The McGill Daily: Volume 113, Issue 7

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Published by The Daily Publications Society, a student society of McGill University.

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table of Contents

October 23, 2023 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Table of Contents 3

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Editorial •

Quebec Tuition Hikes

4 • News Earthquakes in Afghanistan • •

COVID-19 Vaccine Montreal for Gaza

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The Garden of Literary Delights Sex Education

11 Commentary • Migrant Crisis in Europe 12 Compendium!

• Quebec Slang Horoscopes

Tech 8 • SciBig+Tech Lawsuits

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Culture

Statement Regarding the Situation in Israel and Palestine

he recent violence in Israel and Gaza has caused divisions the world over. The Daily ’s editorial board is not immune to these divisions, and so we have made the difficult decision not to discuss the situation in this week’s editorial. Nevertheless, we acknowledge in our Statement of Principles that “all events and issues are inherently political, involving relations of social and economic power and privilege.” We recognize that power is unevenly distributed, and we commit to depicting and analyzing power relations as accurately as possible. In light of this, we wish to condemn both the Hamas attack on Israel and the Israeli government’s violence, historical and ongoing, against the Palestinian people. We also condemn antisemitism, islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian racism, for we believe that all systems of oppression are interlinked and can only be dismantled simultaneously. Finally, we call for an immediate ceasefire and for the admission of humanitarian aid into Gaza and Israel.

DEPUIS 1967

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EDITORIAL

Volume 113 Issue 7

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Quebec’s Tuition Hikes Are Prohibitive, Not Protective

n October 13, the Legault government announced that, starting in Fall 2024, it would almost double the tuition fees for out-of-province students attending English-language universities in Quebec. Currently, the tuition for out-of-province students is $8,992 per year, but this is set to increase to about $17,000 per year for students enrolling in the upcoming school year. An increase is also expected for incoming international students, but the amount has not yet been confirmed. However, students from France and Belgium, who currently pay the same fee as outof-province students, will not see an increase in their tuition. The rationale for this decision comes from the Legault government’s long-standing desire to “protect the French language.”

“The measures announced will allow us to recover money that will be used to preserve, promote and enhance the French language in the university system,” Jean-François Roberge, Minister of the French Language, said in a statement to CBC. He also expressed concern about the “anglicizing effect” that non-Francophone students were supposedly bringing to Montreal.

The administrations of all three of Quebec’s anglophone universities – McGill, Concordia, and Bishop’s University – have decried this tuition hike and expressed serious concerns that this will affect their recruitment capacities. It is important to note that these English-language universities were not consulted prior to the announcement of these tuition hikes. McGill Principal Deep Saini wrote in an email to students that “We are concerned that, in the government’s announcement, prospective students from outside Quebec may hear the message that they are not welcome – despite Montreal’s reputation as a global education destination, and the extraordinary contributions of students and alumni within Quebec.”

Meanwhile, Bishop’s University Principal Sébastien Lebel-Grenier said that the university would be in “dire financial straits” if students from the rest of Canada stopped attending.

These concerns are shared by student unions. A joint statement by SSMU and the Concordia Student Union described this tuition increase as “undemocratic and discriminatory.” They argued that these increases would “price out the poorest out-of-province students, saddle students with further debts, and require students to work even more during their studies to afford their education.” They demanded that the government consider post-secondary education a human right and negotiate fee increases with student unions before implementing them.

The Daily condemns these tuition hikes and calls on the government of Quebec to repeal them. Post-

secondary education is already expensive for many students. This increase would put even more financial strain on out-of-province students, potentially preventing them from attending university in Quebec at all. Prospective students should be able to study at the post-secondary institution that best fits their needs and interests, and not be forced to choose based on their or their caregivers’ financial capacity. These tuition hikes will mainly target lower-income out-of-province students, which will undoubtedly exacerbate existing classism and elitism present within higher education.

These measures put forward by the CAQ are a continuation of their numerous policies targeting anglophones and other non-francophones, aimed at either assimilating them or pushing them out of the province entirely. Bill 96, adopted in May 2022, severely limits Quebecers’ ability to access public services, including healthcare, in a language other than French.

This bill had previously been challenged in court for being unconstitutional and violating the rights of nonFrench speakers, particularly Indigenous people.

If the Quebec government wants to preserve the French language, it should focus on integrating, not alienating, anglophone out-of-province students.

This means using its resources to make learning the language more accessible to those who study in the province. If non-French speakers studying in Quebec are encouraged to learn French, this may incentivize them to stay in the province after graduation and build a life here. In fact, McGill shelved a program to help students, faculty, and staff learn French after the announcement, citing financial uncertainty. Quebec universities could draw inspiration from programs such as the University of Ottawa’s French Immersion program, which awards bursaries to all full-time students taking courses in French.

If you want to learn French, there are many opportunities to learn the language at a low cost.

The Explore program offers Canadian students the opportunity to learn French for a month at a Canadian university with most of the costs covered by the government. The Quebec government also offers free French classes to people living in Quebec.

If you are interested in getting involved in opposing these tuition hikes, come to SSMU’s Town Hall on Thursday, October 26 at 6:00–8:00 p.m. in Arts 150 to share your thoughts. If you feel comfortable, consider participating in any protests against these hikes.

Quebec students have a long history of reversing tuition hikes, and we can do it again!

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News

October 23, 2023 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Devastating Earthquakes in Western Afghanistan

India Mosca News Editor

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ince October 7, the Western province of Herat in Afghanistan has been struck by a series of powerful earthquakes and aftershocks, causing extensive human, psychological, and infrastructural damage.

As of October 19, aftershocks are continuing, leaving communities in a state of fear and worry.

Women and children are the most affected by the earthquakes with limited access to food and water and vulnerable to natural elements, such as aftershocks, cold, and sandstorms.

The situation is especially dire for women and children.

On October 12, UNICEF wrote in a press release that over 90 per cent of those reported killed were women and children. The NGO launched a 20 million USD appeal to provide humanitarian assistance to the over 200,000 people in need, including 96,000 children in the most affected areas.

Devastating Earthquakes Hit The Western Region of Afghanistan

Context on Existing Health Crisis in Afghanistan

As of October 19, aftershocks are continuing, leaving communities in a state of fear and worry. The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.3, hit about 40 km northwest of Herat, the province’s capital, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This earthquake was followed by a series of strong aftershocks.

This earthquake was first said to have caused more than 2,000 casualties, but on October 11, the Afghan Minister of Health Qalandar Ebac revised his statement by saying that the death toll from the quakes amounted to around 1,000. The last known earthquake, also of 6.3 magnitude, hit the same region on October 15.

Even though reporting on exact numbers is a challenging endeavour due to the remote area where the earthquakes occurred, multiple NGOs have been multiplying efforts to collect information and provide adequate aid. According to the latest WHO health situation report, nearly 43,400 people across the districts of Injil, Kushk/Rabat-being, Zildjian, Gulran, Herat, and Kohsan have been directly impacted. 23 per cent are reported to be children under the age of five. Based on their assessment of material destruction, at least 40 health facilities and 3,330 homes have been damaged, together with infrastructure such as the water network. This has left thousands living in open areas and temporary shelters,

Adding to this crisis is the pre-existing exposure of Afghans confronted with a long-standing health crisis resulting from decades of political and economic instability, social issues, and malnutrition, amongst others.

“In Afghanistan, this is a disaster on top of a disaster, on top of a disaster, on top of a disaster,” said Philippe Kropf, head of communications at the World Food Programme (WFP) Afghanistan, in an interview, urging the international community to provide humanitarian aid to the wartorn nation.

Afghanistan has been ranked within the top three countries most at risk of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Emergency Watchlist. Poverty remains one of the main causes of this ranking. IRC explains that since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, more commonly known as the Taliban, took power in August 2021, international actors, on which most of the healthcare system depended, suspended most of the non-humanitarian funding and froze billions of dollars in assets. In addition, decades of conflict, and the intensification of climate change-related disasters (droughts and floods) have contributed to the vulnerability of both the people and the country’s infrastructure.

IRC claims that 28.8 million people are

currently in urgent need of support, with nearly 40 per cent of the Afghan population facing severe food insecurity.

A report published earlier this year by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) shed a light on the multiple factors that have been contributing to increases in people’s medical needs and the struggling healthcare system. The report found that socio-political factors, widespread poverty, strict restrictions on women, and decades of conflict were the strongest determinants of this crisis. Over 60 per cent of people surveyed declared that women already face greater obstacles than men when trying to access healthcare, mainly due to movement restrictions linked to the long-established socio-cultural practice known as “mahram.”

The Daily spoke with Dr. Maureen Mayhew, a former McGill student who worked for ten years with MSF in Afghanistan.

She shared her account of working in Afghanistan and her thoughts on the current situation.

“One thing to understand in Afghanistan is that the war has been going on for a long time, and it’s many wars, right?

And so a lot of destruction had happened to the healthcare system, and a lot of the people who were educated had left the country. So therefore, you’re not going to have educated healthcare workers, because all of those people were able to leave the country and go somewhere else, like Canada or the US or Europe. So there were a lot of challenges in setting up anything,” said Dr. Mayhew.

Difficulties in Organizing and Implementing Response and Relief The multi-sectoral Herat Earthquake Response Plan targets approximately 114,000 people living in high-intensity impact areas. By October 17, WHO and Health Cluster partners had reached 32,511 individuals across multiple districts.

In collaboration with the Afghanistan Society

of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AFSOG), WHO has deployed a dedicated team of 21 female healthcare workers from Kabul to Herat. Multiple international organizations, such as IRC, CARE, Save the Children, UNICEF, and the European Union, have been mobilizing to provide aid. However, since the de facto Taliban authorities came to power in 2021, not only has there been a large withdrawal of humanitarian agencies, but there have been many constraints on NGO work, especially women-led organizations.

In addition, many countries have been reluctant to provide aid because of political disagreements and a lack of recognition of the Taliban government. Another factor that impedes aid provision in Afghanistan is the high degree of misinformation.

Victoria Janesh, executive director of the Afghan Women Center of Montreal (AWCM), spoke to the Daily about the Afghan community’s organization in light of the earthquakes and their thoughts on the international community’s response. The AWCM aims to “empower socially isolated immigrant women within Canadian society by designing and implementing programs tailored to their specific needs and also through selfdevelopment workshops and collective actions or collective projects,” she explained. As an immediate response to the disaster members of the organization came together and “gathered donations, from the community members to provide this money to the family members living in the region through Western Union.

And they will distribute it to the people affected. So far it gathered around $4,000. It’s not too much, but it’s still something.”

Janesh raised the issue of the lack of action taken by Canada’s

government. She explained that “according to Canada’s law, Bill 41 recognizes the Taliban regime as a terrorist regime.

So according to this clause and law, Canada refuses to provide any humanitarian help for the terrorism group.” Some nongovernmental organizations, such as Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, are still provided with funding, she specified. However, they lack the connections with people on the ground.

“Afghanistan remains a victim of the blind eye of the world,” she said. “There’s a lot happening in Afghanistan, and we see every day that women are banned from school, every day their rights to freedom are restricted. It’s shown in the media. Everyone now is aware.

I believe it is our collective responsibility and efforts to shed light on how we can bring awareness and to shed light on the injustice and suffering faced

by Afghans and especially the magnitude of violence inflicted through gender apartheid.”

Janesh then defined “gender apartheid,” saying “it means that Afghan women and girls are forced in systemic isolation, restricting their freedoms of assembly movements or maybe employment beyond their household, or they’re ultimately forced to function as an underclass in Afghan society these days.” In terms of international responsibility, she added that refusing to recognize and act upon gender apartheid in Afghanistan “sets a dangerous precedent for young girls as the systemic erasure of rights and freedoms become a norm in Afghanistan now.”

When asked if they had had any direct contact with people affected by the earthquake, Victoria Janesh introduced one of the members of AWCM, Mohammad Tawfiq Fushanji,

“Afghanistan remains a victim of the blind eye of the world.”

- Victoria Janesh

News

October 23, 2023 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

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whose family lives in Herat.

He described the difficulty his loved ones were going through, saying that “the services are not available for those in need there. No access to hospitals or medication. And people cannot do anything. They are all outside their homes.” He added that women were facing a difficult situation because their movements were restricted.

Focus on Women and Child Health Women and children make up a majority of the victims of the earthquakes.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that there are 3,000 women of reproductive age affected by the earthquakes, making it one of their priorities that they receive urgent maternal and reproductive health care.

When the Taliban regime first came to power in 1996, the country had one of the world’s highest maternal, infant and child mortality rates. However, due to significant investments in health and the establishment of midwifery programs, the maternal mortality rate declined from approximately 1,450 to 658 deaths per 100,000 live births, between 2001 and 2017. Yet, it is important to note that since the Taliban took over, women have been experiencing the most drawbacks in terms of freedom and are amongst the most affected by the economic and health crisis, especially mothers and children.

This contributes to their vulnerability in events such as the recent earthquakes.

The Daily talked with Dr. Mayhew about public, maternal and child health in light of the earthquakes and within the general socio-political context of Afghanistan.

Referring to factors that contributed to the fragility of the health system and the vulnerability of women and children’s health, she mentioned the sustained climate of war for the past decades, the lack of medical infrastructures in rural areas, and the high rates of illiteracy, especially for women, which hinders the possibility of women working in the health system: “If you think about the lack of education of girls at this point is you’re going to run into a problem, a pipeline problem of human resources for educated girls to become healthcare workers and teachers who it’s really important to have female healthcare workers because men in Afghanistan, it’s not okay for them to do female examinations and things like

Eric Duivenvoorden | Visuals Editor that. Because of those cultural rules, male OBGYN, obstetrical gynecologists are not going to be able to provide adequate care because of the repercussions to them, even if they wanted to do it,” she explained.

Dr. Mayhew added that “the international community stopped funding a lot of NGOs, and a lot of NGOs pulled out. And because of that, the funding of healthcare workers was greatly reduced and hospitals were left to their own resources. Clinics were left to their own resources. And we do know that historically the healthcare sector was propped up by international funding.

And because of political disagreements, that funding was removed. And so you could say that the international community is not supporting women and children because of political agendas. You could say that that in and of itself hurts women and children.”

to Afghans.

Looking back at the projects that were established in the years she worked in Afghanistan, Dr. Mayhew told the Daily that “having a midwifery program was working. So that needs to continue to happen. It also means that women and girls need to be allowed to go into that and to be educated enough.

And then to provide family planning in the ways that are acceptable in Afghanistan.” She highlighted that “to do that in the current milieu, you’re going to have to work with the Taliban to make that happen.

And you’re going to have to swallow some of the judgment

that you might feel while you move that agenda along. And then, of course, enough food is going to be important as well.

So then you get into agriculture and social determinants of health. All of those things are going to be necessary to help women and children.” She also added that “another thing that people in North America often don’t know or forget about is that Afghanistan is a collectivist society. It is not an individualistic society. So if we can reframe health to be more family health, I think that would be helpful.”

Finally, what can we, as students, do to support Afghans?

Victoria Janesh

“We do know that historically the healthcare sector was propped up by international funding. And because of political Next Steps and disagreements, that funding International Responsibility was removed. And so you Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially could say that the international in the Hindu Kush mountain range, as it lies near the community is not supporting junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. So women and children because what will happen next? Many international organizations of political agendas.” are calling on international actors to provide financial aid - Dr. Mayhew

suggests that students should gain more awareness of what is happening and highlights that she wishes to see more students get involved in terms of ideas and advocacy. “It’s all happening with the youth,” she says.

Dr. Mayhew concluded by saying “the first thing I would say is you need good information. Look for information that isn’t the same as what you would usually look at. Go look at Al Jazeera, or look at a Muslim source of information and just see. Is there a different perspective?”

She then discussed the difficulty for North America to separate from the dogma that Muslim women need saving.

She recalls, “Not all Afghan women need saving either.

And there is power that these women have. And being able to recognize that power and then help capitalize on it, I think that would be a wonderful way to go.”

October 23, 2023 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

news

Montreal for Gaza in Photos

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Palestinians and allies protest Canada’s complicity in Israeli violence in Gaza Emma Bainbridge Coordinating News Editor

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n October 20, Palestinian and Jewish community members blocked the entrance to Francois Legault’s office in Montreal alongside their allies. Led by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and Independent Jewish Voices (IJW), protestors made the following demands of the Quebec government: • Condemn the genocide Israel is committing in Gaza • Close the Quebec representative office in Israel • Recognize the increase in hate crimes towards Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities in Quebec and mobilize resources to keep those communities safe

“We’re here to say that we are thousands of people across the world that will continue to support Palestinian liberation.”

- PYM Speaker

“We know that Canada and the US are greenlighting this campaign of genocide and we are not going to stand for it.”

- PYM Speaker

For updates, follow @palestinianyouthmovement and @ijvcanada on Instagram.

“We will free Palestine / within our lifetime!”

- Protest chant

“We stand with hundreds of Jews in Canada, thousands in the US, and many more around the world refusing to support Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people.”

- Sarah Boivin, IJV

October 23, 2023 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

News

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Quebec Launches New COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

Campaign aims to prevent spike in winter cases Enid Kohler News Contributor

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ith COVID-19 cases on the rise in Quebec, Quebec’s Health Ministry launched their fall vaccination campaign on October 10. Approximately 100 service centers will participate in the campaign to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Dr. Donald Vinh, infectious diseases specialist at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), said that COVID-19 is “making a comeback.” Vinh stated that “in the first week of September alone, there were 127,000 confirmed cases of COVID, excluding approximately 560,000 people who selfreported viral respiratory symptoms but did not get tested.” He concluded that there is a “significant increase [in COVID-19 cases] over what was happening in August.”

COVID-19 is projected to circulate more as the weather gets colder. Raymond Tellier, Associate Professor in the McGill Depart of Medicine with an expertise in coronaviruses, explained to the Daily that respiratory viruses “tend to have a seasonal peak in the autumn and the winter time.” Part of this is due to the increase in spending time indoors. Tellier said that inside, “the air is more dry and there is less humidity, which can favour the survival of the aerosols of several viruses.”

Quebec’s Health Ministry wants to find the “best window” to vaccinate Quebecers to minimize the increase in COVID-19 infections. Health Minister Christian Dubé said that “the worst of the pandemic arrives in December-January” and because the “vaccine is good for at least six months”,

the Quebec Health Ministry is starting their campaign now to ensure the maximum coverage of the vaccination.

Health services participating in the campaign offer an updated version of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine by Moderna, which targets the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant.

Authorized on September 12 for people ages six months and older, the Moderna vaccine also targets EG.5.1, the current predominant subvariant in Quebec.

Dr. Tellier explained that EG.5.1 is a descendant of the XBB variant, which was the variant chosen when creating the updated vaccine: “It looks like the current vaccine would be an excellent match for the variants that are circulating right now”.

On Thursday, September 28, Health Canada also authorized the new Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty drug for individuals ages six months and older, which targets the same COVID-19 subvariant.

The Pfizer vaccine will be available in the coming weeks as part of Quebec’s campaign.

Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire SainteJustine and president of Quebec’s immunization committee, advised vulnerable populations to get the Moderna vaccine as soon as they are able to instead of delaying their vaccination to wait for the Pfizer shot, as both are effective at preventing negative effects of the virus.

For the first time, Quebec will also offer free Influenza vaccines on a widespread basis, meaning that individuals can visit the same health service to be vaccinated against both the flu and COVID-19 simultaneously.

“All we know right now is that the best way not to get long COVID is not to get COVID!” - Dr Tellier

Genevieve Quinn | Photos Editor Alexandra Peebles, McGill Medical Student and Research Assistant with Dr. Nicole Basta, encouraged McGill students to take advantage of Quebec’s vaccine campaign. For one, vaccinations “reduce the risk of transmitting COVID to others, which could save lives down the line.” In addition, Peebles explained to the Daily that students should get vaccinated

more challenging.”

As Dr. Tellier shared, long COVID is particularly dangerous because “we don’t completely understand the mechanisms of long COVID and we don’t know the risk factors.”

However, getting vaccinated can reduce this risk by lowering the probability of catching the virus: “All we know right now is that the best way not to get long COVID is not to get COVID!”

“This applies to everyone, McGill student or not.”

- Alexandra Peebles to prevent the long term risks associated with COVID-19. She stated that “as a student, a huge concern, in my opinion, would be suffering from long COVID. Common symptoms of long COVID include fatigue, brain fog [and] shortness of breath. These symptoms can make studying, working, or exercising all the

Dr. Tellier continued to note the impressive power of the COVID-19 vaccine: “I am a big fan of this vaccine. It is remarkable that they could come up with it so fast because when this pandemic started, not only did we not have a vaccine, we did not even know if it was possible to make a vaccine against this kind

of virus. It’s not done before, not for humans.”

As of October 2, people in longterm care homes and private senior’s residences are now able to get both the flu shot and the updated COVID-19 vaccines. All other individuals are able to get vaccinated from October 10.

Peebles emphasized that “you do not need to be a Quebec resident to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This applies to anyone, McGill student or not.”

To book an appointment, visit the ClicSanté website and select the COVID-19 icon before following the steps to confirm your booking.

Rapid COVID-19 tests are also available free of charge in Quebec’s various vaccination centres, schools, daycares and pharmacies.

For more information, visit Vaccination contre les infections respiratoires | Gouvernement du Québec: https://www.quebec.ca/ sante/conseils- et-prevention/ vaccination/vaccination-contreinfections-respiratoires

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October 23, 2023 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

sci + Tech

Big Tech Could Soon Get Smaller Government lawsuits signal possible unravelling of corporate tech monopolies

Andrei Li SciTech Editor Big Tech’s omnipresence is reflected throughout our everyday lives. Names like Microsoft, Netflix and Amazon have become customary for the products and services they offer. The Apple logo is ubiquitous everywhere from smart speakers to iPads, while “Google-ing” has become synonymous with online searches.

Such everyday euphemisms come from a tech sector dominated by a handful of powerful companies collectively known as “Big Tech.” However, their dominance might be at risk.

Last month, the United States saw the beginning of two legal battles that could permanently reshape the tech landscape into one without Big Tech monopolies.

Eric Duivenvoorden | Visuals Editor Commission (FTC) — the US agency responsible for market fairness — and several state attorneys.

Both legal cases claim that the two key Silicon Valley companies — pillars of the US tech landscape — abused their power to maintain near-total control over the online shopping and search engine industries.

These two legal challenges are the largest against the American tech sector in the last 20 years, comparable only to the landmark case against Microsoft two decades ago. In 2001, Microsoft agreed with US regulators to allow users to download and operate non-Microsoft programs, like Java, on Windows PCs.

If either case is settled favourably for prosecutors, the victory could signal a weakening of Big Tech’s long growing power over the tech industry.

On September 12, a long-awaited trial began against Google in Washington District Court. Filed by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), it purported that Google had deliberately blocked smaller companies from competing in the search engine industry.

Two weeks later, on September 26, a joint suit was filed against Amazon by the Federal Trade

If either case is settled favourably for prosecutors, the victory could signal a weakening of Big Tech’s long growing power over the tech industry.

Ultimately, they might herald the dismantlement of Silicon Valley’s griphold on the tech industry.

Elettra Bietti, an associate professor at the Northeastern University School of Law, sees

this as greater public inclination for “more proactive enforcement against Big Tech.”

The US government’s actions come at a time of unprecedented Big Tech influence over not only the tech sector, but the world economy as a whole. According to Investopedia, seven out of the ten largest companies in the world (by market cap) are American tech companies.

In turn, Big Tech companies have near-complete control of their respective industries.

Amazon dominates American online retail with 37.8 per cent of total sales, while Google accounts for 83.5 per cent of the global search engine market.

Silicon Valley companies’ supremacy has created a perfect breeding ground for monopolistic practices. The DOJ alleges that Alphabet, which owns Google, spends billions every year on ensuring Google is the default search engine used by its business partners, such as in Apple devices.

Such practices are exclusionary, and are aimed at preventing smaller search engines from gaining users, argues the DOJ. Similarly, the FTC claimed that Amazon has used its “monopoly power to inflate prices, degrade quality, and stifle innovation for consumers and businesses.” In 2021, the Biden administration appointed Lina Khan, a prominent critic of Big Tech and particularly of Amazon, as the new chair of the FTC. While still a law student, Khan was notable for publishing an influential

the federal government’s policy of corporate deregulation, a philosophy passed down from the Reagan era, is the primary reason for the slew of big corporation takeovers, both in Silicon Valley and in other industries.

Globally, the US still remains behind many other countries in holding tech companies in check.

Just this summer, the EU won $1.3 billion USD in compensation from Meta for transferring European user data to the US, in breach of EU data privacy laws. And in 2021, online retail giant Alibaba was fined a record $2.8 billion USD by Chinese regulators for abusing merchants with its monopoly powers.

Nonetheless, the current actions of the US government are likely to come as a relief to smaller companies and consumers alike.

In the past, antitrust lawsuits put forward by private plaintiffs have often been rejected by federal judges. A notable example is Epic Games’ 2020 lawsuit against Apple’s 30 per cent commission on web store products, which was thrown out on the grounds of insufficient wrongdoing by Apple.

For Eleanor Fox, a law professor The US government’s moves at New York University, private come late into a tech economy suits are often viewed as petty by dominated by large corporations. judges, and are not taken seriously.

Now that the US government Since the Microsoft case, little action has been taken against the is stepping up to confront the takeover of fledgling tech sectors monopolised tech sector, it remains by established companies. Some to be seen whether the hold tech have attributed this to the US monopolies have over our lives will government’s inability to adapt be weakened or not. Only time will to the rapidly-evolving tech tell if the US will rein back the industry. Others have argued that juggernaut of Big Tech. paper arguing Amazon’s pricing practices were anticompetitive, squeezing small businesses out of the online market by limiting their profitability.

The US government’s moves come late into a tech economy dominated by large corporations.

Since the Microsoft case, little action has been taken against the takeover of fledgling tech sectors by established companies.

October 23, 2023 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Culture

The ‘Garden of Literary Delights’ Is in Bloom

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South Asian writers celebrate the multitudes in their literary cultures

Elaine Yang Features Editor

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n October 1, the Kabir Cultural Centre’s annual ‘Garden of Literary Delights’ ran in its third iteration at the Atwater Library.

Established as a platform for writers of South Asian heritage to present their work and engage directly with their audiences, this year’s event featured four remarkable artists conquering an incredible breadth of literary exploits.

With a focus on exploring diversity in “form, style, subject, and genre,” the panelists drew on their wide range of creative backgrounds and cultural experiences in sharing their processes for writing and reading from some of their most impactful stories.

Introduced by writer Veena Gokhale, the panel – made up of Farzana Doctor, Zahida Rahemtulla, Shailee Rajak, and Angela Misri – took their spots on one side of the Atwater Library’s auditorium. They were joined by an additional, empty chair; a silent acknowledgement of writers around the world facing imprisonment and suppression.

Ghokale’s introduction was followed by a wry apology for the lack of male writers featured at the event, sending a ripple of laughter around the room. Between the four women on the panel, almost every literary genre was more than amply represented – Farzana Doctor has published a series of short novels garnering critical acclaim; Zahida Rahemtulla writes plays exploring themes from the comical to the profoundly human; literary scholar Shailee Rajak made her creative writing debut with a graphic novel addressing ancient mythology to young students; and novelist Angela Misri has written works of fiction spanning countless microgenres. Yet despite the wide variety of backgrounds and approaches present, subtle commonalities were quick to emerge from the successive presentations.

Many writers in today’s world, particularly those from diasporic cultural backgrounds, find an increasing need to reconcile with a collective, and sometimes evasive, past. In an emotive reading from one of her best-known mimetic novels, Seven, Farzana Doctor illustrated the fragility of this pursuit as a chase after “memories of memories.” This particular yearning for definition around one’s history strikes a familiar chord with many readers from fractured cultural backgrounds whose collective familial memories draw a similar blank. The particular effectiveness of Doctor’s prose demonstrates a subtle and piercing understanding of the interplay between culture and individual

mentality that informs how many of us engage with these unremembered pasts.

Doctor, who has a developed career as a private psychotherapist in addition to her published writing, spoke to finding harmony between her pursuits. Although her psychotherapy practice doesn’t contribute directly to her writing, she finds certain parallels between the two processes that enhance her understanding of the way characters – and real people – work. In doing both, she finds herself asking the same question: “How will [my work] be understood?”

Understanding the audiences who engage with their narratives is often instrumental for writers to develop their storytelling technique. Zahida Rahemtulla, who is seeing her newest play go into production (imminently), has been conscious of a gradual shift in demographic among the people taking interest in her work. “Audiences are changing,” she said, referring to the growing number of people discovering her plays who don’t necessarily share her South Asian background. As her work gained more attention with the diversification of attendance, Rahemtulla adapted accordingly — for example, by introducing hints to clue in new audience members on the specific cultural references that occur in her writing. Facilitating understanding between one side of the stage and the other is of considerable importance in cultivating authentic appreciation.

Rahemtulla’s new play, Frontliners, explores the social and cultural dynamics revealed by interactions between social workers, new refugees, and Samaritan volunteers on the Canadian west coast. She animates arrestingly accurate characterizations of young workers at a non-profit organization who stretch their resources and personal faculties to aid a number of Syrian refugee families.

Based in part on her own experiences as a social worker in British Columbia, Rahemtulla also drew on insight she gained from working alongside Syrian colleagues over the years to weave together the play’s spirited discourse and unmistakable humanity into a nuanced depiction of personal and cultural interchange.

The celebration of parallels and differences between disparate cultures, it seems, refuses to be limited to a single medium. Graphic novels have surged in popularity among young readers attracted to the irresistible combination of narrative prose with the equally powerful potency of imagery and design. CBC Radio recently hosted an interview with McGill alumnus Shailee Rajak on Helen and Sita, her graphic novel for young people, which she created in collaboration with illustrator Priyadarshini Banerjee. Written in a

Eric Duivenvoorden | Visuals Editor clear and poignant tone, the book assumes the points of view of two of the most famous women in world mythology — Helen of Troy and Sita from the Indian epic Ramayana — and thoroughly humanizes them by narrating their thoughts and feelings around the fateful marital arrangements made for them by their families. In a fluid visual language that allows text and imagery to flow synchronously from one page to the next, the book places the women’s stories side by side and allows the reader to realize the universality of the longing to control their own destinies.

As for the two myths from which she drew her material, Rajak sought to highlight numerous parallels between the Ancient Greek and Indian moral institutions that led Helen and Sita down their twin paths.

These similarities point to the deep connections — “cultural, linguistic, and pedagogical” — between branches of the ancient Indo-European continuity she examines as a literary scholar.

The cultural sense of identity has long been tangled with the idea of a certain level of ownership over the stories and traditions that make up each person’s individual awareness.

While it is easier to become attached to narratives that bear a certain amount of resemblance to what is familiar to one’s own background or experiences, the incidental worlds and stories encountered by an impressionable young mind can make for lasting and surprising inspiration.

Angela Misri was raised by Indian parents in London, where she was introduced at an early age to works by the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Her career as a writer since has been

marked with a willingness to engage with the impossible, as well as a distinctly dry tone of humour. Her newest novel, The Detective and the Spy, follows a young woman living alone who discovers her familial connection to the life of Sherlock Holmes and relocates to London, creating a “fish-out-of-water” scenario reminiscent of the way Misri describes her own childhood.

For Misri, some of the most important creative and professional

relationships in her career were developed with her editors — the people she credits with holding her to the task of organizing her own ideas.

Often, it is during the editing process that she realizes some explanation is missing between the stages of one of her fast-paced stories. Understanding a narrative on the reader’s part begins with an author’s invitation. Telling any story, after all, does entail owing a little explanation — if only sometimes to oneself.

Courtesy of Shailee Rajak

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October 23, 2023 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Culture

Sex Education’s Academic Utopia

Cavendish College is not as perfect as it claims to be

Islay Fraser Culture Contributor

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he final season of Netflix’s popular series Sex Education begins a new chapter in the lives of the show’s main characters.

Otis (Asa Butterfield) and friends embark on their journey at Cavendish College, a strikingly different academic experience from the gloomy, strict Moordale High.

The college seems, at first glance, to be a colourful and welcoming utopia: a green, student-led, overwhelmingly queer campus that doesn’t tolerate gossip. Once you look beneath the surface, however, Cavendish is not nearly as perfect as it seems.

There are no typically stylish, mean, popular kids in Sex Education’s fourth season – but there is still a group of students who “rule the school.” This is the first crack in Cavendish’ facade of perfection. For how can a utopia have any kind of hierarchy? When you imagine an ideal school, you would probably picture everyone on a level playing field, which at first glance, Cavendish seems to embody. However, all this falls apart once we meet the group of students self-proclaimed “the Coven.” Abbi (Anthony Lexa), Roman (Felix Mufti), and Aisha (Alexandra James) are very picky about who they invite into their friend group despite loudly promoting inclusivity in their school and community-related efforts.

Moordale’s formerly stereotypically popular Ruby (Mimi Keene) clearly wants to become friends with the Coven. But her previous actions comes

It is not realistic or healthy to be happy all the time, despite whatever utopian ideals full of rainbows and sunshine might tell us. back to haunt her as the group throws her previous exclusionary behavior back in her face, making an active effort to exclude her in their social activities. These are not exactly the actions you’d expect from a group so dedicated to “inclusivity.”

Another of Cavendish’s purported values is openness to everyone’s opinion, demonstrated by the symbolic podium placed in the school’s foyer that is always available for students to voice their ideas. However, there does not seem to be any system in place to take note of or actually implement what students have to say; it is as though speeches are forgotten as soon as students step off the stage. It is not clear how student government or elections work, but it is implied that only those in the Coven can vote on and adopt important campus decisions. Although Cavendish claims to be a democratic student-led campus, the reality is that only a fraction of its students’ thoughts are actually being

Genevieve Quinn | Visuals Editor

Disability rights are highlighted this season, rights which have only recently begun to be considered as widely as queer rights have. Although Cavendish seems amazing on so many fronts, one of its biggest flaws is its accessibility issues. It seems unrealistic that in this utopian setting, the only way for people with mobility issues to access floors taken into consideration. other than the ground level is a faulty The friendly and overly optimistic elevator, given the school’s seemingly environment that welcomes us at excess funds. While the foyer boasts of Cavendish can also be read as toxic comfortable seating, the classrooms still positivity. It is not realistic or healthy use typical chair-desk combinations in to be happy all the time, despite one size only, which poses problems whatever utopian ideals full of rainbows for disabled people. In addition, despite and sunshine might tell us. The “no the school’s generous use of technology negative talk” rule enforced by Abbi throughout the season prevents the friend group from discussing important feelings and issues, and ultimately (and unsurprisingly) leads to resentment and argument. Toxic positivity is one of the issues the characters directly address by the end of the season, as they come to realize that Cavendish College can never realistically be a utopia, but only a work-in-progress.

Another utopian aspect of the campus in all other departments, there are no is its full, unquestionable acceptance tools or aids in place for people who of queer students. But this level of are deaf or hard-of-hearing. These progress brings our attention to another accessibility issues are one of the only marginalized group at Cavendish who problems openly acknowledged by the do not experience the same acceptance. students, who stage a protest to get the

elevator fixed and replaced. Protests are part of revolution, and revolution is required to create change; we must break the system in place before rebuilding a new, utopian one. This protest, therefore, is another indication of a rejection of Cavendish’s utopian narrative. By protesting, the students are acknowledging that their school is not perfect yet, but they are trying their best to make it so.

There are many reminders that Cavendish College is a green campus; everyone bikes to school, they have a strict compost and recycling system, they don’t use paper, etc. These actions make their own school a less

It is harmful to promote a safe space while glossing over underlying issues; to work towards creating a utopia, we must acknowledge and fix problems, not ignore them.

polluted space but will not do much to help the global climate crisis.

After all, a utopia cannot survive independent of the world around it. Corporations have historically encouraged individuals to pursue

greener actions to help fight climate change, while they continue emitting tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year. The fact that Cavendish promotes small green actions without acknowledging the systemic causes of climate catastrophe shows that the campus is not a utopia, but rather a world of climate change denial and inaction.

This is not to say that individuals should not create change in their own lives and commit to a healthier lifestyle. But it is important to remember to be critical when an institution, like Sex Education’s Cavendish College, calls themselves “inclusive, diverse, and ecologically responsible.” It is harmful to promote a safe space while glossing over underlying issues; to work towards creating a utopia, we must acknowledge and fix problems, not ignore them. The most realistic part of Cavendish, in my opinion, is that young people are aware of and find solutions for systemic discrimination and disrespect. The only truly utopian part of Cavendish is that young people are actually listened to, and their ideas are fully implemented to create a place where they actually want to be. To me, this kind of world is the true utopia.

October 23, 2023 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Commentary

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From Asylum-Haven to Populist Isolationism

The far-right movement in Europe makes its mark on the migrant crisis Anisha Mohapatra Commentary Contributor

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n September 2, 2015, twoyear-old Alan Kurdi, his mother Rihanna, and older brother Ghalib boarded a small overcrowded dinghy off the coast of Turkey. In the following days, a photo of his body, washed up by a beach resort, became one of the most widely circulated images on Facebook.

Alan’s story is one of so many young Syrians and their families attempting to find any means to flee from the horrors of the Syrian war.

More than twenty-five thousand people have lost their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea since 2015, hoping to seek refuge in Europe, or in Alan’s case, temporary refuge before relocating to Canada. These migrants hail from politically unstable nations such as Syria, Iraq, and Iran, among others. Oftentimes, refugees pay premium prices to sail on boats heading to the coasts of European countries closest to them, such as Greece, Italy, and Spain. These boats often have little to no safety measures, and to make as high of a profit as possible, smugglers tend to overcrowd their boats. This overcrowding causes boats to capsize in the sea, drowning most migrants on them.

The migrant crisis remains an issue that ebbs and surges within the public consciousness.

The photo of Alan on the beach sparked a conversation online about the inhumane nature of refugee passage into Europe. The image of him shocked many people with the magnitude of the cruelty of the refugee crisis and the low value that the world has placed on the lives of migrants, particularly those from the Middle East. Many commented and shared that such a situation should have never been able to occur and rallied around the migrants and raised funding to help support those trying to find passage to Europe.

However, this support only lasted as long as people’s attention was caught.

The high number of tragedies of

Amina Batyreva| Illustrations Contributor the migrant crisis and subsequent outrage over them on social media has unfortunately formed an almost social commodification of refugees and their stories on social media, a phenomenon where crises turn into trends for which users will post and share infographics and flyers for until they are inevitably forgotten in the face of the next event in the news cycle. The migrant crisis remains an issue that ebbs and surges within the public consciousness, often emerging in response to tragic events. However, the online activism people push via social media does not translate thoroughly into changes in political policies.

In fact, in the years succeeding 2015, there has been a meteoric rise in anti-immigration and farright political sentiment in Europe in response to the migrant crisis.

Across Europe, far-right political parties are gaining power, and a central electoral talking point in previous and future elections is immigration. In France, antiimmigration sentiment has been one of the central binders of the right-wing National Rally Party, led

by Marine Le Pen, who centered her 2022 bid for the presidency on a platform that France should close its borders, or at least substantially limit immigration, to preserve the country’s values and culture.

While Le Pen’s 2022 campaign was unsuccessful, she gained much

support across France. She posed an intimidating threat to Emmanuel Macron’s re-election, qualifying for the second turn of elections, with many voters agreeing with her conflation of immigration with a rise in Islamic radicalism. The counter to Le Pen’s platform in the 2022 election, trailing slightly behind her in the first round of elections, was Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a farleft candidate who also targeted issues of globalization and cost of living but offered socialist solutions in contrast to Le Pen’s ultraconservative approach. Mélenchon supporters, who comprised 22 per cent of the vote as compared to Le Pen’s 23 per cent and Macron’s 27.8 per cent, ultimately were the deciding factor in Macron’s victory as some voted for Macron in a bid against Le Pen’s potential victory.

However, over half of Mélenchon’s supporters expressed no preference between Le Pen’s right-wing platform and Macron’s centrism, and 44 per cent planned to abstain from the second round of voting.

Though Mélenchon’s leftist voters may have helped place Macron in the Élysée Palace given their differences with Le Pen’s platform, they certainly do not consider him a victor representative of their political views.

Le Pen’s rhetoric is anti-Islamic, but even the liberal Macron has

created many laws targeting the Muslim community. His administration implemented the controversial abaya ban, a subsect of France’s 2004 law preventing religious wear in secular institutions, which subsequently affected refugees from the Middle East. Abayas are long flowing dresses that are a commonly worn casual wear item for many women from Arab cultures and follows the tenet of modesty in Islamic culture. These robes come in many colors and patterns and have become fashion statements, giving Muslim women a wide-range of self-expression. In regions where Muslims are a minority, as in much of France, wearing such an item can hold important cultural connection and significance. The Actions for the Rights of Muslims (ADM) filed an unsuccessful appeal in France’s top administrative court, the state council, contending that the ban was discriminatory because it targeted children of Muslim heritage and girls. The ADM also said that abayas are not religious wear and that Muslim girls could be targeted for following the tenets of modesty and wearing long dresses or skirts in place of abayas.

In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni leads the Fratelli d’Italia, presenting a similar platform for curbing immigration, claiming that

she would not let “Italy become Europe’s refugee camp.” During her tenure, she has promised to build more detainment centers, increase time in detention centers, and deport a higher rate of migrants seeking asylum. As of September 2023, refugees in Italy are now required to pay a 5,000 euros (CAD 7,247.40) deposit while their asylum requests are processed, or face detainment.

The deposit is an impossible sum of money for the majority of migrants, who have already paid a high cost for a risky journey into Europe, are fleeing from dangerous situations, and likely do not have the ability to bring much on the rickety boats taking them across the Mediterranean.

The rise of anti-migrant attitudes and waves of nationalism in Italy and France have rippled into several other countries in the union, with the far-right starting to gain traction and come into power in Finland, Sweden, and Spain.

Nearly seven years after the death of Alan Kurdi, a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Greece this August, killing 78 refugees from Pakistan.

Like Alan’s, their stories caught the public’s attention for a week before sinking into the cycle of migrant discourse. One has to wonder what hope is left if, after facing the dangers in their homeland and undertaking the perilous journey to find a better life, families must still sail off into an intolerant future.

October 23, 2023 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

compendium!

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QUEBEC SLANG HOROSCOPES Aries

Taurus

Gemini

(Mar 21 Apr 19)

(Apr 20 May 20)

(May 21 Jun 20)

DON’T FORGET YOUR “TUQUE” AS THE WEATHER GETS COLDER!

“C’EST CORRECT” IF YOU FAILED YOUR MIDTERMS.

gOING TO a HAUNTED HOUSE “C’EST LE FUN.”

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

(Jun 21 Jul 22)

(Jul 23 Aug 22)

(Aug 23 Sept 22)

IF YOU DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOUR ROOMMATES. THEY WILL THINK YOU ARE “Fin-e.”

Please don’t “gosse” your professors by sending them emails over the weekend.

Don’t “niaise” and actually start planning your halloween costume now.

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

(Sept 23 Oct 22)

(Oct 23 Nov 21)

(Nov 22 Dec 21)

Don’t leave your “bobettes” around your apartment, as a kindness to your roommates.

It’s time for you to learn how to drive a “char.”

Go “Magasiner” for a postmidterm reward!

Capricorn

Aquarius

Pisces

(Dec 22 Jan 19)

(Jan 20 Feb 18)

(Feb 19 Mar 20)

The weather might be getting “frette” but you will soon have an excuse to curl up in the couch with a hot choco

You would be “ben chic”if you brought timbits to your next meeting,

Get a “chien-chaud” at the y-intersection before the cart disappears!