January, colloquially known as the month of new beginnings. Planners for the calendar year fill the bookshelves, wellness advice on how to ‘improve’ flood TikTok and Instagram For-You-Pages, and even McGill sends out communications encouraging students to return to campus with better habits and a renewed zest for academia and[Read More…]
Tag: policy
Canadian gun advocates make a fair point—and it doesn’t matter
Earlier this month, demonstrators gathered on the lawn of the Myles F. Burke Police Headquarters in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, to protest the federal government’s new gun buyback program. 250 strong and adorned in an assortment of flannel, sunglasses, and baseball caps, the rally-goers held bold text protest signs with[Read More…]
As non-profit Autism Speaks closes operations in Canada, the federal government must learn from their missteps
When the federal government unveiled its new Framework for Autism in Canada strategy last year—following years of activism demanding a plan to address disparities—the reaction from families impacted by autism was strongly critical. Opponents argued that the new autism strategy lacked two essential ingredients: Dedicated funding and firm deadlines. This[Read More…]
Steering public transport forward with public policy
The successful development of sustainable public transportation is key in the global fight against climate change, due to its potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and mitigate land-use effects. On average, personal vehicles produce one pound of carbon dioxide per passenger mile, while public buses, if assumed to be operating[Read More…]
Canada’s new immigration restriction promotes racism and xenophobia
On Oct. 24, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new policy which will significantly cut the number of immigrants Canada admits, as a response to rapid population growth and insufficient resources. This policy will reduce the number of legal immigrants in 2025 from the previously projected 500,000 to just 395,000—a[Read More…]
The Tribune Explains: Montreal’s drafted nightlife policy
In late January, the city of Montreal released a draft of a policy detailing plans designed to revitalize and strengthen Montreal’s nightlife. The policy was submitted to the Commission sur le développement économique et urbain et l’habitation—a committee that deals with urban planning, housing, and economic development in the city—for[Read More…]
It’s time to scrap the body mass index
Imagine a medical assessment tool that tells you about a patient’s body composition—a tool that is used to determine levels of disease risk, dosages for vital medications, and individualized treatment plans. Now imagine this tool was based on the body measurements of white European adult men, but is applied the[Read More…]
McGill Policy Association hosts ‘Indigenous Voices in Resource-Sector Policy’ panel
On Nov. 9, the McGill Policy Association (MPA) hosted a panel titled “Indigenous Voices in Resource-Sector Policy,” which centred around Indigenous activism within environmental policy. The first of the two panellists was Yolanda Lopez-Maldanado, an Indigenous Maya from Mexico and the recently appointed Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous Affairs Officer[Read More…]
Decriminalization would place sex work in the foreground, not the underground
On International Sex Worker Rights Day, March 3, Montreal sex workers and advocates organized to call for the decriminalization of sex work in Canada. While the current law governing sex work—the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, implemented in 2014—has received praise, it ultimately fails to adequately protect sex[Read More…]
‘Women in Policy’ panel talks tackling patriarchy in policymaking
On Feb. 8, the McGill Women in Leadership (MWIL) and the McGill Policy Association (MPA) collaborated in hosting a virtual panel titled “Women in Policy.” The event featured three panelists: Nirushaa Senthilnathan, a senior policy analyst at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC); Maeva Vilain, the borough councillor for the[Read More…]