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Off the Board

Reap what you sew

by Vanessa Barron on

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During the first few days of lockdown in March, I decided that I needed a good hobby to occupy my time, so I bought a sewing machine. When I was a kid, my aunt had taught me how to sew pillows, so I figured sewing dresses wouldn’t be that much harder. I was overconfident, to say the least; it took me around two hours to get the machine working in the first place. Finally, when I had correctly maneuvered the thread through the many loops and pinholes on my Singer, it took me another two hours to sew a square of fabric into a face mask. 

I love clothing, so it seemed like it was only a matter of time until I started sewing my own.  Personal style is one of the few parts of one’s outward appearance that can easily be changed. Clothes can directly affect one’s attitude and confidence and reflect one’s interests, cultural heritage, and personality. But there is a transformative magic in this wearable art form, too. A professional actor in a theatre production or a little girl in a princess dress will both be able to say that when they put on a costume, they become a whole different person. I have been fascinated by this transformative potential of fashion ever since I was that little girl in a princess dress.

However, as a fashion lover, I cannot ignore the immense damage that the fast fashion industry has caused since its beginnings in the Industrial Revolution. Fashion is firmly, unflinchingly rooted in capitalism: With the need for constant novelty, fashion perpetuates an endless cycle of production, consumption, and waste for every season of the year. Underpaid workers suffer so that others can wear a cheaply-made crop top that will be out of style in a couple of months. The industry has changed little since the 18th century—the only difference today is that many people choose to ignore its unethical practices because they are not personally affected.

As it stands, it is difficult to find cute clothes that are eco-friendly, ethically produced, and—most importantly—affordable. Thrifting is a good option that I rely on the most, but it is not always a perfect solution. I often end up buying more clothes than I need when they are less expensive, leading to piles of unworn statement jackets and gaudily-patterned button-downs stuffed in the back of my closet. Luckily, sewing has given me a reason to revisit those items, giving new life to pieces that I might have donated once again.

Because I started sewing during a time when many stores were closed, recycling old fabric was not only my best option to reduce waste—it was the only option. I made my first dress out of tie-dyed bed sheets, using a free pattern that I found on the internet. Supplies like thread, pins, and zippers cost me less than $10, but creating the dress itself took around four days in total. It was at this point that I started to think about the sheer amount of labour that goes into every garment. Both retail or second-hand clothes come with a long history: Someone made the pattern for your favourite jeans, and someone sewed the buttons onto your comfiest flannel shirt. Sewing and altering clothes has made me hyper-aware of the production behind my favourite pieces, bringing me face-to-face with the production process of something you would typically ignore.

Of course, not everyone should feel the need to sew their whole wardrobe by hand, as it can be a time-consuming and expensive hobby. However, I do recommend treating your wardrobe with care. Mending and making small adjustments to old clothes requires only a needle and thread, and it can greatly prolong the life of a shirt or a pair of pants that would otherwise end up in a landfill. 

Individuals are not the ones to blame for the destructive impacts of the fashion industry, but we can still be more mindful of our relationship with the clothing that defines and protects us daily. Fashion is a source of creativity and self-expression for myself and many others, and by acknowledging the history of how our clothes are made, we can re-examine and change the trajectory of their future.

Arts & Entertainment, Comedy

‘Just For Laughs’ online festival finds laughter amidst a pandemic

by Deana Korsunsky on

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On Oct. 9 and 10, Montreal’s annual international comedy festival Just For Laughs (JFL) debuted its first online and free iteration since its beginnings in 1993. Typically scheduled for two weeks every July, the festival was postponed to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, shortening its usual offerings to two days, with its organizers citing that cancellation was not an option. 

JFL has always been a staple of Montreal’s cultural scene; moreover, it boasts the title of the world’s largest comedy festival. Every year, audiences gather to see emerging and established talent from around the world. This year, JFL managed to fulfill its mandate, offering shows of pre-recorded performances, to virtual industry roundtables, to live interviews with comedians.

The festival kicked off with a live conversation between comedians Kevin Hart and Judd Apatow, streamed across all three virtual rooms available on the JFL website. Hart and Apatow discussed the effects of the pandemic on the industry, and reminisced about their beginnings in comedy. Although this Zoom-call-esque conversation offered an intimate glimpse into the lives of two comedy giants, it set a precedent of disappointing redundancy, as nearly every question pertained to comedy during the pandemic. Whether it was actor Titus Burgess or drag queen Trixie Mattel, conversations often lingered on the same platitudes of taking time during the pandemic to relax and rework material. Coupled with occasional Zoom freezes, audio glitches, and awkward silences, many unscripted interviews proved to be duller and more repetitive than previously anticipated for the comedy festival.  

Yet, despite the lack of natural jokes and live audience reactions, JFL proved relatable and at times even inspirational. In one room, comedian Nicole Byer sipped on wine from a straw as she chatted with Mattel. In another, comedian Andy Kindler acknowledged the uncomfortable awkwardness of giving his 25th annual State of the Industry speech online. 

“I’m holding for the applause I hear in my head,” Kindler joked after introducing himself.

In an interview with comedian and JFL part-owner Howie Mandel, comedian Ms. Pat discussed her unlikely debut in stand-up comedy—a creative outlet suggested to her after she was released from prison. Ms. Pat spoke about her past with drug dealing, abusive relationships, and her desire to give her children a better life. When advised by her caseworker to pursue comedy as a hobby, Ms. Pat discovered a therapeutic outlet in stand-up. 

“Find a way to laugh at the darkest thing in life,” Ms. Pat advised Mandel. 

Comedy, Ms. Pat suggested, is more than an income or a source of entertainment: It is a way of processing emotions and showing others that even comedians are not exempt from traumas.

Besides divulging comedian’s personal anecdotes, JFL hosted several panels for industry professionals to discuss the current state of comedy and touring. In the roundtable, “Now What,” viewers learned about the adverse effects of the pandemic on stand-up comedy, like canceled sources of income, but also about the hidden positives, like the industry coming together to uplift comedians in a time of need. Producer Brian Dorfman pointed out the necessity of comedy during COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of finding joy in these tumultuous times.

“We might be the most essential business in this issue that’s happening with the world,” Dorfman said.

As most industries and technologically unsavvy individuals have learned, translating in-person events to online mediums is tricky. Though awkward and disjointed at times, JFL proved that this new format could still be comforting and familiar. JFL presented the best version of itself that it could have, reminding viewers that during a pandemic—in the words of Ms. Pat—we must know how to laugh at the darkest things in life.  

 

Arts & Entertainment, Books

Avleen Kaur Mokha’s “DREAM FRAGMENTS” impresses with emotional depth

by Noma Mirny on

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On Oct. 1, McGill alumna Avleen Kaur Mokha, also known as Mirabel, released the 40-page poetry chapbook DREAM FRAGMENTS through Cactus Press. A collection of personal poetry and confessional writing, Mokha’s chapbook highlights her journey growing up neurodivergent, processing trauma, and learning to find beauty in her dreams and darkest moments.

Mokha is a Montreal-based poet who was born and raised in Mumbai, India. She graduated from McGill University in March 2020 with a dual degree in Linguistics and English Literature, and she currently works as a writer and blog curator at Carte Blanche with a focus on featuring content from BIPOC writers in Quebec. Post-graduation, she worked under the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) grant as a reporter, writing about the COVID-19 outbreak for a variety of local news outlets. She spoke about how the emotionally strenuous work she did during the workday pushed her towards poetry as a creative outlet.

“I probably wrote the most while I was also writing 4,000 words of journalism every week,” Mokha said. “[Investigating the COVID-19 outbreak] really encouraged me to finish my book.”

DREAM FRAGMENTS presents a beautifully folded soul unfurled across a map of pages. Through its mesh of interwoven poems, Mokha’s collection features stories of serene and nightmarish dreamscapes, aching hearts, brutal memories, and entangled lovers. Her language is one of dreams and mirages, with an undertone of animalistic desire, deep loneliness, and inescapable violence. With a Mary Oliver-esque focus on natural imagery, “Melatonin” gracefully explores the psyche of a sleepless night. In the final poem, Mokha tells readers to trust their dreams. 

“Soften & release: / like loose clay becomes / pottery, / I become anew at night / Tighten & release: like hot hands on wanting chests, / I am pressed between seasons / of half-done delight [.…] You, / one moving part of an endless part, / are a stubborn knot tonight. / Soften & release, / tighten and believe / your animal heart.”

As a child, Mokha was actively engaged in songwriting, and took these experiences into her later life as a professional poet; some of her current inspirations from pop culture include Billie Eilish, Mitski, Aurora, and particularly, Lorde’s album Melodrama. Mokha noted that she has special respect for the storytelling abilities of female pop artists.

“We’re kind of taught to hate pop culture figures, [but] I’m really inspired by mainstream pop artists,” Mokha said. “There’s something we envy in pop artists in that they’re able to say things and it sticks.”  

Mokha also spoke of how her education at McGill influenced her creative work and gave her the academic infrastructure and mentorship opportunities that she needed in order to write professionally; the works discussed in her modernism and poetry-centric seminars “The Making of Modern Poetry” (ENGL 361) and “Women and Modern Poetry” (ENGL 414) with Professor Miranda B. Hickman were the most influential. One article entitled The Wise Sappho, by the modernist poet Hilda Doolittle, inspired the chapbook’s title by presenting the idea of writing between fragments, or at least those that remain of Sappho’s work.

“I don’t think this book would exist without me going to McGill and meeting the people I did there,” Mokha said.

Mokha advised aspiring writers to search for community in literary circles, and to not be afraid of talking to other creatives in search of connections.

“A lot of being a poet is the kind of poets you surround yourself with beyond the page,” Mokha said. “There are a lot of mentorship opportunities. [If you] learn how to approach people, [they] will tell you what’s going on in the city.”

Readers can purchase DREAM FRAGMENTS on the Cactus Press poetry website.

Commentary, Opinion, Private

Canada’s new leaders must engage the student voting base

by Mallory Yeates on

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The 2023 Canadian federal election will feature new party leaders representing the Conservative and Green parties. Erin O’Toole of the Conservative Party and Annamie Paul of the Green Party are likely to face off against the current Prime Minister, the Liberal Party’s Justin Trudeau, and the New Democratic Party (NDP)’s Jagmeet Singh. In the years leading up to the election, O’Toole and Paul have the opportunity as new leaders of their parties to engage Canadian students. By presenting new platforms, these new candidates can target young voters whose loyalty Trudeau and Singh may lack. To gain support from the student demographic, O’Toole and Paul must heed student concerns and prioritize issues that matter to young people, such as student-based fiscal policies, racial inequality, and climate issues. 

To attract student voters, candidates must prioritize policy issues that are important to students. Erin O’Toole will be running as the new leader of the Conservative party. In the past, the Conservative Party has run on a student platform of boosting government contributions to Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP), which many families use to save for university. While RESP improvements may be appealing to students, O’Toole’s minimal policy work to change racial injustice and climate reform will likely be a turn-off to young voters. If elected, O’Toole has vowed to criminalize rail blockaders who demonstrate in solidarity with those protesting the occupation of the Wet’suwet’en territory, stating that they impede transport crucial to the Canadian economy. In terms of climate, O’Toole plans to remove the existing carbon tax levied on industries and has failed to set any targets for reducing emissions. To attract student voters, O’Toole must create a more in-depth platform with regards to Indigenous affairs and make hard commitments to combat climate change. 

The Green Party of Canada has historically centred its policies around forward-thinking social systems and the future of our climate. Their new leader, Annamie Paul, has followed suit by putting forward a progressive student platform that aims to abolish tuition and adopt programs that cancel student debt exceeding $10,000. A Green government claims they will build a new relationship with Indigenous peoples in Canada by producing a new reconciliation plan. As of their 2019 policy platforms, the party has committed to transitioning to a green economy and fully supports the carbon tax. While issues of climate and racial injustice are of great importance to voters, Paul must focus on creating progressive education policies in the coming election to maximize student support as voters aged 18-24 have stated education as their top priority while voting. 

Although both candidates have developed student platforms, O’Toole and Paul must make a point to engage with student bodies on the campaign trail. These candidates must place the concerns of Canada’s young people as one of the top priorities of their 2023 platforms. This is key to candidates’ success as student voters are becoming increasingly involved, with turnouts of voters aged 18-24 rising significantly in the past three federal elections. Indeed, in the 2019 election, student age voters showed a 68 per cent turnout, up 13 points from 55 per cent in the 2011 election. In fact, voters aged 18-34 made up the largest voting block of the 2019 federal election. 

Young voters have a history of showing up to the polls less reliably than older age demographics. As a result, candidates often neglect to acknowledge the concerns of this growing voter base. As fresh faces in Canada’s leadership race, these politicians must prioritize policy issues that matter to young people. As young voters are becoming a key voting group, O’Toole and Paul should target them in campaigning to optimize their turnout at the polls. Squandering the opportunity to engage and mobilize Canada’s largest voting block would be a great loss to both O’Toole and Paul on voting day. 

McGill, News

BSN believes McGill’s plan against anti-Black racism has room for improvement

by Respina Rostamifar on

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The Black Students’ Network (BSN) believes that McGill’s Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism is a good start to addressing systemic and anti-Black racism, but that the group will continue to work with members of McGill’s Black communities and the administration to ensure its effective implementation. On Sept. 30, McGill released its 44-page Action Plan which was developed by Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Christopher Manfredi and Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies) Angela Campbell. The plan outlines McGill’s five-year course of action to confront anti-Black racism at the university, with a focus on student experience, outreach, research, knowledge, workforce, and physical space. 

The plan was developed in consultation with the Black Students’ Network (BSN), the Dr. Kenneth Melville McGill Black Faculty Caucus, the McGill Black Alumni Association, and the Subcommittee on Racialized and Ethnic Persons.

McGill hopes to increase its percentage of Black students by expanding student aid opportunities and investing in faculty-level initiatives, such as exploring collaborations with other post-secondary institutions in Caribbean and African countries. Additionally, the university intends to implement staff training on how to support a diverse community and understand systemic racism.

Notably, the plan states that the James McGill statue will not be removed despite popular demand, but rather fitted with a plaque that describes McGill’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade and his ownership of enslaved people. The possibility of moving the statue, however, will be assessed.

Heleena De Oliveira, BSN President and a U3 Arts student, views the plan as a good foundation for McGill to build a more equitable future. 

“The plan is a good start, but there is always room for further improvement,” De Oliveira said in an interview with the Tribune. “We are committed to making sure that this plan encapsulates the specific needs and demands of Black folk in our university. We are dedicated to not only seeing an improvement of the plan, but also realizing its implementation. More than anything, we want to make sure that the [promises] the administration commits itself to doing are carried out in full and not left unattended.”

The plan has commissioned the development of a new public report which will be published in the winter of 2022 to explore the university’s historical connections to colonialism and recommend further measures to address systemic racism. McGill will also establish a fellowship to welcome Black scholars dedicated to researching Black life in history. The possible expansion of the African and Black Studies department will be reviewed.

Alexandre Vachon, B.A. ‘19, is an activist who expressed his disappointment in McGill’s failure to establish a robust Black Canadian studies department.

“Canadian academic institutions, to this day, are not able to acknowledge Black Canadian history, which comprises, of course, slavery [and] colonialism, but also includes Black Canadian academia,” Vachon said. “McGill was unable to promise the institutionalizing of a Black Canadian Studies department because it insinuates that Black Canadian Studies need to be developed before creating a Black Canadian Studies department [….] McGill is entirely blind to the 400-year-old presence of Black Canadian thought, of Black Canadian academics, and Black Canadians.”

Currently, Black employees only represent 3.4 per cent of McGill’s staff and 0.8 per cent of its permanent academic staff. The university has discussed plans to enhance its recruitment initiatives to improve representation to five per cent by 2025, and 6.8 per cent by 2032.

Dr. Manuel Balán, a professor and director of the Institute for the Study of International Development (ISID), explained how the ISID would use the plan’s recommendations to confront anti-Black racism within the department.

“From our end, we will work to identify how ISID may best contribute to the realization of the plan,” Balán said. “We have a large and diverse student body, and we are committed as a unit to promote and support efforts to better address racism, and particularly anti-Black racism.”

A previous version of this article stated that Heleena De Oliveira is the BSN’s Project Manager of Advocacy. In fact, she is the President of BSN. The Tribune regrets this error.

A previous version of this article had the headline “BSN believes McGill’s plan against anti-Black racism is a good start,” which misrepresented the stance of the BSN on the plan. In fact, a more accurate headline is “BSN believes McGill’s plan against anti-Black racism has room for improvement.” The headline has been updated. The Tribune regrets this error.
Student Life

Native Women’s Shelter’s virtual Spirit Walk surpasses fundraising goal

by Wendy Zhao on

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While Montreal’s entrance into the red zone means an increased period of social isolation for many, the continued spread of COVID-19 has further exacerbated the unhoused population’s daily hardships. As shelter capacities decrease, unhoused individuals are at risk of being further shut out of the already limited sources for refuge. Events like the annual Spirit Walk, hosted by the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal (NWSM), seek to aid these communities.

Indigenous Peoples are overrepresented amongst the demographic of the unhoused population. In 2018, a survey conducted by Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services revealed that Indigenous peoples represent 12 per cent of the unhoused population in Montreal despite making up only one per cent of the city’s general population. 

Since 1987, the NWSM has been the only shelter in Montreal providing services solely for Indigenous women and children. The shelter supports its residents by supplying them with basic needs such as food, clothing, hygiene products, and dignity along with traditional and contemporary healing techniques. 

This year, the NWSM’s seventh annual Spirit Walk, a fundraiser designed to raise pledges for the shelter, has transitioned to an online platform. In previous years, the Spirit Walk took place in the summer and participants would gather at Mount-Royal to walk together in solidarity. This year, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 9, community members were instead invited to go on their own socially-distanced walks, post a selfie, and share online why they chose to support the shelter. On Oct. 5, the fundraiser surpassed its initial goal of $45,000.

Despite the absence of a physical gathering, the strength of the shelter’s community has persisted online. Nakuset, executive director of the NWSM, describes the support and solidarity participants have shown. 

“I am pleasantly surprised at the initiative that everyone has taken,” Nakuset said. “I know one person that is paddling and getting sponsors [….] People are doing it, and it’s powerful that this continues.”

This year’s Spirit Walk will support those navigating the child welfare system by empowering Indigenous women to advocate for themselves, their children, and their rights as mothers. Nakuset described the significance of this year’s walk and its intergenerational focus both for herself and for the shelter.

“I myself am adopted, and The Seventh Generation Prophecy says that those who are taken away will be the ones that empower and lead the way,” Nakuset said. “The Prophecy thinks about the kind of work you need to do in order to make sure things are good and safe for the seven generations ahead of you, that things will be easier for them.” 

The NWSM’s mandate—to not only help each resident with their unique hardships but repair the shared systematic roots that perpetuate them—is embodied in this prophecy. 

Nakuset described the Canadian government’s exclusion of the unhoused population while disseminating information about the pandemic. 

“When the Prime Minister was making messages in the beginning of COVID, they were geared toward the middle class, not the homeless population,” Nakuset said. “They were left out, literally left out into the streets [….] We would see people bawling their eyes out like children, so devastated they have nowhere to go. I’ve never seen that before.”

The NWSM closed for two weeks in May when seven of its staff members became ill, a microcosm of the pandemic’s effects on at-risk populations. The shelter reopened after meeting with Architecture Sans Frontières Québec to implement safety measures and now offers specialized therapy services for its clients through phone calls. 

Nakuset noted the difficulties that the shelter has endured but remains optimistic for the future. 

“With the second wave, it’ll continue to be challenging, but I feel like we have a leg up in terms of putting all these protocols in place,” Nakuset said. “Everything’s changed. We’re adapting the best way that we can but it’s certainly not easy.” 

Due to safety protocols, the NWSM can no longer accept volunteers or non-monetary donations. Nakuset asks individuals, however, to consider the power that they have to effect change. 

“It’s looking around you, seeing what you can do for Indigenous peoples,” Nakuset said. “Have you read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reports? If you see someone who’s homeless, can you give them a sandwich, a smile, a resource?” 

 

News

Seminar highlights injustices facing Canadian migrant farm workers

by Ella Fitzhugh on

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The Canadian Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley hosted an online lecture on Oct. 6 to discuss migrant farm workers’ rights in Ontario and the pandemic’s impact on labour mobilization. The event featured Dr. Vasanthi Venkatesh, professor of law at the University of Windsor. 

Venkatesh explained how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated systemic discrimination against migrant farm workers. She also exposed flaws in the Canadian government’s response to the pandemic, particularly its failure to maintain healthy working conditions for migrant farm workers. 

“Within a few days of the farm workers arriving [from the Carribean and Mexico], the outbreaks [of COVID-19] in the farms started, [and] within a few weeks there were at least over a thousand [farm workers infected],” Venkatesh said. “A specific racialized population is getting infected with the virus in the hundreds and in the thousands.”

Even before the pandemic, Venkatesh noted that the farm workers’ living conditions were inadequate. Many workers have reported living in cramped bunks and receiving poor health care. In Montreal, only half the usual number of migrant workers have entered Canada, despite fears of COVID-19 exacerbated by unsafe working conditions. 

“It was obvious […] when the pandemic hit that none of the underlying conditions of work had changed, so the conditions that I described about those bunkhouses, about the lack of mobility,  [and] access to healthcare [were still prevalent],” Venkatesh said. “[The situation] was just ripe for the pandemic to spread [limitlessly within] these farms.” 

The circumstances of the pandemic have also aggravated racist labour structures that were present long before the onset of the pandemic. Farm workers who tested positive for COVID-19 were still required by the Government of Ontario to work as long as they were asymptomatic.

In addition to their lack of dependable rights, migrant workers hoping to secure permanent residence in Canada are faced with barriers set by the Canadian government. The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), which was established by the Canadian government in 1966, has recently been criticized for failing to enforce safety standards.

“In Canada […] there’s always a way to get permanent status after a while […] but the SAWP, is the only group that [has been] excluded from ever applying for permanent residence since 1966,” Venkatesh said. “This ensures that you always have deportable workers, and they’re also excluded from essential labour regulations.”

At the end of the talk, audience member Sarah Song, a professor at UC Berkeley, asked about how the existing legal structures governing migrant farm worker rights in Canada could change after the pandemic. 

“I wondered about a public health emergency such as COVID-19 providing kind of an external shock that creates an opportunity for legal mobilisation, and I wondered how the literature […] accounts for contingencies like public health emergencies,” Song said.

In response, Venkatesh pointed out that neither legal nor social movement research literature have prepared for a public health crisis like COVID-19. 

Another audience member, Christian Paiz, described mass mobilization of undocumented workers in Canada and how they compare to the mobilization of workers in the United States.

“I was profoundly taken aback by how much mobilization has taken place in Canada,” Paiz said. “I’m wondering [about] the relationship between these temporary workers and undocumented labour[ers], and if that’s a factor in some of the mobilization taking place.” 

In response to Paiz’s comments, Venkatesh explained that undocumented populations in Canada mostly reside in urban, rather than in rural areas.

“The biggest difference between the United States and the Canadian mobilization is the undocumented population,” Dr. Venkatesh said. “Everything [in Canada] revolves around the SAWP […] and the agreement that [Canada has] with Mexico. It’s very much a [three party] issue [unlike] how it is in the United States.”

McGill, News, The Tribune Explains

Tribune Explains: Dr. Charmaine Nelson’s Bicentenary Recommendations

by Maya Abuali on

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Former McGill Art History Professor Charmaine Nelson, along with some of her students, released a 98-page research document on June 22, titled “Slavery and McGill University: Bicentennial Recommendations.” The document included an investigation of the connection between James McGill and transatlantic slavery, the biographies of people enslaved by McGill, and a call for the implementation of faculty and student recommendations at the university. The recommendations outlined in this document were composed during Nelson’s Winter 2020 course, James McGill was a Slave Owner: Slavery and the History of Universities.”

History of James McGill

The second section of the document, written by Nelson’s students Lucy Brown and Emma Ridsdale, features a condensed biography of James McGill, McGill’s beneficiary who enslaved at least five Black and Indigenous people, a number well above the average of two in Montreal at the time. The authors note how public records and contemporary scholarship have characterized James McGill as a wealthy Scottish trader who founded McGill University and ran a successful mercantile business, often disregarding darker elements of his past.

The same records denote that the wealth McGill used to found the university was amassed through the exploitation of enslaved Black and Indigenous people and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. McGill began his career in the fur trade, before expanding his wealth through the importation of plantation crops and goods from the Caribbean. These endeavours were the foundation of his enterprise, which was entirely dependent on the labour and dispensability of thousands of enslaved people, binding him directly to slavery in the West Indies.

“Personal accounts from McGill’s colleagues suggest that he was excessively greedy,” Brown and Risdale wrote. “This attitude is at odds with the philanthropic persona our university has traditionally crafted for him. Maintaining that inaccurate perception is disrespectful to the memories of the enslaved people that he owned and abused.”

According to the report, McGill did not only enslave people; he was also a proponent of the continuation of slavery within the British colonies. McGill proctored the sales of at least six enslaved people during his lifetime. In 1784, he provided legal representation for Thomas Curry of L’Assomption in the sale of an enslaved man and woman to the merchant Solomon Levy.

The personal accounts from McGill’s colleagues, in addition to the biographies of people enslaved by McGill, suggest that he may have been an inordinately harsh enslaver. Dr. Nelson’s document uncovered that two Indigenous girls McGill enslaved died at the age of 10, indicating especially brutal treatment.

Faculty Recommendations:

The authors of the report concluded that the demographic composition of McGill’s student body compared to support available to under-represented communities is insufficient. Additionally, of the approximately 5,000 faculty members, only 10 of the 1,726 tenured and tenure-track professors are Black, and only 11 are Indigenous. That accounts for 0.58 per cent and 0.64 per cent of tenured and tenure-track faculty respectively, a statistic that Dr. Nelson’s students deem an overt under-representation of Black and Indigenous faculty members.

To rectify this, Dr. Nelson and her students suggest several courses of action regarding the lack of Black and Indigenous faculty members within the university. One of the recommendations includes the creation of a Department of African and Black Diasporas Studies and an Indigenous studies department. The introduction and expansion of these faculties would necessitate the hiring of permanent faculty members and prioritize the hiring of Black and Indigenous professors. The document also recommends the creation of an advisor and advocacy position for Black and Indigenous faculty members, along with a new office to oversee all academic appointments to ensure the McGill administrations complete adherence to equity, inclusion, and diversity policies. Furthermore, Nelson and her students recommended the establishment of a new mandate for hiring at least one professor in Black and postcolonial studies and/or a Black professor within each department of the university by 2026.

News, SSMU

SSMU’s Legislative Council votes to condemn proposed Quebec LNG project

by Sequoia Kim, Nina Russell on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its third legislative council meeting of the semester on Oct. 8, approving several questions for the upcoming Fall 2020 Referendum.

At the start of the meeting, the council returned to discussing amendments to the motion to Ensure Equitable Communications from the previous legislative council meeting, and approved the motion with 22 in favour, one opposed and three abstaining. The motion reinforces SSMU’s commitment to equitable communication practices.

Brooklyn Frizzle, Vice-President (VP) University Affairs, then proposed a motion to condemn the GNL Québec-Gazoduq Énergie Saguenay Project. The project seeks to export gas retrieved through hydraulic fracturing by building a 782-kilometer natural gas pipeline between northeastern Ontario and Port Saguenay, develop a liquified natural gas (LNG) plant to process the gas, and allow LNG tankers to cross Saguenay Fjord and the St. Lawrence River. Frizzle claimed that the project counters SSMU’s position on the environment and sustainability. 

“This project is expected to increase our gas emissions by 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, [and] furthermore, endangers riverside communities through the […] danger of oil spills,” Frizzle said. “This motion is well within the mandate of our sustainability policy, which mandates us to advocate against the increase in quantity or infrastructure regarding extraction and exploration.”

Following the question period, the council approved the motion to denounce the project. 

The council also approved a motion calling for a question on renewing the opt-outable SSMU Ambassador Fee of $2.00 per term until Fall 2025 to appear on the Fall 2020 referendum ballot. Twenty councillors voted in favour for a motion supporting a question on the fee, which is used to support organizations that represent McGill at external conferences.

VP Student Life Maheen Akter moved to renew the mental health fee until Fall 2023. The council approved to have the motion appear as a question on the Fall 2020 referendum with unanimous consent. Akter also motioned to increase the mental health fee by $1.26, from $0.40 to $1.66, explaining that the funds would go towards implementing a centralized, accessible online software to support student wellbeing. 

“McGill should be paying for this. We shouldn’t be charging our students any fees ultimately, but we’re [not in that] sort of situation,” Adam Gwiazda-Amsel, representative for the Francophone Affairs Commission, said.

Moment of the meeting:

In their report to council, SSMU VP University Affairs Brooklyn Frizzle provided an update on their plan to enable Councillors to be remunerated for their work. While Frizzle had planned to put forth a referendum question on the matter this semester, they said that it is likely that the issue will go to vote in the next semester to make time for more consultation. 

Soundbite:

“And so the intention behind [the Motion Regarding the SSMU Daycare Fee] is because in the past few years the SSMU daycare has been running, almost at a deficit, due to various reasons related to staffing changes that have happened in the past year, as well as the need for greater operational capacity. Additionally, in the future we intend to expand [services] because of the extremely high demand for places in the SSMU daycare and the SSMU nursery. Hopefully [the fee renewal] will enable us in the next few years to engage in greater expansion and especially now that [the SSMU has] a general manager, too. I believe that it’s extremely helpful for us to have this extra money in order to expand our capacity, provide for more student parents, and just generally to serve our population better.” –  Maheen Akter VP Student Life on the Motion Regarding the SSMU Daycare Fee

News, SSMU

SSMU holds sixth annual Mental Health Awareness Week

by Pia Mikhael on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) annual Mental Health Awareness Week, which took place virtually from Oct. 4 until Oct. 10, consisted of various lectures and workshops that served to deconstruct the stigma surrounding mental illness. 

SSMU held many interactive events over the week, such as mental health workshops like “Breaking the Barriers of Eating Disorders” and “Navigating Health Care Q&A,” and an ArtHive virtual event, during which participants learned how to use art to express their feelings. The events both raised awareness on mental illness and informed students on how to to seek help and support. 

The Mental Health Awareness workshop hosted on Oct. 8 by the Postgraduate Student Society of McGill was open to both graduate and undergraduate McGill students. Speakers Helen Loohuis, a part-time access advisor at the Student Health Club, and Deven Simpson, a graduate local wellness advisor, explained the importance of mental health and the difference between mental health and mental illness. 

“[It is important for] mental health and mental well-being [to be] part of the conversation,” Simpson said. “There is a shift [necessary] to destigmatize mental awareness, and conversation is part of that shift.”

Loohuis elaborated on the importance of effectively communicating about mental health.

“When we talk about mental health, we’re talking about our mental well-being,” Loohuis said. “[Mental well-being includes] our emotions, our thoughts and feelings, our ability to solve problems and overcome difficulties, [whereas] mental illness affects the way people think, feel, behave, or interact with others.”

Participant Jen Chenn, a Ph.D student in the Department of Medicine, spoke to the differences in public opinion of various mental illnesses. 

“Stigma regarding some mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are now much lower because these illnesses are more talked about,” Chenn said. “The stigma against schizophrenia or bipolar disorder is much higher, because the symptoms of the illness tend to push people away. People get scared, and it is not as talked about.”

McGill’s SSMU Mental Health branch also held a workshop titled “Deconstructing the Common Notions about Eating Disorders,” a talk given by Ph.D candidate Kimberly Carriere from the Health Psychology lab.

“Kimberly Carriere [brought] an insightful clinical view of eating disorders to the Mental Illness Awareness Series,” Kristen Mer, the event coordinator for the talk, said. “She took the time to develop the public’s knowledge about eating habits [….] I think Kimberly really helped answer the attendees’ questions regarding the delineation of emotional eating, binge eating, and biological predispositions.”

Another participant of the week-long event, Olivia Feng, U2 Education, agreed that increased knowledge is necessary regarding lesser-known eating disorders.

“Kimberly’s talk was very informative as she [shed] light on a variety of eating disorders that are not commonly talked about in the media, such as orthorexia, binge-eating disorder, and avoidant [or] restrictive food intake disorder,” Feng said. “She did a great job of deconstructing the common notions of eating disorders, showing that they are not ‘one-size-fits-all.’”

Feng also spoke about the importance of having conversations about eating disorders. 

“The reasons for which eating disorders manifest and the behaviours that people engage in are not the same for everyone,” Feng said. “Stereotyping and glamorizing eating disorders and disordered eating can have detrimental consequences, which is why it is so important to have conversations about this topic that go beyond the very little that is portrayed in the media.”

In recent years, mental health awareness has increased substantially, and will likely continue to evolve through virtual resources similar to this. SSMU Mental Health’s virtual events aimed to create an accessible platform for all students to be a part of the conversation, and to learn more about the resources McGill offers. Some of the resources highlighted include the Keep.meSafe counselling service app, which is open to all students 24/7 offering services through online chat or over the phone. Additionally, virtual Wellness Hub appointments are available to allow students the chance to speak to a counsellor. 

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