Volume 98, Issue 31

February 2, 2009

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The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
Biliterate is the new bilingual
McGill students’ French stagnates in all-anglo environment
John Lapsley
News Writer
M
cGill students seeking to
integrate themselves into
Quebec culture should
strive for biliteracy, not simply bilin-
gualism, according to a recent report
released by a Quebec community
group that represents the anglo
minority in Quebec.
The report, Creating Spaces,
was commissioned by the Quebec
Community Group Network, and
called biliteracy “a powerful tool
to tackle many multi-faceted bar-
riers English-speakers face in par-
ticipating fully in Quebec society.”
It also declared full biliteracy for
Quebec youth as one of its top goals.
Bilingualism designates functionality
in both languages without specify-
ing the user’s full capacity in either,
and biliteracy is best described as full
spoken, reading, and written fluency
in two languages.
According to Gregg Blachford,
Director of McGill’s Career Planning
Services while functional oral bilin-
gualism is probably most common
in the workforce, biliterates have a
much broader range of opportunities
available to them.
But biliteracy is not valued as
highly in McGill society as func-
tional or even minimal bilingualism:
upon graduation, many students
seek careers outside of the province,
where standards for English-French
Gaza motion sparks constitutional controversy
Critics hold SSMU Speaker responsible
Ethan Feldman
The McGill Daily
T
hursday’s General Assembly
(GA) is bound to be electrify-
ing as a highly contentious
motion is brought forward to con-
demn the bombings of educational
institutions in the Gaza Strip.
Its critics, however, aren’t just
riled up because it raises political
questions about the Middle East;
instead, they think the entire motion
is unconstitutional, and are hold-
ing SSMU Speaker Jordan Owens
responsible.
Mushfia Ahmed, U1 Electrical
Engineering, felt like this resolution
alone may not have a substantive
effect on Israel’s policy, but SSMU’s
condemnation could be one of many
messages of disapproval broadcast by
the global community.
“If it passes now, it is almost use-
less, especially after the end of mili-
tary operations, but each condemna-
tion adds up,” Ahmed said. “If no one
speaks out, [Israel] may not recon-
sider their actions next time. SSMU
bilingualism are much lower.
Blachford noted that McGill may
make an English life all too easy
for students. Many, even those with
backgrounds in French immersion
programs, allow their French to stag-
nate in McGill’s anglo environment.
This isn’t always evident, as McGill
is located in the centre of one of the
world’s most culturally diverse cities;
fluency in two languages might seem
like a given.
“Within the McGill ghetto walls...
[students’] confidence and ability
in French drops, despite Montreal,”
Blachford said.
Low confidence in French is a
common excuse for settling into an
English rut and one of the greatest
barriers to biliteracy, according to
McGill Psychology professor Fred
Genesee, who specializes in bilingual
education and psycholinguistics.
“It’s a two-way street,” Genesee
said. “The more you use [French],
the more confident you’ll become.”
Students who can improve their
French confidence and become func-
tionally bilingual are in good shape.
In Genesee’s experience, English to
French bilinguals often have little dif-
ficulty segueing into biliteracy.
Blachford encouraged students to
feel confident in their French, even if
they perceive it as sub-par.
“Don’t giggle; don’t apologize;
don’t signal bad confidence in your
French,” Blachford said. “Know a few
key phrases, some opening chit-chat,
and don’t be self-conscious.”
is one more voice.... This [should not
be] forgotten completely.”
Zachary Newburgh, U2 Honours
Middle East Studies, criticized the
resolution because the preamble
states that Israel has deliberately
targeted and razed hospitals, United
Nations-funded compounds, and
educational institutions, without any
mention that the buildings may have
been used by Hamas militants as
bases of operations or as launching
pads for weapons.
Newburgh, along with a large
assortment of McGill students and
campus organizations, including
Hillel McGill, felt that taking such a
political stance would not be produc-
tive in an academic environment.
“There are students on campus
that are considering pursuing legal
action, [through the Judicial Board],
in order to retract this resolution and
ensure that McGill remains a safe
place for all students,” Newburgh
said. “SSMU, by allowing such a res-
olution to come before the General
Assembly, willfully isolates, margin-
alizes, and makes students at McGill
University feel unwelcome.”
Genesee noticed French students
who come to McGill with little or
no English background leave com-
fortable and confident with the lan-
guage, bolstering both Genesee’s and
Blachford’s conclusion that immer-
sion is key.
Genesee also urged anglophone
students to take full advantage of the
opportunities in Montreal for obtain-
ing biliteracy.
“[Biliteracy] is where the rest of
the world is moving,” Genesee said.
“Montreal has a good start; we just
need to take advantage of it.”
Owens, however, disagreed. She
pointed out that SSMU has historical-
ly taken stances on external political
issues in this manner.
“Through the General Assembly,
SSMU took a stance on both the
Vietnam War and the Iraq War. My
reading of the constitution is that there
should be free and open dialogue
about policy and the General Assembly
is the forum for that,” she said.
Newburgh also pointed to the
unconstitutional nature of the motion.
In an email to the Speaker, and
CC-ed to SSMU President Kay Turner,
The Daily, and other campus publica-
tions, Newburgh explained several
potential violations, such as Article
22, which states, “SSMU Council will
not take a position on external politi-
cal issues that Council deems to be
extremely divisive among students at
McGill University.”
He attributed the potential viola-
tion to Owens’s negligence.
“The SSMU Speaker has unequiv-
ocally chosen to violate the consti-
tution and thereby infringe upon
the rights of all those who fit under
SSMU,” said Newburgh. “The job of
News 3
Sally Lin / The McGill Daily
the SSMU Speaker is to make sure opinion on the matter right now, and
that all resolutions that are submit- that is for the General Assembly to
ted to the General Assembly don’t decide,” she said.
violate the constitution.” VP Clubs & Services Samantha
Corey Shefman, SSMU Speaker in Cook also thought the motions do not
2006-2007, also held Owens respon- violate the Constitution and that nei-
sible. ther the Speaker nor SSMU have done
“The Speaker of Council has any harm to the school environment.
the authority to reject motions “I am familiar with Corey Shefman,
that are not in line with the SSMU but every speaker has a different way
Constitution,” he told The Daily in of looking at and interpreting the
a telephone interview from Wales. Constitution,” said Cook. “It is a liv-
“Even here in the UK, I’ve heard ing document, and its interpretation
about the protests going on at McGill, is a product of the times.”
and with that in mind, it is obviously Shefman, however, downplayed
a divisive issue.” how representative the GA is in mat-
Shefman came under scrutiny at ters of this divisive nature.
the February 2007 GA when he ruled “Dividing the student body like
two blood-drive motions were uncon- this is not a good idea, especially not
stitutional, thereby refusing to let the by 600 out of 20,000 students,” said
issue be discussed. The highly-divid- Shefman.
ed assembly tried to appeal the ruling, “If this is a question that really
but eventually a slim majority voted to needs to be asked, ask the whole stu-
uphold the Speaker’s ruling. dent body in an online vote.”
Owens, however, defended herself,
explaining that impartiality is a neces- The GA will be held in the Shatner
sary virtue for a Speaker to possess. Cafeteria at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
“It’s not the role of the Speaker Maximum capacity for the cafeteria,
to decide whether or not a discus- with chairs and tables removed, is
sion should take place. SSMU has no around 675 people.
 4 News The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009

Five Alive mid-year SSMU reviews

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

FACULTY OF ARTS TEACHING AWARD

H. Noel Fieldhouse Award
For Distinguished Teaching

Any student, alumni, or member of the academic

staff may submit a nomination. Nomination forms
are available on the web, in the Dean’s Secretariat
(Arts Building, rm 110), or from departmental chairs.
For further information, please consult the web at
www.mcgill.ca/arts/awards2/fieldhouse-award
or call 398-4216.
Send nominations to
Susan Sharpe, Arts Bldg., rm 110

Deadline: Monday, February 16, 2009

LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM

Leadership Skills Development Workshops
If you are a student
involved in campus
activities as an executive,
organizer or event
planner, you qualify for
the Leadership Training
Program’s FREE Skills Development Workshops.
Develop and build your leadership skills. Attend a minimum
of five workshops throughout 08/09 academic year and
receive a certificate of completion.
Upcoming Workshops:
Passing the Torch: Succession Planning
Tuesday, February 3, 5:30-7:30pm
Make sure next year’s executives don’t have to start from
square one! Plan, prepare and organize yourselves so
that next year’s members will be able to learn from your
experiences.
Conflict Resolution
Monday, February 9, 5:30-7:30pm
Conflict happens in all organizations but do you know
how to handle it? Learn how to navigate difficult situations
without making them worse – or ignoring them when they
should be addressed.

Registration for workshops: In person, one week in

advance, on a first-come, first-served basis, in the First-Year
Office.

For more info, drop by the First-Year Office in the Brown

Building, Suite 2100, or call 514-398-6913 Photos by Shu Jiang / The McGill Daily
The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
Kay Turner President
Kay Turner knows she’s nearing the end. She’s
looking to change and looking to do it fast. And
so, realizing that some of her earlier goals are just
too ambitious, Turner has shelved them for new,
more realistic ones. Kay had once hoped to revamp
Council, with big dreams for a more-informed
committees, yet other projects interfered, like
the nursery in Shatner for student parents and
needing to pick up an extra portfolio. Former VP
Finance Tobias Silverstein’s resignation in January
Nadya Wilkinson VP University Affairs
Sometimes we can’t help but feel like Nadya
Wilkinson is Captain Planet incarnate. Somehow,
between battling administrative double-speak
and untangling the bureaucracy, she successfully
got the Office of Sustainability on its feet, and
she’s improving relations between SSMU and the
University. Wilkinson has built a strong student-
staffed Senate caucus, which she’s used as a tool
to lobby the University on its draconian travel
directive - although not to the ends she wanted to
see. If that’s not enough, Wilkinson now has the
Financial Ethics and Responsibility Committee to
Devin Alfaro VP External Affairs
Devin Alfaro is struggling, and he’s blaming
the dying political spirit of McGill students. But an
apathetic student population is not a valid excuse:
it’s Alfaro’s job to make sure students stay aware
and engaged in the community. Alfaro faltered in
his attempt to repopularize Reclaim Your Campus
and to improve low student voter turnouts during
the Canadian and Quebec elections. We’ve had
high expectations for Alfaro, especially because he
seems to be one of the SSMUshies with the least
going on in other areas; Alfaro didn’t absorb any
portfolios with the disintegration of VP Finance.
Samantha Cook VP Clubs & Services
VP Clubs & Services Samantha Cook received a
few curve balls this year. Yet the emergence of con-
tentious pro-life group Choose Life and the surplus
work she inherited from the VP Finance portfolio
don’t seem to have ruffled her feathers too much.
Cook has handled both incidents well, and she
said she’s actually enjoyed taking over Gert’s from
Silverstein. Before the end of her term, she’s plan-
ning on investigating the future of food kiosks in
the Shatner Cafeteria. Their leases expire two years
from now, and she’d like to replace them with stu-
dent initiatives. Cook has abandoned several of
Julia Webster VP Internal
Julia Webster is partied out, and rightly so. The
graduating VP Internal has produced a greener
Frosh, a conservatively budgeted SnowAP, a re-
introduction of 4Floors, which sold out, and a
smattering of other faculty events. She’s got the
Varsity Booth up and running for athletes to sell
tickets for games, and has kept up events like
Francofete, which celebrates French culture,
and the self-explanatory Fill the Stadium. Yet
she may not have saved SnowAP, and it’s likely
that students will be staring at a big white field
instead of a big white tent next January if it’s
decided the event is too much of a financial
News 5
has clogged Turner’s schedule with money mat-
ters, distracting her from focusing on presidential
tasks. She has managed, though, to check a few
to-dos off of her list. The lease for the new nurs-
ery in Shatner is almost signed, with that for Café
Supreme hopefully following shortly. With one sus-
tainability report under her belt so far and another
that includes a five-year plan chocked with small
decisions SSMU can make for a better environment,
Turner’s proud that SSMU is taking green steps.
deal with – a VP Finance portfolio she says she’s
going to have to rebuild. She’s also trying to track
down a new ombudsperson, tackle the issue of
room-bookings for student groups across campus,
and launch a McGill Food Systems project that
explores sustainable options on campus. The list
is long, but based on Wilkinson’s enthusiasm and
track-record, we’re optimistic that she’ll make a
sizeable dent in her workload before her term is
up. We only hope that she continues to engage with
students in the process, and starts preparing a new
student for her position to facilitate the transition.
Luckily, Alfaro may be able to turn his frustra-
tion into a couple of new projects before his term
wraps up. He’s talking about lobbying trips to
WORK ABROAD
Ottawa and Quebec City for increased government
funding for education, starting workshops in the
Milton-Parc community in conjunction with the
Dean of Students Office, and fortifying a table de
consultation with other Quebec schools. Alfaro’s with SWAP Working Holidays
got a point when he says that student disinter-
est makes his job more difficult, but he’s going to
need to stoke the fire of McGill’s undergraduates Great Britain
if he ever wants to been seen as a facilitator.
Ireland
France
Germany
Austria
her campaign promises, including fighting opt-outs Australia
and for the right of clubs to use the McGill name.
New Zealand
She blames the administration and lack of appli-
cability, respectively, for her neglect. With other USA
pressing issues, Cook has only delivered moderate
success. She’s made some headway in improving Japan
the issue of student space; the administration has China
granted students use of two more rooms in the
Arts building. One of the greatest challenges to her Brazil
portfolio, Cook said, has been working with stu-
South Africa
dents who are only engaged when riled by a nega-
tive incident. We hope she can prove the contrary. Thailand
LIVE t WORK t PLAY ... AN ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME!
Want to learn more about living and working abroad. Come to one of our
sinkhole. Webster has also struggled with the information sessions this winter. Each session will focus a little more on a specific
new SSMU web site launch, as the English ver- destination, but there will also be an overview of our other SWAP destinations.
sion still lacks content and the French transla-
tion is nonexistent. Haven Books, mini courses, February 10 : Europe Destinations
and the SSMU sponsorship portfolio landed on March 12 : Ireland
April 22 : Australia
Webster’s desk when Silverstein ditched, but
May 12 : All Destinations
Webster assured us that they’re all doing well. We
beg to differ, though. Haven won’t break even Time : 6 pm
this year, and there is not enough sponsorship Where : Voyages Campus - 3480 McTavish
funding available to run the year-end concert that RSVP : mcgill@voyagescampus.com
Webster promised. With all these projects loom-
ing over her head, Webster must also nail down
a new beer contract for SSMU by years end.
www.swap.ca
SWAP is a not-for-profit program of the Canadian Federation of Students
Untitled Dominic Popowich EXP SURE
The Daily wants to print your art. Submit to photos@mcgilldaily.com

The Office for Students with Disabilities, the Department

of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health,
the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism and
the Department of English are pleased to present :

Prof. Lennard J. Davis

University of Illinois at Chicago
Biocultures: Disability & Disciplinarity
Wednesday February 4, 2009 at 5pm
Leacock Building, Room 232
855 Sherbrooke St. West
McGill University

ASL interpretation will be provided & the venue is accessible.

For more info : disabilities.students@mcgill.ca
This lecture is made possible by a grant from the
Beatty Memorial Lectures Committee

flickr.com/photos/
mcgilldaily.com
The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
Symposium sensitizes students
Event urges McGill to incorporate Disabilities Studies
Marc Trussler
News Writer
C
alls to integrate Disability
Studies into McGill’s curricu-
lum will be heard this week
at the “Disability on Location” sym-
posium, the first of its kind, running
today through Wednesday.
The event – organized by a part-
nership of SSMU, QPIRG, and the
Office for Students with Disabilities
(OSD) – will bring together aca-
demia, cinema, and comedy in
order to draw attention to an area
of study which, according to the
organizers, is largely overlooked in
many university curriculums.
“[Academia] hasn’t really studied
this...and it’s glaring in its absence,”
said Roshaya Rodness, co-organizer
of the event and a U3 Cultural Studies
student. “These issues have been on
the radar since the seventies, but the
academy has been a little slow to pick
them up.”
The event is co-organized by
SSMU’s Equity Commissioner Iris
Erdile, and held in conjunction with
the student society’s Social Justice
Days
Erdile emphasized that integrat-
ing Disability Studies into McGill is
crucial to sensitizing society to the
daily realities faced by disabled peo-
ple.
“It has to start with [academia],”
Erdile said. “People come here to
become leaders, so what better place
to begin this process?”
The event will include a key-
note address on Wednesday from
Lennard J. Davis, a prominent
Disability Studies professor from
the University of Illinois. The sym-
Journal de Montreal locked out
Employees reject contract proposal
Samuel Reisler
News Writer
T
wo-hundred-and-fifty-three
employees were locked out
of the Journal de Montréal
last weekend after they rejected a
new contract proposed by Quebecor
Media, the conglomerate that owns
the publication.
The workers are opposed to
Quebecor’s failure to amend their
contract to include an increase in
the work week from 30 hours to 37.5
hours, adding a fifth day to the work
week with no extra pay, as well as
a 20 per cent reduction in benefits.
Workers at the paper also want the
management to reassign employees
to multimedia work.
Their contract expired on
December 31.
Quebecor has cut and altered its
“business model.” These changes
posium will also feature lectures
from a variety of McGill professors
shown in conjunction with disabili-
ty-themed films.
Tuesday night will feature the “sit-
down” comedy of Ottawa native Alain
Shane, who delivers his routine from
his wheelchair.
According to organizer Rodness,
Shane’s comedy brings a human face
to disabled people.
“The great thing about having a
disabled comedian is that they make
you laugh at them, which is in many
cases is a cultural taboo. It really
makes you think about your own
“The great thing about having a
disabled comedian is they make
you laugh at them, which in
Administration listens to Senate on guidelines
many cases is a cultural taboo.”
Roshaya Rodness Co-organizer of “Disability on Location”
assumptions about disabled people,”
she said.
In the past, the administration
has been largely skeptical of inte-
grating Disability Studies courses at
McGill, citing their inability to offer
courses in all areas of academia.
Rodness, however, compared this
attitude to that toward Women’s
Studies when it emerged in the
1970s – saying that eventually the
University community will feel a
responsibility to engage in the issue
were necessary, the company said,
due to the vast expansion of cheap
Internet alternatives for news.
“Quebec is not immune to the tur-
moil in the paid-circulation newspa-
per industry, caused by factors such
as the advent of Internet news sites
and other free news sources, chang-
ing readership habits, the distribu-
tion of content in digital formats,
the availability of regularly updated
real-time information, and falling
revenues from advertising and classi-
fieds,” represntatives from Quebecor
stated in a press release.
But these changes could threaten
the quality of the paper and of the
reporting, said Raynald Leblanc,
president of the Syndicat des travail-
leurs de l’information du Journal de
Montréal to the Montreal Gazette.
The popularity of web sites such
as Craigslist and Kijiji have diverted
much of the Classifieds content, a
key source of revenue, away from
of disability.
The organizers were largely
critical of the administration’s cur-
rent policy toward people with dis-
abilities on campus, and called on
McGill to improve transport for dis-
abled students to the inaccessible
classrooms on Peel street. However,
they praised the work of the OSD in
implementing accessibility programs
at McGill.
According to Rodness, while
sympathy for people with disabili-
ties is admirable, programs like
those offered by OSD must be
expanded.
“When it comes down to imple-
mentation, people’s feelings
change, and they have to recognize
that part of their willingness to rec-
ognize people with disabilities is
that process of implementation,”
she said.
Events at the symposium will be
wheelchair accessible and free of
charge. American Sign Language
translation for Davis’s keynote
address and comedian Shane will be
provided.
newspapers, while blogs and other
free new sites have taken away read-
ership.
On Sunday, January 25 – the day
after the lockout at the Journal – the
Montreal Gazette found itself in a
similar plight. Their management
submitted a new contract that divid-
ed advertising against editorial and
readers sales within the Montreal
Newspaper Guild.
According to the Guild’s vice pres-
ident, Irwin Block, the publisher of
the Gazette said the jurisdiction was
not good enough.
While the disputes within the
Journal de Montréal and the Gazette
continue to unfold, it is not clear that
a solution will be reached anytime
soon.
The last time a clash occurred
between the Journal de Montréal’s
management and the union in 2007,
an agreement was not reached until
15 months after the lockout.
Exemption added
to travel directive
Jeff Bishku-Aykul
The McGill Daily
S
tudents will now be able to seek
an exemption from McGill’s
travel guidelines, which provide
University-wide standards on curric-
ular or co-curricular travel to specific
countries or regions.
The updated version of the guide-
lines – which include an exemption
clause outlining how a student may
receive permission to visit prohibited
country and clearer language describ-
ing rules regarding employment in
foreign nations during study abroad
– were revealed to the McGill Senate
on January 21, at which Senators were
invited to give feedback, though not
their approval, before a finalized ver-
sion of the guidelines is released by
the end of February.
Senate voted to suspend the
directive on November 5, demand-
ing that it pass consultation with
Senate’s steering committee before
being approved, but the adminsitra-
tion claimed that the directive did
not fall under Senate’s academic pur-
view, and rendered the November
vote void. However, a draft of travel
guidelines was later sent to select
members of the Senate for review
over Winter Break.
According to Deputy Provost
(Student Life & Learning) Morton J.
Mendelson, whose office drafted the
travel directive in September 2008
and all of its subsequent updates, the
number of students requiring exemp-
tions will likely be so low that McGill
can grant exemptions on a case-by-
case basis. He cited schools such as
the University of Saskatchewan and
Duke University as having similar
policies.
“In other universities that have
this kind of exemption, the number
of requests per year is about a dozen,”
Mendelson said.
The guidelines follow travel advi-
sories issued by Canada’s Department
of Foreign Affairs and International
Trade (DFAIT) to determine where
News 7
Sasha Plotnikova / The McGill Daily
students can travel, prohibiting
travel to countries or regions with a
level-three “avoid all non-essential
travel” or level-four “avoid all travel”
warning. The exemption will only
apply for level-three travel in which
a student considers travelling to be
essential. According to a clause in the
present draft, exemptions must first
be approved by the relevant faculty’s
dean and department chair before
undergoing review by the Deputy
Provost, who can set conditions on
approval.
SSMU VP University Affairs Nadya
Wilkinson asserted that the approval
process required for travel exemp-
tions contributes toward an unwieldy
bureaucracy.
“I know that [the deans and
Professor Mendelson] are busy peo-
ple,” Wilkinson said. “And I know
that undergraduate travel to dan-
gerous places is not something they
want to [look at too quickly]. There
will be less [exemptions], as it’s clear
to students that their applications
aren’t processed with haste.”
As some travel cases include
examples in which a student would
be prevented from travelling to their
home country because it’s listed by
DFAIT, Mendelson indicated that the
exemption system could take this
into account.
“Students with certain kinds of
experience would be in a better posi-
tion to have exemption than other
students in a specific area,” he said.
Wilkinson explained that while
the guidelines have become more
reasonable, their creation was unnec-
essary.
“We do need guidelines that make
sure students are informed and safe,
but there has to be a much more local
decision process that respects auton-
omy,” Wilkinson said. “My main issue
with this is that students also care
about safety and have the capacity to
make informed decisions.”
Mendelson predicted that the
finalized guidelines will mostly
resemble those sent recently to the
Senate for discussion.
 AGENDA FOR THE ORDRE DU JOUR DE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY L’ASSEMBLÉE GÉNÉRALE
STUDENTS’ SOCIETY OF ASSOCIATION ÉTUDIANTE DE
MCGILL UNIVERSITY L’UNIVERSITÉ MCGILL
February 5th, 4:00 pm – Shatner Cafeteria le 5 Février à 16h00 – à la cafétéria du Shatner
Students must bring their McGill IDs. Les étudiants doivent apporter leur identification McGill.

1.0 Call to order 1.0 Ouverture de l’assemblée

2.0 Adoption of the Agenda 2.0 Adoption de l’ordre du jour
3.0 Announcements 3.0 Annonces
4.0 Report of the Executive Committee 4.0 Rapport du comité exécutif
5.0 Old Business 5.0 Affaires Passées
5.1 Motion Re: Student Services 5.1 Motion Concernant: Services alimentaires
5.2 Motion Re: Catered House Party 5.2 Motion Concernant: Fête chez la principale, repas compris
5.3 Motion Re: SSMU Support for the Association of McGill Undergraduate Student 5.3 Motion Concernant: Soutien à l’Association des Étudiants employés à McGill
Employees (AMUSE) 5.4 Motion Concernant: Recrutement militaire à l’Université McGill
5.4 Motion Re: Military Recruitment 5.5 Motion Concernant: La désignation des administrateurs d’après les personnages
5.5 Motion Re: Administrators Identified as Star Wars Characters de Star Wars
5.6 Motion Re: Military Research 5.6 Motion Concernant: La recherche militaire à McGill
5.7 Motion re: No Pants Fridays 5.7 Motion Concernant: Les vendredis sans pantalon
6.0 New Business 6.0 Nouvel ordre
6.1 Motion Re: Bottle Water Use On Campus 6.1 Motion Concernant: l’usage d’eau en bouteille sur le campus
6.2 Motion Re: SSMU condemnation of bombings of education institu- 6.2 Motion Concernant: l’AÉUM condamne le bombardement des étab-
tions in Gaza lissements d’enseignement de Gaza
6.3 Motion Re: GA Reform 6.3 Motion Concernant: la réforme des AG
7.0 Adjournment 7.0 Ajournement
Motions of the Regular General Assembly Motions de l’assemblée générale régulière
Winter 2009 Hiver 2009
Motion Re: Student Services* Motion Concernant : Services alimentaires*
Motion Re: Catered House Party* Motion Concernant : Fête chez la principale, repas compris*
Motion Re: SSMU Support for the Association of McGill Undergraduate Motion Concernant : Soutien à l’Association des Étudiants employés à
Students Employees (AMUSE)* McGill*
Motion Concernant : La désignation des administrateurs d’après les person-
Motion Re: Military Recruitment at McGill University*
nages de Star Wars*
Motion Re: Administrators to be identified as Star Wars characters*
Motion Concernant : Recrutement militaire à l’Université McGill*
Motion Re: Military Research at McGill* Motion Concernant : La recherche militaire à McGill*
Motion Re: No Pants Fridays* Motion Concernant : Les vendredis sans pantalon*
*to read motions in full, please visit: www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/GA * ces motions sont disponibles à : www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/GA

Motion Re: Bottled Water Use on campus
Be it further resolved that SSMU lobby McGill administration to follow suit
and eliminate the sale and distribution of bottled water on the McGill cam-
pus; and Be it yet further resolved that SSMU distribute information to all
clubs and services, and to the student body on issues pertaining to bottled
water; and Be it yet further resolved that SSMU promote the sustainable al-
ternative of already readily available tap water, and other sustainable methods
of water distribution such as water coolers, re-usable glasses, etc.
Motion Re: SSMU condemnation of bombings of education institutions
in Gaza
Be it resolved that the Students’ Society of McGill University condemn the
bombing of the educational institutions in Gaza, including the Islamic Uni-
versity in Gaza city and the UNRWA run schools; and Be it further resolved
that the Students’ Society of McGill University issues a public statement of
condemnation immediately and call on the government of Canada and McGill
University’s Principal Heather Munroe-Blum to also condemn the bombings;
and Be it further resolved that the Students’ Society of McGill University,
undertake public initiative to condemn the bombing and support the right
to education of Palestinian students, and that such initiatives may include:
campaigns, educational lecture series, forums and/or fundraising initiatives to
support students in Gaza.
Motion Re: GA Reform
Be it resolved that this body recommends that the SSMU legislative council
put forward a referenda question to re-write the GA section of the constitution
to make SSMU general assemblies an ad hoc rather than a bi-annual body.
*Quorum for a regular or special general assembly is 100 members of the association from at
least four different faculties or schools. Qualified Quorum for this general assembly shall be
397 students, or 2% of the undergraduate population of McGill.
Questions or comments regarding this agenda may be directed to:
pres@ssmu.mcgill.ca • 514-398-6801 • www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/GA
Motion Concernant : L’Usage d’eau en Bouteille sur le Campus
Il est résolu que l’AÉUM fasse des progrès vers l’élimination de la distribu-
tion et de la vente de l’eau en bouteille dans le bâtiment de l’Association
Étudiante ; Il est aussi résolu que l’AÉUM fasse pression sur l’administration
de McGill pour faire de même et éliminer la vente et la distribution de l’eau
en bouteille sur le campus ; Il est également résolu que l’AÉUM distribue
des informations à tous les clubs et services ainsi qu’à l’ensemble des étudi-
ants concernant les problèmes liés à l’eau en bouteille et il est enfin résolu
que l’AÉUM encourage la consommation d’eau du robinet et l’utilisation de
moyens de distribution d’eau écologique, telles que les fontaines à eau et les
verres réutilisables, etc.
Motion Concernant : l’AÉUM condamne le bombardement des établisse-
ments d’enseignement de Gaza
Il est résolu que l’Association Étudiante de l’Université McGill condamne le
bombardement des établissements d’enseignement de Gaza, dont l’université
islamique de la ville de Gaza et les écoles gérées par UNRWA ; Il est aussi
résolu que l’Association Étudiante de l’Université McGill émette immédi-
atement une déclaration publique de condamnation et appelle le gouverne-
ment canadien et la rectrice de l’Université McGill Heather Munroe-Blum à
condamner le bombardement ; I l est aussi résolu que l’Association Étudiante
de l’Université McGill entreprenne des initiatives publiques pour condamner
le bombardement et soutenir le droit à l’éducation des élèves et étudiants
palestiniens, avec des initiatives telles que: des conférences, des forums et/ou
des collectes de fonds pour soutenir les étudiants de Gaza.
Motion Concernant : La Réforme des AG
Il est résolu que cet organisme recommande la présentation par le conseil lé-
gislatif de l’AÉUM d’une question de référendum visant à réécrire la section
de la constitution concernant les AG afin que celles-ci soient convoquées de
façon ad hoc plutôt que deux fois par an.
* Le quorum pour une assemblée générale régulière ou spéciale est de 100 membres de
l’Association provenant d’au moins quatre facultés ou écoles différentes. Le quorum qualifié
pour cette assemblée générale est de 397 étudiants, soit 2% de la masse étudiante au 1er cycle
de l’Université McGill.
Pour toute question concernant cet ordre du jour, contactez les présentateurs de l’AÉUM :
pres@ssmu.mcgill.ca • 514-398-6801 • www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/GA
The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
Canadian child soldier still in limbo
Omar Khadr remains in prison, despite Obama’s recent decision to close Guantanamo
Humera Jabir
News Writer
I
n the aftermath of President
Barack Obama’s decision to close
Guantanamo Bay on January
20, experts and supporters are urg-
ing Canada to repatriate a Canadian
child soldier who has spent six tor-
tured years in the off-shore prison.
The U.S. army captured Omar
Khadr when he was 15, accusing him
of throwing the grenade that killed
Sergeant Christopher Spheer in
Afghanistan during a fire fight in July
2002. He has been charged with war
crimes in military tribunals.
In Guantanamo, he was subject-
ed to extreme temperatures, forced
nudity, and sexual humiliation.
Guards even attached him to short-
range chains for hours until he uri-
nated on himself. They then poured
pine-scented cleaning fluid over him
and used him as a mop.
Amnesty McGill directors Margoth
Rico and Silvana Lovera protested
with a handful of sympathizers at the
Roddick Gates last Tuesday as part of
their campaign to demand Khadr’s
repatriation.
While access to a fair trial is a step
in the right direction, Rico believed
that justice can only be achieved
once Khadr is allowed to return to
Canada.
“We should not be asking our-
selves ‘Why should Omar Khadr be
repatriated?’ but ‘Why has he not
been repatriated?’” Rico said. “By not
taking responsibility of Omar Khadr,
Group kicks off franco-anglo integration project
John Lapsley
The McGill Daily
D
espite decades-old cultural
barriers, English and French
youth aspire to bridge the
gap between “the two solitudes,”
according to Creating Spaces, an
innovative new report from the
Quebec Community Groups Network
(QCGN).
“We’re past the language thing,”
said Brent Platt, co-chairman of
QCGN’s Youth Standing Committee.
“Youth are feeling positive about the
Liveblogging SSMU Council
The Daily is attempting to bring you
coverage of bureaucratic McGill
events in a more digestible form,
so we decided to liveblog the SSMU
Council meeting Thursday, a McGill
first. Excerpts edited for length fol-
low; for the entire account with
links and to join the conversation
on the comment board, visit mcgill-
daily.com/blog/1010/entry/17585.
6:40: I think [McGill Executive
Director of Student Services Jana]
Luker just said SSMU Council is
“the most powerful organization at
Canada is overlooking the rights that
every Canadian citizen should be
entitled to.”
Hours after accepting the presi-
dency, Obama issued an executive
order suspending all military trials,
including Khadr’s, which was sched-
uled for January 26. Judith Rae, a
University of Toronto law student
and founding member of The Omar
Khadr Project, an organization of
Canadian law students and young
lawyers advocating for Khadr’s repa-
“We are talking about the
lack of rule of law in that
hellish place. Where are
the voices of outrage?”
Dennis Edney, Omar Khadr’s Canadian attorney
triation, criticized the Harper gov-
ernment for shirking responsibility
for Canada’s last remaining detainee.
“Stephen Harper’s continued
silence is inexcusable. It has always
been important to assist a Canadian
citizen who is locked away facing an
unfair trial abroad,” said Rae. “We
know President Obama intends to
end these illegal proceedings, which
are contrary to the normal rules of
human rights,” he said.
“The game is over. We would
be happy to see Khadr face trial in
Canada; there is no reason why he
cannot be tried here.”
Lieutenant Commander Keubler,
language separation, and they don’t
fear assimilation.”
The Youth Standing Committee
spearheaded the 32-page report that
lays out a framework for integrating
young anglophones and francophones
in Quebec. The report opens by cit-
ing a 2006 Statistics Canada report
that found that over the previous 15
years, the number of 20-34-year-old
English-speakers in Quebec dropped
by one-fifth, and develops a series of
aspirations and solutions designed to
remedy the isolation many English-
speaking youth feel in Quebec.
Platt stressed that although the
McGill.” I was right; she hasn’t ever
been to a Council meeting.
7:02: It’s -6 degrees Celsius; you
would think that there would be a
more energy-efficient way to cool
a room that’s surrounded on two
sides by wall-to-ceiling windows
than by blasting AC three inches
from those windows!
7:17: VP Internal Julia Webster is
speeding through her report. About
the new beer contract, the Financial
Ethics Review Committee will review
Khadr’s Pentagon-appointed attor-
ney to the case, explained Khadr’s
military trial has run out of steam.
“I think Omar’s military prosecu-
tion is effectively dead and that there
are significant obstacles to any future
prosecution of Omar Khadr by U.S.
authorities,” said Keubler. “The ball is
now squarely in the Prime Minister’s
court to help President Obama clean
up the Guantanamo mess by offering
to take Omar back to Canada.”
Rae questioned the validity of the
evidence held against Khadr.
“The U.S. altered documents
dating from around the time of the
incident which made reference to
another person alive who could
have thrown the grenade,” said Rae.
“Furthermore, some of the evidence
used against him is unreliable, includ-
ing alleged admissions that date from
the time he was subjected to serious
mistreatment, quite possibly includ-
ing torture.”
Canada is legally bound by the
Convention on the Rights of the Child
and the Optional Protocol on the
Involvement of Children in Armed
Conflict to rehabilitate minors like
report contains enough statistics
and empirical data to resonate with
Quebec’s policymakers, this was a
youth-managed project run by the
same people whose identification with
Quebec culture it seeks to remedy.
Consequently, Platt has noticed strong
positive reactions to Creating Spaces
from readers of all ages.
The project aims to improve
Quebec’s youth community from
the inside out: slow the drain of
Quebec’s anglophones by integrat-
ing the English-speaking and fran-
cophone communities. Creating
Spaces also seeks to build a strong,
the beer suppliers, the proposals will
go out early March, the negotiations
will start mid-to-late March, and the
signing will happen in May. The cor-
ner where I sit applauds what will
likely be the fastest SSMU tender,
negotiation, and signing process for
a contract in its history, bucking the
trend of the last few contracts that
have taken six to twelve months and
are still not finished.
8:36: According to President Turner,
people want to change the by-laws
that refer to the Green Fee so they
News 9
What’s the haps
Female to Femme
Monday, February 3, 7:30 p.m.
Shatner, room B29 , 3480 McTavish
Divergence Movie Nights
in collaboration with Queer
McGill Presents: A film explor-
ing femme dyke identities as
radical gender practices. The
Omar Khadr and to reintegrate them film denaturalizes gender and
into society. pushes for an understand-
Canada has widely supported ing of femininity as multiple
rehabilitation programs for child
rather than singular, con-
soldiers from countries such Sierra structed rather than natural.
Leone, Colombia, and Sri Lanka. FtF features a host of fabulous
Ishmael Beah, UNICEF Ambassador femmes, including professors,
and former child soldier captured at activists, artists, and dancers.
age 15, called Canada’s treatment of The suggested donation is $5.
Khadr a double standard.
“If a 15-year-old kid in Sierra Leone, Water privatization
in Congo, in Uganda, in Liberia, if Tuesday, February 3, 8 p.m.
they kill somebody and shoot some- Arts W-215, 853 Sherbrooke O.
body in the war, it’s fine, but as soon Cinema Politica presents
as that kid kills an American soldier...
they are no longer a child soldier,
Blue Gold: World Water Wars,
a documentary about water
they are a terrorist.”
It will be many months before
privatization that explores
a dozen countries to make
explicit the connection
Guantanamo is shut down and the
files of the detainees facing military between water and power.
trial are reviewed. Having spent six
and a half years in pre-trial detain-
ment, many believe Khadr’s ordeal
Disabilities Studies at McGill
Wednesday, February 4,
has already continued for far too 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
long. With Obama and Harper due to Leacock Building room 232, 855
meet in the coming weeks, the issue Sherbrooke O.
of Khadr’s return to Canada is more Listen to Professor Lennard
pressing than ever. Dennis Edney, J. Davis on Disability Studies
Khadr’s Canadian attorney was dis- in universities, and what it
appointed with the public’s indiffer- means that McGill has no such
ence to Khadr’s plight. program. The lecture is called
“Here we have a young boy who Biocultures: Disability and
is blind in one eye, his other eye Disciplinarity, and is presented
damaged, and we can’t even get by the Office for Students with
him protective glasses. What are we Disabilities, the Department
doing for him as Canadians? What of Epidemiology, Biostatistics,
and Occupational Health,
has McGill done?” Edney asked.
the Centre for Human Rights
“When we talk about Omar Khadr,
and Legal Pluralism, and the
we are talking about Guantanamo
Department of English.
and the lack of rule of law in that
hellish place. Where are the voices
Create New Policies for Canada
of outrage?”
on Art, Media, and Culture
Wednesday, February 4, 5:30 p.m
EV 1.631 1515 Ste. Catherine O.
Contribute to
Concordia’s proposal on subsi-
NDP
dies for artists, censorship, fair
copyright law, and net neutral-
diverse youth network that will in ity, which will be presented at
turn attract further culturally diverse the upcomming federal party
youth to Quebec through education, convention in Halifax.
employment, and community life.
The project, however, does not World-wide sustainability
end with the report. Platt called it a Thursday, February 5, 6 p.m.
“gateway document” – a blueprint for New Residence Hall, 3625 Parc.
future endeavours to unify the English Best-selling author Chris
and French youth communities. Turner will speak at McGill
Even so, Platt and the QCGN recog- about his year-long travels
nize that there is no quick fix to issues around in search of green solu-
of cultural isolation in Quebec. tions. He wants to move away
“This is something we’ll need to from the doom and gloom of
take one baby step at a time,” Platt maintstream environmental
said. “But we’re very, very optimis- discourse, and focus instead on
tic.” solving the world’s most urgent
environmental challenges.
Party at Thomson for a cause
Saturday, February 7, 10 p.m. - 3 a.m.
reflect “what the framers intended.”
Thomson House, 3650 McTavish.
Wow, modesty. This fee is not old
Queer McGill’s theme for
enough to have “framers.” Sorry.
this year’s installment of its
annual Thomson House Party
8:40: No by-law changes tonight
is “Sex-Ed - Let’s Talk About
(again!), because Council is one
Sex.” Proceeds go to Head &
to three seats short of (two-thirds
Hands – a non-profit organiza-
required) quorum. You know, it’d
tion aimed at helping bring sex-
probably be easier to get 15 per cent
ual education to all students.
of students to vote in the referen-
The suggested donation is $5.
dum/election period in March than
get two-thirds of Council to show
Send your not-for-profit
up to meetings they’re required to
events to news@mcgilldaily.
attend. Email your crazy ideas to
com with haps as the subject.
speaker@ssmu.mcgill.ca.
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 Science+Technology The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
11

Giving pseudoscience the finger

establishing a spectrum of evolution
that placed Europeans as the most
“highly evolved” people and Africans
as more “primitive.” In one famous
case, a Congolese man named Ota
Benga was brought to the United

Lost In Transcription
States in 1904 and exhibited in the
World’s Fair and the Bronx Zoo,
labelled as a link between primates
Diane Salema and humans. He was even caged up
with an orangutan so visitors could
note similarities in stature and smile.

A
n article from the January 12
issue of ScienceNow, called
“Are You a Moneymaker? Look
at Your Hands,” discusses research
that looked to draw a relationship
between a financial trader’s success
and his or her index-to-ring-finger
ratio. Whether the researchers’
motives arose from purely scientific
curiosity or out of economic incen-
tive is beside the point. They found
that the traders with the lowest ratios
– meaning a longer ring finger in rela-
tion to the index – were the ones who
made the most money in a given time
period.
Now, there was scientific ratio-
nale behind the hypothesis: other
research has shown that a longer ring
finger is a sign of higher exposure to
testosterone in the womb, which in
turn creates sensitivity to the hor-
mone later in life, which then makes
those people more apt to react to
things quickly and to take more risks.
Got that? Lots of testosterone means
you become sensitive to it, this makes
you get all risky and dangerous, and
to top it off, you get an extra-large
ring finger.
So, yes, this chain may sound a
little unbelievable, and the interest-
ing thing here is that the article dem-
onstrates how much we love finding
anatomical patterns that explain
other aspects of ourselves. Breaking
away from scientific research, there
are tons of myths out there that
people believe to varying degrees;
whether it’s the famous comparison
of a male’s forefinger length to the
size of his package or the idea that
a man’s height is related to how high
he climbs on the business ladder, we
absolutely love thinking we can read
a certain characteristic as a clue for
another. Do our bodies really reveal
that kind of information, or is this a
human fabrication of fascination?
Our preoccupation is definitely
not a new one. A popular 19th century
discipline was phrenology, the study
of a person’s skull and facial features
to determine their personality traits.
And people took it really seriously –
basing decisions like who to marry
on the length of a nose, or how a per-
son’s upper lip curved.
Of course, the problem with look-
ing for these types of patterns and
relationships in a statistical way is
that it can get out of hand very eas-
ily. Eugenics comes along, and all of
a sudden this pseudoscience is a tool
to promote stereotypes and racism.
Nazism is one historical example,
but the trend stretches back to the
early 20th century. Early eugenicists
twisted Darwin’s ideas of evolution
into an idea of racial superiority,
Disturbingly, these “human zoos,”
as they were called, were very com-
mon.
Is there a more productive, less
harmful way to relate anatomical pat-
terns to other human characteris-
tics? What if we could observe
a person’s favourite colour
by the fissures on their
skull, or find out some-
thing about their study
habits by how far apart
their eyes are? Would we
be able to notice these
things without categoriz-
ing people or even ostra-
cizing them? Even if these types
of relationships existed and we
could study them effectively, it
would still be a shortcut to getting
to know someone, and a pretty lim-
ited, black and white assessment at
that. Most of us hope for a bit more
complexity in our personalities.
So you can check your hand right
now to see if you should be a top
financial trader or if you’ll just have
to settle for being very well-endowed,
but chances are you probably believe
it doesn’t really work that way.
Sally Lin / The McGill Daily
Diane’s column will appear every
other Friday. To give her the finger,
email lostintranscription@mcgill-
daily.com

UNDER THE SCOPE

Fermenting on organic purchases

Breaking down the wine-making process and its organic alternative

Alissa Stachrowski But what is organic wine, and into another fermenter. An air lock more contested. doesn’t present a huge health risk,
Sci+Tech Writer why should consumers fork over is attached and filled halfway with According to John Henning, an but some people can have serious
extra cash for a certification sticker? water, then the wine is left to fer- Associate Professor in the Department reactions [to it],” he said.
The processes of making organic ment for four to six weeks. Finally, of Agricultural Economics at McGill, Aside from the advantages

Y
ou may have noticed a new
label on the bottle next to
that cheap sludge you usually
buy at the SAQ. As students begin to
pay the extra few pennies for that
jar of organic tomato sauce, organic
beverages are gaining their right-
ful position in the market. Organic
wineries are sprouting up all across
Canada. According to the Pacific
Agricultural Certification Society
most of them are situated in British
Columbia, although, a few are pop-
ping up in Niagara, Ontario and in
the Eastern Townships of Quebec.
wine and regular wine are similar,
but some minor differences are key.
In regular winemaking, the first step
is to collect the grapes and cut them
up into smaller pieces. Then, all the
chopped up grapes are placed into a
fermenter where a syrup will even-
tually form. The mixture is covered
and left to ferment for 24-hours, after
which chemicals are added to steril-
ize the mixture. Once wine yeast is
added, the new mixture must fer-
ment for about a week. The next
step includes removing the pulp
from the mixture and siphoning it
once the wine mixture is completely
clear, the sediment is siphoned out
and the wine is bottled.
The difference between regu-
lar wine-making and organic wine-
making boils down to two practices
– those of the vineyard, and those
of the winery. Much like any other
farming product, grapes from a
vineyard are considered organic if
they are grown without the use of
chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fun-
gicides, and herbicides. As far as
winery practice is concerned, the
details for certification are slightly
organic certification places limits on
the amount of sulphates that can be
used to help the fermentation pro-
cess of the grapes.
“Some organic winemakers don’t
use [sulphates] at all, so the level
of sulphite will be much lower, but
there will always be some [sulphates]
due to the fermentation process,” he
said.
According to Henning, the pur-
pose of lowering the amount of sul-
phates is that the sulphites produced
through fermentation may present
health concerns for consumers. “It
organic wines present for one’s
health, connoisseurs argue that the
organic wine-making process allows
for a purer taste of the grape. For
those who enjoy very fruity wines
this may be desirable, as the fruit
flavour would be more prominent
in an organic wine. As far as I’m
concerned, the advantages seem
to outweigh the cost tremendous-
ly. Although it may be tempting to
reach for the cheap bottle that will
dye your teeth red, consider spend-
ing the few extra dollars on organic
wine.
12 Features

HOT
PANTS

“A
nd then I couldn’t stop laughing.” smoked. At nine, I didn’t even know what too much of Monsieur T
Reg loves the Habs more than cigarette smoke smelled like. But then, I also how much he smokes.
he loves his wife and she loves lis- didn’t know what a man smelled like. I think about the sta
tening to him grunt and shout at the players I selected a sidekick, Tatiana Poplovski, and through. I can’t stoma
more than she loves his kiss. brought a spiral notebook to school with the they throw together
Years of smoking du Maurier lights have sharpied title, “Monsieur Thibault: Smoking around the kitchen.
scratched out his voice. I sometimes imagine a Case.”  That morning, Tatiana and I became There is nothing in it
little man in his throat opening and folding up detectives. We observed and meticulously the whole thing starts
a beer can like an accordion when he speaks noted the yellowness of his teeth, the condi- black liquorice jelly b
to me. When I met his five-year-old daughter, tion of his nails, the frequency of his breaks.  child convinces you w
substantial and saucy, I wondered what Reg’s We gave up because our data was inconclusive, you think: “yeah yeah
voice sounded like reading from books about but I still couldn’t get his smell out of my nose. this black jelly bean o
the three little pigs or the seven dwarfs.  When Monsieur Thibault found the book, he will taste sweetly of gra
Reg is bilingual in the way only Montreal called me to his desk. I had never been so close there’s dirty black liqu
can make you. His relaxed French is flawless to his smell.  I didn’t rat Tatiana out – that smell around your mouth, an
and weaves in and out of joual, but franco- was all mine. He asked me why I had spied on the black saliva all ove
phones can always detect that he speaks both. him, without ever denying the allegations the tricked you. It’s only u
He never stumbles in English, but sometimes book implied, and I couldn’t even answer I was spit the fennel-burger
reaches for French words: vers, franchement, so nervous. I thought about asking him how he They fired me in ho
insupportable. smelled that way if he didn’t smoke. It’s the mid-afterno
I knew only one other man like Reg. Reg is dusting the bottles behind the bar rant is dead quiet. Reg
My grade-three French teacher, Monsieur and I’m standing, ass tight in Gap black pants, ing dirty hip hop loud
Thibault, had taken a hockey puck to his tits belted into a fuchsia bra. I didn’t eat before and cracking me up b
throat guarding nets for a semi-professional coming here – squeezing through the itty raspy voice, he raps, “To
league for over-forties. The blow crushed his bitty spaces between chairs is embarrassing the pussy was stankin
vocal chords, filling his French and English enough without my bloated belly skimming ers and I started to b
with wind. across a diner’s upper back. wet so my dick slides i
Passing Reg at the doorway to the store- I hate this restaurant, and I hate this job, like him, how I can onl
room, I realize that I still remember how everyone who works here, and everyone who can’t help but freeze wh
Monsieur Thibault smelled.  His smell was a eats here. Fuck, I even hate the delivery guys teacups to put away or
mystery to me. And all my little heart wanted and the night cleaner. People flood in arou
was to get to the bottom of it. I was sure he But I can’t hate Reg yet.  He reminds me see Reg the whole nig
 The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009 13

Nadja Popovich / The McGill Daily

A story by The Daily’s
Shannon Kiely

Thibault.  I can’t believe when I order martinis for my tables from him. “That whore’s huge nipples took up about
How good he smells. If Reg had his way, he’d strike all the fruity a third of her tits.  And those were pretty fuck-
aff meal I’ll get halfway liquor off of our drink menu.  ing huge to begin with.” Reg and the other three
ach the veggie burger “Mrs. Botox wants some vodka with her laugh and laugh and I hope my smile is enough.
from whatever’s lying syrup, eh?” He leans over the bar. “Why doesn’t Reg looks at me. I know I should shrink
It sticks like a brick.  anyone ever order a cold fucking beer?” away and go polish something.  I know he’s
but oil and fennel and Ten tables and 80 tip dollars later, Reg is enter- wondering if my un-laughing smile means
to taste like that dirty taining me and four other male staff: a busboy, that my nipples are huge like the masseuse’s.
bean that some nasty a waiter, the dishwasher, and the bigger boss, I meet his eyes for a while, appalled and
will taste of grape; and Carl. We’re smoking outside, in the front where confounded by the knowledge that we are
h, maybe just this once passers-by can overhear everything they say. both appraising my nipples. I think about
or candy or whatever They light up while debating the best Father’s Monsieur Thibault, and I wonder if I even
ape.”  But sure enough, Day activity; an Alouettes football game, smoked knew I had any then.
uorice juice swishing all meat, and a massage parlour are suggested in We catch each other’s eye for a second and
nd you feel like spitting turn.  Mention of the massage parlour starts I hear it out loud before it crosses my mind.
er that nasty child who Reg reminiscing about a pre-marriage gift. His “And I take it your wife’s are so small and so
unfortunate that I can’t brother bought him a surprise happy-endings perfect they look like itty bitty mosquito bites?”
back on the chef. massage or something equally banal. After Reg No one laughs. Their glares make it clear
ot pants. sat through the entire massage, the masseuse, that Reg’s wife has nothing to do with the
on lull, and the restau- then topless, asked him to turn over on his back masseuse story. But once I brought her up, it’s
is behind the bar play- to finish him off with a hand job. not fun anymore to laugh about saucer-sized
d on our sound system, I’m trying to listen with restrained femi- nipples. So we all go back inside. 
by singing along. In his nine interest, but my head is spinning. If I I busy myself by folding napkins, shin-
Took the panties off and butt out and head back inside, I’m a prude, ing glasses, and refilling the peanuts behind
n’. Pulled off the draw- and if I’m too interested, I’m a slutty horndog, the bar. Carl, who has been trying to can my
begin. Now the pussy’s or perhaps better: a lesbian. blonde ass ever since I started, approaches
in.” I hate how much I “I burst out laughing. And then, I couldn’t Reg, seeing the hatred in his eyes, and asks
ly smell him up close.  I stop laughing. She was sloshing her tits up him how my shift went.
hen he hands me clean there and her nipples were fucking big.” “I never want to see her face again.”
lights my cigarette. I think about my nipples. I’m the only one Carl doesn’t ask any questions and even
und seven, and I hardly who’s got some that are bigger than Canadian offers me a cigarette before he fires me by the
ght. We only get to talk quarters. dumpster out back in hot pants.
 14 Commentary
Finding wisdom in the third stall from the right
Life
Lines
Johanu Botha
I
read something on the back of a
toilet stall last week that made my
Intro to Philosophy class look like
playtime in kindergarten. It wasn’t
the latest in Chuck Norris-isms; nei-
ther was it a telephone number and
address left by “Blowin’ Joe.” No, my
unknown washroom scribbler etched
the following words into the pale
green door: “...the great man is he
who in the midst of the crowd keeps
with perfect sweetness the indepen-
dence of solitude.”
Now before we even get to the
famous author of these words we
have to ask ourselves through what
perspective did this person write
them. Were they using a grand anal-
ogy to describe the concentration
required to successfully act out the
necessary deeds (namely number
one and two) in a crowded wash-
room? Quite possibly. But most of us
are capable of doing this, and surely
the term “great man” isn’t attributed
to us all.
To solve this mystery let us look
at the original creator of this quote.
Ironically, I’ve lately been reading ran-
dom tidbits of this American philoso-
pher, essayist, and poet. Ralph Waldo
Emerson spoke to large crowds in
his day and was considered the intel-
lectual leader of the U.S. at the time.
The curious case of Geert Wilders
Piñata diplomacy
Ricky Kreitner
“I disapprove of what you say, but
I will defend to the death your right
to say it.” – Voltaire
I
t’s 8:45 a.m. on the morning
of November 2, 2004, and the
streets are crowded. Nice day out.
Suddenly the man in front of you is
blindsided by an attacker, shot, and
repeatedly stabbed. He is able to crawl
across the street in a futile attempt to
escape. The attacker, a man in a long
robe known as a djelleba, takes out
his butcher knife and slits his victim’s
throat. He then stabs him again, this
time lodging on the victim’s body a
note, a part of which reads: “Islam
will be victorious through the blood
of the martyrs. They will spread its
light in every dark corner of this
Whether or not he thought his legacy
would be continued on bathroom
stalls is debatable. But when asked to
sum up his years of work, he said that
his central doctrine was “the infini-
tude of the private man.”
Ah-ha! Where are we most con-
cerned about our privacy if not at
the urinal (for some of us) or on the
pot (for all of us)? Now now, don’t
get all riled up. I’m not trying to
turn exceptional thought into potty
humour. What I’m trying to say is that
although A does not look or sound
anything like Z, it can help you get
there. We may not want or need to
use our various toilet experiences as
tools to live as great men and women
– but it can’t hurt.
We live in a very busy world where
the crowd can pull you every which
way. A world racked with possible
rights and wrongs, and shook with
potential good and bad. Trying to
draw the lines according to today’s
varying societal psyches can hardly
lead to a “perfect sweetness.” Maybe
we need to transplant our bathroom
skills into the rest of our lives. And
by bathroom skills I mean the mere
ability to want to remain in “the inde-
pendence of solitude.”
Yes, we need to work together as
a society and yes, there is strength in
earth and it will drive evil with the
sword if necessary back into its dark
hole.”
What was the victim’s offence, that
he deserved such nasty fate? Well, he
made a movie critical of Islam’s treat-
ment of women.
But here’s the catch: On what
city’s streets do you think this might
have happened? Islamabad? Kabul?
Tehran? No.
Amsterdam.
And what did the Queen of the
Netherlands do? She skipped the
funeral and instead visited a Moroccan
community centre, the nationality of
the assailant, to express solidarity.
Look now, four and a half years
later, at Amsterdam, that temple of
liberal freedom. Last week, a Dutch
This is pretty much what the mythical Sean Turner looked like. I heard he ate parrots for brunch.
unity, but also yes, we need to allow
ourselves to be okay with creating
and keeping our own unique selves.
Selves that can stand strong alone
if need be. When glancing through
history, it is often these selves that
managed to calm a storm, endorse a
freedom, or save a life.
Now it could very well be that your
court demanded that Geert Wilders, a
controversial member of Parliament,
be charged “for inciting hatred and
discrimination, based on comments
by him in various media on Muslims
and their beliefs.”
Some background: Wilders made
a short film last year called Fitna,
which, according to a Turkish news-
paper, is Arabic for “disagreement
and division among people.” The
16-minute, amusingly low-budget film
interspersed scenes of Islam-inspired
carnage with rather bellicose and
(arguably) cherry-picked verses from
the Koran. The film caused a massive
international row; the Dutch govern-
ment supplied its embassies and con-
sulates around the world with evacua-
tion plans in the event of emergency.
Afraid of repeating the events that
unfolded in the wake of the Danish
cartoon controversy, they then told
him to shut his mouth. He didn’t shut
his mouth. So they’re hauling his ass
off to jail.
Saith the court: “Mr. Wilders’s
views constitute a criminal offence.
[He] has insulted Islamic worship-
pers by attacking the symbols of the
Islamic faith.”
The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
sense of self totally disagrees with
all of my philosophical philander-
ing, and that you would like to use
this column for your next trip to the
washroom. That’s fine, you are obvi-
ously already very much in the per-
fect sweetness of the independence
of solitude.
As for me, I’m hunting out toilet
Repugnant and impolite though
Wilders’s foolish statements may be,
surely we can all agree that his illib-
eral transgressions are hardly worse
than those of this censorious court?
John Stuart Mill writes in his sem-
inal essay, “On Liberty,” that when
a society restricts free speech it is
really the society itself that suffers:
“Unless [the received opinion] is suf-
fered to be, and actually is, vigorously
and earnestly contested, it will…be
held in the manner of a prejudice,
with little comprehension or feeling
of its rational grounds.”
I suppose we can consider that
the “received opinion” the Dutch
court is trying to protect is religious
plurality. Mill goes on: “The mean-
ing of the doctrine itself will be in
danger of being lost, or enfeebled,
and deprived of its vital effect on the
character and conduct: the dogma
becoming a mere formal profession,
inefficacious for good, but cumber-
ing the ground, and preventing the
growth of any real and heartfelt
conviction, from reason or personal
experience.”
We do both disservice and disre-
spect to Islam when we handle it with
Ben Peck / The McGill Daily
stalls to see when the mystery quoter
strikes again.
Whether its Shakespeare or
Voltaire, I’ll be there.
Johanu’s column appears every
Monday. Do you like potty phiso-
lophy? Send some of your shit to
lifelines@mcgilldaily.com.
kid gloves; we impeach the integrity
of religious plurality when we pre-
serve it in a padded playroom.
Of course Geert Wilders is a
schmuck. In 2007, he wrote a col-
umn in the Dutch newspaper de
Volkskrant saying that the Koran
should be banned. He’s no better.
And of course, he provokes just to get
a rise out of people, not just Muslims.
He knows what he’s doing.
Still, nothing changes. Alas, the
debate here is not about Islam, but
freedom of expression. Banning
books is never okay. Neither is pros-
ecuting someone merely for “incit-
ing discrimination.” Section 13 of
the Canadian Human Rights Act, I’m
looking at you.
Please don’t rely on my brief intro-
duction to the case. Look it up for
yourself, and see how you feel about
it. Your reaction will say a lot about
the content of your character. To
quote Christopher Hitchens, “I don’t
ask what people’s politics are. I ask
what their principles are.”
Ricky’s column appears Monday.
Send schmucks and freedoms to
pinatadiplomacy@mcgilldaily.com.
The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
HYDE PARK
Competing identities
block the road to peace
Daniela Porat
M
uch of the debate over the
conflict between Israel and
Palestine has polarized
these pages, with students clinging
to antagonisitc beliefs despite their
strong tendency to mar the potential
for progress. If we are truly interest-
ed in a resolution to the conflict, we
must recognize that Palestinian and
Israeli identities cannot continue to
compete for existence.
Political science literature sug-
gests that the zero-sum relationship
between Israeli and Palestinian iden-
tities can only be ameliorated if each
side’s survival is not rooted in repudi-
ating the existence of the other. But
the campus’s response the recent cri-
sis in Gaza and Israel has been disap-
pointing because it has perpetuated
these identity forms.
For instance, two weeks ago I
received an invitation from Hillel
-McGill for a Support Israel Rally, and
in McLennan I was also confronted
by a display about the humanitarian
emergency in Gaza. I believe send-
ing aid to the Palestinians is crucial;
however, what I found disconcerting
about the display was that as a Jew,
I felt I was being attacked with anti-
Israeli sentiments. As an intellectual,
multi-cultural, and open-minded
group of students, we must initiate a
process of recognition whereby these
contending identities can coexist on
a local level.
The competing Palestinian and
Israeli narratives of the conflict fos-
ter an irrational understanding of it
because each side envisions itself as
the rightful actor and the other as
the malicious enemy. Moral analysis
of the conflict links each group’s sur-
vival and identity to the core issues
of Nationhood, Right of Return and
Refugees, and the status of Jerusalem.
Living in the diaspora – whether
Jewish or Palestinian – offers us an
opportunity to remove our sense of
survival from the need to deny the
existence of the opposing identity by
using the resources we have to coop-
erate in an environment shielded
from violence.
Harvard Professor and Researcher
Herbert C. Kelman wrote an arti-
cle explaining how the Israeli and
Palestinian identities thrive on
negative interdependence. Their
identities rely on zero-sum rela-
tions whereby the existence of one
negates the existence of the other;
a gain for one side translates into a
loss for the other. Author Paul Scham
further argues that Palestinians and
Israelis must recognize the “contra-
dictions between the two narratives
rather than attempting to overcome
or ignore them. The logical result of
that might well be an Israeli state that
would celebrate Israeli Independence
on the fifth day of the Hebrew month
of Iyar, as it is currently commemo-
rated in Israel, and also acknowl-
edge with sadness Naqba Day on
the fifteenth of May, as it is currently
mourned among Palestinians.”
I implore McGill’s Jewish and
Aquil Virani / The McGill Daily
Arab groups to unite their efforts in
educating students about the Arab-
Israeli Conflict. Not only will this be
an experiment in diplomacy, it will
be a testament to our potential as
students to mend the fractures that
divide our community.
Additionally, Kelman asserts that
“the only way, in which, in the long
run, Israelis can survive, feel secure,
develop, prosper, and fulfill them-
selves as a people is for Palestinians
to survive, feel secure, develop, pros-
per, and fulfill themselves, and vice
versa.” Wearing the Star of David can-
not imply a dismissal of Palestinian
rights, just as Arab heritage should
not be associated with anti-Semitism.
My grandfather was the only per-
son from his family to survive the
Holocaust, and following his libera-
tion from Auschwitz he moved to
Israel. This personal connection to
the hope that Israel inspires should
not suggest that I believe that Jews
have an absolute right to the State of
Israel and that Palestinians do not.
We have to move beyond the infer-
ences and assumptions that blemish
our relations so that our understand-
ings of each other are not dictated by
hate and rather built on a belief that
we can learn from past persecutions.
We can only separate ourselves from
our contentious past if we make a sin-
cere effort to transform our present.
Daniela Porat is a U1 Political Science
and Art History student, and you
can reach her at daniela.porat@
mail.mcgill.ca.
COMMENT
Forgiving a racist state
Zionism and Israel’s Arab ghettos
Niko Block
I
have spent much of my political
energy since I began high school
fighting for the civil and human
rights of Palestinians. Yet I feel dras-
tically misrepresented when anyone
refers to me or my views as “pro-
Palestine” or “anti-Israel,” as though I
favour one of the two peoples above
the other. I am deeply committed
to standing in solidarity with both
Israelis and Palestinians who have
suffered from this conflict, which
seems to have gotten incrementally
worse, more violent, more heart-
breaking and more insurmountable
with each passing year since it began.
But insofar as I believe in democracy
and racial equality, I am an anti-Zion-
ist.
The irony is that I often share
more common ground with hard-
line Zionists than North America’s
peculiar brand of “liberal Zionists,”
who tend to assert that Israel, though
a Jewish state, manages to evade the
travesty of being a racist state. And,
like many right-wing Zionists, I don’t
believe that Israel’s annexation of the
remainder of Mandate Palestine in
1967 was any less justified than the
displacement of 750,000 Palestinians
from their homes – often at gunpoint
– in 1948.
These are notions of Israel’s iden-
tity that North Americans are much
more uncomfortable with than most
Jewish Israelis. When I would raise
the point in my protracted and ago-
nising arguments with them that
every racist state in history has relied
on a certain amount of violence –
and has generally incurred violent
backlashes in turn – their responses
were less a rebuke than an affirma-
tion: that is why we need to win, they
would say.
Beyond the obvious asymmetries
in its immigration policy – the fact
that a Canadian-born Jew like myself
is actively encouraged to “make ali-
yah” whilst millions of Palestinian
refugees are denied the right to
return to their ancestral lands –
Israel severely enforces the doctrine
of racial hegemony within its own
pre-1967 borders.
In legal spheres, the debate is
less about whether Israel is a rac-
ist state than about whether it has
that right to be so. One of the most
important revelations of my time in
Israel-Palestine concerned the plight
of Israeli Arabs, who constitute 20
per cent of Israeli citizens, and pay
Opinion-y opinion ‘pinion.
Check out Second Opinion and The Technopolis
at mcgilldaily.com/blogs.
Commentary 15
their taxes like everyone else, yet are
treated as second-class citizens by
the state. It bears noting that higher
birth rates amongst this minority con-
stitute what is commonly referred to
as the “demographic threat” in Israeli
politics.
The most marginalized group
among Israeli Arabs are the 160,000
Bedouin living in the Negev desert –
a territory which, like the West Bank,
has seen segregation carried out to
such an extent that walls have been
erected around Jewish communi-
ties while Arab homes are arbitrarily
deemed illegal and are subject to
frequent demolition. Effectively,
the Negev Bedouin are living under
occupation too.
Thirty-six of their communities
have been denied recognition by the
state for years if not decades, and are
thus bereft of running water, electric-
ity, and decent schools, while recog-
nized Arab communities are granted
control over a paltry three per cent
of the territory inside Israel proper.
With little access to educational or
land-based resources, these com-
munities are among Israel’s poor-
est. Numerous reports – including
some, like the Or and Goldberg
Commissions, that were authorized
by the Israeli government itself –
have concluded that Arab-Israelis’
marginalization is a direct result of
their treatment by the state.
There are not many of us who
favour a one-state solution, but as the
prospect of the two-state dwindles,
support for an equal and unified
Israeli-Palestinian state has timorous-
ly begun to grow on both sides of the
Green Line. My beef is not with the
people of Israel but with the ideol-
ogy of their state. Tying one’s identity
to the sustenance of Israel’s Jewish
ethnocracy is convenient for some
because it gives them an opportunity
to impugn anti-Zionism as anti-Sem-
itism. But being half-Israeli myself,
I still have virtually no understand-
ing of how the concept of Jewish
hegemony can be reconciled with
that of racial equality. Segregation is
not an issue that is exclusive to the
West Bank, and there will come a
time when Israel will have to decide
whether it would rather be a nation
of equitable democratic exchange
or continue down its current path of
systematic racial exclusivity and ghet-
toisation.
Niko Block is a U1 Economics stu-
dent and a Daily staffer. Write him at
niko.block@mail.mcgill.ca.
Want more?
16 Commentary
COMMENT
One year too late
Tales from a Montrealer’s isolating rez-less experience
Shannon Kiely
T
he first class I attended at
McGill was in a Stuart Bio audi-
torium. The professor divided
the class’s 200 students into small
groups to discuss what we thought
International Development was. In
my group of five, two girls were from
Ontario, one from a small town out-
side of Philadelphia, and one from
Victoria. I was the first person they’d
met on campus from Montreal.
The American girl was nervous.
She looked a little shell-shocked,
maybe a tinch homesick, and I start-
ed to wonder if there was anything I
could do to make Montreal less scary
HYDE PARK
Just say no to double standards
And don’t let our
focus on Gaza distract
us from other crises
Perle Nicolle
O
ver the past week, an over-
populated territory about
one third of the size of
London has been the scene of heavy
fighting. Trapped between two
fronts, hundreds of civilian casual-
ties – some of them children killed
inside their schools – are reported
by international agencies. The UN
estimates that about a quarter mil-
lion more are in immediate danger
of death. The local government is
refusing any humanitarian ceasefire,
and even hindering the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
rescue operations. Its stated goal is
to her. I had just come back from a
summer in Europe where a compas-
sionate Londoner had put me up
on his couch for three weeks and a
French girl in San Sebastian shared
her apartment when there wasn’t a
free hotel or hostel bed in the city.
My hosts showed me where to eat
and party, and I felt more safe and
oriented in those two cities than any
others I visited.
I wanted to give back, befriend
this freshman so I could take her
to the oratory and Old Montreal, to
tour little known neighbourhoods,
and to sample Tibetan dumplings or
Mauritian noodles.
I waited until the next week to
offer myself up as Montreal-guide-
to once and for all “eradicate the reb-
els.”
Does this ring a bell? Probably
not – because, really, who has heard
about the crisis in Sri Lanka? Have
you seen the Sri Lankan flag on the
cover of The Daily? The double stan-
dards of the passionate compassion-
ates are sometimes troubling.
At the SSMU General Assembly
(GA) this Thursday, students will
be debating a motion brought forth
by Solidarity for Palestinian Human
Rights (SPHR) that calls on the
Society to both publicly condemn
the military action in Gaza, as well
as to support education Palestinian
right to education. SPHR suggests
that public initiatives could take the
form of “campaigns, educational lec-
ture series, forums and/or fundrais-
ing initiatives to support students in
Gaza.”   states, “SSMU Council will not take a
While the SSMU constitution
empowers Council to “take all action
on behalf of the Society,” this motion
extraordinaire. This time, she walked
into class giggling with two other
girls and she sat with them on the
other side of the auditorium.
It took me almost six months at
McGill before someone explained to
me what residence was. Then I finally
understood that the American girl
had no doubt bonded with the giggle
girls on her floor, making my services
completely unnecessary.
The few acquaintances I made at
McGill would always run into people
en route from McLennan to Leacock,
and explain to me that they met in rez.
It seemed what residence you spent
your first year in was almost as para-
mount to the McGill experience as
what major you studied. Soon, I under-
would mandate the SSMU Council
to “condemn the bombing of the
educational institutions in Gaza,”
and would engage SSMU to issue “a
public statement of condemnation
immediately,” calling on McGill to do
the same.
But one can’t help but wonder
whether the GA will debate a motion
calling on SSMU to support the stu-
dents in Mullaitivu, and this causes
me some concern.
Now, I don’t doubt SPHR’s good
intentions in writing the motion, but
the resolution is blatantly one-sided,
arguably falls outside of SSMU’s by-
laws, and perhaps most importantly is
dividing our campus further by turn-
ing it into an ideological war field.
SSMU is not the UN, though it may
be just as dysfunctional. Regardless,
Article 22 of the SSMU Constitution
position on external political issues
that Council deems to be extremely
divisive among students at McGill
The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
Sally Lin / The McGill Daily
stood that residence was a friendship
goldmine, and that because I went to
CEGEP and was a Quebecker, I had
completely missed out.
See, Montrealers face a cruel
and unforgiving dilemma. It’s laugh-
ably cheap to come to McGill and
relatively easy to get in. One of the
best schools in Canada is right at
our doorstep, and we can even keep
living with our parents! How can
we refuse? And trust me, we don’t.
With Concordia and Université de
Montreal in the mix, I can count on
one hand the number of people from
my high school graduating class who
went away for university.
But it’s undeniable that by missing
that real first year of school, Quebec
University.” This essentially means
that the motion in its current format
is not in compliance of the by-laws. 
Further, the motion’s preamble
makes no mention of the destruction
of schools by rockets, no mention of
Israeli casualties, nor does it men-
tion Hamas. It gives little importance
to UN Humanitarian Affairs Chief
John Holmes blasting Hamas for
its “cynical” use of civilian facilities,
such as schools and hospitals, and
reports by the UN confirming that
Hamas fighters breached some of
the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency facilities. Clearly, this motion
portrays an incredibly complex situa-
tion in an utterly simplified way. This
motion’s partial perspective is clearly
not complying with SSMU’s guide-
lines for motion writing, which state
that motions should be unbiased.
One needs just take a look at our
campus newspapers to realize how
divisive the issue of the conflict in
Israel and the Palestinian Territories
students miss out on a fundamental
part of the university experience. My
closest friends went to McGill, but
every one of them was from Montreal.
And no matter how close I became
with an out-of-town student, I could
never penetrate her rez clique.
No matter how willing I was to
drop cash on cabs back from the St.
Laurent strips or savvy on the metro,
the fact I lived at home and out of
the Ghetto always seemed to matter
in my friendships with non-Quebec
students.
Shannon Kiely is The Daily’s coor-
dinating news editor. You can cheat
on your Anglo cliques at news@
mcgilldaily.com.
is. In particular, the last episode of
fighting in Gaza has undoubtedly
stirred tensions. Do we really need
to add to the divide?
The Fall GA failed to reach quo-
rum, but we can reject this motion
by showing up this Thursday in the
Shater Ballroom. Let’s make sure that
we take part in upholding the SSMU
Constitution, which states in its pre-
amble that SSMU should “act in the
best interests of its membership as a
whole.”
Our best interest is not to call on
SSMU to take sides in a conflict that
has no sides. Our best interest is to
ensure that we do not leave part of
the student body unrepresented by
SSMU’s statements. An educational
institution like McGill should have
none of us feel alienated by the posi-
tions of our own Society.
Perle Nicolle is a U4 Mechanical
Engineering student, reachable at
perle.nicolle@mail.mcgill.ca.
The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
HYDE PARK
You call that proof?
Mohamed Smaoui
G
ilad Ben-Shach did make a
good point in his January
22 article “Applying some
logic to conflict terminology,” when
he said, “I hope The Daily adopts
more rigorous editing procedures,
so that the situation is properly por-
trayed.” I couldn’t believe he got his
Mathematical “proof” to be pub-
lished.
As a math student, I couldn’t stand
seeing my noble field being exploited
and misused. A proof he calls it? Let
me have the pleasure of rewriting his
proof for you.
In the math field, whenever some-
one makes a claim, we never believe
it unless we prove it. So let’s start
with a claim. “Israel doesn’t occupy
or siege Gaza, and Hamas rockets are
threatening Israel’s existence.”
Just to clarify something for the
non-mathematicians, I don’t think I’ll
be proving my claim if I follow Gilad’s
“logic” by just saying, “Period.” after
my claim. I actually need to prove the
claim.
I need to find some evidence for
my claim by actually doing some
HYDE PARK
The ABCs of the economic crisis
A primer on all the
terms you’ve heard
but didn’t understand
Duong Pham
A
is for Asset Backed
Commercial Paper (ABCP)
– These are investments
designed to generate income off of
repayment of interest on loans such
as mortgages. The market for this
was frozen back in 2007 when many
Canadian banks realized that a lot of
their ABCP were tied to the bursting
U.S. housing bubble. Realizing that a
lot of these investments are held in
pensions, the Canadian government
became the guarantor to the tune of
$32-billion. Not to be an alarmist but
if this hadn’t been done, there was a
chance your parents could be fucked
into financial oblivion in the future.
B is for Bailout – A bailout is an
act of giving a loan to a firm to pre-
vent it from falling into financial ruin.
When all streams are exhausted, the
government is usually the lender of
last resort to step in.
C is for Credit Default Swap (CDS)
– Imagine that you own a home.
Imagine that you buy insurance for
that home. To do so, someone evalu-
ates the value of said home – say
$100,000 and then decides they’ll
sell insurance on it if you pay them
$10/month. If this home burns down,
research. Here’s what I find: the
Guardian says that Israel killed in
three weeks around 1,400 people and
injured another 5,000, 60 per cent or
more were women and children. But
this isn’t really helping my proof.
I found that a Washington
Post article, “Israeli Siege Leaves
Gaza Isolated and Desperate,”
the Independent, and Amnesty
International have numerous similar
articles. Please email me if you need
links. In math, we call news like these
“counterexamples.” If one counterex-
ample is made to a claim, then our
claim automatically fails. Here we
have three counterexamples; we are
in trouble.
We conclude that our claim “Israel
doesn’t siege Gaza” is false. Given
the new evidence, let’s fix our ini-
tial claim, “Israel sieges Gaza killing
1,400 and injuring 5,000 but doesn’t
occupy it, and Hamas rockets are
threatening Israel’s existence.”
Further investigation by the New
York Times uncovers that Israel
admits using white phosphorus in its
war on Gaza. Israel doesn’t seem to
care. It would’ve used nuclear weap-
ons if it could, but that would be dan-
gerous for its people who live very
the insurer is obligated to give you
$100,000. Now imagine a world
where instead of buying insurance
on your home, you can sell insurance
on your own home to someone else.
Now when your home burns down
you’re on tap to pay the person you
sold that insurance to for $100,000.
Now imagine that in the same world,
your neighbour can sell insurance on
your home to someone else and your
home burns down; your neighbour
now owes someone $100,000 as well.
And that is in a nutshell is how a CDS
market worked – except that it’s val-
ued at $56-trillion dollars.
D is for Depression – The feeling
I get when I listen to Arcade Fire –
it also describes a severe downturn
an economy that will make the act
of listening to Arcade Fire feel more
euphoric than a couple experiencing
simultaneous orgasms.
E is for Economy – Something
that once resembled a reliable Swiss
watch but now resembles a cheap
Chinese knock-off labeled “Rollecks”
that you can buy on the street for $5.
F is for Federal Reserve Bank – An
American governmental institution
responsible for handling monetary
supplies, the regulating financial sys-
tem and providing financial services
to the U.S. government. In recent
years, it has also become an institu-
tion responsible for bailing out the
asses of everyone who makes more
than $1-million a year.
G is for Golden Parachute – A
large sum of money given to a CEO
when they leave their job for things
ranging from being fired, resigning,
close to Gaza.
Math is all about logic, yet not all
mathematicians get that. If we state
the facts, we find that the rockets
fired from Gaza killed less than 30
people from 2008 up until today.
The rockets cannot travel beyond
a 50-kilometre radius. To keep my
dignity as a mathematician, I cannot
really conclude that Hamas rockets
are threatening Israel’s existence.
My claim isn’t sound in the math-
ematical world. I’ll have to change it
again to gain acceptance in my logical
field. “Israel sieges Gaza killing 1,400
and injuring 5,000 but doesn’t occupy
it, and Hamas rockets don’t threaten
Israel’s existence.” My claim now has
passed the testing phase and is con-
sidered valid. The process we walked
through is called a “proof.”
If Hamas doesn’t threaten Israel’s
existence, then why did Israel drench
its hands in blood? A question I leave
for the other mathematicians to deal
with.
Mohamed Smaoui is a U2 Math &
Computer Science student. You can
contact him at mohamed.smaoui@
mail.mcgill.ca.
retirement, going to prison or run-
ning a company and the pensions
of all the employees to work for said
company into the ground. Who says
we live in a meritocracy?
H is for Housing Bubble – A rise
in demand for property, in this case
fueled by low interest rates and loose
lending regulations. Of course, this
was nay followed by the housing
burst, when people realize that they
can’t afford the homes they bought
and all the paper assets tied into
them become worthless leading us
to where we are today.
I is for Investment Banking
Industry – Once the dream destina-
tion of many of the world’s finance
majors, like the dodo bird and civi-
lized debates on Israel-Palestine, the
investment banking industry no lon-
ger exists.
J is for Jobs – Or lack thereof.
K is for Kondratiev Waves – A
non-mainstream theory proposed
by a Soviet Economist in the 1910s.
The basic gist of the theory is that
the economy moves in large 40-50
year cycles with major ups and major
downs. If you buy into the theory and
its projections, it basically states that
we are in the midst of entering the
worst recession seen since the 1750s.
I actually have nothing snarky to say
here because I don’t want karma to
bite me in the ass if this scenario
comes true.
Duong Pham is a U3 Economics stu-
dent. Stay tuned for L-Z next week,
and send optimism to duong.pham@
mail.mcgill.ca.
HYDE PARK
Bring on stimulating
conservatism
Clarke Olsen
S
timulus shmimulus! That was
about all Andrew Coyne had
to say about the Conservatives’
new budget on last Wednesday’s
broadcast of CBC’s The National. A
London School of Economics alumn
and former columnist with the
National Post, Coyne has long been
a defender of freer markets, lower
taxes, and smaller government.
Everyone expected that he would
strongly denounce the oh-so-stimu-
lating budget as a reckless spending
spree, but his criticism went much
further than that.
Having come so close to seeing
Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday, Mr.
Coyne believes that conservatism has
gone the way of the dodo. He could
barely contain his disgust in stating
that the Conservatives’ embrace of
counter-cyclical spending means the
“extinction of conservatism as any
kind of coherent political movement
or philosophy” in Canada. These
are strong words from a man who is
often touted around in the media as
a prominent right-winger.
But we really should give the fiscal
conservatives a break – they’ve been
so frustrated for so long. Contrary to
popular opinion on campus, Stephen
Harper has presided over the fastest
increase in the size of the federal gov-
ernment in a generation. Even when
adjusted for inflation and population
growth, his Finance Minister has
introduced the largest budgets our
nation has ever seen. And that was
true before the global financial crisis
led to the re-embrace of Keynesian
economics.
The Prime Minister would likely
argue that he’s spent previous bil-
lions in a responsible and productive
manner, something about fixing a fis-
cal imbalance, cutting the GST, and
buying our army guns to shoot ter-
rorists with. He’d probably argue that
the current billions will be spent to
build needed infrastructure and help
our economy overcome the worst
non-violent threat to our lifestyle
since the Great Depression. He is
an economist after all. Nevertheless,
what does it mean for Conservatives
to question some tenants of this
Commentary 17
Evan Newton / The McGill Daily
thing called “fiscal conservatism?”
And without it as a bedrock, what is
left to unite Conservatives except for
the even less sexy option of “social
conservatism?”
I would argue that it is healthy for
a political party to occasionally ques-
tion some of its most strongly-held
beliefs. All parties are necessarily
amorphous to a certain extent, and
alter policy based on systemic chang-
es or revised philosophy. It would
also be completely irresponsible and,
well, just downright unconservative
to ignore world events simply because
they might question some of your
ideas. Liberals and socialists are sup-
posed to be the ones with their heads
stuck in the sand waiting for earthly
utopias, not good conservatives.
And so a confluence of factors
has forced our current government
to rethink their usual rhetoric about
lower taxes and prudent spending.
The specter of a global depression
has led them to spend billions in the
hopes of filling in for a slack in con-
sumer demand. A triad of opposition
parties has threatened them with a
veritable coup unless they can shovel
the money out fast enough. And still,
an endless array of interest groups
and experts claim that even more
red ink should be spilled to drown
our economic woes; not to mention
the media’s stimulus envy whenever
our piddling sums are compared to
the girth of the American package.
While I respectfully disagree
with Mr. Coyne about conservatism’s
fate, it is undeniable that a paradigm
shift is occurring. Quite frankly, I
think it’s about time. The develop-
ment in Afghanistan is not going fast
enough, our economy remains heav-
ily dependent on natural resources,
a separatist party holds undue sway
in Parliament, too many First Nations
people live in rural slums, and global
issues of hunger and climate change
have been ignored. Conservative
politics can offer solutions to all of
these. It’s high time my party moved
beyond tax cuts.
Clarke Olsen is a U3 Political Science
and Economics student, and the
President of Conservative McGill.
You can reach him at clarke.olsen@
mail.mcgill.ca.
18 Photo Essay The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009

les questions
sans réponses

roxy kirshenbaum
 Culture
Revolution for the free love set
Musical at McGill challenges sixties ideals but remains upbeat
Ryan MacKellar
The McGill Daily
P
eace, love, and drug abuse. Few decades in the 20th
century saw such widespread challenges to estab-
lished social authority and values like the 1960s.
With President Barack Obama’s charm and charisma elic-
iting comparisons to JFK, and America’s engagement in
multiple overseas conflicts, the sixties have lost none of
their contemporary relevance. Following a group of draft-
dodging, pot-smoking New York City hippies, the musical
HAIR offers an interesting take on what this counter cul-
ture movement was all about.
HAIR is being performed at Moyse Hall this week, pre-
sented by the Arts Undergraduate Theatre Society. The
production deals with a variety of social issues important
at that time, such as patriotism, drug use, free love, and
the draft. Although generally supportive of the hippies
and their ideals, the musical is also often critical of their
lifestyle of irresponsibility and excess. Throughout the
play, they continually consume large amounts of marijua-
na and engage in impulsive sexual activity, with whomev-
er is present at the moment. One character casually refers
to asking her parents for money because she has become
pregnant.
The musical also challenges American patriotism and
The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
19
Stephen Davis / The McGill Daily
the militaristic tendencies associated with it. This recur-
ring theme is exemplified in a scene in which the hippies
march in file chanting “Hell no! We won’t go!” In another
scene, a variety of important American political and mili-
tary figures are satirized onstage – for instance, George
Washington lights up a joint.
These critiques of American militarism directly relate
to the Vietnam War, for which several of the characters
have been drafted to fight. The hippies hold a “Be-In,” a
symbolic demonstration which has the characters burn
their draft cards and take part in an orgy afterward. Yet
one character has his doubts, as his parents have repeat-
edly told him that he needs to grow up and take respon-
sibility for himself, and that joining the army would be an
ideal opportunity to do so. Parents such as these, many of
whom had fought in WWII and live by a strikingly differ-
ent set of values than their children, offer a striking gen-
erational contrast to the youth of the hippie movement, .
Yet while the musical tackles these different issues,
it continually maintains a highly energetic and upbeat
feel. The singing is also full of energy, and interaction
with the audience made it all the more engaging. The
depiction of psychedelic drugs in the McGill produc-
tion is also excellent, with its use of striking colours
and imagery. Indeed, HAIR deals with an interesting
historical period while challenging our conceptions of
that time.
20 Culture The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009

Show me more!
Quebec strip club film’s flat characters fail to inspire empathy

Shea Sinnott ther Exotica nor Waitresses Wanted is

Culture Writer merely about sex, and perhaps each
film’s conspicuously low sexual content
points to the larger themes at work. It

T
he latest film from Quebecoise
filmmaker and Concordia
Professor Guylaine Dionne,
Waitresses Wanted (Serveuses
Demandées, 2008) opens and closes
with a passing stream of faces: all
young, all beautiful, and all illegal
immigrants working as exotic danc-
ers in the trashy strip club L’Elixir in
downtown Montreal.
Janaina Suaudeau plays Priscilla
Paredes, a 22-year-old who left Brazil
four years earlier in search of a better
life and job in Canada. Yet when her
student visa expires, Priscilla’s desire
to stay forces her to answer L’Elixir’s
call for “Serveuses Demandées” and
join this circle of desperate girls with
similar stories to her own. It is here
she meets and falls for the confi-
dent and aggressively sexual Milagro
(Clara Furey). While Priscilla is intent
on staying in Canada, Milagro wants
nothing more than to leave; ironi-
cally, her dream is to travel to Brazil.
Waitresses Wanted explores the love
between the two girls as a means of
escape – and then survival – while
facing the sex, drugs, and violent
oppression that mark their lives.
Another Canadian feature about
a strip club, Atom Egoyan’s Exotica
(1994) revolves around a group of
seems Exotica and L’Elixir serve as cen-
tres around which characters come
together and clash out of desperation.
Both films question what – beyond sex
– drives people to these situations.
Yet while Egoyan brilliantly suc-
ceeds in framing his characters’
yearning for connection, Dionne’s
lack of character development
keeps them at arm’s-length. Perhaps
most importantly, the love between
Priscilla and Milagro fails to develop
beyond the poignant scenes of them
dancing together early in the story.
Though Suaudeau and Furey’s indi-
vidual performances merit due rec-
ognition, together they do not dis-
play a great deal of chemistry, and
their relationship is hard to follow
in the latter half of the film. In turn,
Dionne falls short in sustaining the
audience’s empathy for her charac-
ters, and the film’s slow progression
makes it easy to lose interest.
It seems Waitresses Wanted is
reaching – trying too hard to be
heavy and to convey a depth that
does not surface on-screen. Martha
Wainwright’s repeated mournful
drone in the background feels dis-
jointed and points to the dispar-
ity between content and style that
endures throughout the film. That
Kirtstin Li for The McGill Daily

people connected through a Toronto Dionne comes from a background in

nightclub of the same name. Egoyan
and Dionne’s films illustrate the way
Canadian filmmakers often employ
sexuality to highlight deeper psycho-
logical or political issues – that is, nei-
documentary film perhaps explains
why she expects the film’s theme to
speak for itself, yet the story does not
come alive under her direction and
its ending feels incomplete.

Beyond the evening news

Concordia film screenings put a human face on distant conflicts

Lucia Sndin absence. One of the most humbling films covered a varied range of places, bitterness and sadness of this house one country against the other, news
Culture Writer stories was about a Lebanese security moments in time, and styles of filming. was palpable. In their own unique channels broadcasting bombing
service employee, who was assigned There was black and white film from ways, each film was effective in deliv- and devastation – and what we end
to film an important section of sea- the sixties; several of them blended ering the mood of Images in Time// up with is really only brief glimpses

T
he title of this short film
screening couldn’t have been
more fitting. It very neatly
summed up the feel of the films, as
different as they were. I’m talking
here of the Images in Time//Images
in a Time of War short film screen-
ing at Concordia last Friday. Most
of the short films were touchingly
personal – they were shot in living
rooms and in local cafés in Baghdad,
at weddings, and even funerals. They
showed everyday situations, in which
even during wartime people made
the effort to retain at least the illu-
sion of calm and peace.
I was hooked from the first film.
Untitled Part 3 told the story from the
viewpoint of a house: the man behind
the camera had come back to his old
house to find it in ruins. The house
tells him what has happened in his
shore promenade from a van. At the
same time every day, he would focus
away from the people he was sup-
posed to film and instead fix the lens
on the sun descending over the sea.
He was found out and fired, but got to
keep his sunsets.
Another one of my favourite
scenes was from Baghdad in No
Particular Order, which was a sort
of patchwork of stories. This one
showed a Mosque prayer leader sit-
ting in his living room singing “She’s
a Lady” and other classics to the cam-
era, surrounded by what appeared
to be giggling family members. In
another portion I got the opportuni-
ty to hear the Arabic version of “I Will
Always Love You,” blasting from the
speakers in a taxi as huge oil trucks
passed by.
I particularly enjoyed how the
photos and film recordings; some had Images in a Times of War and made
Debates over countries’ rights,
news channels broadcasting
bombing, and devastation – and
we only end up with glimpses
into the eye of the storm
narrators, others didn’t. Some served for a broader picture of the everyday
as windows into regular people’s lives lives of people trapped in the middle
where wartime was implicit, while of never-ending conflicts.
others were more acutely placed in With the Israel-Palestine conflict
the context of war. The film where looming over our consciousness, it’s
the house was speaking, for example, easy to get muddled up by the formal
more overtly addressed the situa- discourse surrounding the issues.
tion, and believe me when I say the Political debates over the rights of
into the eye of the storm. It’s hard to
really get a sense of the places and
people involved, because the lens is
so explicitly aimed at the dramatic,
the kind of events that – however
morbid they might be – will attract
most viewers. We have, then, an
impression of a kind of distant night-
mare, not a relatable experience of
people who all have their own story
to tell. This is exactly the gap that the
screening filled for me.
There are millions of stories that
remain untold, but it did feel like the
screening shrank the space between
us and the anonymous victims of war,
allowing them to become human,
and not only mere numbers. I can
also safely say that I learned more
about the reality of their experiences
from this screening than from any
news story out there.
The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009 Culture 21

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FINAL JEOPARDY: This delightful gathering takes place every Tuesday

at 5:30 p.m. in the basement of the Shatner Building.
“...WHAT IS THE CULTURE MEETING!”
 Compendium!
Lies, half-truths, and candy
The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
22

Economic crisis keeps getting shittier

New study shows inflation up 50 per cent in last six years Announcing
Winston Jeffries town with the same sense of self and here on this
page the
The McGill Daily reassurance.
“I thought that was the worst

first-ever
it would get – and it was, until this

W
ith the current economic year, when stocks went crazy after
crisis turning free-mar- U.S. banks realized they should stop

Compendium
keters all kinds of social- lending money to people with no way
ist, one McGill student has released to pay it back including themselves –

Mystery-
a study analyzing the roots of rising thus sending up chocolate bar costs
costs for everyday people. to an unprecendented $1.40.”
It’s well known that the latest rein- In a DaVinci Code-esque twist,

carnation of the Evil Recession – aka
the inevitable part of capitalism that,
for lack of a better analogy, no one
sends FB invites to – has resulted in
hundreds of billions of condition-
free dollars for automakers and Wall
Streeters, but it has also added to
already soaring inflation rates.
U3 Physics student O’Ria Mcrean’s
report concludes that such rates have
increased by 50 per cent since 2003.
“Through all the ups and mostly
downs of my childhood, one thing
kept constant: the price of chips,
pop, and chocolate bars. One dollar
each. No matter what,” McRrean said,
adding that all he knew to be true in
the world shattered when he went to
a track meet in Grade ten at a nearby
university.
“So I go to the vending machines
for a post-race delight…and what do
I see?” Mcrean said.
When asked what he saw, he con-
tinued, “Well I see it’s gonna cost
me $1.25, and I thought, ‘Excuse me
Mr. Vendor but what the fuck, who
the hell has an extra quarter is their
pocket?’ I mean, come on.”
The report details McRean’s recov-
ery from the trauma of realizing nary
again would he ride his bike around
Solving
the report concludes that in search-
ing for a caffeine boost late last
semester, he stumbled upon a can of
killer Coke for $1.50.
“Compared to $1, my logical Contest.
math skills tell me that a 50 per cent
increase. So I wrote a blog post about
my study’s findings and ask The Daily
to cover it.”
McRean added that he always Mystery #1:
realized his general existence might Why does one hear the
be considered subpar, but this last
experience really hit him.
sounds of magnificent
“See, when your entire emotional little birds chirping at the
stability rests on the premise that the corner of Milton & Aylmer
greatest constant in life is constancy,
these changes really get to you.”
in the morning?
His report also described the spe-
cial feeling in one’s tummy rendered
by the specific angles that bounce
Send your responses
off the walls and halls and reverber-
ate around one’s being in such a way to compendium@
that the star, moons, and sky look at mcgilldaily.com by
each other and finally disregard the Friday, February 6 for your
biases they once had and realizing
that yes we’re all here in this universe chance to win big.
together and yes that’s important but
maybe when we’re a fish out of air
and need to get fried depending on
our feelings at the time because when
Spencer Duffy / The McGill Daily
it comes down to it there’s other fish
in the pie. Just look at them cans, thinking about life on the outside.

crosswordrowssorc Across
1. Homer, e.g.
5. Aquatic plant
9. Swollen
60. Allotment
61. Rising locale?
62. Pizazz
63. Corporate department
39. Continent, sort of
42. Away
43. Idyllic pond
44. Wine and dine
Arnie Foreman
14. “I’m you!” 64. Counter call 45. Greek marketplace
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15. Difficult 65. “ we forget” 46. Hairsplitter
16. “All kidding ...” 48. Borders
14 15 16
17. Swiss canton Down 50. Motivate
18. “... there is no angel 1. Construction machine 53. “Shake a leg!”
17 18 19
but Love”: Shakespeare 2. Anxiety 54. Crown
20 21 22 23
19. They may be changed 3. Hit 55. “ it Romantic?”
20. Early biblical judgement 4. 1,000 kilograms 57. “Rocks”
24 25 26 23. Big, fat mouth 5. “Beg pardon...”
24. Cockeyed 6. lamp
27 28 29 30 31 32 25. Rice variety 7. Beam
27. Athletic supporter? 8. Improvises
28. Waylay 9. Soft stones
33 34
32. Aces, sometimes 10. Today
Solution to “Big men on campus”
35 36 37 33. Line filler 11. Synagogue quota S K I P A P A
W C L A N
34. Rust, e.g. 12. Thought H A N G E N E M
A H O L E
38 39 40 35. First words 13. Scorn A L O E A N N A
T A G A R
38. Loops 21. Heisman or Stanly H E N R Y R U T H
E R F O R D
41 42 43 44 45 46 40. They may be saved 22. “I see!” M A L L R U E
41. Bad marks 26. Fiery remedy M A C A W S F O W L W O E
47 48 49 50
42. Bends 29. Bygone bird A N O N P U P A E O B I
44. Criminal charge 30. Depress, with “out” J O E Y M C I N T Y R E M E D
51 52 53 54 55
47. Mosaic piece 31. Handy O L D I R O N S R A S E
56 57 58 59
49. Surround 33. Winds R E S D E N Y W A G N E R
51. Idled 34. Black Sea port A D O T R I O
60 61 62 52. God’s beliefs 35. Kind of show J I M M Y S T E W A R T B I O
56. Make fair again 36. A little of this, a little of that A C A I O O Z E S I O T A
63 64 65 58. “My bad!” 37. Many a state name in D.C. P A N S T I R E S C O C K
59. Prefix with graph 38. Condiments E O N S E L A T E T H Y
The McGill Daily, Monday, February 2, 2009
volume 98
number 31
editorial
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ISSN 1192-4608.
23
EDITORIAL
McGill n’est pas une île
If Quebec is a nation within a nation, we can’t help but feel that McGill
is a foreign concession. In Montreal, McGill stands for all things anglo; it
was founded by an Anglican Scot, the majority of students are anglophone,
and besides the French Language and Literature program, every one of the
University’s departments runs in English.
While many universities function entirely in English though it isn’t
the language of their host country – the American University of Paris, or
International University of Bremen, to name a few – Quebec’s case is differ-
ent. Here, language is politics. For centuries, one’s language has said a lot
about their socio-economic status and heritage. From the 1960s onward,
francophones have fought a hard, and often controversial, battle for recog-
nition of their rights – which twice almost split Canada in two.
McGill students arrive in Montreal and are immersed in one of the few
remaining unilingual pockets in our city. On campus, in residences, and
all over the Ghetto, you can just about get away with speaking little to no
French for four years. It’s easy for students to get locked into a small circuit
that leaves huge portions of the city unexplored.
It’s no wonder that Montrealers sometimes think of loud, drunk McGill
students as parasitic. But we wonder whether McGill’s relations with the
surrounding community would improve if students could master even a
conversational level of French, making it clear that both the institution and
its members have taken their head out of the anglo sand and recognized
that yes, in Montreal, people speak French.
Our student body’s unilingualism can make the University function like
a revolving door; students arrive, give Montreal a whirl, and then, diploma
in hand, fly right back to where they came from. Patterns in universities
perpetuate patterns in the community as a whole.
Without knowing the language, there’s no incentive to invest in the
community, and it’s next to impossible to start a career here without at
least passable French.
For starters, we’d like to see Quebec culture better reflected in our aca-
demic offerings. The administration and the institutional decisions McGill
makes impact how students view their surroundings, even set the tone
of student culture. There is only one Quebec history class running this
semester, and the demand for French language classes is so high that the
University prohibits part-time students from enrolling. Minimal support of
French culture sends the green light to students that they too can ignore it.
McGill needs to provide more opportunities for anglophone students
to integrate with the surrounding community – outside the framework of
a three-credit French class.
With better publicity and investments in the French program, the
University can make French more accessible and popular. The University
should start by more prominently advertising French classes in the course
calendar for U0 students, and departments like English and Anthropology
could easily incorporate a greater emphasis on Quebec culture in their
courses. The French as a Second Language department is already over-
loaded, and students need more than just a class to truly embrace French.
We considered whether requiring a French language class before gradu-
ation was the solution to McGill’s unilingualism, but realized just one class
hardly does enough to introduce students to a culture.
Instead, we urge McGill to set up a French homestay program as an
alternative to residence. We urge McGill to advertise the federal govern-
ment’s J’explore program, which funds six weeks of homestay and French
classes in small Quebec towns – and to support similar initiatives for non-
Canadian students. Although McGill is underfunded, we suspect the pro-
vincial government would help; it’s in Quebec’s interest to keep McGill’s
graduates here.
Whatever route it chooses, McGill must work with the province to pro-
vide students with more opportunities to immerse themselves in the lan-
guage and culture of this province.
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