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National Football Conference – East

by Adam Sadinsky on

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 Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys’ goal for 2010 is to be the first team to play a Super Bowl game in their own stadium. Tony Romo will be joined by an impressive group of receivers in Miles Austin, Roy Williams, and first-round pick Dez Bryant. Will this team be able to live up to its preseason hype, or will the pressure be too much for Dallas to handle? No matter what happens in the post-season, this is the best team in a very strong division.

New York Giants: The G-Men will be back to prove that their third-place finish last season was an aberration. If Kenny Phillips, Brandon Jacobs, and Ahmad Bradshaw return successfully from off-season surgeries, the Giants will be a force to be reckoned with. Bradshaw will team up with Hakeem Nicks to give the team a potent aerial attack, but the pressure will be on a defence that struggled at times in 2009.

Washington Redskins: The ‘Skins made one of the highest profile moves of the off-season by signing former division-rival Donovan McNabb to fill their void at quarterback. Along with new head coach Mike Shanahan, McNabb will be tasked with pulling the Redskins out of the division’s cellar. Albert Haynesworth will need a bounce-back season on the defensive side of the ball for the Redskins to have success. This team will be improved, but will miss out on the playoffs.

 Philadelphia Eagles: With face-of-the-franchise Donovan McNabb gone to the Redskins, the Eagles will trust Kevin Kolb to run the offence this year. DeSean Jackson will be Kolb’s number-one target while LeSean McCoy will take Brian Westbrook’s spot in the backfield and could be poised for a big season. Andy Reid is confident that the youth movement in Philadelphia is the right formula for success in the NFC East, but the Eagles are probably a year away.

Sports

Soccer teams primed for success

by John Hui on

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Redmen aim to take next step

The McGill Redmen intend to improve upon last year’s sensational season when they return to the field on Friday. Playing at the Old Four Tournament at Queen’s last week, the Redmen didn’t miss a beat as they captured top spot by a score of 2-1 against the hosts for the second time in three years. Freshman Sebastian Munro fired home a rocket at the 85th minute to seal the victory. The goal was Munro’s second game- winner in two games, the first one at the 25th minute of the game against Western.

Head Coach David Simon has an incredible core to work with, led by goalkeeper Jean-Lou Gosselin and dynamic midfielder Yohann Capolungo. Capolungo is the heart of the Redmen’s offensive machine.  A two-time QSSF conference all-star, he possesses an uncanny ability to penetrate any defensive formation with his great speed and the ability to bury his chances. Gosselin, meanwhile, was very steady in goal last season. A more experienced defence should improve his play even further this year.  

The Redmen are a little green at forward. Thankfully however, should freshmen Munro, Alex King, or junior Peter Valente fail to produce, Capolungo can jump-start the role. Being ranked second in the first CIS rankings of 2010 is no easy feat, and obstacles increase on the way to the top, but there are still good reasons to believe the Redmen might get there.

Martlets ready for new season

It didn’t take long for this young team to raise expectations.  Last year, the Martlets had exactly one fourth-year player on their team, with the roster mostly composed of 19 first and second year players.  Many had low expectations, hoping the team would mature and break out in two to three years time. But these youngplayers were anything but ordinary. Led by defensive stalwart Katherine Green of Richmond Hill, Ontario, McGill players held six out of 11 spots on the Quebec Student Sports Federation’s first team.  As an eighth seed, the team made it all the way to the QSSF final before falling to theUniversité de Montreal.

The roster’s depth was evident in the team’s winning record.  Coached by Marc Mounicot, the young Marlets team finished the regular season with a 10-3-1 record and placed second at Nationals. New recruits like midfielder Hannah Rivkin, who had experience at the national level last season, are impressing early.

So far, the team’s commitment has translated into a sweep at the Old Four Tournament and a subsequent 6-1-1 record in preseason play. This team has a chance to win it all. Hopefully, last year’s playoff experience will have taught them valuable lessons.  

The soccer teams will be some of McGill’s best this fall.  Their first matches are Friday against Sherbrooke at Molson Stadium

, with women at 6 p.m. and men at 8 p.m.

Sports

American Football Conference – West

by Gabe Pulver on

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San Diego Chargers: It must be hard to be a fan of a team that’s terrific every single regular season but can’t get it together in the playoffs. Phillip Rivers, for all his success in the regular season, isn’t the guy to change things. Evidently, he lacks the fortitude to take his team to the next level. They also have an aging defence: former studs Shawne Merriman and Quintin Jammer have both lost a step. Nevertheless, they smartly ditched headcase Antonio Cromartie. Defence aside, the team is good enough on offence to gun their way to 10 or 11 wins.

Denver Broncos: A tough stretch of opponents in weeks 3-6 (Colts, Titans, Ravens, Jets) will really test this team’s resilience. Based on the outspokenness of coach Josh McDaniels and drafting of noted good-boy Tim Tebow, the team is built on character. His coaching ability and the team’s commitment to competing will be on trial during that stretch. If QB Kyle Orton can go 2-2 against those wicked defences, they will be fired up and dangerous down the stretch and could even challenge for a wild-card spot.

Oakland Raiders: For the first time in eight years, the Raiders may win more than five games. Lazy, entitled locker-room cancer JaMarcus Russell is finally gone. New QB Kyle Boller might gel with young guns RB Darren Mcfadden and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey. The defence looks to be solid with studs Nnamdi Asomugha and Quentin Groves. Talented youth and low expectations can combine could make them spoilers, but they’re probably a year away from the playoffs.

 Kansas City Chiefs: It’s gonna be a long season in KC. QB Matt Cassell and RB Thomas Jones are someone else’s expensive castoffs, and outside of rookie Eric Berry and LB Mike Vrabel, their defence is anonymous. The Chiefs don’t have much to look forward to other than first pick in April’s draft. Welcome to Kansas City, Mark Ingram

 

Sports

American Football Conference – South

by Jon Rubenstein on

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Indianapolis Colts: Expect the Colts to return to the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season with Peyton Manning at the helm. The emergence of wideouts Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie, combined with Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and a now-healthy Anthony Gonzalez rounds out the most dangerous passing attack in the league. The Colts will need to be on their game in one of the NFL’s toughest divisions to avoid a post-Super Bowl hangover.

Houston Texans: The Houston Texans have assembled enough talent to get over the hump and reach the playoffs for the first time in team history. A punishing defence led by linebacker DeMeco Ryans, defensive end Mario Williams, and reigning NFL Defensive Rookie-of-the-Year Brian Cushing will cause headaches for opposing teams all season long. On offence, the Texans have implemented a successful pass-first system with the dynamic tandem of quarterback Matt Schaub and wide receiver Andre Johnson. Houston should make some noise in the post-season and will pounce on any team that takes them lightly.

Tennessee Titans: The Titans have arguably the most potent rushing attack in the league with the likes of workhorse Chris Johnson in the backfield. With opposing teams focusing on stopping the run, Vince Young will need to step up a so-so passing game in order for the Titans to have any success this year. Tennessee, which has one of the toughest schedules in the NFL, could still sneak into the playoffs if Johnson has another career year.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars feature a middle-of-the-road offence and a sub-par defence that will not be enough to get them out of the AFC South cellar. Maurice Jones-Drew has evolved into one of the premier running backs in the game while Mike Sims-Walker has shown promise in the flanks. On the defensive side of the ball, the Jaguars sport a weak secondary and no real firepower up front to stop the run. Expect Jacksonville to finish at the bottom of the division for the third consecutive year.

News

Carleton University battles its student unions over fees

by Maria Flores on

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duate and Graduate Student Associations have had their funding cut off  by the administration since November 1. Both student unions refused to sign a new agreement with the university’s administration and board of governors, and as a result the administration has refused to give the CUSA and GSA their student fees.

Over a year ago, Carleton’s auditors recommended the provision of audited financial statements by CUSA and GSA to demonstrate that the $7 million distributed yearly to the two student unions are in fact distributed for the purposes for which it was collected. Both student unions refused the proposal and have been negotiating since.

Jason MacDonald, Carleton’s communications director, said that the financial audits are required to fill a transparency and accountability gap that currently exists, but stressed that the administration has no interest in dictating how the money gets used.

“[CUSA and GSA] resisted, because they say they are independent and we acknowledge that,” MacDonald said. “We just want to know that [the funds] that are being collected are actually dispersed to their determined purposes, but it’s up to them to decide which student groups get how much money.”

According to the student unions, however, the agreement contains provisions and assurances above and beyond what the auditors originally called for. The student unions are concerned that this could give the administration far-reaching powers, such as the ability to refuse to collect new levies decided by student referendum, terminate leases for offices, and take over management of the campus pubs.

“Carleton’s demands are both inappropriate and unnecessary,” CUSA President Alex Sirois said in an email to the Tribune. “The university wants to grant the board of governors the ability to override the democratic will of students and ignore referenda results. They also want the ability to terminate leases for businesses and offices that we have operated for decades.”   

According to Sirois, both students’ associations have strict financial controls to make sure that they spend students’ money properly. CUSA employs a full-time chartered accountant and both associations are audited yearly by external licensed public accountants.

In an effort negotiated in good faith, the two student unions made amendments to the university’s proposals in August. This attempt, however, was unsuccessful.

“If we are actually acting in the best interest of our members we cannot agree on some parts of the new agreement,” said Kimalee Phillip, GSA President. “We told them if you do not get back to us we are going to file an application to the court. They did not get back to us and so we filed an application.”

Although going to court was not an easy decision to make, Phillip explained that it was what their legal counsel advised them to do. Similarly, the administration admitted that the route taken was not optimal but that the university would vigorously defend itself against the actions.

“Obviously, from our point of view it’s not ideal that we would end up in court, particularly when what we are asking for is a fairly basic element of financial accountability and transparency for an organization managing $7 million of student money,” MacDonald said.

CUSA and GSA have been operating with retained earnings and have taken steps to control costs. The groups have also secured a line of credit with their bank. According to their financial administrators, though, they will only be able to operate until January at the latest.

Services such as financial aid, emergency grants, and campus employment may have to be removed.

 “The Carleton administration is really trying to control every aspect of campus life and I think this is just another way of doing so,” Phillip said.

Montreal, News

Nicolo Rizzuto murder the latest hit on mafia family

by Richard Ramcharan on

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Students opening city newspapers last week saw pages upon pages covering on mafia leader Nicolo Rizzuto’s funeral. This is the latest in a string of headlines pertaining to the Montreal Mafia, which has been  under mysterious attack for more than a year.

The notorious Rizzuto family and its associates have fallen victim to a kidnapping and a string of murders, the most recent being when Nicolo, 86, was shot and killed at his home in the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville on November 10. At the time, he was still on probation for tax evasion.

The murders began in August 2009, when Frederico del Peschio was murdered outside La Cantina restaurant on St. Laurent Boulevard. He was a close associate of Nicolo Rizzuto — they were arrested and charged together in Venezuela on cocaine charges in 1988. However, in this instance, according to Contable Anie Lemieux of the Montreal Police Department (SPVM), the incident “does not appear … related to organized crime.”

Another murder followed when Nicolo Rizzuto Jr., grandson of the mafia patriarch, was gunned down in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on December 28. Antonio Nicaso, a journalist who specializes in mafia coverage, speculated that the murder of the junior Rizzuto, 42, was a clear indication that the family was being targeted and its leadership being threatened.

In an interview with CBC News, Nicaso said the Rizzuto family has been facing leadership problems since the arrest of Vito Rizzuto, 63, Nicolo Sr.’s son, in 2004 in connection with three murders in Brooklyn during the 1980s. He is currently serving a 10-year sentence in Colorado.

On June 29, another associate of the Rizzuto clan, Agostino Cuntrera, and his bodyguard, Liborio Sciasciathis, were both shot and killed in front of Cuntretra’s food warehouse in St. Leonard. It wasn’t a chance killing, said one detective from the SPVM.

“He was really the target,” said  Inspector Bernard Lamothe of the SPVM to CBC News on July 1.

In May, Paolo Renda, thought to be an adviser to Cuntrera, was kidnapped. His car was found unlocked, with the windows down and the keys still in the ignition just off of Gouin Boulevard West in the Cartierville area. Renda was not only another member of the Rizzuto circle, but was Vito Rizzuto’s brother-in-law.

According to former crime reporter, Michel Auger, this particular kidnapping was strange. This type of kidnappings frequently take place within these circles, he said, and many of them are never reported to police, but the victim usually is freed after a few days. Renda, however, is still missing

The hardships of the Rizzuto family started in 2006 when Project Colisee, a crackdown aimed at organized crime in Montreal and conducted by municipal, provinvial and RCMP, was in full swing. Hidden cameras, microphones, and phone taps were set up at the Consenza Social Club in Montreal, which was eventually found to be a hub for mafia-related business.

Implicated in this operation were Nicolo Rizzuto Sr. and other members of the Rizzuto clan. Many trials have still not been completed from the two-year long investigation.

It’s further alleged that other gangs of non-Italian background have had a falling out with the mafia. Durcame Joseph, allegedly associated with the Bloods gang, is one of the suspects in Nicolo Rizzuto Jr.’s murder case.

Durcame himself narrowly avoided death in March after 50 bullets shot into his Old Port boutique, killing his bodyguard and a civilian.

Whether there’s a connection between the mafia’s activities and the recent fire bombings that have taken place at Italian-owned establishments is still unclear. There have been over 25 of these incidents, 15 of which have taken place since August.

The most recent took place early Thursday morning at Cavallaro, a café in Westmount. This came as a shock to many, especially the police, as this type of attack usually takes place in the less wealthy neighbourhoods in northern and eastern Montreal. The police, though, were reserved in their allegations.

“Anything is possible when cases like this happen” said Lemieux.

Media representatives of the SPVM did not want to comment on any possible connections between the slayings in the Rizzuto family and the recent attacks on Italian businesses in the city.

The police also declined to comment on a rumour that was brought to light by crime expert Andre Cedilot claiming that an Ontario mafia family ordered the hits.

McGill, News

Students and professors showcase ideas at TEDxMcGill

by Trip Yang on

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Choucri Bechir

The second annual TEDxMcGill conference took place on Saturday, with Henry Mintzberg, the acclaimed McGill business professor and 15 others sharing their ideas. Themed “Relentless Curiosity,” the talks centred on rediscovering the creativity and imagination that is commonplace in children but often lost in adults. The diverse for the event held at the Marché Bonsecours included presentations on user-created applications that transform the classroom experience, a personal account of establishing a school and safe haven for abused Nicaraguan girls, and a serial entrepreneur’s ambition to use social network sites to save one million lives.

TEDxMcGill was conceptualized last year when two students applied for a licence to organize an independent McGill event under the TED brand. TED, an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, is a non-profit organization that hosts global conferences featuring prominent speakers such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, and primatologist Jane Goodall.   

TEDxMcGill shares the parent organization’s vision of “ideas worth spreading.” The volunteer student team planned the event with a $70,000 budget over the past eight months and sought funding from various Montreal companies and McGill groups.  

Student speakers were encouraged to apply through a standard application process, while faculty and professional speakers were chosen based on their backgrounds and areas of expertise. Speakers were given nine to 15 minutes and creative freedom to talk about their ideas, research, or narratives.  

“We go for the best, most interesting speakers and ones that balance each other. We try to get a breakdown of 50 per cent students, 25 per cent professors and faculty, and 25 per cent special guests not affiliated with McGill,” said Jan Florjanczyk, a computer science Master’s student at McGill and executive organizer of TEDxMcGill. “It was a very difficult process for us to choose, but we could usually tell if someone was going to be a good speaker.”

One of the best-received talks was entrepreneur Amruth Bagali Ravindranath’s presentation on creating multimedia technology that helps educators teach math, language, and social sciences to primary school students. Ravindranath reflected on his own childhood experiences as a bored student in the classroom when developing classroom learning tools that would put teachers at the centre of education.

“Can we do to interactive education content what bloggers did to writing?” asked Ravindranath. “Our programs democratize the process of creation, it lets you edit and improve upon others’ educational animation and teaching tools in a way similar to Wikipedia. We see that by combining teachers with technology, we get adaptive education.”

While several other talks also demonstrated technology’s contributions to society, personal narratives equally engaged the audience. Salma Moolji, U2 international development studies, spoke about her emotional experience opening a school for abused, poverty-stricken girls in a Nicaraguan slum. Moolji was motivated after hearing the tragic story of a 13-year-old girl who hung herself from an orchard tree due to sexual and physical abuse. While the school closed within three years due to a lack of infrastructure, an overstretched police force, and gang problems, Moolji was moved by its lasting impact.

“The unfortunate reality is that not all development projects succeed, and not all those that succeed will survive,” Moolji said. “This is what motivates me to study development. Failure is only a part of success. The school, while it ran, did incredible things for many people.”

TED and TEDx conferences are no strangers to passionate statements, and LemonadeBoy Inc. CEO and social media business consultant Com Mirza’s goal of saving one million lives was probably the most zealous.

After collecting $5,000 from donators, Mirza and two other friends travelled to Pakistan for three weeks to help a new person each day. By the end of the visit, they managed to save 125 lives by organizing and funding vaccinations, sustainable food projects, and eye cataract surgeries. Mirza hopes to eventually save 999,875 more lives.

“Average people can make a difference when we unify our voices. Every time our voices send out one single message—it is very powerful,” Mirza said. “All we need are five things—an Internet connection, a personal computer, an email address, a profile on a social network, and active participation—to generate income for our cause.”

Though the conference lasted for over seven hours, the sold-out audience remained enthusiastic until the end. Tanya Mulamula, attendees coordinator, was relieved to see the positive reception from the conference participants and was particularly impressed by the student speakers.

“Inspiration, passion, and a connection to the audience are what TED talks are about. Even through the computer screen, somebody is able to keep you listening for 15 minutes,” Mulamula said. “Student speakers tend to be captivating because they’re very young and they’re quite nervous, so their passion for what they’re saying tends to be way stronger.”

News

McGill’s admin not the only one under fire

by Zach Connerty-Marin on

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At Norman Bethune Square on October 27, the Concordia Student Union, Überculture, Free Education Montreal, Sustainable Concordia, and Tap Drinkers Against Privatization (TAPThirst) gathered to protest the Concordia administration’s decision to sign an exclusive PepsiCo contract without student consultation.

TAPThirst, an organization that advocates against the bottled water industry, was the most outspoken of the groups and had been heavily involved in talks with the administration.

Laura Beach, sustainable ambassadors coordinator for Sustainable Concordia and a member of TAPThirst, issued a mise en demeure—a legal notice expressing student concern—to several members of the administration after they failed to consult with students before signing the contract with PepsiCo. Beach said the administration promised her verbally, and in an email, that students would be included in the negotiation process.

“Traditionally, we do not include students in negotiations for contracts,” said Chris Mota, director of media relations at Concordia.

Mota said the administration had intended to seek student input on the contract, and discussed setting up a meeting between student groups and PepsiCo. However, according to Mota, Concordia ran out of time and had to sign the contract because it needed a provider.

“A decision was made at the senior level to sign the contract with Pepsi,” Mota said.

The Concordia protest occurred a few weeks after McGill students  rallied on September 22 against the closure of the Architecture Café. Like those at Concordia, McGill students complained that they were not consulted.

Both the Concordia and McGill administrations have tried to make amends. The PepsiCo contract contains a clause that gives the university the option to stop the company from selling bottled water. In addition, Roger Côté, the interim vice president of services at Concordia, is talking with student groups about the issue.

The McGill Senate recently created a “working group to examine how consultations and related communication with students are currently handled at McGill, and to recommend improvements,” said Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Morton Mendelson, according to a press release issued by the university on October 19.

Michael Di Grappa, who started  his position as the vice president of administration and finances for McGill on November 15, is a recent import from Concordia University. Di Grappa was vice president of services for Concordia and heavily involved in the PepsiCo contract discussions. He didn’t agree with the view some students hold of the Concordia administration.

“I don’t think that you can extract from one particular issue … that there were problems,” said Di Grappa. In addition, he said, the contract included scholarships and job opportunities for students.

Di Grappa added that students were concerned only about bottled water.

“When someone is talking about the beverage contract with all of those elements, and someone is talking about bottled water, that is an infinitesimally small portion of the overall contract,” he said.

Beach, however, said there is more to student concerns.

“What happened this summer wasn’t just about bottled water,” she said. “It was about a more sustainable beverage contract.”

The Environmental Advisory Committee at Concordia made recommendations on the contract, and 35 members of the university’s faculty, from every department, signed on to the recommendations. The Committee’s suggestions, Beach said, were overlooked by the administration.

In addition to the environmental impacts, Beach said, “I haven’t met any student that wants to turn their university into a mall, [but] that’s what’s happening.”

Di Grappa said that while the administration tried to understand student concerns, “It [was] not clear who was speaking on behalf of the students and that [was] part of the problem.”

Montreal, News

Quebec nurses’ union strikes historic deal

by Dylan Doyle on

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It was a banner day last weekend for the province’s largest nurses’ union, the Quebec Interpersonal Health Federation (FIQ). After a year of tense negotiations with the provincial government, the FIQ reached an agreement in principle, which will provide significant gains to the 58,000 members of the union.

The agreement stipulates an annual 3.45 per cent pay increase for shift work, and a two per cent pay increase per year for nurses working regular day shifts in CLSCs (local community service centres) and other public institutions.

The 3.45 per cent raise comes as a result of the approximately 15 minutes that nurses typically spend at the end of their shifts exchanging patient information with the next nurse on duty. Remuneration and recognition were two important tenets during negotiations, according to FIQ Vice-President Michele Boisclair.

“Time worked is supposed to be time paid, and we’ve been fighting for that for 30 years,” she said. “Now at least our nurses will be recognized and paid for it.”

Another gain for the union was the government’s commitment to reduce the use of privatized nurses by 40 per cent. Nurses from such agencies can earn up to 20 to 25 per cent more than unionized workers. But Boisclair said there are problems with using these private companies.

“The employers who are going through a private agency are dividing the system. They are asking to have labour on a day-to-day basis, which not only limits stability but reduces the quality of care,” Boisclair said. “How can the government be willing to pay more for the care given by these agencies, yet not give better conditions to those supporting the public health care system?”

There was tension between the FIQ and the Health Ministry until a summer cabinet reshuffling made Michelle Courchesne the new Treasury Board president. According to Boisclair, this was a turning point for negotiations. Courchesne has been credited as having the “political will” to finally reach the five-year deal.

“Since [Courchesne’s] nomination we’ve seen a big difference,” Boisclair said. “Before it was always ‘no, no,’ and they never gave anything. Now we have been able to reach our goals.”

The agreement did not materialize without compromises. However, according to Boisclair, the FIQ originally lobbied for the implementation of a four-day workweek for all members. The Health Ministry, however, opposed this motion. Boisclair claimed that the fight is not over.

“Right now, we’re just going to see what kind of schedule works, while trying to reduce the amount of days worked per week, and the amount of weeks worked per year,” she said. “It will be done locally, and we’ll see have to wait and see what the results will be.”

For the past monts, the FIQ received support from more than 600 health organization and other labour groups, including the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union, and the International organization in Solidarity for the Labour Movement.

“That was a major thing, the fact that they supported us,” Boisclair said. “They knew that we were trying to change something to be there for our patients and the public health care system. It was a good message to the government that things need to change.”

Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc said in a press release that the deal “is going to help the nurses, it’s going to help the doctors, but mainly it’s going to help the patients.”

Mélanie Lavoie-Tremblay, an assistant professor in the McGill’s School of Nursing, agreed.

“The retention of nurses, new and old, is very important. There are good strategies out there now, but we need new ones as well,” she said. “One strategy won’t be enough to foster the retention of this new generation of nurses.”

Lavoie-Tremblay was happy  with the agreement, and stated that the gains would match the desires of most nurses at the ground level.

“Nurses are calling for more rewards, meaning a good pay and being paid for the work they are doing,” she said. “A lot of nurses don’t have access to training due to their schedules, so it’s great that they got so much from this agreement.”

The agreement in principle was presented to union delegates last Thursday and Friday. The details of the deal will be given to the nurses before a vote.

News

Panelists urge greater actions to defend children’s rights

by Amanda DeSouza on

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Holly Stewart

How can it be that 250 million children under the age of five are alive right now and don’t have a birth certificate? How can there be 13 countries currently listed by the United Nations’ Security Council that are at war with children engaged as combatants, as cooks, or as servants? How can there be an estimated 150 million children worldwide who are engaged in various forms of child labour?

These were some of the questions posed by United Nations Children’s Fund representative Susan Bissel on Thursday at panel discussion on international  children’s rights.

In a room of roughly 20 McGill students and faculty members, Nadja Pollaert, the director general of the International Bureau for Children’s Rights, joined Bissel to address the topic of protecting children’s rights worldwide.

In her remarks, Bissel stressed that even in today’s globalizing world, where social and economic issues are increasingly integrated, issues of children’s rights go largely unnoticed. She said this is a major  issue that we ignore all too easily.  

Bissel explained that a birth certificate is a document many people take for granted, but children without such documentation lack an internationally recognized identity.  

“Children without birth certificates, in theory, don’t exist,” she said. “They can fall victim to exploitation and violence and no one would even know.”

Bissel believes that robust international law could be the key to improving children’s well-being. She cited the Convention for the Rights of the Child (CRC) as an example of the highest international organization recognizing the need to not only address but also codify solutions.

The second speaker, Pollaert, focused her discussion on child trafficking, calling it “a trendy issue” in our current political and social landscape.

Her organization focuses on the key areas of sexual exploitation of children, children in armed conflict, children and justice, and general promotion of the CRC.

Pollaert addressed the critical role of the police in the issue of children’s rights.  

“Police are the beginning and sometimes the end of child victims,” she said.  

Pollaert explained that in some countries, instead of a source of protection, police are a main source of corruption, leaving the child nowhere to turn if they are being abused.

Pollaert also spoke on the increasingly difficult problems that have arisen in the children’s rights domain with the introduction and spread of the Internet.

“Young girls and boys are presenting themselves on the Internet and exchanging sexual favours for goods such as BlackBerrys or jeans,” she said. This leaves these children a vulnerable position locally and internationally.

After the talks, audience members were invited to give their thoughts and engage in a dialogue with the panelists.

Sam Goldman, a McGill alumnus and former history teacher, didn’t want to downplay the severity of the issues presented, but felt the most important issue was overlooked: permanent genetic malformations due to poor maternal health. Without tackling this problem at the source, he said, “we are dooming a considerable portion of the human race. This is a large problem getting bigger all the time.”

Bissel acknowledged the importance of this issue, but refrained from offering a comprehensive answer. She claimed that it was unfortunate that such a critical problem goes largely unnoticed but acknowledged that a significant portion of UNICEF’s $4 billion dollar budget is being spent on maternal health.

In her closing remarks, Bissel hoped for a future increase in the protection of children’s rights.

“The challenges are enormous,” Bissel said. “But so too are the possibilities for action, collaboration, and great outcomes for children and their families.”

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