The McGill Daily Vol. 109 Issue 6

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Content

October 7, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Table of Contents 3

FEAtures 10 Federal Elections Primer

EDITORIAL

Climate Justice is Social Justice

4 NEWS Trans Care is Healthcare

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Honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans, and Two-Spirit People Legislative Council The History and Future of SPHR AGSEM in Negotiations

9 culture A Story Bigger than the Stage

COMPENDIUM! 15 One Shit Wonder Fuck

16 AD

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EDITORIAL

Volume 109 Issue 6

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Climate Justice Is Social Justice

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content warning: environmental racism, colonial violence

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pproximately 500,000 people attended the Montreal Climate March on September 27, including Swedish youth climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Indigenous activists in Montreal reported widespread discrimination at the protest, bringing attention to the ways in which the environmental movement has been co-opted and whitewashed.

In a display of performative allyship and blatant disrespect, non-Indigenous attendees pushed the Indigenous Youth Delegation away from the front in order to take a photo of Thunberg. The Delegation was also confronted with racist remarks, being told: “this isn’t just your land, you know.”

Twitter user @salishmemer also reported that Indigenous activists were denied their request to sing the Women’s Warrior song on the main stage “in honour of missing and murdered Indigenous women targeted by extractive industry and climate change.” The group was told that “this would break apart [the] organizing coalition,” implying that they would somehow be interrupting the march.

On the same day as the strike, Thunberg was given the Key to the City of Montreal by mayor Valerie Plante. The mayor of Victoria, BC also offered Thunberg a standing invitation to visit the city, which is home to the province’s second-largest Indigenous population and has a long history of Indigenous-led climate activism. While Thunberg’s work has been celebrated and encouraged, all levels of the Canadian government have consistently worked against Indigenous land protectors.

Despite Indigenous peoples having spent centuries as environmental stewards and climate justice advocates, white voices are being centred in the conversation surrounding climate action. This suppression of Indigenous voices is part of an ongoing pattern of racism and colonialism, wherein people in power praise white activists while opposing Indigenous and other activists of colour.

It is important to recognize that the kind of climate activism performed by white people like Thunberg is more palatable because it does not involve civil disobedience. The latter form of activism, as opposed to to the parade-like atmosphere of the Montreal Climate March, challenges not only the environmental crisis but also the racist, colonial structures which perpetuate it, making those in power uncomfortable.

We must acknowledge and combat the capitalist and colonial agendas that perpetuate the climate crisis. It is also vital to recognize that the media – and new activists unfamiliar with these spaces – have begun to focus on the climate crisis solely because it has started to impact majority white populations in the Global North.

The problem is not Thunberg herself – the problem is that the media has made a white teenager the face of a movement that she did not start. The problem deepens when politicians immediately and enthusiastically validate the efforts of a white teenager, while continuing to criminalize Indigenous activists for doing the same work. White activists are taking up space and resources that should be reserved for Indigenous activists and other activists of colour.

Young Indigenous people are fighting for climate action all around the world, and these are the voices we must uplift.

Autumn Peltier, a 16-year-old activist from the Wiikwemkoong First Nation, has been advocating for climate justice, specifically access to safe drinking water, since she was eight years old. She is the Chief Water Commissioner of the Anishinabek Nation, a political organization representing 40 First Nations in Ontario comprised of approximately 65,000 people. Peltier spoke at the UN Global Landscapes Forum on September 28, telling those in attendance, “I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, we can’t eat money, or drink oil.”

Vic Barrett is a 20-year-old Honduran-American who belongs to the Afro-Indigenous Garifuna community.

His activism is informed by the disproportionate effects of Hurricane Sandy on people of colour. He is a fellow with the Alliance for Climate Education, an organization that works to “educate young people on the science of climate change and empower them to take action.”

Barrett, along with 20 other youth activists, is a plaintiff in the Juliana v. United States lawsuit, which states that “through the government’s affirmative actions that cause climate change, it has violated the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property, as well as failed to protect essential public trust resources.”

Makaśa Looking Horse, a 22-year-old activist from Mohawk Wolf Clan and Lakota in Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario, is involved in the fight against Nestlé’s theft of water from Six Nations communities, which do not have access to clean water themselves. She has organized marches and boycotts of Nestlé products at McMaster University, where she is working towards a degree in Indigenous Studies.

The McGill Daily urges readers to centre and uplift Indigenous voices in the climate justice movement. Be mindful of the media that you are consuming and the space you take up when attending protests. Remember that any environmental activism that does not prioritize Indigenous voices is not legitimate.

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NEWS

October 7, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Montreal

Trans Care is Healthcare

Memorial-Manif for Trans Activist Hayden Muller Kate Ellis Culture Editor content warning: gender dysphoria, transphobia, death

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o honour the life of Hayden Muller, a non-binary person who died of complications from breast cancer, a group of trans activists and allies gathered at the Colleges des medecins in protest on Tuesday, October 1. Muller was a labour organizer, patient advocate, and community activist, so it was their wish that their memorial be organized as a protest.

Like many trans people, Muller faced significant discrimination from the healthcare system. According to the Facebook event page for the protest, throughout their treatment, they were consistently dead-named* and misgendered by medical professionals. Furthermore, their treatment decisions were not respected by doctors who had cisnormative ideas of what their body should look like following surgery.

As stated by gender-defiant Montreal activist Dexter Xurukulasuriya (also known as Dexter X): when trans, non-binary, and intersex people go into the healthcare system, they are told that “society’s categories are right and are more important than [their] well-being.” Organizers emphasized

that these experiences are especially prevalent for BIPOC. According to a study published in August 2019, 38 per cent of trans people of colour felt they received inferior healthcare compared to other patients.

As reported by speakers at the demonstration, experiences like Muller’s are not uncommon. “The issue we’re talking about today is not about a few bad apples,” said Julie Michaud, the outreach coordinator for the Centre for Gender Advocacy.

“I want to make it clear that it’s the entire system that is [run] with transphobia and cissexism.” In a 2012 Ontario study, 52 per cent of trans individuals reported negative experiences when visiting the emergency room.

The protest was an effort to hold the healthcare system accountable for its transphobic practices.

patients. “We’re here to demand some kind of accountability and we’re looking for change in the Quebec medical system because they’re not serving trans and non-binary people who are sick and who are dying,” said Dexter X. Throughout the demonstration, The protest was an effort to hold the healthcare system activists and loved ones of Muller accountable for its transphobic chanted phrases such as “trans practices and demand change in rights are human rights” and “trans the treatment of queer and trans care is healthcare,” protesting the current conditions of healthcare for trans people and expressing their refusal to accept the status quo.

Yasna Khademian | News Editor

Yasna Khademian | News Editor To get involved in the fight for better healthcare for the trans community, individuals can volunteer with the Queer Autonomous Patients Front, a volunteer group that accompanies trans people to medical appointments and assists in the emotional work of tackling a trans-exclusionary medical care system.

Trans and non-binary people who are seeking assistance navigating the Montreal healthcare system can visit the Union for Gender Empowerment at 680 Sherbrooke, room 110, or contact them via their Facebook page.

The Centre for Gender Advocacy

also offers a number of trans health advocacy programs and workshops to the greater Montreal community, including a map of clinics that have denied care to queer and trans individuals. Head and Hands also provides trans-inclusive legal, medical, and social services to youth ages 12 25, with or without medical insurance. *Dead-naming is when a trans person is referred to by their birth name or another given name that they no longer use, typically associated with their former gender presentation.

Dead-naming is an act of transphobia and is extremely harmful to trans people.

Yasna Khademian | News Editor

October 7, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

NEWS

Montreal

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Honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans, and Two-Spirit People On Friday, October 4, Missing Justice, a campaign from the Centre for Gender Advocacy, as well as Iskweu from the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, co-hosted the 14th Annual Memorial Vigil for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls,Trans, and Two-Spirit People in Tiohtiá:ke.

Featuring songs and performances from Indigenous artists and words from activists and elders, organizers encouraged attendees to regularly check the Facebook page for Missing Justice: Justice for Missing and Murdered INdigenous Women to help with this work.

After a throat singing performance from Inuit artist Mama Bear, she addressed the audience: “Throat singing was almost lost, because as Inuit women, we were told we were singing something that was part of the devil.”

“Tonight I sing for the women who are being disrespected, that they find their voice again, that they find safety again, that they find joy again, that they stand up again.”

“And for those who are passed on who are no longer with us – let them know that they are not forgotten, and that you all carry them with you.”

“Once you hear these things, those that are non-native,” Danya Danger, Programming and Campaigns Coordinator at the Center for Gender Advocacy told those at the vigil,“it’s now your job that you know, to listen more and to do something about it.”

“To those affected who show up, to those who are targeted, to all of those people – I’m thinking about you, and I think all of us should as well, and be so grateful and thankful that we can hear these thoughts. We can see these thoughts, we can speak these words – because a lot of our Indigenous people are no longer here, and we don’t have answers for when they’re not here.”

Kelsey McKeon | Photographer

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NEWS

October 7, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

McGill

Legislative Council

Councillors Reconvene for the Second Fall Session Alex Karasick News Writer

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n September 26, SSMU Legislative Council convened for their second session of the Fall semester. As council took place the day before the Climate Strike, the largest segment of discussion was that of the strike. Several other important discussions took place throughout the meeting, as well as two different presentations from the McGill administration.

On behalf of the administration, Christopher Buddle, the Dean of Students, gave a presentation discussing the Policy on Involuntary Student Leave. Krista Houser also spoke, on behalf of the Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF). Buddle’s presentation on the policy fielded a significant number of questions, notably regarding the student status of those who will fall under the policy, as well as concerns over whether there would be student representation on the case management team. Facing widespread student pushback, Dean Buddle suspended the policy shortly afterwards, and will be reworking it throughout the year.

Following Buddle’s presentation, Houser provided an overview of SPF and its efforts on campus, pointing to initiatives such as Refill McGill as examples of successes in sustainability on campus.

Facing widespread student pushback, Dean Buddle suspended the policy shortly afterwards, and will be reworking it throughout the year.

Strong sustainability discussion With regards to sustainability, SSMU President Bryan Buraga presented a report on changes underway on campus. He pointed to a number of sustainability changes being implemented, namely that Midnight Kitchen would be helping in the future with supplying vegan food for council meetings, rather than ordering delivery pizza. Buraga also

noted that the SSMU Fall Semester General Assembly had been set for October 28 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and will take place at New Residence Hall. In closing, he announced that renovations in the Shatner University Center would hopefully be finished by December 2019, and noted the possibility of an opening in January 2020 – 22 months after the building’s initial closure. In addition to the report, Buraga gave notice for a motion to be presented next council meeting – the Motion Regarding Policy on Moratorium on McGill Fees Until Fossil Fuel Divestment. In a speech laying out the plans for the motion, Buraga spoke to the urgency of McGill’s action in divestment.

“Councillors, it’s time to act, and the message is clear: our students are demanding strong, principled, and decisive action on climate justice,” Buraga said.

Buraga continued, “McGill University seems to only care about two things: donations, and its reputation, [...] we must demonstrate our resolve in the face of continued inaction on fossil fuel divestment by McGill University.”

During the announcements period, several bulletins were put forth by members of council regarding the climate strike. Councillor Beatrice Courchesne-Mackie, representing the Faculty of Law, reported the Faculty’s successful GA, as well as the Dean’s decision to cancel classes. Members from the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) also brought up the Faculty’s GA that not only met quorum, but passed a climate strike motion by unanimous vote, which was also approved in the online segment of voting with a nearly 40 per cent voter turnout.

One of the Councillors representing the Faculty of Management spoke to the Management Undergraduate Society’s (MUS) Board of Governors’ actions in formally and unanimously endorsing the strike. Councillors Andrew Dixon and Mariam Morgan, representing the Faculty of Medicine and the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, both announced successful votes regarding the strike. Finally, during the question period, a student from the Faculty of Science – attending the Council as a member-at-large – asked the science representatives to clarify the SUS stance on the strikes. In response, a member of the Faculty clarified that while they were unable to hold a GA on time, they were able to release a statement on the SUS Facebook page that endorses the strike. Additionally,

the member acknowledged that labs can be difficult to postpone, but noted that some classes, such as Organic Chemistry I, were able to make an alternative lab day to accommodate students who were striking. Furthermore, another member of the Faculty clarified that SUS had emailed a significant number of professors in the Faculty of Science to either cancel classes, or at least not make anything due, on the day of the strike. They noted that many professors had responded, and that many science classes were in fact cancelled, although there was unfortunately not an explicit strike vote.

Finally, the Motion Regarding Support of Climate Justice Actions at McGill was presented by VP External Adam Gwiazda-Amsel, which mandates SSMU to recognize the climate emergency and take steps to both pressure both the Quebec and Canadian governments and the McGill administration to divest from fossil fuels, as well as support efforts to advocate for climate action.

In the succinct words of GwiazdaAmsel, “we’re all going to die in 12 years if we don’t do anything,

[and] strikes are a really good way to impose economic pressure on both institutions and governments who are directly responsible for climate change.”

“Strikes are a really good way to impose economic pressure on both institutions and governments”

— Adam Gwiazda-Amsel

Indigenous Equity Fund and Fee There was also an important motion brought written by SSMU Indigenous Affairs Commissioner Tomas Jirousek – the Motion Regarding Creation of Indigenous Equity Fund and Fee. The fund and associated fee, which seeks to bring to referendum a fee levy to support Indigenous student activism, points to the lack of resources available

to efforts such as the Change the Name campaign – which had to draw from the First People’s House primarily – an organization whose budget has already been cut, per Jirousek.

Jirousek spoke to the urgent need for a dedicated fee levy to take the strain off such organizations, as well as the need for the administration to support Indigenous students. All councillors present voted in favour of the motion, except for Management Councillor Jonathan Gurvey.

Further announcements included applications for a memberat-large on the Accountability Committee (applications are available at SSMU Facebook page or by emailing speaker@ ssmu.ca), as well as VP Finance Samuel Haward’s announcement regarding the club workshops that took place on September 14 and 15. Haward expressed his desire to make it clear that any club who missed the workshop, but gave notice that they would be unable to make it, would not be sanctioned, and that the claim published in The McGill Tribune that they would be sanctioned was not factual.

October 7, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

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McGill

The History and Future of SPHR SPHR Holds Its First General Meeting

Yasmine Thompson News Writer

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tudents gathered for the McGill Students in Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) general meeting on September 26. SPHR was founded in 1999, and has been intermittently active on campus since its inception. SPHR is a non-profit, student-based organization that advocates for Palestinian people’s rights, in defiance of human rights violations, discrimination, racism, misrepresentation, and misinformation.

SPHR’s Internal Organization SPHR follows a nonhierarchical structure with no formal positions, allowing members to have transient roles throughout the year.

One of the topics discussed in the general meeting was the introduction of three working groups. The first working group plans to focus on campaigning, political action, solidarity work, outreach to other oncampus social justice groups, and student mobilization to support the Palestinian cause.

A second working group will be in charge of materials and journalism, in terms of making leaflets, pamphlets, writing articles, and maintaining social media presence. The final working group will organize events, such as movie screenings, workshops, cultural nights, and hummus sales, in addition to booking rooms and contacting guest speakers. Students will be allowed to take part in the organization’s activities with varying levels of commitment.

A new administrative board will also handle SSMU paperwork and communication with the Quebec Public Interest and Research Group (QPIRG).

Regular internal meetings are to be held, where feedback is exchanged in order to reach “consensus-based agreements,” according to the general meeting’s conductor.

SPHR’s Presence on Campus SPHR has been widely active on campus. In the 2015-16

academic year, it urged McGill to endorse the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement, mainly focusing on boycotting and divesting from companies complicit in the occupation of the Palestinian territories.

The Motion Regarding Support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, put forth by the McGill BDS Action Network, was approved in the 2016 Winter General Assembly (GA) by secret ballot, with 512 votes for the motion, 357 opposed, and 14 abstentions.

However, in the following online ratification process – which is unique to McGill’s procedures – the motion failed, with 53.3 per cent of students voting against it, 40.1 per cent in favour, and 6.6 per cent abstaining. There were 5,286 voters in total, which was 25.1 per cent of the electorate at the time.

Following the online ratification process in 2016, a petitioner “brought forward a reference question which [sought] to declare the BDS Motion, and similar motions, incompatible with SSMU’s bylaws, internal regulations, and legal structure more generally,” per a SSMU Judicial Board (JBoard) ruling on BDS. In 2017, BDS as a whole was then officially ruled problematic and unconstitutional by SSMU JBoard, preventing any BDS motion from being introduced by a student-run organization or endorsed by SSMU. After the JBoard rules on a case, it must be ratified by SSMU’s Board of Directors (BoD), where, in 2017, 11 out of 12 directors voted to ratify the JBoard’s decision.

However, there were concerns from students that the process itself was unethical – at that time, only three SSMU executives were serving on the BoD, where four are required. Further, one legislative councillor noted that the SSMU President at the time of ratification, Muna Tojiboeva, seemed to have a conflict of interest. Tojiboeva sat on SSMU’s JBoard in 2016 when the petition was considered unconstitutional, and then voted to approve the JBoard’s ruling as a director on the BoD.

SPHR’s Presence On Campus in 2019 SPHR’s biggest campaign of 2019 was the campaign against POLI 339, which urged McGill to cancel an externally-funded, one-off exchange course with the Hebrew University in East Jerusalem about comparative Canadian and Israeli politics.

The Hebrew University in East Jerusalem is on occupied Palestinian land and is in violation of international law as per Resolution 446 of the UN Security Council. SPHR members and non-members blocked and “occupied” the entrance of the James Administration building on the downtown campus and were met with hostility and ambivalence from the staff.

According to one SPHR member, this campaign was a “wake-up call” to many McGill students about the struggle against Israeli colonialism and imperialism.

Community and Cultural Events With regards to their work with other campus groups, SPHR has collaborated and worked with the Muslim Students’ Association, the McGill Syrian Students’ Association, the African Studies Students’ Association of McGill, and Independent Jewish Voices McGill – among other campus groups – to organize different events throughout the year, including a vigil for victims of the Christchurch massacre last year. During the general meeting, speakers stressed the importance of collaborating with other solidarity organizations on campus.

Cultural activities are an important aspect of SPHR’s presence on campus. According to one member, SPHR serves as a community to come back to, reflect on, and grow from.

“I think that is one of its accomplishments that almost happens indirectly,” they said.

“It gives you friends [and] a face to the global Palestinian rights movements that are also working with you.” Among their most popular cultural activities are homemade hummus sales, hosted in McConnell and Leacock and famous for selling out in less than a couple of hours. Along

Phoebe Pannier | Illustrations Editor with traditionally-Palestinian hummus, students also distribute leaflets about the organization’s mission at these sales. They remind students that Palestinian existence is more than a mere political struggle and that they have deep-rooted traditions and culture, all the while “promot[ing] and protect[ing] Palestinian human rights, both locally and internationally.”

Education and Safety with SPHR SPHR also hosts and conducts educational workshops about a wide range of topics, including – but not limited to – the ongoing political situation in Palestine, Palestinian citizens living in Israel, ethnic cleansing, colonialism, and imperialism.

They also provide workshops on pink- and green-washing tactics in Israel, as well as strategies the Israeli government uses to deny entry to activists.

Cybersecurity workshops are also hosted to emphasize the importance of maintaining anonymity as student activists.

SPHR members consider anonymity to be of paramount significance. In recent years, Israeli border authorities have been relying on a blacklist website that exposes proPalestine and BDS activists’ full names and pictures as a means of denying entry. Students and professors are included on this

website, and finding one’s picture and full name on a blacklist website through a simple Google search is harmful for school, university, or job applications, and especially dangerous for Palestinian citizens living in Palestine or visiting family. To that end, anonymity is always embedded into any event, action, and political campaign.

This Year’s Goals The general meeting concluded with a summary of SPHR’s goals for the coming academic year, which include organizing more direct action on campus, maintaining an active social media presence, and increasing production of leaflets, pamphlets, and banners regarding the ongoing situation in Palestine.

Students of all backgrounds can get involved with SPHR without becoming official members of the organization, or they can join the organization’s working and administrative groups. SPHR also maintains a social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, where constant political updates are posted and public events are announced. This month, SPHR will be hosting a Palestine 101 workshop on October 10, a movie screening by a Palestinian filmmaker on October 17, and a workshop about pinkwashing on October 18 in collaboration with Queer History Month.

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October 7, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

McGill

news

AGSEM in Negotiations

Admin Pushes Back on Union Protections

Yasna Khademian News Editor content warning: transphobia, mention of sexual violence

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he Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM), representing teaching assistants (TAs) and invigilators at McGill, has been in negotiations with the administration for over a year. The TA Bargaining Committee, led by Chairperson Jessica Rose, has been negotiating with the University over the TA Collective Agreement (CA). Although the CA expired in 2018, it is still in effect for the moment. The members of the committee include PhD students Rose, Farid Attar, and Jean-Philip Mathieu.

“This job [teaching assistants], like many aspects of graduate studies, has become infused with this work-til-youdrop mentality.”

– Jessica Rose

Their main concerns, per Rose, include protections from sexual harassment; protections for transgender, gender nonconforming, and non-binary TAs; and fair compensation, among other issues.

Protections from Sexual Harassment In an email, Rose explained to the Daily that the main issue is whether or not TAs would be entitled to the same protections under the Code of Conduct in the revised Sexual Violence Policy (SVP), which states that “no member of the Teaching Staff may enter into or initiate a sexual or romantic relationship with a student.”

Per Rose, McGill HR maintains that the relationship between a TA and their course supervisor would not inherently be purely academic.

Per Rose, McGill “insisted repeatedly” that the administration would not be bound to consider a romantic or sexual relationship between a TA and their course supervisor a violation of the SVP. Relationships between TAs and course supervisors, Rose explained, hold inherent power dynamics. “[TAs] are doubly reliant on a positive evaluation of their work,” she wrote.

“They may need letters of recommendation or other academic opportunities from the professor, and they obviously rely on the income,” Rose noted.

Further, “there have been a number of allegations in recent years involving professors who targeted students who worked for them.”

In addition, Rose says the Union has concerns about McGill HR’s commitment to the SVP, noting “their lack of familiarity with the policy” and instances in which AGSEM had to correct their assumptions about certain aspects of the SVP. In their most recent negotiations with the University this past week, she stated that the TA Bargaining Committee submitted a proposal that they think will resolve the deadlock around this issue. This proposal “respects the existing policies and regulations at McGill, while giving the Union more oversight and participation in terms of how these policies are applied;” however, Rose stated, they did not receive a concrete response from the University. “[We] were stalled again as McGill’s negotiators reiterated their refusal to define the deadline to file a grievance regarding harassment in the CA,” she explained. “We find that the principles that the University repeatedly espouses are absent from their bargaining position with student workers. We get one message from the senior administration, and another from their representatives at the table.”

They have been negotiating this issue with the University for six months.

Protections for Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Non-Binary TAs In the same email, Rose states that McGill will not include language in the definition of harassment to clarify that TAs

must be addressed by their pronouns. Certain individuals, she says, “will insist on misgendering their co-workers or employees,” and that some of these individuals are alumni of McGill.

Relationships between TAs and Course Supervisors, Jessica Rose explained, hold inherent power dynamics.

Fair Compensation In addition to the above issues, the way in which TAs are paid is through a salary-type system.

Effectively, though the job is technically hourly, TAs are given a contract for between 45 and 180 hours of work a semester – and after those hours are completed, they are expected to work without pay.

“This job, like many aspects of graduate studies, has become infused with this work-til-youdrop mentality,” Rose stated.

Per surveys conducted by AGSEM between 2007 and 2017, there is a 40 per cent chance that TAs are working without compensation by the end of the semester. To address this, AGSEM hopes to increase the number of hours budget for TAs’ work, “and to distribute them more equitably

across the University,” Rose told the Daily.

“TAs are dedicated to providing the best teaching support they can for their students and for their professors and McGill is exploiting that,” she added. “More TA hours means that we can get overtime in our contracts and finally be paid for the work that we do, or another TA can be hired to share the load.” Working as a TA is also a crucial source of supplemental income for graduate students, and provides them a chance to teach while at McGill.

AGSEM does want a raise for TAs; however, Rose notes that they first want to “address the way that the University claws back our wages through the integration of TA positions in funding packages.” In practice, this means that when PhD students are offered a set amount of funding, they are also given the stipulation that “a portion of that will come from TA wages and the rest will be ‘topped up’ by their department or supervisor.”

Accommodations for TAs with Disabilities With regards to accommodations for TAs with disabilities, Rose stated that they have reached a resolution; although it is not what they originally proposed, she called it “a step in the right direction.”

As it is still under negotiations, more information could not be provided, but the TA Bargaining Committee is reportedly close to reaching an agreement.

October 7, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

culture

9

A Story Bigger than the Stage l’Opéra de Montréal Presents Eugene Onegin

Claire Grenier Culture Writer

O

n September 14, l’Opéra de Montréal opened their 2019-2020 season with Tchaikovsky’s 1878 lyrical opera Eugene Onegin. Starring Australian soprano Nicole Car and Montreal baritone Étienne Dupuis, the production was whimsical and tragic in the right places while maintaining its Russian character.

Throughout the entire production the costuming and scenery are lush and decadent. Set designer Erhard Rom and costume designer Isabella Bywater created the precise background and attire to immerse the audience and performer alike in Tchaikovsky’s world.

The piece started with an older, somber Tatyana (Car) alone on stage, in a pristine white dress adorned with bright red sash around her waist. She is sorrowful, but seems to ask us to follow her, to see how she got this way. We are introduced to storybook scenery of the Russian countryside where young Tatyana is reading, wearing the same ensemble as her future self. She is admonished by her sister Olga for reading romance novels. Here, she is a young girl in love with love; how did she become the woman we first saw?

Tchaikovsky’s adaptation was written on the precipice of the socio-political collapse of the system: he was creating a time capsule.

Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin takes place around Saint Petersburg in the early 1820s and is based on the satirical poem of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, the poet who was known for “capturing the common people’s soul.” His eight cantos parody the Golden Age of Russia and its elites, in Russian, at a time when most of the country’s nobility and upper class spoke French or other Western European languages. The common people loathed the disconnect the upper class had from Russian culture. Tchaikovsky called opera “the opportunity to speak the people’s language.” For art which is meant to be primarily enjoyed

by aristocrats, being written and performed in Russian was a bridge between worlds.

The titular character of Eugene Onegin (Dupuis), embodies everything Tchaikovsky hated about his own society; Onegin is a young, vain, and arrogant. Upon his introduction by Olga’s fiancé Lensky, Tatyana falls madly in love with Onegin. He is the perfect candidate for her to project her romantic fantasies onto.

In a striking near ten minute aria, we watch Tatyana pace about her room, painstakingly composing a love letter to Onegin. “I’m all on fire! I don’t know where to begin!” she cries. Car’s performance here is otherworldly. The audience was breathless, like she had stolen all the air in the room for Tatyana’s lament. Yet no one seems to mind.

Her voice owns the space, and there is no doubt that it belongs here.

When the aria is over, the conductor bows, saluting his colleague’s stellar control and grace.

Onegin receives Tatyana’s letter with a sick delight. Onegin invites Tatyana to sit with him in the garden, flourishing his hand with the arrogance reserved for men who have never endured hardship. He admits feelings for her, but denies her plea for marriage, proclaiming that “routine would destroy this love.” He leaves her devastated and alone.

Months later, there is a ball for Tatyana’s birthday. In the middle of the ball, Onegin, bored and inconsiderate, invites Olga to dance. This enrages his friend and Olga’s fiancé Lensky. “You seducer! […] You are no longer my friend. I despise you!” Lensky cries as he challenges Onegin to a duel for his fiancée’s honour.

Part of Tchaikovsky’s greatness is the mischievous musical tricks and twists he plays on the audience.

Nowhere is this more evident in Eugene Onegin than the duel scene.

Accented by the technical artistry of fake snow, the air of this scene is dark and playful. Their voices melt together as they sing: “Oh, should we not burst out laughing before we stain our hands with blood, and

Claire Grenier | Illustrator should we not part friends? No!” They must follow through. Shots fire and Lensky falls. Onegin rushes over, he’s won the duel, but he’s lost his friend. This is not a victory; this is a heartbreak. He flees the country and the curtain drops signalling the end of the second act.

The next act picks up seven years later. Onegin has returned from Paris and arrives at a ball in Saint Petersburg, where he runs into Tatyana, who is now married.

Upon seeing Tatyana, Onegin realizes that he is in love with her.

Now it’s Onegin’s turn to confess undying love and Tatyana’s turn to be cruel. She admits her lingering feelings but is steadfast in her vow of marriage. Onegin is enraged.

He doesn’t understand Tatyana’s choice. Like a petulant child, he

[Tchaikovsky] married someone he didn’t love to protect himself, to hide his sexuality. He hated that Onegin could not understand that not everyone has the ability to cave to passion.

throws a tantrum; grabbing at her skirt, begging desperately for her to stay. Again, she refuses him. This is how Eugene Onegin ends. This is how Tatyana’s heart breaks and never heals.

The production was whimsical and tragic in the right places while maintaining its Russian character.

Eugene Onegin was musically enthralling, boasting lavish and layered melodies, with as many as four performers singing at once, but in a way that was never chaotic or disjointed. The same cannot be said of the plot.

This is because the background knowledge required to fully enjoy Tchaikovsky’s work is no longer commonplace.

When Eugene Onegin first premiered in 1879, it was unusual for the audience to be unfamiliar with Pushkin’s original, allowing Tchaikovsky to focus on

composition and get away with only writing vignettes of a larger story. While working on Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky wrote to his financial sponsor “let my opera be undramatic, let it have little action – but I am in love with the image of Tatyana, I am enraptured with Pushkin’s verse, I am writing music for them because I am drawn to them.”

So why was Tchaikovsky so enthralled with these characters?

His obsession with Tatyana stems from his unfulfilled desire for love.

He married someone he didn’t love to protect himself, to hide his sexuality.

He hated that Onegin could not understand that not everyone has the ability to cave to passion. By having Tatyana deny Onegin, Tchaikovsky was able to get revenge on the caricature of the society which had shunned him.

There is a foreboding tone to Eugene Onegin as well. While Pushkin’s original was a critique of Russian aristocracy, Tchaikovsky’s adaptation was written on the precipice of the socio-political collapse of the system: he was creating a time capsule.

With Eugene Onegin, the story is bigger than the stage.

October 7, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

10

features The McGill Daily has compiled a primer to educate Daily readers on the stances of the four major parties prior to the federal election on October 21, 2019. This list is not exhaustive – we have selected issues that we believe are important to students, but encourage people to do their own individual research as well.

The four parties featured are representative of the threshold requirements set out by the federal Leaders Debate Commission and an Editorial decision to not include parties polling under 10 per cent. All platform notes are sourced from official party platforms or official party press releases unless otherwise specified. All outside sources will be linked in the web version of this article.

Educational Issues LIBERALS:

Environmental Issues LIBERALS:

•Plan to use revenue from the Trans-Mountain pipelines to invest in vague “clean energy projects” •Want to “protect Canada’s natural legacy” by teaching all Canadian children how to camp. The skills children will learn and how that will help in the protection of the environment is unclear •Limit carbon emissions by developing five-year milestones to reach net-zero emissions; the consequences for failing to meet these expectations are unclear, as are the emissions targets at each milestone

NDP:

•Spotlight Indigenous knowledge and the work done by Indigenous people as land stewards. To centre their voices, the NDP sets out to “invest in Indigenous-led science and support the creation of Indigenousmanaged protected areas” •Limit global warming to a 1.5°C increase. They plan on generating science-based green-house gas reduction targets •Move towards a zero-waste future by improving waste management and recycling programs. Also wants to implement a ban on single-use plastic and

claimed they would hold “companies responsible” for the plastic they produce

Conservatives:

•Cut the carbon tax and instead have heavy polluters face the vague requirement of investing into green technology and/or research •Uphold the Paris Agreement, though they offer no tangible steps to do so

Greens:

•Oppose the development of pipelines and drilling for coal, oil, or gas. This includes cancelling the Trans Mountain pipeline agreement and divesting from the fossil fuel industry •Move towards renewable energy and reducing energy waste.

This includes the renovation of buildings to make them more energy-efficient, as well as developing zero-carbon public transportation and promoting electric transportation

•Pledge to make unspecified “additional compensation” available to students not already on the Canada Student Loans Program •Plan to “help [...] 600,000 Francophone students in Ontario access better postsecondary education,” and establish the Université de l’Ontario français, a project that is already set to open in 2020 •Increase Canada Student Grants by $1,200 per year for both full and part-time students. Loans will be interest-free for two years post-graduation, and won’t need to be paid until the graduate makes a minimum of $35,000 per year

NDP:

• Want to “build towards making post-secondary education part of the public education system so kids can go from kindergarten to a career without the barrier of cost” •Pledge to “work with the provinces to establish Indigenous history education programs for all Canadians, based on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action 62 and 63 – and ensure that the development and implementation of these programs are led by Indigenous peoples” •Vow to provide every child a safe place to learn

and an opportunity to succeed, on or off the reserve, by implementing equitable access to education via federal backed investments and infrastructure.

Conservatives:

• Pledge to raise the contribution amount of Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) from “20 to 30 per cent for every dollar invested up to $2,500 a year, to a maximum of $750 a year,” (benefitting only students with RESPs, not those with Student Loans)

Greens:

• Pledge to provide free post-secondary education for all Canadian students, which “would be financed by redirecting existing spending on bursaries, tuition tax credits, saved costs of administering the student loan system, and the hundreds of millions of dollars of student loan defaults written off every year” • Plan to “remove the two per cent cap on increases in education funding for Indigenous students and ensure all Indigenous youth have access to post-secondary education”

October 7, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

features

Healthcare Issues

Indigenous Issues and Reconciliation

LIBERALS:

•Expressed a commitment to ensuring that all Canadians have access to a family doctor in order to “improve the quality of care for the nearly five million Canadians who today lack access” •Hope to “set clear national standards for access to mental health services so Canadians can get the support they need quickly,” but have not further specified how they plan to implement these standards •Plan to “implement national universal healthcare,” giving affordable drug coverage to all Canadians by committing $6 billion over the next four years

NDP:

•Plan to fight for “a national, universal, public pharmacare program,” as well as push to include dental care in the Canada Health Act and work towards covering vision care and mental health services for all Canadians.

•Wish to “tackle wait times and improve access to primary care”

Conservatives:

•Pledge a “Health and Social Programs Guarantee,” and to increase federal spending on healthcare. However, no concrete plans regarding this guarantee have been released

Greens:

•Express a commitment to providing pharmacare and dental care for low-income Canadians, although qualifications for the plan are not specified • Pledge to “uphold Jordan’s Principle in full, ensuring Indigenous people receive the healthcare they need without being delayed by bureaucratic disagreements over jurisdiction,” and committed to supporting Indigenous communities “in (re)building traditional knowledge systems around healing and wellness, including the formal inclusion of traditional healing within mental wellness and home and community care programs” •Plan to “establish a national mental health strategy and a suicide prevention strategy”

Affordable Housing

LIBERALS:

• Plan to eliminate longterm drinking water advisories by 2021. To date, the government has eliminated 87 boil-water advisories •Strive to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Bill C-262; UNDRIP) by 2020.

This was defeated in parliament in 2016, but Trudeau promises to once again try to implement it •Address “critical infrastructure needs” in Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit communities, but do not specifically address what they will implement

NDP:

• Plan to establish a national council of reconciliation to formulate a national plan for reconciliation •Pledge to implement UNDRIP by 2021 •Strive to partner with Indigenous communities to develop a healthcare plan

Conservatives:

LIBERALS:

• Plan to “move forward with the new First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, which gives people up to 10 per cent off the purchase price of their first home.”

The qualifying value in cities including Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria is $800,000, despite the average housing price in Toronto being $843,115 and a typical detached home in Vancouver costing $1,406,200 •Pledges continue the homelessness strategy in currently for veterans; others groups affected by housing insecurity are not included

Image: Logo of Assembly of First Nations Canada

NDP:

•Pledge to create “500,000 units of quality, affordable housing in the next ten years, with half of that done within five years.” They have pledged a federal investment of $5 billion in the first year and a half of their term •Plan to “set up dedicated faststart funds to streamline the application process [for social housing] and help communities get the expertise and assistance they need to get projects off the ground”

• Pledged to “fix the mortgage stress test to ensure that first-time homebuyers aren’t unnecessarily prevented from accessing mortgages” •Commit to launching “an inquiry into money laundering in the real estate sector” to combat corruption that results in housing price inflation; social housing initiatives are not included in the inquiry

Greens:

• Pledge to appoint a Minister of Housing, whose role will be to “strengthen the National Housing Strategy so that it meets the needs for affordable housing that are unique to each province, and oversee its implementation in collaboration with provincial ministers” The par-

that includes suicide prevention, addiction treatment services, and mental health services

Conservatives:

• Pledge to raise the contribution amount of Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) from “20 to 30 per cent for every dollar invested up to $2,500 a year, to a maximum of $750 a year”, (benefiting only students with RESPs, not those with Student Loans)

Greens:

• Plan to pass UNDRIP and reject the Indian Act as “racist and oppressive legislation” •Pledge to end boil-water and drinking water advisories by “investing [in] and upgrading critical infrastructure” •Vow to implement all suggestions from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry

ty’s target is installing 25,000 new units and rehabilitating 15,000 new units each year for the next decade •Plan to work towards a Canada Co-op Housing Strategy, to “update the mechanisms for financing co-op housing, in partnership with [the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporate (CMHC)], co-op societies, credit unions and other lenders” •Vow to specifically assist atrisk groups by providing “financing to non-profit housing organizations and cooperatives to build and restore quality, energy efficient housing for seniors, people with special needs and low-income families”

11

12

October 7. 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

features

Immigration Policy

Jobs

LIBERALS:

•Pledge to end the fee for citizenship applications, which can be up to $630 for adult applicants •Plan to create a new Municipal Nominee Program, in order to increase immigration to more rural parts of Canada, which “will allow local communities, chambers of commerce, and local labour councils to directly sponsor permanent immigrants” •Vow to make the Atlantic Immigration Pilot program permanent, which will create a pathway to permanent residency for foreign workers and international graduates who want to live or work in the four Atlantic provinces – NB, NS, NL, and PEI.

and grandparents. It is currently set at 20,000 applications per year, and in 2019, the cap was hit within minutes •Vow to suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement and instead allow people to make asylum claims at official points of entry across the border, in order to make sure people don’t attempt unsafe journeys into Canada at unofficial points of entry •Pledge to address the backlog of applications that delay family reunification

Conservatives:

Greens:

•Emphasize language programs as part of social integration in Canada •Will “set immigration levels consistent with what is in Canada’s best interests” •Plan to revise the Safe Third Country Agreement to prevent migrants from claiming asylum in Canada by passing through unofficial entry points along the US-Canada border

NDP:

• Plan to end the cap on applications to sponsor parents

LIBERALS:

• Advocate for the creation of the category “environmental refugee,” in order to “accept an appropriate share of the world’s environmental refugees into Canada” •Plan to eliminate the Temporary Foreign Workers Program, which allows employers to “hire foreign nationals to fill temporary labour and skill shortages when qualified Canadian citizens or permanent residents are not available” •Will terminate the Safe Third Country Agreement

• Strive for Canada to be the second largest exporter of agricultural products by 2025 and will dedicate a Minister of Rural Economic Development to ensure that rural and farm communities continue to get the investment they deserve •Will “create the Canada Entrepreneur Account, administered through the Business Development Bank of Canada, to provide up to 2,000 entrepreneurs with as much as $50,000 each to launch their new businesses.”

•Strive for a federal minimum wage of fifteen dollars per hour

NDP:

• Will increase the minimum wage federally to fifteen dollars per hour and ban unpaid internships that are not eligible for school credit •Plan to grow the Canadian market for manufactured goods by implementing a national strategy to create a low-emissions manufacturing industry •Plans to bring more investors to Canada to “make Canadian dreams a reality” under the iCanada act

Foreign Policy

•Want to create a “national energy corridor,” which “the party says [...] would minimize environmental impacts, increase certainty for investors and create jobs. Scheer did not specify [...] what projects or infrastructure could be part of this corridor.”

Greens:

• Will increase the minimum wage federally to fifteen dollars per hour and ban unpaid internships that are not eligible for school credit •Plan to replace a third of Canada’s food imports with domestically-grown products •Will “institute a tax for large corporations that is the equivalent to the income tax paid by employees who have been laid off due to AI. Small businesses will be exempt” and “use this tax revenue to fund educational and transition programs for laid-off workers, including trade schools

NDP:

•Plan to facilitate trade with China that benefits workers •To renegotiate United States-MexicoCanada Agreement (USMCA) with a focus on enforceability; the party is “in no rush to ratify”

LIBERALS:

• Will create a Director of Terrorism Prosecutions to “make sure that Canadians who travel abroad to join terrorist organizations, or who participate in terrorist organizations here at home, are brought to justice” •Plans to ensure “Canada continues to make a positive contribution to international peace and security”, and “move forward with new investments to support United Nations peacekeeping efforts” •Promise to spend an additional $50 million per year on UN peacekeeping commitments, though this was promised in the Liberal’s campaign in the 2015 election

Conservatives:

Conservatives: Greens:

• Are openly critical of the Canada-China Investment Treaty brought in by the Conservative Party in 2014 •Believe Canada “needs a general purpose, combat-capable force that can provide realistic options to the government in domestic security emergencies, [and] continental defence and international operations”

• Will cut foreign aid spending by 25% across the board •Endorse NAFTA and would not revisit it, though not satisfied with it •Pledge to buy new submarines, join the U.S. ballistic missile defence program, expand the current military mission in Ukraine, take the politics out of military procurement and lease a second supply ship for the navy

October 7, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

features

Childcare

not-for-profit child care services, and to grow that investment annually

LIBERALS:

•Promise 250,000 more before-and-after school spaces for children under 10; at least 10 per cent of these new spaces will be set aside for care outside of standard beforeand-after school care times •Will lower child care fees for before and after school programs by 10 per cent across the board to help families deal with the high cost of care •Claim that they will work with provinces and territories to create a national secretariat to lay the groundwork for a panCanadian child care system.

However, this seems like a lot of buzzwords that in reality amount to very little

Conservatives:

NDP:

•Intend to make childcare more available and affordable, including making the spaces more inclusive to Indigenous children •Plan to pay childcare providers a livable wage and implement a national school nutrition program, and create 500,000 new childcare spaces over four years •Pledge to commit $1 billion in the year 2020 to affordable and

LGBTQ2+ Issues LIBERALS:

•Promise to end the blood donation ban “that is discriminatory to gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.” However, they have not acknowledged trans women and non-binary peoples’ inclusion in the ban.

Furthermore, they discussed taking this action in the last election, which they didn’t follow through with during their term •Pledge to amend the Criminal Code to ban the practice of conversion therapy, despite rejecting a petition calling for the same thing this March

NDP:

•Propose a variety of policy changes, including ending Canada’s discriminatory blood donation ban and officially banning conversion therapy, as well as adding sexual orientation and gender identity and expression to the Employment Equity Act •Plan to “establish a clear and permanent path for resettlement of LGBTQI2S+

refugees in Canada to replace the current [...] approach that only deals with emergency cases as they arise”

Conservatives:

The Conservative Party has no official stance regarding LGBTQ+ issues

Greens:

•Vow to “repeal all federal laws and policies that are discriminatory on the grounds of sexuality, including Section 159 of the Criminal Code,” which was already repealed in June 2019 •Promise to “ban and condemn the practice of conversion therapy, in all its forms,” which has not yet been done on a federal level.

•Vow to “ban and condemn the practice of medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex children”

• Pledge to maintain Liberal initiatives, specifically to continue the Canada Child Benefit program and increase social transfer payments by at least three per cent every year (to help finance childcare and early learning) •Leader Andrew Scheer made a new promise to make Employment Insurance benefits tax-free for new parents •Concretely, are not committing to anything specific

Greens:

•Advocate that the Federal Government minimize the need for daycare by enabling families to take care of their own children before age three; however there is no mention of specific plans to support extended or improved parental leave to facilitate this • Express sentiments towards, but no concrete plans to: “strengthen inclusion and respect for diversity for children with disabilities, diverse ethnic and racial groups, newcomers and disadvantaged Canadians”

The student vote is crucial in this election. All students, faculty, and staff who are Canadian citizens, including those with a permanent address outside of Quebec, can vote on campus from October 5 to 9. All special polling stations in the country are also open for voting until October 15.

You are able to register to vote at the special polling location if not already registred.

All three special polling stations at McGill meet Elections Canada’s Polling Place Suitability Checklist, which sets standards for physical accessibility in polling stations. However, the Daily cannot confirm that off-campus polling stations are accessible. Furthermore, certified stations will not necessarily accomodate for other accessibility needs. If you require specific accommodations, call your local Elections Canada office prior to the date on which you plan to vote. Members of the McGill community should note that the legal allowance for time off to vote does not apply during the special polling period prior to the election date, and McGill will not be cancelling classes on Election Day.

13

Financial Statements April 30, 2019 RICHTER

As part of an audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards, we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit. We also:

Independent Auditor's Report To the Directors of Daily Publications Society / Société de Publication du Daily

x

Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.

x

Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Organization's internal control.

x

Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management.

x

Conclude on the appropriateness of management's use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the Organization's ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor's report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor's report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Organization to cease to continue as a going concern.

x

Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

Opinion We have audited the financial statements of Daily Publications Society / Société de Publication du Daily (the Organization), which comprise the statement of financial position as at April 30, 2019, and the statements of operations, changes in net assets and cash flows for the year then ended, and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies.

In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Organization as at April 30, 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations.

Basis for Opinion We conducted our audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements section of our report. We are independent of the Organization in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in Canada, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Responsibilities of Management and Those Charged with Governance for the Financial Statements Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations, and for such internal control as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, management is responsible for assessing the Organization's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless management either intends to liquidate the Organization or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

Those charged with governance are responsible for overseeing the Organization's financial reporting process.

Montréal, Quebec September 27, 2019

Auditor's Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion.

Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists.

Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

MONTRÉAL

TORONTO

CHICAGO

1981 McGill College Montréal QC H3A 0G6 514.934.3400

181 Bay St., #3510 Bay Wellington Tower Toronto ON M5J 2T3 416.488.2345

200 South Wacker Dr., #3100 Chicago, IL 60606 312.828.0800

1CPA

auditor, CA, public accountancy permit No. A112505

RICHTER.CA

Daily Publications Society / Société de Publication du Daily Statement of Operations For the Year Ended April 30, 2019

2019 $

2018 $

Revenues Advertising Student fees Other

50,760 309,439 3,815

74,589 304,233 391

364,014

379,213

84,390 118,576 155,705 1,852

81,591 126,935 166,179 2,037

360,523

376,742

3,491

2,471

Expenses Selling General and administrative Printing and production Financial Excess of revenues over expenses from operations before interest income Interest income

16,320

990

Excess of revenues over expenses

19,811

3,461

See accompanying notes and additional information

Daily Publications Society / Société de Publication du Daily Statement of Changes in Net Assets For the Year Ended April 30, 2019

Balance - beginning of year

Emergency reserve $ 150,000

Excess of revenues over expenses Balance - end of year

Operations reserve $

Balance - beginning of year

Balance - end of year See accompanying notes

75,000 Operations reserve $

Emergency reserve $

Excess of revenues over expenses

75,000

150,000

Invested in capital assets $

150,000 150,000

75,000

2019 Total $ 282,271

12,463

44,808

(1,939)

21,750

19,811

10,524

66,558

302,082

Invested in capital assets $

75,000

Unrestricted $

Unrestricted $

2018 Total $

9,283

44,527

3,180

281

278,810 3,461

12,463

44,808

282,271

15

October 7, 2019 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

compendium!

Lies, half-truths, and more PBR than brain cells.

One Shit Wonder

McConnell Whistleblower Ninety-Nine Compendium! Contributor

S

tudents who decided to study in McConnell Engineering over the weekend were greeted by the fumes of shame, desperation, or malicious intent. Motive unclear.

Suspect Still at Large

No, not asbestos.

These who couldn’t hold it. I honestly feel fumes originated from the pile bad for the guy, we’ve all been there.” of human shit in the hallway.

On Saturday, September 14, human feces appeared in the newly renovated hallway connecting McConnell Engineering and the Frank Dawson Building. First reported at 5:04p.m., the exact time of desecration is unknown.

Unfortunately, this is not the only piece of the case that is shrouded in mystery; the perpetrator, as well as the motive, are still unclear. However, in the shit - Suzy McSuzeface covered hallways of McConnell, speculation is rampant.

“Oh Man’s one hundred per cent wrong, it was definitely on purpose,” countered Suzy McSuzeface, also U2 Nursing, “and isn’t it suspicious how empathic Man’s being? I mean, Courtney Courtney | The McDill Gaily someone deliberately took a shit in be confirmed by “I’m confused as to why there’s any the hallway, let’s call it out for what printer, but do you know where not investigative team. speculation at all,” countered Man it is. I’m not going to come out and she was on Saturday morning?” the At the time of writing, the shit Man Freddy’s whereabouts Freddy, U2 Nursing, “it seems pretty say that Man Freddy was the one Saturday morning could remains smeared on the wall. cut and dry. It was obviously a kid who dropped a deuce beside the on

Students [...] were greeted by the fumes of shame, desperation, or No, not asbestos. malicious intent.

Motive unclear.

“Someone deliberately took a shit in the hallway, let’s call it out for what it is.”

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Fuck Fuck This (and also That!)

Fucker McThis The McDill Gaily content warning: homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, depression, colonial violence, anxiety

F

uck laptop bans in lectures, fuck having no fall reading break, fuck all of the white African studies profs, fuck all of the white Indigenous studies profs, fuck Orientalism, fuck poli-sci bros, fuck homophobes in my gender studies class, fuck not being able to change my honorific on Minerva, fuck “the future is female,” fuck English teachers who argue with you about your own pronouns, fuck profs who believe in a B average, fuck grade deflation, fuck the GRE, fuck Happy Lamps, fuck classes that end at 6:30p.m., fuck profs who

don’t provide syllabi, fuck “you can say homophobic things and not hate gay people,” fuck co-workers who constantly misgender me, fuck the word transtrender, fuck having to ask profs if we can introduce ourselves with our pronouns, fuck sales employees who call me and my friends “ladies,” fuck folks who claim they “love queer people!!!” but constantly misgender me, fuck transphobic gays who act like the whole face of the community, fuck terfs, fuck boxed water, fuck performative environmentalism, fuck vegans who shame Indigenous sustenance hunting, fuck strawless lids that use just as much plastic, fuck friends who want me to spend my entire paycheque at Lola Rosa, fuck white veganism, fuck people who get “sustainable” products from Amazon shipped to them from the other side of the world,

fuck green-washing, fuck human rights violations that masquerade as “sustainable initiatives,” fuck people who use reusable straws but still vote for pipelines, fuck pipelines, fuck centrists, fuck Trudeau pretending to care about Indigenous people, fuck when you’re using a free software trial and it ends before you can save your project, fuck the New York Times, fuck giving oppressors a platform, fuck Cafe Campus, fuck having the attention span of a goldfish, fuck how expensive styluses are, fuck losing your brand-new stylus, fuck doing laundry, fuck how expensive it is to take public transit every day, fuck chronic pain, fuck essential oils, fuck Krystal and Goose appropriating smudging ceremonies on Bachelor in Paradise, fuck heteronormative reality TV, fuck me for being a fan

of gross TV even though I know it’s gross, fuck finding the right person at the wrong time, fuck the concept of the wrong time, fuck the concept of time, fuck still being depressed two months after leaving my nightshift job because my body clock is fucked, fuck fatphobia, fuck people who call me “curvy” or “thick” or “bigger” but are so afraid of the word “fat,” fuck my joints, fuck not getting a text back, fuck being left on read after a hookup, fuck catching feelings, fuck too many emotions, fuck anti-vaxxers, fuck periods and the pink tax, fuck not having the energy to answer my text messages, fuck leaving 11 people on read, fuck emotions I’m not ready to acknowledge, fuck not wanting to talk to my roommates but knowing that I need my perception of them judging me to go to class, fuck showing up to

class in McMed only to find out that it’s cancelled, fuck avoidant coping mechanisms, fuck having to take the metro for three hours to convince myself that no one is watching me, fuck the fear of being known, fuck an all-ornothing understanding of the world, fuck the cold, fuck water getting in through the holes in my shoes, fuck wet shoes and cold feet, fuck being afraid of being in people’s way, fuck the internet, fuck describing introspection as self-centeredness, fuck doing homework, fuck ignoring homework, fuck the women’s herbal symposium, fuck me for complaining, fuck congealed mayonnaise, fuck losing every single writing utensil I have ever possessed, fuck not being able to see the weather from the Daily office windows.