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Basketball, Sports

RSEQ basketball champion Martlets return to national stage

by Jenna Payette on

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The McGill Women’s Basketball Team capped their 2025-26 season with a return to the national spotlight, winning the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Championship before finishing fourth at the U SPORTS Final 8 in Quebec City. The run combined defensive grit, timely performances, and a young core that proved it could contend with the nation’s best.

The Martlets delivered their biggest statement on Feb. 28, travelling to Quebec City to upset the top-seeded Laval University Rouge et Or 51-45 and capture the RSEQ championship. The victory secured McGill’s first conference title since 2018 and the 14th provincial banner in program history.

True to the Martlets’ identity, the game was defined by their defensive prowess. McGill controlled the pace early, building a small but steady lead through the first half behind strong rebounding and disciplined defensive pressure. Laval slowly chipped away at the deficit and briefly tied the game early in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for a tense finish.

At that point, McGill’s depth made the difference. Guard Daniella Mbengo delivered a spark off the bench, finishing with a game-high 18 points and scoring on back-to-back possessions midway through the final frame to restore the Martlets’ lead.

McGill then relied on composure and execution down the stretch, hitting key free throws and controlling the boards in the final minutes to seal the upset on Laval’s home court.

Forward Emilia Diaz-Ruiz played a crucial role inside the paint, collecting a team-high 11 rebounds while sustaining a broken nose from earlier in the playoffs. Teammates Lily Rose Chatila and Emma-Jane Scotten also contributed key minutes and timely baskets that helped propel the Martlets to the title. 

With the RSEQ trophy in hand, McGill entered the national tournament as the sixth seed and opened against third seed University of Calgary Dinos.

The Martlets quickly showed they belonged on the national stage. The teams were deadlocked at halftime after a tightly contested first half, with McGill matching Calgary possession-for-possession. But the Dinos gradually created separation in the second half, pulling away in the fourth quarter to secure a 58-45 win.

Diaz-Ruiz again stood out for McGill, recording a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds and earning player of the game honours for the Martlets.

The loss moved McGill into the consolation bracket, where the Martlets faced the seventh-seeded Carleton University Ravens in another tightly contested matchup. The game quickly became one of the most dramatic contests of the tournament. After trailing early, McGill surged back with a dominant second quarter to take a halftime lead, setting the stage for a gritty second half. 

Diaz-Ruiz once again led the Martlets offensively, finishing with 21 points and repeatedly answering Carleton’s scoring runs. Late free throws from the sophomore forward gave McGill a narrow lead with less than a minute remaining.

But the Ravens had one final push. After blocking what could have been a McGill game-winning attempt, Carleton quickly transitioned the other way and converted a layup at the buzzer to escape with a 64-62 victory.

The heartbreaking finish brought McGill’s season to a close with a 17–11 overall record and a well-deserved fourth-place national finish.

Beyond the action on the court, one of McGill’s most meaningful moments came during the tournament’s off-court honours. Emilia Diaz-Ruiz was named the national recipient of the Sylvia Sweeney Award, which recognizes outstanding community service by a student-athlete.

The sophomore’s impact extends well beyond basketball. A chemical engineering student with an impressive academic record, Diaz-Ruiz is deeply involved in campus initiatives, including leadership roles with the National Society of Black Engineers and other student organizations focused on outreach and mentorship.

The honour carries particular significance at McGill, as the award’s namesake, former national team captain Sylvia Sweeney, once starred for the Martlets. Diaz-Ruiz is the first McGill athlete to receive the award since it was created in 1994.

The Martlets ultimately finished just outside the podium, but their RSEQ championship and national semifinal appearance made one thing clear: McGill women’s basketball has re-established itself among Canada’s elite.

Prof Profiles, Science & Technology

Meet your prof: Alex Ketchum

by Antoine Larocque on

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Food. Gender. Tech. Queer history. What do these topics have in common? They are all key research areas for Alex Ketchum, a historian and an Associate Professor in McGill’s Institute for Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies, whose research explores how these topics intersect.

Ketchum has long been interested in feminist and queer theory, incorporating them into her studies. She pursued her Bachelor’s degree at Wesleyan University, and both her Master’s in History with a specialization in Gender and Women’s Studies and her PhD in History at McGill. 

Ketchum studied feminism in the 1970s—a salient period in second-wave feminism when women first stood up against the oppression inherent in unpaid domestic labour—for her honours undergraduate thesis. She wrote about the Bloodroot Vegetarian Restaurant in Bridgeport, Connecticut—a feminist establishment which has since permanently closed after 48 years of operation. Her Master’s and PhD expanded on her previous work by focusing on the history of feminist restaurants across Canada and the United States.

Ketchum’s work materialized in two books. Ingredients for Revolution examines the labour dynamics of feminist restaurants and how they challenged traditional hierarchical restaurant structures by experimenting with new ways of organizing labour and compensating staff. Queers at the Table is a collection of essays, recipes, and comics that illustrate the relationship between queerness and food. 

In 2019, Ketchum launched a speaker series through which she organized over 100 events spotlighting feminism and accessible communications and technologies. As part of this project, Ketchum was named one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics in 2021.

While researching the themes of feminist communications technologies for the speaker series, she became interested in queer groups such as the High Tech Gays and Digital Queers, which organized 2SLGBTQIA+ workers in tech companies, particularly in Silicon Valley and the Pacific Northwest. These workers brought together their technical expertise to support 2SLGBTQIA+ nonprofits and community organizers.

“Queer people transformed the internet,” Ketchum said in an interview with The Tribune. “The internet transformed queer people. But [what came out of this project] is a larger argument about the kind of mundane aspect of activism and information. Activism is much more than marches […], but so much of it is about teaching people and information sharing.”

To conduct her research, Ketchum primarily combines interviews, literature reviews, and archival research.

“I love going to archives more than anything in the world,” Ketchum said. “It is my favourite part of research. I am looking through photographs, […] audio materials, or old foam clips.”

Ketchum noted, however, that researching marginalized communities presents challenges.

“When […] you are doing research around marginalized communities, […] you sometimes have to deal with different kinds of pushback or backlash, like trolling, doxing and death threats,” she said. “As we are seeing an increase in homophobia and transphobia, it is emboldening bigots, so there is just starting to be a bit more harassment [….] Also, sometimes work on different marginalized communities is not taken as seriously.”

Ketchum is committed to making her work accessible beyond academia. In her book, Engage in Public Scholarship!, she argues that academic research should be communicated in ways that reach broader audiences. 

Her most recent research project explores how space programs have historically defined the “ideal astronaut” and excluded queer people from space exploration. It also examines how the 2SLGBTQIA+ community responded through activism and creative visions of a more inclusive future in space.

“If you look at my […] career, it might seem like I had a plan, […] but a lot of times, when we look at other people’s careers, we do not see how winding the path was. But I think the thing that has helped me through the different trials and tribulations is I kept following the passion and making decisions about things that I was interested in and trusting my gut about staying committed to my values.”

For people interested in this research, Ketchum is also organizing the Queer Food Conference at McGill from May 1 to May 3, 2026, for which students can register.

Off the Board, Opinion

Reaping the consequences of ‘just a joke’

by Clara Smyrski on

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On Feb. 19, the U.S. Women’s Hockey team won Olympic gold against Team Canada four minutes into the overtime period. Three days later, viewers experienced déjà vu when the U.S. Men’s Hockey team won in a similar 2-1 overtime against Team Canada.

As an increasingly unproud American, this was a bittersweet moment for me as I grappled with my extreme distaste for current U.S. leadership and the new-age patriotism this leadership has forcibly fostered. 

Just one day later, a video circulated on social media of U.S President Donald Trump inviting the men’s team to a celebratory White House visit, and I was quickly reminded of why I remain distinctly unpatriotic. After the team enthusiastically accepted the invitation, Trump said, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team,” which was met with an uproar of laughter from the players. Trump continued, “I do believe I probably would be impeached [if I didn’t invite them].”

When the invitation was indeed extended to the women’s team, they politely declined, citing “previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.”

The video was subject to significant backlash—from Megan Rapinoe calling Trump’s remark “trash” to Flava Flav inviting the team to an alternate celebratory trip to Las Vegas. At the centre of the criticism is gold medal game-winner Jack Hughes, who appeared on Good Morning America and responded to the online hate.

“I think we are so tight with [the women’s team]. After we won the gold medal, we were in the cafeteria at 3:30 a.m. […] with them,” Hughes said. “I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them.”

Hughes wields the close relationship between the teams to shield the implications behind his actions. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he blames the criticism on people being pessimistic and overly-sensitive, saying they are making something out of “almost nothing.”

And that’s just it. For Hughes, a 24-year-old who secured the first gold medal for the U.S. men in 46 years, it is //almost nothing//. Allowing sexist remarks behind closed doors is so normalized and ingrained in our society that it doesn’t even register as significant to him.

When women’s sports are still receiving less funding and less coverage than men’s, this is definitely not almost nothing. This incident shows that you can represent your country at the highest level, inspire a generation of women, consistently outperform men, and still be mocked and laughed at. It is not funny, it is not a joke—and yes, it is that serious.

The repercussions of this incident speak to a broader movement: Women are increasingly disinterested in marriage and dating. There are more single women than ever, and this change is by choice. A survey from the American Enterprise Institute found that almost half of college-educated women attribute their singlehood to an inability to find someone who meets their expectations, whereas only a quarter of men say the same. Women don’t feel that there are suitable options for them and would rather be alone than in a relationship with someone who doesn’t respect them as an equal.

During this time of increased singlehood, there has also been a rise in the so-called “male loneliness epidemic.” While a 2025 Pew Research Center study found that there is only a one per cent difference between loneliness in men and women, men are complaining that women have abandoned them. 

Men blame women for being disinterested while lacking any accountability or reflection on //why// that is. Women have known that the kindness shown to their faces doesn’t always survive the walk to the next room. What has changed is that women now have the autonomy to do something about it. The male loneliness epidemic and women’s retreat from dating aren’t isolated social phenomena; they are a direct response from the former to the latter. Cause and effect.

This video of a single moment reflects a pattern of performative allyship that is unacceptable. Women no longer need to put up with a dynamic where they are celebrated in public and diminished in private. The loneliness epidemic, the declining marriage rates, the women opting out altogether—these are not crises that happened to men; they are consequences. You reap what you sow.

Research Briefs, Science & Technology

Rethinking our relationship with academic emotions

by Amy Gelfand on

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Have you ever stressed about your schoolwork, only for that stress to create even more stress? This phenomenon—stressing about stress—is a metacognitive experience very common among students of all ages. Academic emotions impact motivation, engagement in learning processes, and learning outcomes. However, it remains unclear which emotion regulation strategies actually support learning in an academic context.

Luyao Xu, a doctoral student and research assistant at McGill, and Krista R. Muis, director of the eMUIS Lab, co-authored a systematic review exploring emotional regulation (ER) methods in self-regulated learning published in Educational Psychology Review. Xu analyzed numerous studies and articles on emotion regulation tactics elicited during learning, focusing on how emotional experiences correlate with learning performance outcomes and how the regulation strategies applied can mitigate negative impacts.

Psychology research has shown that certain emotional regulation strategies are more effective than others. Many scholars view reappraisal—a way to reevaluate a bad outcome as an opportunity to improve rather than a personal failure—as an effective strategy. Suppression, on the other hand, which involves pushing emotions aside without addressing them, is generally viewed as unhelpful in learning contexts. But do these results hold true across academic contexts?

“Recently, meta-emotive knowledge is getting more attention, like whether regulating anxiety using reappraisal is not a good idea when students are approaching an exam, because they may have used up their cognitive resources for ER rather than engaging in learning,” Zu said in an interview with The Tribune.

Zu explained that competence-oriented strategies, which improve skills in subject areas to prevent negative emotions from interfering with learning, may be more efficient than strategies typically used in clinical psychology.  

“The effectiveness of the ER strategy depends on the context in which the emotion occurred. In certain contexts, students may not raise a need for regulation,” Zu explained. “For example, maybe when the exam is near, I do not identify myself as someone who needs to regulate [my] anxiety. Instead, I need to focus on reviewing the materials to get a good grade. So, […] distracting myself from my learning material is not a good way to regulate my emotions. In this case, trying to enhance my abilities is a more adaptive strategy.”

Raising awareness of academic emotions is an important step in encouraging learners to monitor how their emotions impact their well-being, learning processes, and performance outcomes. For instance, a student who recognizes that emotions are a normal part of learning may become less anxious about anxiety, allowing those emotions to shift from a burden to a tool that can support learning.

“In the learning context, the adaptiveness of ER strategy may not reflect on improved emotional experience, but rather on an improved learning performance,” Zu said. “In the learning context, most of the time, students’ ultimate goal is their learning outcome rather than their emotional experience. Since this emotional experience does have an impact on the learning processes, students regulate these emotions to prevent their negative impact.”

In response, Zu proposes the Integrated Model of Emotion Regulation in Self-Regulated Learning, linking ER, academic motivation, and learning performance on a person-level. This model focuses on students’ habitual use of ER in overall learning as well as at a task-level, examining how strategies interact with emotional states to influence task outcomes.

Emotions provide important bodily signals that can help individuals interpret and respond to their environment. When students become aware of their emotional patterns, regulation strategies can turn emotions into intentional tools that support personal flourishing.

Commentary, Opinion

Passing bills ‘on division’ threatens Canadian democracy

by Tarannom Moheq on

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Canada’s current Parliament has passed 50 per cent of its bills through a ‘division’ vote instead of a ‘tallied’ vote in the House of Commons. Parliament has previously used this practice to fast-track legislation or opt for simplicity during online sessions. Today, it is justified in the name of stability, creating a united front in the face of geopolitical rivalries. 

However, this priority not only threatens Canadian democracy—it reflects democratic backsliding in contemporary society. Citizens, unaware of how their representatives would have voted, are ousted from the political process and forced to trust their elected officials under ignorance, while bills are passed on potentially non-existent consensuses in Parliament. 

Division voting is beneficial for minority governments, as it allows bills to bypass the need for majority approval from Members of Parliament (MPs). This eases the creation of legislation in highly divided times, though at the cost of certain groups’ political power.

Existing dissenting voices in Parliament have been stifled by this practice to avoid bringing down the government or causing a snap election; two of the bills passed on division under the current Parliament were confidence votes. A confidence vote is one in which a ‘no’ vote means that the prime minister no longer holds the support––confidence––of Parliament, obligating a consequent general election. By passing bills and motions frequently through division votes, Canada assumes the appearance of a stable, functioning government in the context of rising international tensions. Under pressure from the trade war with the United States, Prime Minister Mark Carney likely aspires to present national unity and a coordinated government.

However, this obscures the reality that this Parliament has been inefficient. As the completion of Carney’s first year nears, only 12 bills have passed, a stark contrast to previous governments that were able to pass over 50 within the same timeframe. Not only is Parliament inefficient, but half of the few bills that were successful only passed through a division vote, speaking to the fragility of the government and disagreement across the nation. 

These confidence bills were passed on division to ensure this Parliament’s continuation while acknowledging the objections of other parties. However, acknowledgement alone does not imply democracy; impact does. When the influence of major portions of Parliament is removed from the decision-making sphere, their constituents lose power as well—even more so as constituents are unable to tell how their representatives vote. While division votes can only happen with the consent of most MPs, their lack of transparency greatly threatens Canadian democratic values.

The issue of democratic participation is not one foreign to Montrealers and McGillians. Last fall’s municipal election saw the lowest voter turnout in years at a mere 37 per cent. Low voter turnout is also visible in the context of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)’s elections and referenda; despite holding a quorum of only 15 per cent, resolutions frequently fail to reach this threshold. 

Political inactivity is widespread at the local level, and will only worsen with the continued use of on division bill passing. With its high frequency of use, this procedural tactic is an abuse to Canada’s democratic system and excludes significant numbers of people by assuming a consensus that may not exist. 

By ignoring or accepting Parliament’s use of this tactic, we are at risk of creating a culture apathetic to political participation—that is, to democracy. It is imperative that we stay vigilant and continue to monitor these developments, as democracy does not always vanish overnight but instead may slip away quietly when no one is paying attention. 

Student Life

How to break up with your phone

by Rachel Blackstone on

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My phone and I are glued at the hip, literally. When reality interrupts our time spent face-to-interface, I still keep it snug in my back pocket, ready to be reunited again with my scrolling fingers.

It was love at first sight, but our relationship quickly became all-encompassing, causing me to forget the things I once loved. I now find myself addicted to its cheap thrills and instant gratification.

It loves me; it loves me not. I sprawl in an overgrown field of tailored algorithms, constant dopamine hits, suffocating consumerism, deepfakes, and unfiltered hate speech. Each petal tells me something different, but I know deep down that it’s time to break up with my cellphone.

I could download an app that blocks all my favourite apps. That feels a little meta. I could throw out my cell altogether and replace it with a Brick Phone. I’ve seen ads all over Instagram for that. But these options feel a little harsh. After all, my phone and I had some good times. I want to end our codependency through boundaries and the slivers of autonomy I still possess.

If you resonate with this preamble, read on for The Tribune’s suggestions for breaking up with your phone.

Befriend a book

It can be daunting to pick up a book when already faced with a few hundred pages of assigned weekly readings, but I firmly believe that getting lost in a good book is more gratifying than any doomscroll session could be. An easy way to get back into reading is to simply begin carrying a book with you everywhere you go. Every time your friend is late to your coffee date or the classroom projector fails, instead of mindlessly reaching for your phone, read a few pages. When screen time is used to fill in all the gaps in your daily routine, phone use becomes an automation. If you instead use these moments to read, you will slowly realize how much more time you have in a day. 

Organize no-screen hangouts

Invite your friends over, tell everyone to bring a book, a craft, or a game, and spend the night relaxing //sans// phone. As collaborative as watching a movie with friends is, it’s likely that the group will end up mindlessly scrolling. Even if a movie isn’t on, it’s increasingly common to “rot” with your friends at home and all end up silently engrossed in your phones. To avoid this, create a space where alternative individual activities can still be performed in a shared environment.

Invest in long-form content

As depressing (or embarrassing) as this may be, watching a movie or episode of television at the end of the day has become something of a lost pastime thanks to the rise of short-form content like Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, and YouTube Shorts. With shrinking attention spans, nights are lost to doomscrolling that feels involuntary. Leave your phone in another room and reclaim your evenings by finding a new show you love, or go to //Letterboxd// and find your new favourite movie.

Accept occasional boredom

Pay attention to moments where your phone is present when it doesn’t need to be: Before bed, first thing in the morning, walking through campus. Acknowledging that your phone has invaded all aspects of life is the first step to decentralizing it. Once aware, let yourself sit in occasional boredom. Stare out the window and people-watch. Think about where you would like to be instead of waiting for the bus and get distracted in a daydream. Ground yourself in the present, to avoid floating away indefinitely.

Prof Profiles, Science & Technology

Meet your prof: Siva Nadarajah

by Sarah McDonald on

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What do engineers actually do? They are often described as problem-solvers, scientists, and inventors, but even with this framing, what they do on a day-to-day basis is not always obvious. In an attempt to dispel this mystery, The Tribune sat down with Mechanical Engineering professor Siva Nadarajah, who explained his education, why he chose to pursue engineering, and most importantly, what he actually does.

“I did my education in the States, [I’m] originally from Malaysia, but I was in the States for about 10 years, and so I did a […] [joint] Bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering and a Bachelor’s in Mathematics,” Nadarajah explained. “And then I did a Master’s and a PhD, all in Aerospace Engineering, but mainly in the Applied Math aspect of engineering.”

As with other disciplines, engineers are faced with the daunting decision of pursuing either academia or industry after they graduate; Nadarajah, however, undertook his education knowing he wanted to work in academia. Academia affords faculty the freedom to pursue their own projects, research aspects of their specialty that interest them, and contribute to ever-expanding literature and subject expertise. While working in industry can be immensely rewarding, Nadarajah was drawn to the nature of academic work—he wanted to work through fundamental problems. 

“So after my PhD, I submitted my thesis when the office opened at nine o’clock in the morning. [These were] the times when you had to kind of print the whole book,” Nadarajah said. “And so the office opened, I handed them the thesis, and then I got on [an] 11:30 flight from San Francisco Airport and landed in Montreal. I literally handed [in] my thesis, then got onto the flight to come to McGill.”

He has been at McGill ever since.

In addition to his professorial duties, Nadarajah is the Director of the McGill Institute for Aerospace Engineering (MIAE) and runs his own lab, the McGill Computational Aerodynamics Group, where he completes his research.

MIAE brings students and researchers from various faculties together to study different aspects of aerospace, from engineering to Air and Space Law. This work culminates in the seminar series “Grand Challenges and the Future of Aerospace,” which MIAE hosts either once or twice per semester, depending on the year. Nadarajah explained how this seminar brings together students from across engineering disciplines to network with large aerospace companies to understand the problems they are currently facing. The speakers at these events are typically either Chief Technology Officers or Vice Presidents, offering students perspectives on the current problems industry professionals understand as impacting the field.

However, while his research and the work done at MIAE are interesting, Nadarajah expressed that he loves teaching just as much as he loves his research.

“I think that that, by far, that is definitely the most enjoyable thing is to is to be able to discuss and share the wonders of what we do […] [and] standing in a classroom and lecturing and sharing passion with others who are also interested. I think that’s a lot of fun.”

Nadarajah’s current research centres around fluid dynamics. He and his team are working on developing algorithms to optimize the efficiency of aircraft wings based on the movement of air around them. Once designed, this algorithm will be applicable to other aerodynamic structures. 

“So on a daily basis, I would say, I think most of the time is spent on the applied math and understanding the sort of equations developing these algorithms, but also keeping the back of the mind on the architecture of the computer that you’re trying to solve these problems on,” Nadarajah said.

Ultimately, Nadarajah’s work combines his passion for exploring fundamental problems with his desire to enact change, all while giving the rest of us some insight into what it really means to be an engineer.

Commentary, Opinion

Quebec cannot afford ‘gender equality’ without feminism

by Defne Feyzioglu on

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Content warning: Mentions of gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence and femicide

Masculinist sentiment is gaining traction across the world while global backlash against feminism and gender equality is intensifying. Simultaneously, gender-based violence remains widespread, reproductive and bodily autonomy are increasingly policed, and gender-diverse people continue to face exclusion in public policy and everyday life. During these critical times, Bernard Drainville, the current Environment Minister in Quebec, and potential successor to Francois Legault as leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), explicitly stated that he did not wish to be identified as a feminist, but only as a supporter of gender equality. This is a statement that clearly embodies where Quebec—and global—politics are headed: A broader political moment wherein the language of equality is embraced, but the movements needed to achieve it are rejected. 

Feminism, at its core, is the belief that everyone should have equal rights, regardless of their gender identity or sex. A politician who actively distances himself from feminism while claiming to support gender equality raises a larger question about what kind of equality he is willing to defend. Rejecting feminism is not a neutral branding choice; it is a refusal to name and confront the systems that make inequality possible in the first place.

Drainville’s equality proposals mainly focus on homeownership and in vitro fertilization. While easing women’s path to property ownership and making fertility treatment more accessible are steps in the right direction, they remain insufficient. These policies frame gender equality largely through economic participation and family formation rather than addressing freedom from violence, bodily autonomy, and protection for those who face intersectional forms of discrimination and state exclusion. Drainville offers only a narrow and selective vision of equality. 

This perspective becomes even more overt in his broader policies. By introducing initiatives like Bill 94, an expansion of Bill 21 that bans religious symbols for teachers and school staff, Drainville advances legislation that outright dismisses intersectional realities and excludes the people feminism seeks to protect. He also rejected gender-neutral bathrooms in schools in 2023, saying that the matter was out of the question for Quebec. Drainville then refused to convene a legislative committee on gender identity, arguing that doing so would only expose what he named a sensitive issue to political exploitation. Rather than confronting inequality as a structural issue, the version of equality he proposes is extremely limited in scope.

Gender inequality is experienced daily through violence, exclusion, and state neglect. Intimate partner violence and sexual violence affect people of all genders, but remain deeply gendered in who is most affected and how that violence operates. Worldwide in 2024, 83,000 women and girls were intentionally killed—50,000 by their intimate partners or family members. On a daily basis, this number reached 137—approximately one death every ten minutes. Quebec is not exempt from this reality. Femicides, the gender-based killings of women and girls, are the byproducts of ongoing patriarchal systems that normalize coercive control, misogyny, and violence; the province has reported seven femicides since the beginning of 2026. 

When gender-related murders happen on a scale so large that they can be reported as a daily statistic, it becomes clear that gender-based violence is a global crisis and a human rights violation, as it strips women and gender-diverse people of their rights to safety, dignity, freedom, and life itself. Given this reality, a commitment to equality that stops short of feminism is deeply inadequate to address the structural conditions in which this violence persists. 

Drainville’s statement is not a mere semantic happenstance, but a conscious, harmful choice. In an age where the need for feminism is urgent, vague statements about supporting gender equality or policies that will “attract young women” are not enough. Anything less than explicit and continuous feminist practices is a limited political strategy that recycles traditional gender roles as progress instead of confronting the conditions that sustain inequality in the first place. Feminism saves lives, and ambiguity is not neutrality—it is participation in a patriarchal order. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing gender-based violence, please refer to the resources below:

SOS violence conjugale: 1 800 363-9010 (bilingual service available) 

Sexual Violence Helpline: 1-888-933-9007

Sheltersafe.ca 

News

Canada extends temporary immigration measures for Iranian workers

by Sahar Jafferbhoy on

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On March 4, the Canadian government announced an extension of temporary special immigration measures for certain Iranian nationals currently living and working in Canada. The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) policy now allows Iranian citizens with valid work permits to apply for extensions.

Amid the U.S. and Israel’s military attacks on Iran, the decision is part of a broader set of temporary measures Canada introduced beginning in 2022—following the Islamic regime’s crackdown on ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ protestors. However, the latest extension applies more narrowly than previous measures. In an interview with The Tribune, Rex Brynen, professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, highlighted the exclusivity of the current policy.

“The current temporary measures apply only to Iranians with valid work permits and do not, for example, cover those on study permits seeking extensions,” Brynen said.

Brynen noted that the extension’s narrower scope should be interpreted as a broader tendency of Canadian immigration policy, rather than as a direct indicator of Canada’s relationship with Iran.

“I don’t see this as a statement of Canadian policy towards Iran so much as reflecting the current government’s generally more restrictive approach to immigration,” he said. “Human rights matter, and labour market considerations matter, but so too does politics [….] Public opinion polls show a significant drop in public support for immigration in general.”

Brynen also noted that political rhetoric around immigration has shaped the broader context within which these policies are introduced.

“Islamophobia is a factor, too. The Conservative opposition that has been actively scapegoating asylum-seekers and scaremongering about the security risk of Iranian temporary residents,” Brynen said. “The Carney government is responding to that context.”

According to Brynen, the policy changes may also disparately affect those on certain types of work permits. An open work permit allows individuals to work for any employer in Canada, while an employer-specific work permit allows them to work only for one specific, pre-approved employer during their stay in Canada. 

“As I understand it, it becomes harder to extend one’s stay under an open work permit or study permit,” Brynen said. “That may push some people into having to make asylum claims rather than face a termination of their legal status.”

Daniel Douek, faculty lecturer in the Department of Political Science at McGill, mentioned that geopolitical conflicts can affect how citizens of certain countries are treated internationally.

“Anytime there’s a situation of warfare, and anytime there’s a situation of international crisis, and, in particular, [when] a government such as the Iranian one, which is predatory towards its own people, […] becomes the target of measures by other countries, then that brings into question Iranian citizens abroad,” Douek said. “However one feels about the government, […] you still have some affiliation with it, so that can be problematic.”

Douek emphasized that Canada has a well-established Iranian community, many of whom left Iran due to political repression or other hardships.

“There’s a large Iranian diaspora here in Canada of people who, even if they didn’t come as refugees or didn’t come seeking asylum, nevertheless have faced discrimination in different forms,” Douek explained.

McGill has sent an email offering support to Iranian students. McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO) included this email in a written statement to The Tribune, acknowledging the hardships Iranian students may be facing.

“We recognize that the recent violence affecting Iran may be adding to the stress and concern felt within the Iranian community. We are here for you and are ready to help in any way we can.”

The email went on to list available resources students may consult. Specifically, students can contact case managers in the Office of the Dean of Students for guidance and support and access mental health services through the Wellness Hub. Students can also consult the GuardMe Student Support Program, which provides 24-hour counselling services. Additionally, students experiencing academic difficulties may speak with their instructors about accommodations.

The message emphasized that university support services remain available to students affected by ongoing events related to Iran.

News, SSMU

SSMU LC discusses Student Support Program, Positions Book, and GSPN panel

by Bianca Sugunasiri on

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On March 12, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council (LC) convened for its fifth session of the semester, with six members attending remotely through Zoom. 

After making adjustments to the agenda, Speaker Acadia Knickerbocker introduced Steve Cameron to speak on behalf of GuardMe, a mental and physical health insurance company partnering with McGill’s Student Support Program. The program offers 24/7 confidential counselling services to students.

Science Councillor Benjamin Yu put forward a query regarding the advertising and distribution of the program, noting that he has not personally seen tangible impacts on students.  

“This is actually the first time I’m hearing about this program,” Yu said. “I wanted to ask you what your day-to-day engagement is […] and what your strategy for advertising the service is, just because I know that there are a lot of students that are concerned about the Student Wellness Hub, but aren’t really mentioning this program.”

Cameron responded saying that actions are currently being taken to rebrand and remain visible for students.

Cameron also put forward for consideration a new facet of the program, Digital Doctor, which would provide students with more accessible primary healthcare. He emphasized its focus on students’ needs, comprehensive healthcare ownership, and existing success with the Post Graduate Students’ Society. The LC will consider the Digital Doctor program in a future session to discuss whether it can be made accessible to undergraduate students.

President Dymetri Taylor then announced the conclusion of SSMU’s eight-month hiring search for a new General Manager (GM), with the selection of Melissa Proietti. Proietti is a McGill graduate who has worked in higher education for seven years. 

Following Executive Reports and Reports by Councillors, the council discussed two notices of motion. Taylor put forward the Notice of Motion for the Reprioritization of the Positions Book, which was articulated by Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Simone Brown. Brown presented Taylor’s proposal to consolidate all SSMU positions into the SSMU Positions Book, replacing aspiration policies with actionable positions. 

Vice-President (VP) External Affairs Seraphina Crema-Black endorsed this notice of motion, describing the strain of putting vague policies into action. 

“It’s really difficult to know which of these [policies] are actually projects that we want to focus our time on versus projects that are maybe outdated,” Crema-Black said. “This is going to make things much clearer, make the actionable steps and tangible steps much easier to execute and get to the goal that we’re actually trying to achieve.” 

Brown then put forward the Notice of Motion Regarding Political Campaigns Addition in The IRS Rep & Advocacy on the Governance Reform Committee. It called for the reintroduction of the External Affairs Committee, which would place political campaigns under the authority of not just a single executive, but a group of diverse individuals with multiple perspectives. 

Among the discussion items, Crema-Black proposed hosting the last leg of the Global Students for Palestine Network (GSPN) panel tour on March 30. The LC then discussed the management of ticket sales, logistics of the Q&A session, and student safety during the event.

After a thorough debate, Crema-Black drafted a Motion to Endorse the GSPN Panel Event in Collaboration with the Arab Student Network and the Palestinian Cultural Club. The motion passed with 14 in favour, two opposed, and three abstaining. 

Moment of the Meeting: 

Engineering Councillor Ben Mitchell raised concerns regarding student reception of the Discussion Item calling for the immediate annulment of the Ethical Partnership Policy. Mitchell cautioned the council about the potential confusion students may experience upon seeing the policy dissolve without a transparent explanation. 

Soundbite: 

“Make sure you exercise your democratic privilege to vote in the SSMU executive and referendum elections, really important stuff, really fun. Oh, yeah, you get stickers.”—VP University Affairs Susan Aloudat, on the importance of voting. 

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