peacemaking, as well as cultural and community connections. Reconciliation in Court Specifically designed to work towards connecting crimes to their affected communities and cultures, the courtroom is configured around a singular round table, in which all parties sit at the same level, facing each other. This arrangement involves everyone in the courtroom – judges, victims, offenders, and lawyers – as an equal participant in the judicial process. The Court operates on a model of reconciliation and restorative justice, focusing on harm reduction rather than punishment. At the opening ceremony, Judge Eugene Creighton spoke to the need for a court of this kind, expressing that the “current system of justice and the criminal code itself are not effective in dealing with crime involving Indigenous people and do not honour First Nations’ traditions.” The Court saw its first case on the day of its opening, involving a young man whose bail, according to the CBC, would not have been granted had it not been for the “supports put in place by agency workers connected to the court.”

Phoebe Pannier| Illustrator Agencies such as the Elizabeth Fry and John Howard Societies, Native Counselling Services of Alberta, Aboriginal Friendship Centre, and HomeFront, based in Calgary, play significant roles as stakeholders in each case seen in this courtroom, and together work towards finding how best to support the accused and affected communities. “The whole objective is to start moving forward with reconciliation [...] and being innovative with sentences,” Creighton stated, speaking to the court’s mission. “We’re wanting to throw some responsibility on the accused so they can take responsibility for their

“[The] current system of justice and the criminal code itself are not effective in dealing with crime involving Indigenous people and do not honour First Nations’ traditions.” — Judge Eugene Crighton

actions.” By giving the accused opportunities to make amends and connections with those affected, restorative justice makes it possible for them to take active responsibility in their community, as opposed to facing serious jail time. It is reported that around 30 per cent of incarcerated adults are Indigenous, and are therefore overrepresented in the correctional system, exposing a serious issue with mass incarceration. Courts such as these aim to combat those numbers and to bring together all levels of the judicial system in a common goal – keeping offenders out of prison. Through implementing recommendations from the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) report, as well as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the Court intends to be a formative step in dismantling colonial violence in the justice system. Past and Precedent Similar courts are already in use

elsewhere in the country, notably in British Columbia, Ontario, and in Nova Scotia. Sometimes called “Gladue Courts,” in reference to the R. v. Ipeelee and R. v. Gladue cases, these courts were opened to fulfill recommendations based on restorative justice. Ipeelee and Gladue both set precedents in policy changes, and, when employed in the courtroom, work to inform alternative practices in sentencing.

“The whole objective is to start moving forward with reconciliation.” —Judge Eugene Creighton While the judicial system as a whole has been hesitant to fully employ these changes, the Canadian Supreme Court reaffirmed the two landmark

cases in 2000: “courts must take judicial notice of such matters as the history of colonialism, displacement, and residential schools and how that history continues to translate into lower educational attainment, lower incomes, higher unemployment, higher rates of substance abuse and suicide, and of course higher levels of incarceration for Aboriginal peoples [...] they provide the necessary context for understanding and evaluating the case-specific information presented by counsel.” Although the recommendations of these decisions were put forward over twenty years ago and their implementation has been slowmoving, courts created with Indigenous-specific contexts in mind are essential to ensuring fair correctional systems. Calgary’s court, along with its predecessors in other provinces, are part of efforts to embody these recommendations and judicial disparities. They focus on restorative justice and healing for the victim, offender, and affected community in every phase of the cases seen.

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Beyond

Indigenous Education Resources Librarian Creates Classroom Guides

Kelsey McKeon Staff Writer

he Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which officially began in 2008 as a result of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, aimed to document the erased history of the residential school system and in doing so, act as a step towards meaningful, lasting reconciliation. Before the final TRC report was published, the commission released a document with 94 “calls to action.” Actions 62 through 65 call upon federal, provincial, and territorial governments, as well as the Council of Ministers of Education, to create a mandatory curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Indigenous peoples in Canadian history for students in K-12. According to the government of Canada, their response to Action 62 on the TRC Calls to Action is to transform education on reserves, contribute financial resources to the First Nations University of Canada, and allocate $275 million within 2016’s budget for language and culture until 2020. Aside from the dedication of funding, federal response to Action 62 centers itself upon structuring the education of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous-specific educational institutions are disadvantaged when compared to non-Indigenous educational systems, in terms of funding and follow-through on behalf of policy-makers. The government must take care when intervening in the systems of knowledge they once worked to systematically destroy, especially in the context of the settlercolonial project that continues to erase Indigenous ways of knowing and living. As for Action 63, the responsibility for responding to this Action falls on the Council of Ministers of Education.

“This resource is limited compared to the breadth of materials that are available [...] there is an entire world of fantastic Indigenous resources.” — Desmond Wong

Phoebe Pannier | The McGill Daily In Ontario, Indigenous educators and elders were invited to partake in the curriculum revision project. These curriculum writing sessions, scheduled for July 2018, aimed to infuse Indigenous perspectives into the course content of each subject. The writing sessions were cancelled just three days before they were set to begin. It is unclear who is responsible for the cancellation, though it is likely that the Ministry of Education cancelled the sessions in response to budget cuts by the Doug Ford administration. Frustrated with this cancellation and the government’s failure to act, citizens are taking matters into their own hands. One endeavor, led by the University of Toronto’s Outreach Librarian Desmond Wong, initially aimed to create a list of free resources in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Comission’s Calls to Action and the Ontario government’s cancellation of the curriculum rewriting sessions. This list of resources eventually evolved into a research guide, entitled

“Infusing Indigenous Perspectives in K-12 Teaching.” The material includes audio and visual material as well as games, lesson plans, Indigenous language materials, and other forms of course support for teachers and educators. The research guide that houses these materials was started in 2013 by current Acting Director of the University of Toronto’s library, Jenaya Webb, and a student, Rebekah Bedard, in collaboration with the Deepening Knowledge Project and Dr. Jean-Paul Restoule. The guide is made available to all online through the University of Toronto’s teaching and education research program. Though not the first of its kind – the University of Alberta also offers a comprehensive education guide – it is set apart by being a living, breathing entity, inclusive of a wide range of media forms; Wong is continually looking for new resources to improve and add depth to the guide. Most recently, a section on Indigenouscreated Virtual and Augmented Reality has just been added. In conversation with the Daily, Wong expressed

that he hopes the next step will be to more fully incorporate resources on Indigenous languages, which he says are “essential to Indigenous knowledges and worldviews, into pedagogy and every day interactions in classrooms.” However, in regards to Quebec’s Ministry of Education and school board system, progress towards fulfilling the TRC Calls to Action is similarly slowmoving. A March 2017 report from the Advisory Board on English Education entitled “Indigenous Education: Walking on Both Sides of the River” includes a section on involvement of [Indigenous] community members in developing the education system. This report uses the rhetoric of “preserving community traditions and heritage [...] as elders die” contributing to the image of the disappearing Indigneous population. Much of this report is centered upon improving the education process for Indigenous students, yet fails to commit to concrete changes for the implementation of Indigenous knowledges and historical processes within the education of

non-Indigenous students. Section 8 condemns the present instruction of Indigenous content for nonIndigenous students in Quebec; though it mentions the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report, it merely describes what school boards in other provinces have done rather than putting forward any concrete changes to address this gap in curriculums. As of October 2018, Quebec’s school system further revised its curriculum to include mention of residential schools, though it did so without consulting with Indigenous peoples. Further, the revised curriculum fails to address Indigenous treaties and contributions of Indigenous peoples. While citizen-led initiatives such as Wong’s guide serve as an excellent resource, he recognizes “this resource is fairly limited compared to the breadth of materials that are available.’’ As he describes, “there is an entire world of fantastic Indigenous resources.”

September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

features

Indigenous Architecture

with Douglas Cardinal Image Courtesy of Douglas Cardinal Architects Nelly Wat The McGill Daily content warning: mentions of colonial violence, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Indigenous slurs

n the night of September 17, I entered a packed lecture hall in Macdonald Harrington, eager to see the architect whose work had initially drawn me towards architecture at a young age. As I entered the hall, the lights already dimmed and every seat filled, I joined those who were crouching on the steps of the aisles. That night, Douglas Cardinal challenged and upended the axioms and conventions on which I had built up my knowledge of architecture. Renowned Blackfoot architect and activist Douglas Cardinal was born in Calgary in 1934 and studied architecture at the University of British Columbia and the University of Texas at Austin. Cardinal has been awarded over 20 honourary doctorates and the title of Officer of the Order of Canada. One of the most notable signatures of his work is organic, curvilinear forms and a resistance to conventional, rectilinear shapes commonly found in architecture. Cardinal approaches architecture through an Indigenous worldview which, he explains, is based on cooperation, responsibility to one’s community, respect of land and life, and respect towards one’s ancestors as well as

future generations. Thus, Cardinal bases his work on the philosophy of organic architecture, which is centred on the relationships between human beings, architecture, and the environment, and approaches architecture as a greater living organism. Cardinal began by picking up a black feather, explaining, “Elders told me to take it with me and remind me that I have to speak from my heart.” He began telling us about his childhood and family. His father, who was Anishinaabe, left his reserve and lived off the land. He was a hunter and trapper who sustained himself and his family off the land entirely, and raised Cardinal with the same skills and respect for the land and for life. “He realized that these animals gave up their lives so we could flourish, so we respected them.” His mother was a nurse who worked at a mental hospital. Cardinal describes her with fondness, “she was a very strong woman and she was from German immigrants who settled in Alberta [...] At that time women had no voice. They didn’t have the vote, and they were just property of men. But she would never stoop to that. She was very self-sufficient. She got an education, and she was her own person. The doctors wanted to marry her, but she would never be in a patriarchal system, like the healthcare system was at that time. “When she met my father [...] and of course he’s Anishinaabe, and the Anishinaabe people honoured

women. And women were very important in Anishinaabe culture because they were primarily matrilineal and matriarchal. Women made all the decisions in the home, and made all the decisions for the community, and made all the decisions in the nation. And men [...] honoured the decisions of the women and implemented them. That was very important for my mother, because she realized [that] if she stayed in the settler culture, she would be in a patriarchal system that [...] she could not even think of tolerating. So she would rather live with my father. She quit her job, a very important job, and she moved to a little log cabin and raised eight children, and I’m the oldest.” Cardinal then went on to talk about the impacts of settler colonialism and Catholic education on his childhood. “The problem came when I was

around six or seven. My mother was Catholic. And the priest came in and said, ‘You can’t be married to this s*vage [...] The only way you’ll have salvation is if you bring your children up Catholic.’ The priest convinced my mother to send me to a convent, and my two brothers, so we would be raised good Catholics. I spent half my time praying for my father, who was ‘such a s*vage,’ but to me, he was a very caring and loving human being. The people there at the convent [...] were very abusive and talked about love but never followed through with it. [...] I thought that truly my father was an amazing human being, and he taught me about loving and caring for all life. Because he lived it. He didn’t just talk about it. And I could understand why my mother loved him. “So I wasn’t brought up on the reserve. But my mother wanted to make sure I was trained in the arts because she wanted me to be an

Cardinal bases his work on the philosophy of organic architecture, which is centred on the relationships between human beings, architecture, and the environment, and approaches architecture as a greater living organism.

architect. And I always listened to my mother. “She trained me in the arts. That was the foundation for my background as an architect. “But I could not remain a ‘good Catholic,’ or a good product of the colonies, because everything in my being rebelled against the programming I went through. The programming I went through was so challenging to me, mentally and physically, that I had tremendous anxiety attacks [...] that would totally lay me flat. I could not tolerate that kind of thinking, that kind of mentality of the church and the state, because it was, for me… every cell in my body rebelled. So I had a very difficult time to survive. “So at 15, I could not even take one more bit of society. I’d end up very sick with anxiety, and I’d run out to the trees and bush and totally get away from the settler society in order for me to even breathe. My whole nature, my whole way of being, rebelled against that society, and power, and control, and its [disrespect] for life [...] and everything about it is disconnected from life and from nature, and our own nature. “I found no value in the society that is based on a worldview that’s totally insane, as far as I can see, because our whole system rebelled against it. I dealt with it in a different way. I saw at that time that we come from two different worldviews.”

features

September 23. 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Two Different Worldviews Cardinal distinguishes his worldview from that of settlercolonial society; the Indigenous worldview of his community, he explains, is based on individual responsibility, respect, and self-worth. In this worldview, power, as well as knowledge, resides within the individual. Indigenous society, according to Cardinal, is an extended family and is matriarchal. This society encourages cooperation as opposed to competition, and lives in harmony with nature and our own nature. Settler-colonial society, on the other hand, is founded on power, hierarchy, and control, and enforces conformity to the dominant structures and institutions by fear and manmade laws. Within this settlercolonial structure, there is a constructed binary of good and evil, which allows individuals to deny responsibility for their actions due to an external, powerful evil. Knowledge is perceived as something one must attain in order to earn credibility, and contributions must be legitimized by those seen as more knowledgeable than you. Cardinal rejects the settlercolonial worldview, its patriarchal structure, and its disregard for life. He emphasizes the importance of life, temporality, and responsibility to others, both past, present, and future: “In the hierarchical world view [...] man is naturally territorial, develops weapons of mass destruction that continue to accelerate, and the spin-off of these technologies [are] primarily designed for warfare.”

Countering Settler Architecture “So how would one plan if we have a different way of thinking?” Cardinal draws from one of his projects, which was to create a land use plan for the Kamloops Indian Band, to demonstrate how he approached planning and design from an Indigenous perspective. “I was asked by the elders to plan some traditional territories, and they guided me through these principles. First of all, start with all the species at risk and lay out all of them, and their land, how its used… and cultural areas, traditional uses, and historical uses… that they used the land for, for millennia. “Then we had to go out on the land and they pointed out all the species at risk, and to make sure we have proper habitats for their future. Because it’s a crime against a creator to kill species. And we kill species every day. We have no care for what we do. We’re so arrogant that we just destroy life around us, every day.

Image Courtesy of Douglas Cardinal Architects They wanted to make sure that those species will be protected.” He continues, pointing to a land use map delineated by various coloured and shaded zones, “The potential recreational areas [are for teaching] their children about how important it is to retain life on the land. And in doing so, showing the paths of different animals that had to be respected. So we respect the lives of all the animals around us. We had to even plan where they went for water. We had to make sure we respected their paths. “And also to make sure the water source would be protected. And planning proper buffers around water so that the wetland plants that purify the water have an opportunity to be able to work with the way of nature, as the water flows to the wetlands before it flows into the creeks. “We made certain that where we were developing, we weren’t

going to destroy nature, because how can you have a future when you destroy all your life givers? Because the life givers, for us, are all the animals and birds, the fish, the plants...without them, how can we live? They gave up their lives so that we can live. So we have to respect them [...] unless they thrive, we cannot thrive. “You destroy your life givers, you destroy yourself. What are you gonna eat? A bunch of dollars? “This is land use planning where you plan for land and nature, working together in harmony and balance, respect, and care. This is the way you plan. “The way you learn how to plan, is absolutely insanity. You don’t even plan for the next generation. You destroy all life around you. You destroy forests, rivers. Look at our cities! Our cities are like gridlike cancerous growths that just expand like a virus on the planet, like a cancer. Polluting everything

“This is land use planning where you plan for land and nature, working together in harmony and balance, respect, and care. This is the way you plan.” - Douglas Cardinal

around them. It’s like a cancer that has no brain… it destroys its host and then at the end it gets destroyed too, because when the host dies it dies too. You can’t act like a virus and expect anything other than the result we’re getting on the planet right now. What kind of planning is that?” “That’s planning for no future for our children.” “[The elders] said, ‘don’t plan it like they planned Kamloops, because they planned it around their sewage systems [...] instead of planning it around life and vitality. All the run-off from the roads and roofs of their houses, and all the pollution [...] runs into the river and kills all the salmon. Don’t be like those settlers. They don’t respect the river, they don’t respect the salmon, they don’t respect life.’ Cardinal also planned the area, which was very dry, so that water could run on the land rather than in pipes. The plan was designed so that water would follow the drainage patterns of the land, and then collect in ponds with wetland plants that purify the water. Vehicular and pedestrian traffic was separated so that children and elders would not have to cross busy roads. Cardinal first designed the residential areas as cul-de-sacs, but the women in the community objected. “They said, ‘this is still

too patriarchal… because you still have houses separated from each other in rows, and in doing so you separate the women from each other so you can control [them].’” The separation of houses inhibited the fostering of social networks between neighbouring women, children, and families. He then modified the design into circular clusters of five residential buildings, with a green recreational space for children in the center and roads on the outside of the clusters. Cardinal also designed Ouje’ Bougoumou Village for the Ouje’ Bougoumou Cree First Nation according to his circular cluster model.

Cardinal rejects the settler-colonial worldview, its patriarchal structure, and its disregard for life. “When women get together they will change things. Because they’re thinking of their children.” Cardinal also stresses the importance of community consultation and designing in

September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

features collaboration with communities, as opposed to making assumptions about the needs of these communities. Throughout his design process for the new Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute in Ouje’ Bougoumou, he modified his design and presented it to the community at least eight times, until the community was satisfied with the proposed building. “Each person speaks from their heart. There’s no debate, it’s not about who’s right, or who wins, it’s about listening. Decisions are made by consensus. [...] A lot of times people don’t know what they want, but they know what they don’t want, and that’s valuable information. So you have to listen to them.” As seen in the final design, the sloping roof of the building was intended to emulate the traditional shaptwam building form, and to reflect the desires of the local Cree community and house a cultural and artistic space.

“To me, I think that when you’re designing a building you should speak from your heart.”

- Douglas Cardinal

For another ongoing project, Cardinal was tasked with designing residential buildings in Elsipogtog First Nations to address a housing crisis, in which existing homes were deteriorating from mould. He uses existing construction technology to design affordable, durable, and

prefabricated homes, using solid wood as opposed to drywall, which has a tendency to collect moisture and thus form mould. He also aims to design these homes with net zero energy consumption, reducing utility costs for its inhabitants.

Fluid Forms Many of Cardinal’s buildings are characterized by fluid, curvilinear forms. One of his most famous works, St. Mary’s Church in Red Deer, Alberta, is exemplary of his style; as he was designing the structure in the 1960s, he recalls, he relied on computers in order to solve thousands of mathematical equations simultaneously, and was told that his design was mathematically impossible. He headed to Chicago, where there was a computer that was capable of processing and proving these equations fast enough, and was able to formulate the fluid forms of the structure. St. Mary’s Church featured a swooping roof that was designed to create acoustics within the church that would carry sound without a microphone. More of his famous works include the Canadian Museum of History, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the Adelante Healthcare Building. Commenting on his signature style, Cardinal explains, “All my buildings are curved because I respect the power of women and I want that expressed in the architecture and the forms of architecture. All my buildings are female. The Greeks had Doric and Ionic forms, male and female forms, in their architecture. I chose my architecture to be Ionic, to be female-oriented, because I want my buildings to [...] nurture people [...] and provide them care, and love, and beauty.”

Image Courtesy of Douglas Cardinal Architects Architecture and Urban Planning as Colonial Practice Cardinal rejects the colonial and capitalist structures that permeate architecture and urban design, recentering planning on the interests of communities, their continuity with the land, the environment, and life. Architectural practice and urban planning often reflect neoliberal, uncritical, and colonial tendencies. Concepts such as “sustainability” and “green roofs” are often used as nothing more than marketable buzzwords, attractive in concept but never upheld and implemented in practice. Urban planning has historically been and is still used as a settler-colonial

tool of control, dominance, segregation, and the oppression of Indigenous peoples. Many postcolonial cities in the Global South, including those in Malaysia, India, Indonesia, and South Africa, were master-planned by European colonizers to segregate Indigenous and racialized people from white settlers, thus enforcing colonial rule and upholding white supremacy. This is also practiced in occupied Palestine by the Israeli government as a means of controlling Palestinian land and upholding an apartheid regime. Moreover, in North America, settlers on unceded land use urban planning and policy as a means of racial segregation. Land use policies such as racial zoning, for

example, were first enacted in the US in the 20th century to push Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and racialized people out of desirable residential locations and distance them from white residents. As Cardinal finished his lecture, he returned his gaze to the feather in his hand. “There’s always these ‘experts’ that know all about everything. They come in and they don’t speak from here at all,” he says, gesturing to his heart. “They speak from the head. To me, I think that when you’re designing a building you should speak from your heart. My culture tells me that the soft power of love is much greater than the hard power of force. That’s what my elders have always taught me.”

Image Courtesy of Douglas Cardinal Architects

September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

culture

September/ October Indigenous Events Calendar During Indigenous Awareness Week, we encourage you to learn directly from Indigenous people regarding their experiences. Some of these events are open to the public, but others are intended for Indigenous people to connect. Remember your positionality and consider whether your presence will contribute positively to a space when choosing which events to attend. While Indigenous Awareness Week brings a whole host of important events, it’s important for us to remember that Indigenous people do not stop existing, organizing, telling stories, or creating histories after “Awareness Week” ends.

Montreal Distorted Descent Launch At Concordia University Tuesday, September 24 (7:00 pm - 8:30 pm) From the event page: “Join Darryl Leroux as he discusses the major findings from his book Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity. Books will be available for purchase at the event in cash ($25).”

Untold Stories of Indian Health Services and Intimate Resistance A part of Indigenous Awareness Weeks Wednesday, September 25 (12:00 pm - 2:00 pm) From the Facebook event: “Embodied Geographies of Care: Indigenous Peoples’ Untold Stories of Indian Health Services and Intimate Resistance in Tyendinaga and the Surrounding Area [with] Shelby Loft.”

Fruits of Our Labour: Annual General Meeting Hosted by Montreal Indigenous Community NETWORK Wednesday, September 25 (5:30 pm - 8:30 pm) An opportunity for any individual or group (Indigenous or non-Indigenous) to “join The NETWORK in celebrating a year of growth, transformation, and learning.” Indigenous community members who are “committed to social justice and decolonization” are also encouraged to apply for the NETWORK’s Board of Directors, which will have its election at the meeting.

Bidaanban: First Light – Virtual Reality Experience A part of Indigenous Awareness Week Reception on Thursday, September 26 (5:00 pm 7:30 pm) Created by Lisa Jackson, Mathew Borrett, Jam3, and the National Film Board of Canada, this is a virtual reality experience that is rooted in Indigenous futurism which explores “a highly realistic – and radically different – Toronto of tomorrow” that has been reclaimed by nature. In the experience, viewers engage with “written text of the Wendat, Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) and Anishinaabe (Ojibway) and gain insight into the complex thought systems of this land’s first peoples.”

What Does Matriarchy & Indigenous Language Mean Indigenous Awareness Weeks Closing Friday, September 27 (5:00 pm - 7:30 pm) An open mic event that welcomes Indigenous members of the McGill community to share what matriarchy and Indigenous language mean to them through song, poetry, stories, etc.

Art Exhibition: Nehirowisidigital De Meky Ottawa At La Guilde Until Sunday, September 29 From the event page: “Modern and minimal in style, and halfway between the traditional and the contemporary, her work is strongly inspired by her Atikamekw culture and heritage, her feminist perspective and her daily urban life. Her works are often humorous and committed, and at times political through reverse reappropriation.”

September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

culture A Powerful Wind on Turtle Island: Narratives of the Afro-Indigenous Experience in the Americas Hosted by the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling Tuesday, October 1 (12:00 pm - 2:00 pm) Alicia Aroche is a producer and documentarian who is interested “in facilitating storytelling among communities that have been historically silenced, marginalized and trauma-impacted; to support their healing and to inspire action.” In this event, she will be focusing on AfroIndigenous experiences in the Americas, which she is currently producing a documentary on.

14th Annual Memorial March and Vigil for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans and Two-Spirit People Organized by the Centre for Gender Advocacy and Missing Justice: Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Friday, October 4 (6:00 pm)

Facing the Monumental At the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal Until Sunday, October 6 This is the largest exhibit of Anishinaabekwe artist Rebecca Belmore’s work to date. Her art “explores our problematic relationships with territory, women’s lives, historic events and ongoing violence against Indigenous peoples.” The museum is also hosting an event with the Festival international de littérature on Friday, September 27 (5 pm - 7 pm), during which “three women of different generations who play an important role in the Indigenous literary and arts scene” will be reading pieces that they have written about Belmore’s work.

Crafting Circle Hosted by Native Montreal Weekly on Thursday (6:00 pm - 8:30 pm) An opportunity for Indigenous individuals to learn a new skill or work on a project in beading, painting, sewing, and other mediums. Materials are provided.

From the event page: “Too many Indigenous families have lost their loved ones to racist, misogynistic, colonial violence. Too many Indigenous women, girls, trans and Two-Spirit people wonder if they will be next. This can’t go on. With the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls having recently been published, [...] it’s time to take stock of its recommendations on how this genocide against Indigenous communities can and must be stopped.”

Craft Night

Hosted by Native Montreal Weekly on Monday (6:00 pm - 9:00 pm)

An opportunity for Indigenous people to “learn or teach a variety of beading or Indigenous arts techniques. It’s the perfect place to share your knowledge and learn more about embroidery, beading, leather, weaving and more.”

Special Lecture on Indigenous Oral Tradition and Oral History

Hosted by the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling Wednesday, October 16 (12:00 pm - 2:00 pm)

Women’s Circle

Hosted by Native Montreal Biweekly on Wednesday, October 2, 16, and 30 (6:00 pm - 8:30 pm) A circle for women who identify as Indigenous to meet and partake in workshops.

September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

sci+tech

Soup’s On!

McGill Researchers Serve Up Science Leslie Brown & Rosa Sundar Maccagno Staff Writers

he 28th edition of Soup and Science, which took place from September 9 to 13, provided an opportunity for students to find out more about the scientific research being conducted at McGill from professors across multiple departments and disciplines. Held in the Redpath Museum every semester, Soup and Science is a collection of mini talks, giving each professor three minutes to present their research interests and current projects. After a brief questionand-answer period, students and faculty have the opportunity to start more informal discussions over refreshments (including soup, of course). In an academic setting where approaching professors and starting dialogues about research can feel constrained and awkward, Soup and Science offers a great opportunity for easygoing, accessible student-faculty interaction. The event opened each day with a short presentation from an undergraduate research ambassador, who shared their experiences and advice to students wanting to get involved in research. One of the ambassadors, Daniel Krauss, an undergraduate biochemistry student working in the lab of Dr. Hanadi Sleiman, retold how he first came to be involved in the lab, encouraging students in the audience to reach out to professors regardless of department. He also spoke about the research being done in Dr. Sleiman’s lab, which revolves around DNA nanotechnology: using DNA strands as potential ‘building blocks’ in the creation of “unique 3D structures for uses in applications such as drug delivery and organization of other materials.” In a similar vein, Dr. Paul Wiseman, from the Department of Chemistry and Physics, described his research as being at the intersection of physical science and biomolecular imaging. He explained his lab’s interest in the use of chemistry and physics as a way of looking at the “molecular mechanisms involved in cellular adhesion,” or the way cells stick together. Another professor presented her work in computational medicine. Dr. Nicole Li-Jessen’s lab is focused on understanding vocal fold biology and wound healing, with an emphasis on how the larynx is “critical to our daily breathing, communication, and swallowing functions.” She explained that the goal of her lab’s work is to “advance personalized medicine in voice and upper airway dysfunctions,” by creating “patient-specific computational models” that would allow physicians to anticipate vocal fatigue and prevent vocal tissue injury.

José Noé De Ita Zavala | Photographer during tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Muscle stem cells are highly regenerative, which makes them useful as models for studying the deregulation of the cell cycle, which results in degenerative disease and cancer. Dr. Chang’s lab uses experimental visualization to examine Duchenne muscular dystrophy and rhabdomyosarcoma (a form of cancer) as models for understanding exactly why muscle stem cells become deregulated. Dr. Gary Brouhard, a faculty member in the Department of Biology, studies another crucial part of molecular biology: microtubules, which are important structural components in a cell’s cytoskeleton. Microtubules are rigid but non-static polymers which can ‘shapeshift’ by constructing and deconstructing themselves depending on the cell’s structural needs. Experiments in his lab seek to understand the molecular behavior of these microtubules and what influences their polymer formation. Dr. Brouhard’s lab also examines how microtubules influence disease, with specific attention on a protein called doublecortin (DCX), whose mutations cause a heritable form of epilepsy (double cortex syndrome). As DCX influences the shape and function of microtubules, Dr. Brouhard’s experiments aim to better for researchers at McGill is the understand the role of microtubules understanding of biological in this disease in the quest to develop molecules. Dr. Natasha Chang, pharmacological therapy. Dr. Jonathan Sievers, an Associate an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Professor in the Department of presented her research, which Physics, presented his research, focuses on understanding the which searches for the signature of molecular mechanisms that dark energy in an attempt to better regulate adult stem cell function understand the birth of the first For patients currently suffering from vocal cord damage, there are few diagnosis or treatment options that aren’t invasive and risky procedures. Dr. Li-Jessen’s lab is working on designing personalized injectable biomaterials that could replace the current solution of invasive throat surgery, which is accompanied by high risks and a long recovery time. Instead, this biogel could be easily injected into the patient’s vocal tissue, its regenerative properties working to repair the tissue. Dr. Li-Jessen’s lab is also developing methods of noninvasive diagnostics, as laryngeal disease is currently diagnosed through invasive procedures that “can cause irreversible vocal fold scarring.” These three projects would significantly improve patient care, and allow for physicians to treat vocal injury much more effectively. An important area of interest

Soup and Science offers a great opportunity for [...] accessible student-faculty interaction.

stars in the universe. He described the Hydrogen Intensity and Realtime Analysis eXperiment (HIRAX), a radio telescope array that can map nearly all of the southern sky, with the intent of measuring leftover ripples in the distribution of galaxies that are imprinted by the primordial sound waves that existed in the early universe. This can be used as a ‘ruler’ for charting the expansion history of the universe and for shedding light on the nature of dark energy.

From the Department of Biology, Dr. Laura Pollock presented her research’s take on ecology: working with quantitative ‘big data’ to better model ecological systems and biodiversity. For students interested in the environment, Soup and Science invited several researchers to discuss their more field-oriented research. From the Department of Biology, Dr. Laura Pollock presented her research’s take on ecology: working

with quantitative “big data” to better model ecological systems and biodiversity. She cleverly pointed out that we tend to harbour our own biases toward animals we find “cute” or appealing, and that we invest our biodiversity conservation efforts into their survival, meaning many species in need of protection fall under the radar. With better modeling of our knowledge on biodiversity across different landscapes, Dr. Pollock hopes to answer the fundamental questions: “Which species are being overlooked, and how can we better address their conservation?” From the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Dr. James Kirkpatrick’s research also focuses on better understanding an aspect of the environment: earthquakes. With the interactive use of rock samples, Dr. Kirkpatrick explained that while earthquakes can be measured, they cannot be predicted, as the origins of earthquakes and other tectonic movements originate from over 10,000 kilometres below the surface of the Earth. His lab’s activities range from field observations in mountaintops to performing experiments in the F.D. Adams basement, all with the intent of developing knowledge on the mechanical response of rocks and how they react under various applied stresses. Running for five days at the beginning of each semester, Soup and Science provides an invaluable overview of the various research activities going on across campus, and the opportunity to discuss and mingle with experts. For those who couldn’t make it, don’t worry: the next edition of Soup and Science will be held in January 2020.

September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Horoscopes

HECK’in HOROSCOPES Aries (Mar 21 Apr 19)

It’s a beautiful day to unfollow that TERF on Twitter.

Cancer (Jun 21 Jul 22)

Yeah, pumpkin spice is cool, but have you heard of apple cinnamon?

Throw your phone into a lake. You need to be present this week.

Go to conferences, please. I know they suck, but you really should.

(Oct 23 Nov 21)

Something tells me it’s time for you to contribute to a student publication. Like, a weekly, antioppressive, non-hierarchical one.

Virgo (Aug 23 Sept 22)

Aug 22)

(Sept 23 Oct 22)

(Dec 22 - Jan 19)

Cut your goddamn hair, dude.

Leo (Jul 23 -

Scorpio

Capricorn

(May 21 Jun 20)

(Apr 20 May 20)

Libra

Ghost a Pisces. Text a Taurus.

Gemini

Taurus

Painting your nails doesn’t make you any less of a fuckboi.

You are doing so well. Be proud of yourself! It’s hard to be so perfect all the time.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21)

You’re not as cool as you think you are. I’m sorry you had to find out this way.

Aquarius

Pisces

(Jan 20 Feb 18)

(Feb 19 - Mar 20)

Stop hitting the woah. Delete your TikTok. Unfollow that nailpolish-wearing softboi. You’re not 12.

Text a Libra.

September 23, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Crossword

Across

1 - The primitive and instinctive component of personality, according to Freud 2 - American monster with a net worth of 114 billion dollars ( just for fun: see 31-Down) 8 - Synonymous with 7-Down 10 - Band that performed “Take On Me” 13 - A town in Quebec that was home to a namesake “crisis” in 1990 when the Canadian government approved plans to build a golf course on unceded Kanien’kehá:ka land 14 - A clothing technology invented in 1893 17 - Capital of the Bahamas 19 - Something millennials might do for meals 21 - Cardinal directions letters 23 - Lesbian football 26 - Singer __ DiFranco 27 - A Roman politician after whom Napoleon styled himself 30 - A kind of paint which is neither acrylic nor watercolour 32 - “On the __” (furtively) 33 - between me and she, grammatically 34 - A small sleep 35 - Having empty space inside 36 - The country code for Togo 37 - Fish that exist in brown, rainbow, and cutthroat varieties, among others (plural) 38 - How this editor feels when she sees people doing the crossword in public

compendium! Lies, half-truths, and big smart brain man big brain man.

Phoebe Pannier Official Crossword Witch

39 - A money-free Facebook trading group 41 - A business which offers health and beauty treatments 43 - A country, a valley, and a river all share this name 46 - A short salutation 47 - Not jr. 48 - Tolstoy’s tragic heroine 51 - A conjugation of the verb “to be” which can be represented in texts by a single letter 52 - A pronoun which can refer to a single person or to multiple people 54 - Branch of philosophy concerned with art 55 - A word which can identify the author of a work 56 - Francophones might call it a green lemon (they would sound silly, though) 58 - Opposite of yes 59 - Front fold of a coat’s collar 60 - A type of poem you might find on a Grecian urn 62 - Inclined 64 - A warm blanket made of padding, fabric pieces, and decorative stitching 66 - Danish for “ice,” also a very common English verb 68 - Albanian for “with,” also a very common English pronoun 69 - Fortune or success 70 - A metal and a colour named for that metal 73 - Frozen dew 76 - Portuguese word for “OK,” also an informal word in British English

Down

77 - A fashionable and promiscuous man; or, a garden implement 78 - What an unimaginative goat might say 79 - A canoe made with a light frame and a watertight covering invented by the Inuit 80 - An American standardized test with scoring from 1-36 83 - A plush fabric resembling velvet, sometimes used to make track suits for suburbanite 85 - Not high 87 - Hindu practitioners of yoga 88 - Castrated domesticated bovines, plural 90 - A woman who is getting married 92 - Often paired with “-GYN” 93 - An expression of alarm 95 - Lizzo: “So much __ on me I’m a prodigy” 97 - Butt arm 98 - Something you should do on October 21, if you can 100 - Lovelace who helped invent the field of computing 102 - Character voiced by Ali Wong in a Netflix show by Lisa Hanawalt 103 - I’ve never seen Jaws but I like to think the last frame shows this word 104 - To make a mistake 105 - Autumn leaves, ironed shirts, or a singular British chip 106 - Exchange 108 - The anglicization of the most common Vietnamese surname 109 - Bee juice 110 - Wattpad eyes (sorry)

1 - Noun to describe Carly Rae Jepsen 2 - Alcott’s self-insert character in Little Women 3 - Illogical abbreviation for electrocardiogram 4 - Syllable in some Christmas songs 5 - They live inside us 6 - You catch them when you take a 34-Across 7 - To begin 9 - Destination for Dorothy 10 - Sometimes eaten before an entree, abbreviation 11 - Greek goddess of marriage and family 12 - Philosopher who wrote The Origins of Totalitarianism 15 - A picturesque scene, typically an idealized one 16 - A small, shiny disk sewn as one of many onto clothing for decoration 18 - Cross-denominational Christian religion founded in 1961, abbreviation 20 - A person who journeys for religious reasons 22 - A “Krafty” French president who once referred to striking workers as “hostage takers” 24 - A sticky or slimy substance 25 - One thousand mil is equal to a single 28 - Small friends at a picnic 29 - A berry that smokes too much 31 - Amount (in billions of dollars) that is the estimated cost of ending homelessness in America 33 - A rude, noisy, and aggressive young person 40 - Bear-like 42 - Homonym of “aerial” that means “pertaining to area” 43 - A prison specifically designed for short-term confinement 44 - A large-toothed whale with distinctive black and white markings 45 - A type of “politics” which refers to marginalized groups self-policing in order to be more palatable to oppressor groups 46 - One of the many gendered pronouns that exist 49 - Pronoun meaning “new” 50 - A word often used in comparisons 53 - Substance which can be made of fruit or petroleum 55 - An unexpected minor deviation 56 - The 11th letter of the Greek alphabet which is often associated with LGBT+ communities 57 - A unit of measurement equal to a thousandth of a gram, abbreviation 61 - The opposite of light 63 - The UK has been in the process of leaving this “union” since 2016 65 - Chores or assignments 67 - Agile, especially of an older person 71 - The national tree of at least 16 countries 72 - A video game company which makes The Sims 73 - French for “misstep,” coincidentally a homonym for “must not” in French 74 - Less common 75 - Haitian Creole for “late,” accidentally repeated twice in this crossword 78 - What an unimaginative ghost might say 81 - Haraway’s “__ Manifesto” 82 - Welsh for “roof” or Croatian for “it” 83 - To compete for 84 - 2-Down’s older sister 85 - A shoe with a low flat heel; or, someone who idles away their time 86 - High-pitched complaints 89 - To catch or steal 90 - A common setting for unoriginal jokes 91 - A hoofed animal with branched antlers 92 - A kitchen appliance used for cooking 94 - Equal: “on _” 96 - Synonym for protest or rally 99 - Accurat, correc, or convincin 101 - To move dirt about, often with the intention of creating a hole 105 - TV station home to The Powerpuff Girls, abbreviation 107 - __ re mi

Match your answers with the key posted online at: www.mcgilldaily.com/category/sections/commentary/