Everything is political—but not everything should be policed. This is the tension that sits at the heart of a recent decision in Nova Scotia, in which the judiciary ruled that court staff must seek the presiding judge’s permission to wear the Remembrance Day poppy, terming it a ‘symbol of support’[Read More…]
Commentary
Quebec independence will not solve climate change
Hundreds of Quebec separatists—predominantly younger Quebecers—gathered in Montreal on Oct. 25 for a rally reaffirming their desire for independence 30 years after the 1995 Referendum for Quebec sovereignty, which failed by less than one per cent. The young Quebecers at the front of this movement not only argue that secession[Read More…]
The Port of Montreal expansion can be great—if Carney listens to residents’ concerns
The long-planned Contrecœur Terminal Expansion Project aims to expand the Port of Montreal’s shipping container capacity by 60 per cent by building a new port 40 kilometres away from Montreal. At its core, this expansion is a good idea: It will create jobs and stabilize Canada’s American-skewed international trade dynamic.[Read More…]
Reporting on the Garment District’s new bike path doesn’t tell the full story
Last spring, the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville installed a new bike lane, slicing through Montreal’s historic Garment District. Businesses claimed to suffer sales losses as customers who could not find parking started shopping elsewhere. At least, that’s the narrative that news outlets perpetuate. In reality, while controversy around new bike lanes[Read More…]
The true cost of daylight saving: Gaining an hour, losing our rhythm
As we trade our jack-o-lanterns for winter coats, a new yuletide tradition takes over. With the first snow rapidly approaching and the air already crisp with season’s greetings, it must be that festive time of the year: Daylight saving time (DST). Across the country, people collectively forget to adjust their[Read More…]
Housing is urgent; disclosure should be too
There is no debate that Montreal is experiencing a housing crisis. It is also equally evident that Chinatown’s remaining infrastructural heritage is scarce and essential to the preservation of Chinese culture in Montreal. Those two facts should be mutually exclusive, but right now, municipal lawmakers are threatening to turn Chinatown[Read More…]
Trump’s ‘Department of War’ rebrand shows the power of rhetoric in framing political narratives
United States President Donald Trump renamed the Department of Defence (DoD) the ‘Department of War’ in an executive order issued on Sept. 5. Subsequently, ‘Secretary of War’ Pete Hegseth stated that the government is “going on offence, not just defence.” The White House’s rebranding of the institution is not a[Read More…]
Quebec French seduction programs are a win-win for francophones and anglophones alike
Since the 1960s’ Quiet Revolution, Quebecois secessionists have advocated for the creation of a separate Quebec nation-state and the preservation of strong French cultural and linguistic ties within the province. Yet French cultural initiatives, such as business language requirements, are often unnecessarily exclusionary towards the province’s anglophone residents, enforcing rigid[Read More…]
Francois Legault’s climate policy is an unforced error
Anxious about his plummeting approval rating, Quebec Premier François Legault is shrinking away from one of his strongest positions: Fighting climate change. Earlier this month, Legault’s government announced it will end funding for the Climate Action Barometer (CAB), an annual survey that allows Quebecers to voice their opinions about their[Read More…]
Nobody is running for mayor! The death of municipal democracy in Quebec
On Nov. 2, Quebec will hold municipal elections—though in 87 cities throughout the province, the results of these elections are already decided. In the 2025 Quebec municipal election cycle, over 4,500 municipal candidates ran unopposed. In a process known as acclamation, candidates who are running unopposed bypass the election cycle[Read More…]
