Dear Editors,
I note that in your coverage of the vote on SSMU’s equity policy, you elected to highlight my non-SSMU activities by writing that my two amendments to the equity policy were “tacked on by Arts councillor and Conservative McGill member Spencer Burger.” I do not see how my secondary affiliation with Conservative McGill and my political views are at all relevant to the SSMU debate over equity. Furthermore, The McGill Daily’s editorial board seems to be operating under a double standard: I do not recall The McGill Daily referencing the political views of any other SSMU councillors when discussing SSMU-related issues, despite the fact that a significant number of SSMU councillors do have political affiliations with political groups like NDP McGill (including several councillors who opposed my amendments in the equity debate). I do not hide the fact that I am a member of Conservative McGill, nor am I ashamed of my political beliefs. However, I can only see The Daily’s labeling of my political affiliations, while ignoring all others’ political affiliations, as a deliberate ad hominem attack on my credibility, in order to frame my role in an important SSMU debate as partisan, and one that does not reflect the legitimate aspirations of the constituents who voted for me. It is an attempt to encourage your readers to judge my actions based on my political affiliations, not based on the validity of the actions themselves.
I am looking forward to an apology, as well as an explanation as to why SSMU Councillors with certain political leanings are treated differently by The Daily’s editorial staff.
Sincerely,
Spencer Burger
U3 History & Political Science (Joint Honours)
Arts Councillor to SSMU