In July 2025, Frank Paris, a 52-year-old Black man raised in Montreal, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to trafficking cannabis and hash. However, with the help of his lawyer, who submitted a report outlining Paris’s experiences with systemic racism, the judge reduced his sentence from[Read More…]
Author: Ellen Lurie
Canada would rather spend millions than confront systemic anti-Black racism
In 2020, the Black Class Action Secretariat (BCAS), a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing systemic discrimination against workers across Canada’s public institutions, filed Thompson et al. vs Canada, a federal class action representing 45,000 Black Canadians. The lawsuit seeks to address systemic anti-Black racism in the Public Service of Canada,[Read More…]
Recap: Montreal’s housing crisis becomes increasing cause for concern among residents
In July 2025, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) agreed to a project proposal that permits cohabitation in social housing, allowing unhoused individuals to live with a roommate. However, as of January 2026, this proposal has not yet been implemented. In response, Québec Solidaire called out the CAQ on Jan. 18[Read More…]
‘Aunties’ Work: The Power of Care’ spotlights Black matriarchs
In many Black communities, ‘auntie’ is not just a family title, but a mark of respect given to women who serve as pillars of their community, regardless of blood ties. They serve as nurturers and mentors to the youth, creating protected spaces where members of their community can dare to[Read More…]
Student of the Week: Aya
In February of 2025, following the completion of her honours-level Bachelor’s degree in clinical nutrition in Gaza, Aya was admitted to McGill’s M.Sc. thesis program in Human Nutrition. Now, a year later, she remains trapped in Gaza, unable to provide the necessary biometric data to complete her application. Because of[Read More…]
How systemic barriers hinder the integration of African immigrants in Quebec’s labour market
Immigrants contribute significantly to Canada’s socioeconomic growth in undeniable ways, yet many of them are excluded from job opportunities for reasons unrelated to their qualifications. A complex interplay of racial discrimination, social isolation, and systemic inequalities shapes the experiences of Highly Skilled African Immigrants (HSAIs) joining the workforce. This raises[Read More…]
Team Canada’s medal makers: Five stories to watch in Milano-Cortina
From frozen rinks to mountain peaks, Team Canada’s brightest stars are preparing for their biggest stage yet. At Milano-Cortina 2026, these five athletes and teams carry not only medal hopes, but years of sacrifice, resilience, and pride. Connor McDavid and Men’s Hockey For more than a decade, Olympic men’s hockey[Read More…]
Without race-based data, racial inequities in youth protection persist
In November 2025, the McGill School of Social Work published a study examining racial disparities in child welfare interventions across Canada, finding that Black children were investigated for maltreatment at 2.27 times the rate of white children. When researchers matched cases with similar clinical and socioeconomic profiles, out-of-home placement rates[Read More…]
Tolstoy transformed: McGill’s Arts Undergraduate Theatre Society’s immersive ‘Great Comet’ shines
From Jan. 24 to Jan. 31, the McGill Arts Undergraduate Theatre Society (AUTS) staged Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, a musical originally created by Dave Malloy, as their annual performance. The show reinterprets a 70-page excerpt of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, set in 19th-century Moscow, as[Read More…]
MAW hosts roundtable discussing Bill 94’s violation of human rights
On Jan. 27, Muslim Awareness Week (MAW) hosted a roundtable on the dangers to civil liberties that Bill 94—passed in October 2025—would bring. Quebec lawmakers allege that Bill 94 is intended to reinforce secularism in the Quebec education system and bring several legislative reforms. The bill requires any worker providing[Read More…]
