A science student bar has been a work in progress for over four years. Prior students in SUS’s VP External position made efforts to organize a faculty bar, but logistical complications kept the idea from materializing. “The problem that we’ve always had is that we don’t have a good space,” Padilla told the Daily. “Arts has their basement, same for Engineering, and Management as well: they all have really large spaces with limited exits.” The Burnside basement had been the ideal location for a Science-faculty bar, but using the entire open space would have been a fire hazard. Last year, two adjacent Computer Taskforce rooms were reallocated to SUS, which inspired Padilla to present the idea to the SUS executive board.

“It wasn’t the most popular idea, using two study rooms of limited size in the basement of an academic building,” Padilla told the Daily. The SUS executive team began discussing The Lab over the summer, and had prepared to present the idea to the McGill administration by September. Getting the idea off the ground required discussions between SUS executives and McGill staff, including McGill’s Burnside building director, the Spaces Administrator, and administrators from the Science Faculty’s student affairs office and Security Services. After four months of emails, meetings, and negotiations, the idea was approved and planning for opening night began.

The Lab is run by SUS’s pre-existing after-hours committee – which exists year-to-year, planning after-hours events – including Padilla, directors Ella Rikley and Madison Brass, and five coordinators. There are currently 30 student bar staffers, as well as multiple staff photographers. Padilla stressed that organizing The Lab and preparing for opening night was a joint effort across SUS: “I’ve been lucky to get a lot of support from everyone who’s been willing to help wherever it’s needed,” he told the Daily. “It’s been a very collaborative process.”

The Lab’s doors opened only three and a half weeks after being confirmed for operation, a feat Padilla attributes to “an incredible, dedicated team.” An estimated 300 to 500 students came to the basement on opening night. Some waited for over two hours, and many who packed into the adjacent stairway reported line-cutting and rowdy crowds. The organizers, who had an hour to set up the room, did not realize how many people had congregated until the bar was ready to open. For future events, the committee plans to schedule staff to monitor the line during and before opening hours. “The capacity is limited, so we try to work the best we can,” Padilla said. “We definitely had at least twice our capacity show up, which was a little bit intimidating. It was a little scary, but things were good in the end.”

Organizing a student bar is a large undertaking, especially for McGill’s second-largest undergraduate faculty. “There was a lot to do, and very little time to do it. I think everyone really learned how to be overwhelmed and yet still take one thing at a time,” Padilla told the Daily. He added that the launch has also been a learning experience for those involved within the SUS executive committee, and working together to set up The Lab has been another instance of successful collaboration to serve the needs of the Science faculty. “Being thoughtful in our communication and including everyone is the biggest thing that we’ve learned, but I think that’s something that the SUS team is really good at.”

Ultimately, Padilla reported that opening night was a success: they opened, served drinks, and closed without any incidents or destruction to the basement. Beyond the primary goal of having fun, the team’s aim for the bar’s initial nights is “to show SUS, admin, and all the parties involved that this is something that can work.” Padilla described this semester as a “proof of concept,” a demonstration that the space can bring the faculty together safely without disruptions. The Lab’s biweekly schedule was designed for the committee to troubleshoot between events and learn from any setbacks or unexpected chaos, through their own observations and their anonymous feedback form. The team hopes for the schedule to shift to weekly in the upcoming Fall semester, once staffing and routine are solidified.

The Lab will be open five times this semester, including this Friday, February 20. The concept – drinking a warm, two- dollar beer out of a plastic cup in a crowded basement – is shared among McGill’s other student bars, yet The Lab was designed by and for McGill’s Science undergraduates as a place for the community to come together. “It’s a spot that you can go, as Science students, every other week or every week in the future, and know you’ll have friends there and people from your faculty that you can hang out with,” Padilla told the Daily. “I’ve heard from a lot of people that they’re super excited to finally have their own space, ad I hope it continues to be that.”

The post Welcome to The Lab appeared first on The McGill Daily.

In preparation for the nomination period, the Quebec Public Interest Group at McGill (QPIRG-McGill), a SSMU-affiliated, student-run social and environmental justice organization, held information session Wednesday January 21 in Leacock 110, on how and why to run for the SSMU. QPIRG staff, SSMU employees, and former SSMU executives gathered to express the importance of active participation in student democracy and to demonstrate what “[it] could look like.” While outlining the requirements for candidacy and explaining how to organize a campaign, the presentation stressed that the main objective of a student union like the SSMU is to make McGill better suited for the needs of its students.

As a non-profit that has supported student and community activism for over forty years in association with the SSMU, QPIRG organized the information session with the hopes of encouraging students to make their voices heard in their union. Full-time QPIRG staffer and McGill alum Nelly Wat expressed to the Daily that although student politics can seem confusing, there are many valuable things that the SSMU can offer to its students. “A student union is what students make of it,” she shared. “Students have a lot more power than they think [they do]. It’s so important for students to be informed.”

Wat continued, “To a lot of students, [getting involved with the SSMU’s affairs] can seem really intimidating; it can seem like ‘there’s so many things to be done, I have so little power, and there’s so many things that can be different. But it’s so possible to make these changes happen, and there are a lot of other students who would be there to support you.”

The SSMU legislative and executive governing bodies have the power to propose motions on allocating resources to student clubs and organizations, determining referendum ballots, adopting new policies, supporting student strikes, and collaborating with local initiatives – all with the aim of representing student interests alongside those of the McGill administration. To ensure that student voices are heard and advocated for, balancing the powers between councillors, executives, and the SSMU members – in general assemblies and student referendums – is essential. To underscore the importance of democratic participation, from staying informed on the SSMU’s affairs to running in the upcoming elections, QPIRG speakers contextualized the SSMU’s history of advocacy as the result of initiatives led by executives who were passionate about social issues. “We have things at McGill, like QPIRG, Midnight Kitchen, and CKUT because there were execs who wanted those things to exist, and therefore they [came to exist],” the primary speaker, a SSMU member of staff, shared in the presentation. She stressed that during this election cycle, students must “make sure that the students elected care about democratic accountability and protect student services.”

While discussing how to get involved with the SSMU beyond the election period, multiple student attendees expressed difficulty understanding how the SSMU operates. “[Transparency] is a huge problem,” the speaker answered. “We need people to know what’s going on in the SSMU, and it’s a high-effort thing to find out, but you can go to legislative council meetings and hear about things that [councillors and executives] are voting on. You can also email your execs; they are meant to represent you and you can discuss what they’re doing.”

“People don’t know what’s going on at SSMU, and it’s a real problem,” the speaker continued to the Daily. “I just think that it’s really important right now, especially around elections, to get the word out in a way that will have an impact on these elections. It does really matter for the future of student democracy.” She added that students often don’t realize the role SSMU plays in their university experience, from activity nights to graduation.  “Engagement is really the only way [to ensure that student needs are advocated for]. If SSMU doesn’t actually represent us, that just gives McGill the ability to go against what [students] actually want.” She urges students to start getting involved through voting, but also encourages them to support a campaign, submit referendum questions, and hold the SSMU’s representatives accountable: “the more people hold them to account, the more accountable they will be to us.

The SSMU also hosted an information session on Thursday, January 22, for students interested in running for an executive position. The presentation covered an overview of the electoral process and gave potential nominees the chance to pose questions to current execs on what working at the SSMU is really like.

For those who missed the info session but are inspired to run for candidacy, the nomination kit, which outlines requirements, is available on the SSMU website under “Elections and Referenda.” Students can also reach out to incumbents to learn more about the details of their position and what being a SSMU executive really entails. The deadline for nominations is February 12, and the voting period will begin on March 9.

The post QPIRG Prepares Students for SSMU elections appeared first on The McGill Daily.

In the notice of default issued this past January, McGill claims that by supporting SPHR, QPIRG has broken its obligation to respect McGill policies, including the Student Code of Conduct, as stipulated in the MoA. By associating with a group that has broken this code, the university is accusing QPIRG of failing to meet their obligations by association.

To remedy QPIRG’s alleged violation of McGill’s policies, McGill ordered the organization to cease all association with SPHR. This entails removing mentions of the group on QPIRG’s website, revoking their working group status, and severing all financial and administrative support. If QPIRG does not redact their support for SPHR, the group’s finances will be placed into an interim trust – where the funds will be managed by McGill as an interim trustee – until the organization is “restructured and reinstated.”

The group plans to contest the notice and take the dispute to arbitration, a conflict resolution less formal than legal litigation. But as a small, student-funded organization, QPIRG is being financially burdened by legal fees. 

SPHR was condemned by McGill administration in the January notice as an organization that promotes “intimidation, harassment, and protest activities [resulting] in vandalism and violence on our campus.” In QPIRG’s statement on the update on the MoA with McGill, they maintain that the “spurious” allegations against SPHR have never been proven in a court of law. 

“Neither a court nor even an internal tribunal of McGill has found SPHR in violation of anything,” they write. “Instead, the university is scapegoating SPHR for the actions of individuals that McGill has failed to identify.”

Four of McGill’s unions, in solidarity with QPIRG, “condemn in the strongest possible terms” McGill’s notice of default, as expressed in their August open letter. They stress that QPIRG is an invaluable resource to students and staff at the university, and that its financial jeopardy poses a serious threat to many programs and initiatives that benefit the community. 

The unions express their concern for the “imminent threat” posed to QPIRG’s organizational autonomy, asserting that “any conduct that intimidates and threatens to dismantle a vibrant, positive student-centred campus organization is unwarranted.” The letter concludes by calling on the McGill administration to retract the notice and by underlining unions’ commitment to donate to QPIRG’S Legal Defense Fund. 

The statement was signed by the executive committees of AGSEM, AMUSE, AMPFA, and AMUSE. The aforementioned unions represent a range of McGill’s staff – from research employees to tenured professors – and amass a total membership of 7,000. 

At the time of writing, McGill communications has not responded to the Daily’s request for a written statement on the open letter.

QPIRG was founded in the 1990s as a student-run and student-funded organization. They have  provided free services to the McGill community, including “conflict resolution training, education on structural oppression, and other invaluable community resources.” They also run a textbook loan program, fund summer research projects, and founded the university’s first student housing co-op. They empower students to take action by funding and supporting over 15 social and environmental justice groups, including SPHR.  

“If QPIRG-McGill capitulates to McGill immediately, we would block off one of the last avenues for pro-Palestinian organizing on campus,” QPIRG wrote in their online statement. “But if we contest until they bankrupt us, students will lose one of the independent voices willing to fight for them on campus.” 

In an interview with the Daily, co-president of AGSEM Dallas Jokic stressed that McGill’s actions raise concerns for students’ freedoms of speech and expression. Jokic states that the unions decided to publish the letter as a response to “McGill’s egregious overreach.” 

“Because of how small QPIRG is, they are totally dependent on the MoA – if it’s destroyed, they can’t operate…McGill has money for lawyers, an organization like QPIRG is too small.”

“The reason we worked on putting this letter together is because McGill’s action fits into a broader pattern of how they’ve been approaching Palestine solidarity at McGill,” Jokic said. 

Jokic expressed that the unions have shared a sentiment that the university has been reaching against free speech, and are concerned with how McGill is affecting student rights on campus. The letter of default raises concerns for AGSEM, potentially setting a precedent for how McGill will deal with future pushback.

Jokic also stressed that this is a broader question of students’ rights to organize,  intervene, and speak freely – echoing QPIRG’s statement that the letter “is merely another attempt by McGill to suppress student activism towards divestment by removing pillars of material support for activists on the ground.”

“It is so striking to see how much money they are putting into legal costs to fight Palestinian speech and action,” Jokic added, referencing the budget cuts McGill has proposed in recent months. “It is unfortunate that that money, which could go to so many things, is instead going to these lawsuits, injunctions, proceedings, and legal actions.”

Jokic expressed hope that “McGill will take a chance to step back and reconsider the resources they are putting into suppressing pro-Palestinian speech.” They hope McGill changes course and becomes more responsive to the “demands of workers and students instead of using legal tools to suppress their voices.” 

QPIRG hopes to remain a voice for various forms of advocacy on campus – including groups in solidarity with Palestine – and will continue their attempts to source funding for legal support. 

“Only through support from the community will we have a real chance of fighting and winning,” QPIRG expresses in its written statement. The four unions will continue to support QPIRG as they “defend their organizational autonomy” and strive to “serve their community-based mandate without undue interference.”

Amidst criticism, SPHR continues to advocate for McGill’s divestment from weapons manufactures. In a June Instagram post, they stated that McGill invests seven million dollars annually into weapons enabling the “industrialized slaughter of innocent civilians” in Palestine by funding companies manufacturing F-35 bombers. The organization reiterates that they will not cease resisting until McGill divests fully from “all weapons complicit in genocide and occupation.”

For now, it is uncertain whether QPIRG will garner the support needed to challenge McGill in a court of arbitration, or whether the university will continue to move forward with their claims. As QPIRG writes, “the outcome of this battle will have a significant effect on activism at large in the community.”

The post McGill Unions “Condemn in Strongest Possible Terms” McGill’s Notice of Default to QPIRG appeared first on The McGill Daily.

On March 3, 2025, two Palestinian members of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) submitted a motion calling for a Special Strike General Assembly (SGA) to deliberate on initiating a student strike in support of Palestinian liberation. This motion was accompanied by a petition garnering 52 signatures from students across various faculties, meeting the constitutional requirements set forth in Article 13.2 of the SSMU Constitution. Article 13.2 mandates that for a Special General Assembly to be convened, a written request must be submitted by at least 50 members representing a minimum of four different faculties or schools, with no more than 50 per cent of the signatories from any single faculty.  Upon satisfying these criteria, the SSMU scheduled the SGA for Thursday, March 27.

The motion received significant backing from campus organizations, notably Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) McGill. SPHR actively promoted the initiative, urging students to participate in the SGA and support the strike motion. Their endorsement emphasized the urgency of addressing the university’s affiliations and investments perceived to be complicit in actions against Palestinian communities. In preparation for the strike, SPHR continues to post support resources for activists, emphasizing that “in every historic example of divestment, prolonged mass student mobilization was essential to success.” 

The proposed strike motion outlined three central objectives:

• First, it calls on McGill University to divest from companies involved in weapons manufacturing and operations within Israeli-occupied territories; including but not limited to Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Textron, and Thales. Further, the strike would emphasize the need to reexamine financial entanglements deemed complicit in human rights violations.
• Second, it advocates for academic disruption through a temporary cessation of classes, intended as a material and symbolic act of protest to draw campus-wide attention to the Palestinian cause.
• Third, the motion demands institutional accountability, urging the administration to sever ties with entities implicated in the oppression of Palestinian communities. Additionally, the strike would put pressure on McGill to stop disciplinary action against students mobilizing for Palestinian rights. 

The March 27 General Assembly saw hundreds of students pack into the SSMU Cafeteria, reaching the maximum in-person capacity of 300, while over 400 more joined online through Zoom. The energy in the room was charged in in  a mix of tension, urgency, and collective determination. Students lined up at microphones to speak passionately for and against the motion, debating the implications, logistics, and symbolism of striking. Discussion featured both emotional appeals and procedural interventions, reflecting the deep engagement of attendees. While many voiced unequivocal support for the motion, both the principles and practices of the strike were debated. In the end, the motion passed by a significant majority,, with 679 SSMU members voting in favouur. 

The motion outlines that the strike is intended as an act of protest against the university’s perceived complicity in the oppression of Palestinians. It specifically demands that McGill University divest from companies involved in the occupation of Palestinian territories and the manufacturing of arms. The motion further calls for the disruption of regular academic activity to raise awareness and foster solidarity. During the strike, undergraduate students are asked not to attend class: however, students may still submit assignments online and attend scheduled exams. During class time, students are urged to participate in strike-related programming. These include information sessions, picket lines, and artistic interventions meant to mobilize broader campus dialogue and public visibility. 

Statements from organizers emphasized the urgency of collective action. During the GA, attendees cited recent developments in Gaza and longstanding student organizing traditions as motivators for their involvement. Members of SPHR and others expressed that this strike would not only be about Palestine, but also about confronting institutional complicity and reclaiming agency as students within university governance.

Speaker and organizer Rama Al Malah expressed the urgency of the motion, introducing the strike as part of a continuous effort for Palestinian liberation. “We know this is the will of the students, and we will strike and continue to fight for our people no matter what,” she shared in an emotional address to the crowd. 

Although the motion ultimately passed, the discussion at the GA reflected a range of conflicting student opinions. Some attendees voiced apprehension over academic consequences for students, while opposing parties challenged the effectiveness of the strike motion. Procedural debates arose around how to balance democratic participation with accessibility in a hybrid setting. 

“The atmosphere at the GA was full of hope — the entire room was buzzing with energy when I walked in. After the motion passed almost unanimously, everyone erupted into cheers and applause,” a student in attendance shared on the spirit of the event. 

SPHR’s framing of the strike echoed similar calls made during past student mobilizations at McGill, including anti-tuition hike protests and campaigns for fossil fuel divestment. Most notably, McGill students organized a pro-Palestinian encampment in 2024 that lasted several months, featuring teach-ins and cultural programming in what students called a “liberated zone” on campus. The encampment called for university divestment from companies tied to Israel’s military operations and drew national media attention before being dismantled. 

The McGill strike also arrives amid a broader wave of student-led activism across Montreal. Just one day prior, on March 26, around 200 students from Dawson College staged a walkout and marched to Concordia University as part of a coordinated day of action for Palestine, reinforcing a city-wide momentum for solidarity movements. This follows an emergency protest for Palestine on March 18, where hundreds of activists took to the streets and organized in front of the U.S. Consulate after Israel resumed its aggression on Gaza.

As of now, no public statement has been issued by the McGill administration or faculty associations regarding the motion or strike.  According to the motion, students are encouraged to participate in events relating to Palestinian liberation and refrain from attending classes. SPHR and supporting organizers are expected to coordinate teach-ins, community-building sessions, and peaceful demonstrations on campus, facilitated by SSMU. While the motion outlines no formal penalties for students who do not participate, it emphasizes the symbolic power of mass mobilization. Further details regarding event schedules, accommodations, and outreach will be shared on social media platforms in the days ahead.

This moment represents a significant chapter in McGill’s long legacy of student activism. “It is the students who steer us towards truth and justice,” Al Malah stated during the presentation of the strike motion. “We learned from history that students have the power to force the hands of our political class and administration that divestment is possible.” The passage of the strike motion underscores a renewed student interest in global solidarity and institutional accountability. With a resounding turnout and a mandate to act, McGill undergraduates have made clear that their vision of education extends beyond the classroom, and is rooted in justice, equity, and meaningful global engagement.

Whether or not the strike achieves its concrete demands, it has already galvanized a generation of students into collective consciousness and participation. As the strike approaches, all eyes are on what unfolds next — and on how student voices continue to shape the university’s stance in an increasingly politicized global landscape.

The post McGill on Strike: Student Solidarity for Palestine appeared first on The McGill Daily.

As of late December, family physician Dr. Hashana Perera, the Wellness Hub’s primary GAC doctor, has gone on maternity leave and will not be back until January 2026. Dr. Perera was responsible for providing Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), surgery readiness assessments, and other trans healthcare services alongside local wellness advisor Margot Nossal. During her absence, Dr. Perera’s patients have been redirected to the Hygea endocrinology clinic. 

The Wellness Hub told the Daily that they have a “multifaceted plan to provide care during Dr. Perera’s leave” and have been “building capacity through training and increasing options for care.” Nonetheless, the TPU has expressed that this redirection of services is an additional obstacle for trans patients seeking GAC and HRT services.

The TPU claims that since any general practitioner can supervise and administer HRT in Quebec, “it is an unnecessary burden on endocrinology clinics to exclusively shoulder this responsibility.” They added that “as specialized medicine, endocrinology is harder and slower for patients to access than general practice.” Multiple healthcare providers at Hygea have also recently gone on parental leave, adding an additional strain on their staff amidst an influx of new patients.

As of mid-January, the waitlist for HRT at Hygea was over a year long, a considerably longer wait than for any other endocrinology services at the clinic. According to the TPU, this means that patients referred to Hygea at this time will likely not be able to receive service at the clinic until after Dr. Perera returns from her leave.

According to a statement given by the TPU to the Daily, Wellness Hub employees told the organization in January that no plans had been made for other staff at the Hub to take over Dr. Perera’s role in administering HRT. However, in a more recent statement to the Daily on February 21, the Hub said that other medical staff are currently being trained in facilitating HRT and administrating other trans care services. The reason for this change is unclear. In January, the TPU claimed on Instagram that, to their understanding, Hub doctors have had access to and, in some cases, not taken various opportunities to learn how to provide HRT. Rather, the TPU states, “it simply seems that many doctors at the Hub, and in Quebec, do not believe that providing care to trans people is their job.”

The Wellness Hub also told the Daily that they have recruited a new family physician with seven years of experience in GAC services, who they hope will begin work at the Hub by mid-March. The TPU claims that the head of the Hub told them via email in January that they intend to find new providers, but the TPU has doubts after the same promise was left unfulfilled last year.

The TPU continues to meet with members of the Wellness Hub at least once a semester to discuss issues raised by patients on access and medical practices. In an official statement given to the McGill Reporter and shared with the Daily, the organization said that the dialogue with Hub employees over the years has been encouraging, and that they have been happy to see specific providers demonstrate a willingness to improve and develop trans patient care.

In 2022, the TPU interviewed over 25 trans patients to produce a comprehensive list of proposed changes to improve the GAC services at the Wellness Hub. They worked alongside SSMU, HealthQueer Professionals, and Community Educators for Healthcare Improvement to ensure the representation of trans voices in wellness spaces at McGill. Despite important victories over the past three years, the TPU claims that there is still much progress to be made in adequately addressing issues raised by patients.

The TPU has already raised various questions about the efficiency of HRT services at the Wellness Hub, and, as stated to the Daily, has made Hub employees aware of the precarity of having only one doctor providing HRT. Simultaneously, the TPU continues to have grievances and concerns about GAC at the Wellness Hub. In a statement posted on Instagram, the TPU discussed the limitations of trans health services available to McGill students, including: that the HRT process is unnecessarily long, that there is only a narrow range of HRT medications available to transfeminine patients, and that 17-year-old patients cannot access their right to consent to HRT until their 18th birthday — despite the medical age of consent being 14 in Quebec.

These grievances come directly from the patients the TPU represents. A series of anonymous interviews conducted by the TPU for the McGill Reporter raise various issues with GAC practices at the Wellness Hub, including practices that do not align with international recommendations set by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. The six-month wait period to begin HRT (beginning from when the patient had come out or begun socially transitioning), and a visual inspection of the chest wall and physical examination of the genitals for patients seeking feminizing hormone therapy, are two Hub policies which have been dropped after meetings with TPU representatives. That being said, as of December, the Hub still required a minimum of three appointments to receive a prescription, even when patients presented a consent form at their first appointment.

“I think in general there needs to be greater understanding and recognition of trans patients’ perspectives on their own medical care,” shared a former undergraduate student who received HRT, referrals for surgery, and mental health services at the Wellness Hub from 2022-2024.
“I think it would be beneficial to see more doctors able to provide gender-affirming care at the Wellness Hub, though I know this is easier said than done,” a current student added.

The TPU continues to remain in contact with the Hub, which has been made aware of their concerns. The Union has also been in communications with Student Services and Provost Angela Campbell, and hope to meet soon with Dr. Vera Romano, Director of the Wellness Hub. In this time of change among GAC practices, The Wellness Hub has stated that they will continue to correspond with the TPU, keeping them informed of recruitment efforts and developments during Dr. Perera’s leave.

Gender-affirming care goes beyond HRT services. In Dr. Perera’s absence, the Wellness Hub continues to offer support services to LGBTQ+ students: students can meet with Local Wellness Advisors who provide psychosocial support, book appointments with counsellors and sexologists, and refer to Access Advisors in navigating care and support. For trans students struggling in the wake of recent changes made by the Wellness Hub, the TPU offers a plethora of resources for support, healthcare, and gender advocacy.

The post TPU Raises Concerns About Changes to Trans Care at Wellness Hub appeared first on The McGill Daily.

For many Asian Montrealers, Lunar New Year is a way to celebrate their heritage. The festivities keep Asian culture alive in Montreal and exhibit their contributions to the city’s rich cultural fabric.

Celebrations kicked off on January 29 with a festival in Montreal’s Chinatown. Despite low temperatures, attendees braved the cold to witness a performance by members of The Montreal Chan Lions Dance Club in Sun-Yat Sen Park. Amidst the snow, dancers performed the lion dance to the pound of drums, kicking off Lunar New Year with a symbolic ushering-in of prosperity and good luck.

The largest celebration to bring in the Year of the Snake took place over Saturday, February 1, and Sunday, February 2. Described as one of the most important annual events for Montreal’s Chinatown, the Lunar New Year festival brought over 30 community organizations together — highlighting the strength and unity of Montreal’s East Asian communities.

The weekend’s main event took place on Saturday, February 1, with a parade organized down René-Lévesque Boulevard. Coordinated by the City of Montreal, the MURAL festival team, and the Asian Night Market, Montreal’s Lunar New Year parade is one of Canada’s largest. Hundreds of onlookers gathered in Chinatown to celebrate the holiday, witnessing events including the lion dance, the dragon dance, and waist drum performances by local Chinese dance and performance collectives. Art installations by local artists – giant lanterns, inflatable snakes, and sparkling archways – decorated the neighbourhood. From 11:00am to 5:00pm, spectators and performers alike embodied the optimistic spirit of Lunar New Year in a festive display of cultural expression.

Winston Chan, an organizing member of the Montreal Lunar New Year Festival Committee, stated in an interview with CityNews that the parade “gave a soul back to Chinatown” in bringing communities together to celebrate a year of wisdom, prosperity, and innovation. Over 30 community organizations were present at the event, partnering to enrich the celebration.

Festivities lasted throughout the weekend. Sunday brought more dance performances, as well as music and martial arts. Large crowds livened Chinatown amidst the cold of winter, bringing renewed waves of foot traffic to local restaurants and businesses.

This year’s Lunar New Year holds a special significance to Montreal’s Vietnamese community, as they commemorate 50 years since the arrival of Vietnamese refugees in Canada through a celebration of resilience and cultural identity. After the end of the Vietnam War, Canada accepted nearly 200,000 refugees between 1975 and 1990, mainly Vietnamese citizens whose lives had been uprooted and jeopardized in the wake of the US-driven civil war. Many of these initial immigrants settled in the Montreal region beginning in the mid-1970s. While Canada provided support to East Asian refugees, community was essential in rebuilding and keeping Vietnamese culture alive.

Montreal’s Vietnamese community celebrated Lunar New Year with the Têt Festival on January 19. Charles Nguyen, spokesperson of the Vietnamese Community in Canada-Montreal region, shared in an interview with CityNews that the celebration embodies what it means to be Vietnamese in Canada: being with family and friends, to “come together and celebrate over a great meal, reflect on the past year, and wish each other good luck.” The event featured musical performances, cultural dances, and lots of food, as well as expositions on the rich history of Vietnamese communities in Quebec.

McGill student organizations have also scheduled festivities throughout the duration of the holiday. McGill’s Vietnamese Student Association celebrated Têt on Saturday, February 1 in the SSMU ballroom. The event was full of traditional Vietnamese art and entertainment, as well as delicious food. The event was a chance to celebrate Lunar New Year with students of diverse backgrounds and interests, coming together for an afternoon of community and culture. Students celebrated on Thursday, February 6 at the Lunar New Year Festival presented by The McGill Chinese Students’ Society (MCSS), McGill’s Malaysian and Singaporean Students’ Association (MASSA), McGill Taiwanese Student Association (MTSA), McGill Koreans’ Educational and Cultural Association (MECA), Hong Kong Student Network McGill (HKSN), and the Concordia Canadian Asian Society (CCAS). Activities included games from across cultures, art-making workshops, and music and dance performances, supplemented by a wide array of food and desserts.

As Lunar New Year comes to a close, we can remain optimistic about the Year of the Snake and all that it will bring. Through celebrations of culture and community, Montreal’s Asian communities continue to show us Lunar New Year’s importance. The Daily wishes you all a safe new year full of luck, wisdom, and transformation!

The post Montreal Celebrates Lunar New Year appeared first on The McGill Daily.

While the organization thrives off of civic engagement and democratic participation, student involvement has waned as students critique SSMU’s lack of transparency and its inability to produce monumental change through legislation. At such a large institution, building a strong relationship between the organization’s board of directors and all of its students is a near-impossible task. As questions of funding and resource allocation are raised by members in the midst of pushback against leadership, voter turnout has decreased by over 50 per cent between the Fall 2023 and Fall 2024 referenda. In 2024, the disconnect between students and SSMU became increasingly clear, leading members to wonder whether 2025 will bring new efforts by the organization to restore this essential relationship.

The past year was a whirlwind of activity in both pushback and progress for SSMU. The organization had a busy year, from fighting tuition hikes in February to dealing with legal issues on support for Palestine throughout the summer and into the fall – all while managing a deficit of up to 1.3 million CAD.

SSMU’s Fall elections, including the Fall 2024 referendum, general assemblies, and special elections, were definitely on students’ radar this fall. The Fall 2024 referendum gained attention after SSMU was unable to increase its membership fee for the fifth year in a row. 58.1 per cent of voters said “no” to an increase to the mandatory base fee for all undergraduate SSMU members, which would have increased the expense to 85.81 CAD for full-time students and 41.22 CAD for part-time students. According to SSMU, the fee would have allowed the student association to provide members with “assets of better quality” and more opportunities for student success while also alleviating the pressures felt by inflation and allowing the organization to operate more comfortably within their budget. Students, already struggling with the increasing cost of living in Quebec, were apprehensive about a fee increase, the use of which was unclear due to the organization’s lack of transparency. McGill undergraduates are frustrated with how the organization’s leadership communicates with
its constituency.

The year culminated with a Special General Assembly on December 5 regarding the removal of President Dymetri Taylor from office. In November, Taylor sent out an email that misconstrued the legal implications of the highly contentious Policy Against Genocide in Palestine, which has been under injunction since November 2023. This came weeks after McGill asked SSMU to sever its relationship with Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) as a student club, claiming a violation of the Memorandum of Agreement between the University and the SSMU, which is still being debated between the two legislative bodies.

Ultimately, President Taylor was not impeached, but the issue was highly important to those involved in SSMU affairs and brought a large turnout to the event. For many in attendance, the assembly marked a turning point in SSMU’s relationship with McGill students. The Special General Assembly demonstrated unity among students in their desire to enact change at McGill “Being at the [general assembly] in December was one of the only times I’ve seen so many McGill students come together with the same goal,” a student wrote in a statement to the Daily. “I recognized a lot of people who don’t typically show up to events like this on campus, which I think sets a strong precedent for students engaging more with the SSMU democracy in the coming semesters.”

As we enter the new year, SSMU has the chance to strengthen their relationship with the student body and be more transparent about the policies and inner workings of the institution. “I would like to see way more transparency from SSMU this year,” another student wrote. “I like to think that I’m a student that’s very tapped into what’s going on, and still I feel so out of the loop. […] Since it’s such a big part of our student fees, information about what the SSMU is doing should be readily available.”

Representing 24,000 students is not an easy task, especially when the student body is incredibly diverse – in identities, fields of study, and desire to become involved within McGill’s legislative body. The SSMU is designed as a vehicle to enact change at McGill, but this only works when we take advantage of the organization’s dedication to hearing our voices and representing our opinions in university affairs. We cannot critique democracy while remaining apathetic an uninvolved in its processes.

SSMU will be holding its annual Winter General Assembly on Monday, February 3, at 6:00 p.m. in the third-floor SSMU ballroom on McTavish. This meeting will allow members to enact change by participating in direct democracy as SSMU executives outline their plan for the new year.

The post A Year in Review: SSMU and the Increasing Disconnect Between Its Student Constituents appeared first on The McGill Daily.

In an attempt to regulate immigration, the provincial government is restricting the number of Quebec Selection Certificates (CSQs) awarded to immigrants, an essential document for achieving permanent resident status. This will effectively freeze immigration pathways through the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) graduate stream and the Regular Skilled Workers Program (RSWP), targeting foreign students and workers attempting to attain permanent residency in Canada.

Since the program’s introduction in 2010, the PEQ has been indispensable in facilitating the path to permanent residency for international students in Quebec. Established to make it easier for employers to hire qualified graduates already familiar with the province, the program primarily serves graduate students who have studied in Quebec for at least two years. But in recent reforms, international students — specifically anglophones — are finding it increasingly difficult to find a permanent home in Quebec. New requirements include advanced French proficiency

for primary applicants and application caps from specific countries, making the program much more selective. With this suspension in place, the number of students obtaining permanent residency in Quebec is projected to drop from 19,000 to 15,000 in 2025.

The RSWP, set to transition to the Skilled Worker Selection Program at the end of the month, has allowed immigrants to reside permanently in Quebec, given a declaration of interest in immigrating to the province for work. Foreign workers and students have been targeted with harsh rhetoric and animosity in the face of Canada’s housing crisis and are now faced with the possibility of losing both their jobs and their homes.

Immigration Minister Jean- Francois Roberge claims that pausing both programs will allow Quebec to gain more control over immigration and further limit the number of admissions of immigrants under permanent programs. This comes after years of claims that immigrants settling in the province has been detrimental to Quebec’s language and culture. The projected rate of immigration for 2025 is actually much higher than the projections of previous years – but now with the goal of admitting upwards of 80% francophone immigrants.

The province claims to be committed to a “balanced, diverse immigration strategy,” but many believe the suspension of the PEQ and the RSWP is in stark contrast to this. The new immigration plan has caused uproar from opposing parties; the Legault government has been slammed by leaders of the Parti Quebecois and the Quebec Liberal Party, both of whom have criticized the policy as an inadequate solution to the province’s immigration issues.

Migrants already living and working or studying in Quebec have been protesting across the province, saying that the new policies are detrimental. For many, their short-term status is precarious, and this suspension threatens their safety. Workers or students seeking asylum in Montreal have banded together with support from the Immigrant Workers Centre and Migrante Quebec, among other organizations, to protest the suspension and advocate for respect and acceptance from the community. International students have rallied across the city, pressuring the Ministry of Immigration to re-evaluate the suspension. Foreign workers continue to make their voices known by calling for recognition by the government and planning strikes to prove their indispensable roles within the economy and the community.

Canada continues to limit immigration pathways for those seeking asylum in permanent status. The Quebec government’s immigration policy will further complicate the lives of international students and foreign workers throughout the province who want Quebec to become their forever home.

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