On Oct. 20, the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship (CSDC) held a forum on federal electoral reform at McGill's New Residence Hall with the goal of engaging the public in a discussion on possible alternative electoral systems for Canada. Four distinguished academics, Political Science Associate Professor Sven-Oliver Proksch[Read More…]
Tag: Canada
Origins of the Canadian accent: Canadian English and factors that contribute to linguistic change
Despite many linguistic similarities with our southern neighbour, the Canadian accent—or accents—can be as distinctive as our love of hockey, maple syrup, and good manners. The origins of Canadian English can be traced back to the American Revolution in the late 18th century when roughly 45,000 Loyalists—American colonists still faithful[Read More…]
Bill C-14’s flaw: Who deserves the right to die?
In 2015, the Supreme Court declared the existing absolute ban on physician-assisted death unconstitutional in the landmark case, Carter v. Canada. In this case, two women, both of whom suffered from degenerative diseases, argued that their inability to access physician-assisted death was grounds for discrimination because neither had the physical[Read More…]
The decline of the Canadian dollar
On Jan. 20, the Canadian dollar (CAD) fell to a new record low: It was the weakest the CAD had been since April 2003. On that day, every Canadian dollar was worth only 68.5 American cents, part of a larger and ongoing decline experienced by the loonie. Since then it[Read More…]
The case for Canadian content on Netflix
Netflix’s recent decision to crack down on the use of virtual private networks (VPN)—location maskers that permit international subscribers to access content reserved for other countries—should ultimately result in greater viewership of Canadian productions. While VPN providers—including Faraz Ali, the digital marketing manager for PureVPN—have expressed their skepticism towards Netflix’s[Read More…]
On the emptiness of ‘post-national’ values
Being Canadian has never been so confusing. According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada has transcended the nation-state paradigm to become the first ‘post-national’ state, where ‘openness,’ ‘respect,’ ‘compassion,’ and ‘willingness to work hard’ are the country’s only distinguishing values. Trudeau’s presumable aim is to counteract bigotry and divisiveness by[Read More…]
The changing nature of Canadian and American border security
The Canadian border with the United States is the longest un-militarized border in the world, a statistic symbolic of the peaceful relationship the two countries have held for hundreds of years; however, it does not take into account recent efforts or attitudes towards strengthening security along this 8,890 kilometre long[Read More…]
10 Things: Synchronized swimming
1 The first official synchronized swimming competition was held in 1891 in Berlin. Many synchronized swimming clubs were formed around this time, and Canada began developing swimming teams to compete in similar events in North America. These performances would soon be incorporated into music hall events, with theatres in London and[Read More…]
Hank Bull: Connexion communicates art into the everyday
Canadian artist Hank Bull concerns himself with the working process involved in the creation of art, and much of what is on display in the exhibit is a mixture of his own art and the art he has produced in collaboration with other artists. His exhibition Hank Bull: Connexion alludes[Read More…]
Commentary: What does Thomas Mulcair stand for?
Arriving back to Montreal in the heat and humidity of late August, I was greeted by hundreds of smiling Thomas Mulcair signs. My mother, who was with me, asked me how many shots it must have taken to make Mulcair look that friendly. She had a point. Prior to the[Read More…]
