Omar El-Sharawy was elected Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) VP Internal today after a 24-hour voting period, Elections SSMU has announced. El-Sharawy’s term will begin in the Winter 2016 semester.

In an interview with The Daily prior to his election, El-Sharawy said that during his term, he intends to “ensure that events are not only successful, inclusive, fun, but also are accessible,” and that “inclusivity and social equity at events will be a main focus of mine.”

The by-election period also saw two joke campaigns from candidates Lou Bernardi and Jason Rutman, with Bernardi promising to resign immediately if elected, and Rutman citing having “watched all five seasons of Game of Thrones” among his qualifications.

This VP Internal by-election had a voter turnout of 8.7 per cent, even lower that the 16.7 per cent turnout in the first by-election last week, during which no candidate was elected.

The Daily endorsed El-Sharawy with reservations.

At 7:07 p.m., Elections SSMU sent an email stating that “there was an initial error in the calculation of the results by simplyvoting,” as it calculated the results using the Borda Count method, whereas the Electoral Bylaws mandate the use of an Instant Runoff method. Despite the error, El-Shawary still won the by-election with 55.48 per cent of student votes.

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The McGill Daily (MD): Why are you running for VP Internal?

Alexei Simakov (AS): I’ve been very passionate about McGill and being involved in McGill in various functions. Since my first year, [I’ve been involved in actions] against strike manifestations, and every year since then, I’ve tried to contribute in some small way.

I can, I think, make a meaningful contribution. When I first ran [for SSMU president] last year, that was obviously much more chaotic. […] During that experience and afterward, I’ve learned a lot about McGill, a lot about the student body. I’ve learned a lot about what people are thinking about SSMU [and] how they’re thinking about SSMU. I want to apply that experience to McGill in an executive capacity.

MD: What kind of experience will you bring to this role?

AS: I’ve worked, for example, in [the Moderate Political Action Committee (ModPAC)] in first year, that was during the strike manifestation. I’ve worked on various referendum questions; a lot of them were anti-BDS [Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel].

[…] I’ve filed a couple of [Judicial Board cases] against SSMU. I’ve been involved with, for example, the ongoing internal [regulations] review process. That’s something I’m excited to contribute, whether or not I’m successful in the election.

“I’ve been involved with, for example, the ongoing internal [regulations] review process. That’s something I’m excited to contribute, whether or not I’m successful in the election.”

MD: What do you think is the most important thing about the position?

AS: One of the things I’m talking [about] on my platform […] is the yearbook, [which] is definitely financially unsustainable right now. We need to [ask] a lot of difficult questions as to whether we want to continue that tradition – which I think is important. It’s going to probably include a student fee. […] If we don’t do that, will the student body be comfortable with cancelling the project? […] I’m usually enthusiastic about saying we should do this, I’m not reserved about that, but I think it’s definitely one of those situations where the student body needs to be able to decide that kind of question.

Beyond that, SSMU’s going through a period of reform right now. […] I think people from across all political opinions at McGill can agree that SSMU’s facing a lot of structural challenges that go [beyond simply] political divisions. […] I think the VP Internal would be able to contribute […]  by communicating what those challenges are and how we can solve them.

MD: What do you hope to improve on in your position compared to last year, or what Lola Baraldi did?

AS: I think [last year’s VP Internal] Daniel Chaim has done a fairly good job in doing his role. I think that the position has inherently been more like functional and administrative than something like the president’s portfolio. [Given that I’d have only one third of a term] it would be inherently difficult for anyone to be able to complete a full portfolio project, which would take me usually more than a year.

I think more important for me would be to lay the foundation for what the next year’s incoming executive would do. I don’t think this is necessarily selling myself short.

I think more important for me would be to lay the foundation for what the next year’s incoming executive would do. I don’t think this is necessarily selling myself short. […] This is realistic within the timeframe and the exceptional circumstances.

MD: How will you promote some of the bilingualism initiatives started by the previous VPs Internal?

AS: I think bilingualism [is something] that we have to maintain a focus on – make sure we don’t slide back, make sure we don’t forget our focus on bilingualism. […] In my experience, and I’m very open to seeing otherwise [… the McGill community] hasn’t been very vocal about [a lack of bilingualism]. […] It would be a matter of engaging with students who are bilingual and who are involved with making sure that their French is well-promoted on campus – listening to their voices.

MD: SSMU is undergoing a lot of trouble. Considering that, how would you help mitigate these problems?

AS: We have to be conscious of the fact that […] a lot of these [financial] challenges are [… due to] broader shifts in the national [and] provincial administrative relationships. […] The fact that McGill’s getting less money means that Student Services are getting less money, which means SSMU is taking on more responsibilities for itself.

I think I speak enthusiastically for being financially responsible, to make sure we use [the] limited resources we have to do more important projects. One of my strengths would be that I can more comfortably make the cuts that need to be made, if that’s the situation we’re forced into.

“The reality for SSMU is that any student government is inherently going to be overrepresented by students who are politically engaged.”

MD: Do you see SSMU as a political actor and how will your view impact your role as VP Internal?

AS: I mean they’re already very political. I don’t think it’s so much an opinion, I think they’re consciously, openly, institutionally oriented a lot toward political activism. And this is something I kind of learned last year. […] One of the pitches I made was that we need to stop this political radicalism, we need to stop this far-left kind of anarchy. […] What I’ve learned since then [is that] it’s not a matter of stopping those kinds of political spirits, it’s a matter of balancing them out.

MD: Given the wide variety of views in the student body, how should SSMU mitigate the tension between leadership and representation?

AS: The reality for SSMU is that any student government is inherently going to be overrepresented by students who are politically engaged. And those in [campus politics] are naturally those who are more on the left. That’s not necessarily a problem, that’s the reality of politics.

It’s like saying that Montreal’s cold. We’re not complaining about that. We shouldn’t try making it warmer, we should try to adapt.

You just have to ask the question, how can we amplify the voices of students that are affected by SSMU’s ideas but aren’t engaged in SSMU’s ideas. One of the things I didn’t like about the opposition last year was that they kept talking about consultation and listening to student voices. And the processes they were suggesting would simply be coming to SSMU and contributing your voice. But that’s, again, the same people over and over.

One of the things I’m suggesting is actually having formal engagements with Faculty associations, including Engineering and Science. There [are] obviously Science and Engineering [representatives] that come to SSMU, but they’re still very underrepresented and their voice can’t be as heard. […] We’ve seen [this] with the climate change motion.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For more information about Alexei Simakov’s platform, visit his Facebook event page.

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The McGill Daily (MD): Why are you running for VP Internal?

Céleste Pagniello (CP): After [former VP Internal] Lola [Baraldi] resigned, I was approached by a bunch of people asking if I would be interested. I [had] never thought of it before. […] After I was involved with Frosh this summer, I got to learn about how SSMU operates. I’ve been an executive on the Music Undergraduate Students’ Association [MUSA] for three years now, so I know my way around student politics a little bit. [While] SSMU is something that is fairly new to me, the VP Internal portfolio is not.

MD: What kind of experience are you bringing to the role?

CP: I was a Frosh coordinator for Science Frosh this past summer. I’m also a […] current executive on MUSA and I’ve been VP Communications for two years now, so that involves sending out listservs. I am bilingual, also, and I am a member of SSPN [Students’ Society Programming Network], which is the only committee under the VP Internal.

MD: What do you think is the most important part of the role of VP Internal?

“Even though I’m not from Quebec, I am still a francophone student and I do find that it’s unfortunate how English McGill is.”

CP: I think student engagement is incredibly important, especially because there’s a disconnect between SSMU and the students. Student engagement is in the VP Internal portfolio, but sort of has been lacking in the past few years. So SSMU has these events, but not everybody goes, as evidenced by 4Floors this year, which was not very well-attended, unfortunately. And that ties into communication with the students. The listserv is also incredibly important, and right now students are not interested in reading the listserv, so they’re missing out on tons of information that is super critical.

MD: When you say that people aren’t very interested in the listserv, what are you proposing to change that?

CP: I definitely want to explore new platforms for the listserv, so there’s MailChimp, things like that – just to make it more visually appealing, first of all, because it’s quite boring looking right now. Just make it a little more fun and less super formal – ‘here’s the information’ – so that it’s enjoyable to read. Maybe throw in some puns, things like that.

MD: How will you promote some of the bilingualism initiatives started by the previous VP Internal?

CP: As a bilingual student, French is my first language. Even though I’m not from Quebec, I am still a francophone student and I do find that it’s unfortunate how English McGill is. […] All of SSMU’s social media is done in English. [I’d like] to do that in both languages, first of all.

“SSMU is under a lot of financial problems right now, and I think the way a VP Internal could help toward that is by making a profit on events.”

MD: How will you help mitigate the problems SSMU is facing?

CP: SSMU is under a lot of financial problems right now, and I think the way a VP Internal could help toward that is by making a profit on events, first of all. Something that I want to do is expand Grad Frosh into normal Frosh. That might take a few years, but that’s something that’s definitely feasible.

I know that they’re planning on rearranging the SSMU structure, which was spoken about at SSMU Council [on November 5]. I think just participating in that conversation as someone who has been involved from the outside of SSMU […] gave me a perspective that is different than from candidates that usually run for this position.

MD: Do you see SSMU as a political actor, and how does that view impact your role?

CP: SSMU has definitely made a stance on political aspects before. Unfortunately the views of the SSMU executive and the Council don’t always reflect all of the students, because we do have a very broad student population. People [come] from all kinds of different backgrounds, so they have all kinds of different beliefs.

When SSMU takes one stance versus another, it sometimes excludes students who don’t stand the same way that SSMU does. Not to say that SSMU shouldn’t absolutely make a stance, but I think a greater conversation needs to happen with the student body before SSMU makes a stance. Unfortunately, the attendance at the general assemblies is not enough to get a good chunk of the students’ opinions.

MD: What sort of changes do you want to see in regard to SSMU’s relationship and engagement with its constituents?

“SSMU and its committees, groups, are a very exclusive group, I find. It’s hard to get involved, because the information is not always made accessible.”

CP: SSMU and its committees, groups, are a very exclusive group, I find. It’s hard to get involved, because the information is not always made accessible. Sometimes, applications for committees only go out to certain groups of people. I think everything needs to be sent out to all the students so that there’s a fair opportunity for everyone to apply and get involved.

I really think sending out polls and surveys and having people fill them out would take us one step closer to bridging the gap between SSMU and students.

The VP Internal position has notoriously been sort of inequitable and uninclusive, just because of the nature of the events that are planned. Faculty olympics, Frosh, things like that appeal to one crowd, and I definitely want to broaden that crowd, make everything as inclusive as possible, and make sure that everybody can enjoy themselves.

MD: What kind of culture would you like to see at Frosh, and what are the current problems with Frosh?

CP: Frosh right now is incredible, compared to what it has been in the past, but it can still be a bit better in terms of people not feeling pressured to drink or party too hard. I think another step that needs to continuously be taken […] is the leaders’ and O-Staff’s [Orientation Staff] training. […] Although we train them very well […] every year there are leader bracelets [and] O-Staff bracelets that get cut because people aren’t following the rules.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For more information about Céleste Pagniello’s platform, visit her Facebook event page.

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Speaking to The Daily, QPIRG-McGill Finance and Administrative Coordinator Kama Maureemootoo, who hosted the keynote event, said, “I think [this] is super important, particularly at McGill. As far as I know, there hasn’t been a full series that is focused specifically on trans issues.”

Maureemootoo noted, “We tend to think about […] the ‘transgender tipping point’ because Laverne Cox had her cover on Time magazine, but we don’t necessarily discuss our everyday realities, what it means to be trans at McGill University, what it means to be trans in Montreal, in Quebec. I think those are conversations that need to happen, and they haven’t been happening in such a large-scale and public way.”

UGE event coordinator Lucie Lastinger told The Daily, “I think trans people don’t get a lot of space to talk about their own issues, or often [are] an add-on to other issues, and tend not to be centered in the discussion.”

State violence, gender, and race

The keynote event, titled “A World Without Cages: Reimagining Gender, Abolition, and Resistance,” featured Joshua Allen, an organizer at FIERCE, an organization whose mission is to build “the leadership and power of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth of colour in New York City.”

“Militaries from heavily imperialist countries are the ones that have been the biggest perpetrators of all transmisogyny, all kinds of trans violence, all kinds of gendered violence, all across the globe.”

In their talk, Allen addressed issues such as the relationship between marriage and capitalism, as well as leadership in the LGBTQ movement, but focused specifically on how state violence functions in relation to race and the ways in which state violence is perpetrated against gender non-conforming and trans bodies.

“Militaries from heavily imperialist countries are the ones that have been the biggest perpetrators of all transmisogyny, all kinds of trans violence, all kinds of gendered violence, all across the globe,” they stated.

Allen called the fact that trans people and gender non-conforming people are fighting for inclusion in the military “the height of irony,” because “what’s actually happening [is that] by agreeing to be a trans person who’s in the military […] you’re actually going to use your physical body, enact your labour, to perpetuate the same violence that leaves you oppressed wherever you are.”

Event accessibility

When asked about the challenges of organizing the series, Lastinger identified ensuring accessibility as a main focus of the organizing committee, stating, “We wanted these events to be accessible to as many people as possible.”

Apart from ensuring wheelchair accessibility, the UGE also provided various resources in order to make the events accessible to more people, such as providing American Sign Language (ASL) and Quebec Sign Language (LSQ) translation and childcare at the keynote event and the panel.
The UGE also strived to make Trans/Formations a financially accessible event series. “If you had to buy a metro ticket or a bus ticket, you can bring your receipt and be refunded for that cost,” said Lastinger.

TPOC and non-binary closed events

In addition to panels and workshops open to the general public, the series also included two closed events, the Trans People of Colour (TPOC) Discussion Group and the Closed Non-binary Discussion Group.

Lastinger noted, “Those two workshops [addressed] larger problems within the trans community of being really exclusive to white trans people and not making space for trans people of colour. That’s definitely a problem, and we didn’t want to ever let that happen.”

Speaking to The Daily, one student who attended the TPOC discussion group and wished to remain anonymous, said, “I think having it closed is a way to be like, ‘we’re all people who can talk about these issues, and talk freely,’ and […] it’s not like we’re going to be like ‘you can’t say that,’ on different issues.”

They mentioned that certain spaces can make them feel “uncomfortable” because “I feel like you have to be non-binary enough – that always feels weird.”

“Those two workshops [addressed] larger problems within the trans community of being really exclusive to white trans people and not making space for trans people of colour. That’s definitely a problem, and we didn’t want to ever let that happen.”

Despite this, they said, “I think it’s good to have that [closed] space, especially because there’s not a lot of spaces like that […] at least in Montreal, as far as I know.”

They also broached the problem of conflating identities within the term “people of colour” (POC). “I think it’s [interesting] to do stuff that is so broadly people of colour, when a lot of issues aren’t just about being not white. Like more specific things […] like people [speaking about] violence against trans women of colour, but they’re really referring to Black and Latino women,” they said.

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Before the meeting started, members of Divest McGill picketed outside the doors of Leacock room 232, where Senate meetings take place. The group was able to stop Principal Suzanne Fortier and talk to her before she made her way into the meeting.

Speaking to The Daily, Divest McGill organizer Kristen Perry said, “We had invited [Fortier] earlier in the week to come to some of [Fossil Free Week] events. And she said [that] she was looking out of her window, and [that] she didn’t see anything going on. And I think that’s really indicative of how disconnected she is from the university.”

“We have […] so many students, so many professors, so many community members out there in [Community] Square, supporting us and calling for a freeze on fossil fuel investments, calling for the Board [of Governors] to take the issue of divestment and climate change seriously – and she’s saying she sees nothing,” Perry continued.

Sam Quigley, another organizer with Divest McGill, explained that the group asked Fortier to support its request to freeze McGill’s investments in the fossil fuel industry when it was brought up at the Board of Governors meeting.

In an interview with The Daily, Fortier said, “My answer was that this is not only of my calling here. There’s a process. There’s a committee that looks after these issues. […] That’s where it would be considered. It would be inappropriate for me to express my own view. ”

Responding to the Truth and Reconciliation report

On June 2, 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada released its final report, after seven years of investigations regarding the colonial legacy of Canada.

In reaction to the TRC’s report, Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) VP University Affairs Chloe Rourke and Arts Senator Erin Sobat asked the Senate: “Will McGill consider adopting a university-wide strategic plan on Indigenous education?” and “What efforts is McGill undertaking to build relationships with local Indigenous communities?”

In their written response to the question, Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Ollivier Dyens and Dean of Students André Costopoulos talked about Portage McGill, a “new process to help [Indigenous] applicants and potentially other underrepresented groups gain admission to McGill.”

Speaking to Senate, Provost Christopher Manfredi said, “We’ve got, I think, an opportunity to be a leader in the full range from the […] recruitment and support of [Indigenous] students, to the research and teaching on […] Indigenous issues both in Canada and abroad.”

McGill has historically been hesitant to take symbolic steps such as moving the Hochelaga Rock to a more prominent position on campus or flying the Hiawatha Belt Flag on National Aboriginal Day. When asked by The Daily how the University is planning on becoming a leader in this area, Manfredi gave the example that Indigenous students are recognized as such when they graduate.

“We’ve [also] established the Indigenous Studies program. We’ve had an opportunity last spring to create some stability in that program by creating a tenure track position.”

In response to comments that most Indigenous rights initiatives on campus were led by students, Manfredi mentioned that the administration was receptive to student input throughout.

“I don’t think that’s true. With the Indigenous Studies [minor] I told the students that I had to be sure that students supported that program, and […] they rose to the challenge and they did it.”

Accessibility and universal design on campus

Rourke and Sobat posed another question: “What current processes and evaluation procedures are in place within McGill’s decision-making structures to ensure the prioritization of physical accessibility on campus?”

Associate Provost (Policies, Procedures and Equity) Angela Campbell stated, “There are a list of things that [the Universal Access Capital Projects Working Group] wants to accomplish. So that committee works with a budget annually of $400,000 and it also works with the Office for Students with Disabilities, so I did see a list of things that are coming over.”

However, Campbell noted that she was unable to present a timeline for the projects.

In regards to the progress of accessibility, Campbell told Senate, “Our first meeting will happen in early November and it deals with things, not only physical access but also things like gender-neutral washrooms.”

Sexual harassment

Campbell also presented the annual report on the Policy on Harassment, Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prohibited by Law. According to Campbell, “Last year, there were 23 cases brought forward, down from an average of 36 cases in the previous eight years.”

After Campbell presented Senate with various figures pertaining to sexual harassment at McGill, Fiona Ritchie, a senator and an associate professor in the Department of English, referred to The Daily’s feature “Let’s Talk about Teacher” (Features, page 11, September 1). She stated that at the end of the article, the writer expresses uncertainty with regards to what degree sexual harassment policy applies to student-faculty relationships, and that the writer’s “perception of the policy is that it is very unpleasant” for complainants. Ritchie went on to inquire if there was a problem with students not being aware that that policy was “something they [could] have recourse to,” and whether there could be something Senate could “do to change that situation.”

Campbell responded that “the policy is open to students and is used by students.” However, she added that they were looking “at ways to make the process not only more effective, but also […] to ensure that [those] coming forward [are] in circumstances that are safe for those who wish to make the disclosure.”

Updates on the undergraduate medicine program probation

Another topic addressed at Senate was that of McGill’s undergraduate medicine program which was put under probation over the summer.

Dean of Medicine David Eidelman stated, “Every medical school’s dean’s nightmare is to be put on probation.”

However, despite this, Eidelman expressed that he was not extremely worried about the program staying accredited, as they intend to formally submit the plan to follow the accreditation body’s requirements by December 1, 2016. He also added that the Faculty of Medicine had quickly established a working chair in order to ensure that they had a response for each complaint.

Moreover, Eidelman added, “It’s a good opportunity for students [who have been] involved in every aspect [and] have been some of the most effective spokespeople.”

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As per Oliver de Volpi, Food and Dining Services Executive Chef, the goal was originally to create a 3,800 litre smoothie. Although the end product only measured in at 3,121.7 litres, the university’s concotion beat the record set by its predecessor (in Sydney, Australia) by over 800 litres.

Starting at approximately noon, thousands of fruits, and litres of yogurt and juice were blended together at Lower Field. One hundred volunteers worked together to chop and blend all the fruits in order to meet the Guinness rule that requires the smoothie be free of chunks.

Not everyone was happy about the mammoth beverage, however. Paniz Khosroshahy, a U2 student in Women’s Studies and Computer Science who passed by the event, commented on a pitcher of wasted smoothie left on the field. “We started drinking from the pitcher and a staff person came over and told us that we shouldn’t drink it because it has milk and it’s been sitting there all day in that container and [it has] gone bad,” she told The Daily in an email.

Senior Director of Student Housing and Hospitality Services Matthieu Laperle. “One of the white plastic containers we used to hold the smoothie before it was poured into the big tank was inadvertently left on the field, and there were about 100 portions or so left in the vat at the end.”

Nevertheless, Laperle was content with the record-breaking event. “Every year, we try to do a special activity on campus to welcome all the students. At the same time, we try to promote what we do [which is] the food offering on campus,” he said.

According to an email from Laperle, 2,100 litres of the smoothie were served to the crowd that flocked to the field, over 600 litres were donated to the Old Brewery Mission, and more than 150 litres were allocated to the Royal Victoria College (RVC) Dining Hall.

Khosroshahy said, “It’s frustrating to see that in the face of all these budget cuts, we have the budget to make [3,121.7] litres of smoothie. It’s irrelevant that these fruits came from Mac campus. What’s important is that the resources for this smoothie could have gone into supporting more crucial services on our campus.”

Jamie Snytte, a U2 Cognitive Science student told The Daily, “The smoothie is kind of just for show.”

“This incident was a clear waste of my tuition money as a student and I’m very frustrated.”

“This incident was a clear waste of my tuition money as a student and I’m very frustrated,” Khosroshahy said.

Aside from the costs of the ingredients that went into the world’s largest smoothie, the venture incurred additional costs. Laperle confirmed in an email to The Daily that “there were costs associated with having the Guinness representative here to monitor the preparation of the smoothie and declare it to be the world’s largest.” He added, “These costs were anticipated and factored into the cost of the event.”

The bounty of fruit came at a high cost to the university. According to de Volpi, the fruit alone cost approximately $10,000.

Laperle also commented that the venture did not represent a significant cost to the university, as both the yogurt and juice used were donated. In addition, Laperle and de Volpi noted that the tent, in which the record was broken, did not cost the university anything. “There [are] some costs [that are not] paid by us. We have been able to work with alumni [on], for example, the tent. We did not pay for the tent, but we have to pay [for] security,” stated Laperle.

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March in solidarity with Unist’ot’en Camp ends in arrests

On July 24, approximately twenty demonstrators gathered at Roddick Gates to show support for the Unist’ot’en Camp in British Columbia. The camp is located in unceded Wet’suwet’en territories, which are currently endangered by 11 different pipeline proposals, including Chevron’s Pacific Trails Pipeline project.

An organizer who wished to remain anonymous explained that the Unist’ot’en have been practicing “free prior and informed consent protocols.” This method entails asking potential visitors about their intention when they access the territory. “If [the visitors] are not approved by the hereditary chiefs, then they’re not allowed on the territory,” stated the organizer, adding, “[the Unist’ot’en have] made it very clear that […] Chevron is not allowed in the territory and the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police], who is just acting to enforce this capitalist agenda, is not allowed on their territory either.” The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) responded to the protest with several arrests and tickets.

On August 26, the members of the camp announced on their Facebook page that they were “on high alert and if [their families didn’t] hear back from [them] in 24 hours, it means [they were] unable to get word out” about their situation. They later made other posts about increased police activity around the territories.

McGill’s undergraduate medicine program put on probation

Over the summer, McGill’s undergraduate medicine program was placed on probation by the Committee on the Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The announcement came in the form of a letter, dated June 15 and addressed to McGill’s Principal Suzanne Fortier. While the letter expressed that “probation is an action reflecting the summative judgment that a medical education program is not in substantial compliance with accreditation standards,” McGill’s undergraduate medicine program has not lost its accreditation. Amongst reasons cited for the probation was inadequate instruction in women’s health and family and domestic violence. The faculty has until 2017 to address the issues mentioned in the letter in order for the program to be taken off probation, and it has already begun to do so.

Unions at McGill join $15 minimum wage campaign

On May 1, McGill’s Inter-Union Council (IUC) organized a rally at Community Square in front of the James Administration building to celebrate International Workers’ Day and to stand in solidarity with the university’s academic and non-academic workers. Following the rally, which included speeches by community members, the organizers of the rally delivered a letter to the University, signed by the event’s participants. The letter condemned many of the University’s policy decisions in response to the provincial budget cuts.

McGill worker Agatha Slupek, speaking on behalf of the IUC, announced that unions at McGill would be joining their “comrades in the fast food and retail industries [in calling] for a $15 campus-wide minimum wage.” As the collective agreements of most unions, such as the McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association (MUNACA), are about to expire, it is expected that the campaign will affect the re-negotiation processes.

Petition starts “alcohol does not equal consent” campaign

Earlier this spring, a petition was launched demanding that the Quebec government make it mandatory for alcohol bottles to have the slogan “alcohol does not equal consent” written on them, as well as for establishments with alcohol permits to display the same slogan at their bars and restrooms. According to Kharoll-Ann Souffrant, one of the people behind the petition and a social work student at McGill, the petition sought to make the message visible and create awareness about the issue of sexual assault. Mélanie Lemay, an administrator at the Centre d’aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel (CALACS) Agression Estrie, the first step to fight rape culture is admitting that it exists. “That’s the biggest test, and most people don’t do it, because it’s hard to believe that actually everything’s made up so that women [are not even the owners of their own bodies],” Lemay told The Daily.

By the petition’s deadline on July 24, 574 people had signed the online petition; however, the organizers claimed that the total number exceeds 1,000 if paper versions of the petition are included.

Affordable housing group’s camp dispersed by the police

The Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU), an affordable housing group, took to the streets on May 21 to denounce the limited funding for social housing from the federal and provincial governments and protest housing inaccessibility. Several hundred demonstrators joined the march in downtown Montreal.

Around 2:30 p.m., the congregation arrived at the Quartier des spectacles, where approximately sixty campers from Montreal and surrounding regions who were either facing housing difficulties or were tenants of social housing intended to stay in tents.

At approximately 4 p.m., the SPVM intervened, making three arrests and seizing some of the protesters’ tents. Eventually, police surrounded the camp from multiple directions and by 5 p.m. had dismantled the protest.

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Gathering at Square Victoria at 1 p.m., protesters marched in the streets of downtown Montreal – including Sherbrooke, Robert-Bourassa (formerly University), and St. Denis – for over two hours, before finally arriving to Place Émilie-Gamelin, near the Berri-UQAM metro station, around 3:30 p.m.. The demonstrators did not give the itinerary of their march to the police, making it illegal under municipal bylaw P-6, and many Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) were present throughout.

Protesters expressed their discontent with the government’s austerity measures with picket signs and banners. Marching in the streets, they chanted slogans in French such as “Un peuple uni jamais ne sera vaincu!” (“The people united will never be defeated!”) and “À qui la rue? À nous la rue!” (“Who owns the street? We own the street!”).

“Instead of hitting the big people, they’re hitting the little people.”

Connor Spencer, a U1 German Studies and History student at McGill, told The Daily that she attended the demonstration because of the far-reaching effects of austerity. “All of the things I feel very strongly about, specifically public services, public benefits, and the things that the government should be supporting, are being attacked in order to conquer the provincial debt,” she said.

She continued, “Instead of hitting the big people, they’re hitting the little people, just people further down, so I’m trying to protest that.”

Although the demonstration consisted mostly of students, unions and community organizations were also represented at the protest. A contingent was also present representing the provincial political party Québec solidaire.

After the demonstration officially ended, some demonstrators remained on the streets until late into the evening; a second night demonstration had been planned for 8 p.m.. At around 6 p.m., protesters and police clashed near Berri-UQAM, at which point police ordered protesters to disperse and began spraying the crowd with tear gas.

Also in attendance were representatives of the Immigrant Workers Centre and the Asian Women Coalition Ending Prostitution (AWCEP), a group that fights human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of Asian bodies.

Sarah Mah, a member of AWCEP, explained that the effects of austerity are not felt equally by different groups. “Austerity measures will adversely affect not only everybody, but disproportionately women – disproportionately women of colour and poor women.”

Mah added, “Austerity measures and the cuts to health services, and most recently, Bill 20, will definitely negatively affect access to [healthcare] for women, and disproportionately for women of colour.”

Florence Tétreault, a Literature and Art History student at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), noted the importance of the strike in communicating student views to the government. “That’s the only thing we can do, I think. I don’t know how I could be active in protest in another way,” Tétreault told The Daily.

Speaking to McGill students’ participation in the demonstration, Spencer said that she saw it as a necessary “symbol of solidarity.”

“It shows that we are aware, we don’t live in this ‘anglo bubble,’ we know what’s going in Quebec, we know that it affects us, and that we care and we’re showing solidarity with [the] province even though we come from all over.”

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The workshop included a conversation on the various reasons to hold resistance movements at McGill. One reason discussed by participants was ensuring affordable education. One attendee brought up “creating power that is outside the traditional hierarchies of power that exist in our society” as a reason to resist at McGill.

Another in attendance mentioned the need to resist the discourse and mindset that education is a consumer product to be bought, when in reality, students provide a great deal to the university in terms of labour and research.

The facilitators and attendees explored ways in which students are complicit in McGill’s oppressive actions and also looked at the privileges that are involved in attending the university. Facilitator Becca Yu said, “Quebec has much cheaper tuition, and people will come because of that reason, but they are not committed to fighting for accessible education.”

“They’re not recognizing [the] history that has kept tuition cheaper,” Yu explained, referencing Quebec’s history of student movements against tuition hikes.

Jaime MacLean, another facilitator, added, “While [international students] are here, they bring their money and gentrify neighbourhoods.”

The workshop also explored tactics of resistance besides strikes and how they have been used at McGill in the past. Some of the methods mentioned included teach-ins, blockades, skill-sharing, and occupation.

Yu also cited the creation of student organizations such as Midnight Kitchen and QPIRG-McGill as a form of resistance. She spoke on the 2010 closing of the Architecture Café, saying that she considered it to be “the last student-run food and hang-out space on campus.”

“There are still other student-run things on campus […] but they’re not actual spaces where people can mix and mingle and be,” continued MacLean. “What does it do to society when we don’t have those public spaces?”

The workshop also addressed creative and theatrical disruptions as another form of resistance. Yu referenced the on-campus blood drive disruptions of 2005, in which participants dressed up in drag to combat discriminatory practices against queer people.

One of the tactics that the workshop focused on specifically was student representation in the university setting. MacLean said, “[At McGill], there are structures that exist like the Senate, the Board of Governors; departments have associations, and all of these bodies have students on them.” Although she questioned the efficacy of the creation of these boards, she recognized that “they all have student seats on them because of an occupation in 1968 of the [James] Administration building.”

Although the workshop focused primarily on the history of student movements at McGill, it also included information on the Sir George Williams Affair, the largest student occupation in Canadian history, in which close to 200 students occupied a computer lab at Concordia University in opposition to a racist professor.

The workshop ended with a discussion on the limitations of student activism. “Student organizing is not perfect,” said Yu. She added that it was important to look at “the ways that student resistance can link up with other struggles.”

Yu also noted that, in the past, power structures present within strikes and student movements left many feeling conflicted between supporting the cause and escaping “the racist, patria rchal bullshit happening within it.”

“There were a lot of interpersonal dynamics that had a lot of problems [in the 2012 Quebec strikes].” She also noted that “the overwhelming whiteness of a lot of the groups who were organizing” was a part of the problem.

“If the way that we organize and work together recreates the systems of oppression that exist that we are trying to fight against, then what are we really accomplishing?”

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Last Wednesday, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Legislative Council opened its bi-weekly meeting with a moment of silence for former VP Internal Roma Nadeem, who passed away recently.

President Ava Liu also announced that the VP Finance Li Xue had effectively resigned, as she has not been working since February 26. Liu mentioned that other members of Council have stepped up to fill the void left by the absence of a VP Finance, but made no mention of a concrete reason for the resignation.

In a letter to AUS councillors, Xue outlined the reasons for her resignation. “The work dynamic that I experienced within the AUS and the decreasing meaningfulness of the work I found myself having to do was very alienating. In the end, I could no longer justify such a large time and energy commitment to something that made me unhappy.”

The letter also noted that Xue had made logistical arrangements for the allocation of her portfolio, and asked Council to revisit similar concerns about AUS’s work dynamic raised by former VP Internal Leila Alfaro when she resigned in September.

Sexual assault policy

Council discussed at length the endorsement of the sexual assault policy currently being drafted by the Sexual Assault Policy Working Group. AUS Equity Commissioner Isabel Lee said, “Although there is currently a sexual harassment policy [at McGill], this policy is quite weak. […] It is a purely bureaucratic approach.”

“We want to show that McGill University acknowledges that sexual assault is a unique kind of violence,” she continued.

Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) VP University Affairs Claire Stewart-Kanigan described to Council some of the main points of the proposed policy.

“What we’ve seen on campus is that the University’s attention to sexual assault comes in waves with the latest media scandal and disappears,” she said.

According to Stewart-Kanigan, the policy aims to institutionalize proactive measures. Another objective of the policy is to be of service to everybody, including McGill students, members of faculty, and people outside the McGill community who have been assaulted by a McGill student.

For example, the policy might provide resources for a student to transfer residences or drop a class, providing “immediate interim safety measures,” Stewart-Kanigan explained.

Women-only gym hours

Council also discussed the recent controversy surrounding a proposal to have women-only hours implemented at the McGill fitness centre.

A Women’s and Sexual Diversity Studies Student Association (WSSA) representative expressed concern over the potential gender policing that could fall under the policy of women-only hours, and asked “if there’s a way that we can put policies for folks who identify as women.” Arts Representative to SSMU Eddie Lin responded that he supported SSMU’s “definition of ‘female’ [as] anyone who identifies as female.”

Lee also commented on the proposal. “It’s kind of sad, because it feels like a very huge compromise to say that there’s only one hour a day when you can feel safe going to the gym,” said Lee. Nevertheless, Lee supported the women-only hours.

Financial Management Committee Representative Rona Hunter voiced support for the women-only hours. “I have no religious needs to exercise on my own, but I would definitely utilize women-only hours in the gym,” said Hunter.

Representation in the Arts and Science assembly

Council passed a motion that “strongly recommends that the Arts Senator[s] attend bi-weekly Arts and Science assemblies for the 2015-16 academic year on a rotational basis with the Science Senator.”

As a result of the allocation process for Senate seats, Arts and Science only receives a seat during years in which other faculties leave an extra seat vacant; this past year, since all seats were filled, there was no Arts and Science representative at Senate.

The motion is meant to help increase communication between Arts and Science students and their representatives, making sure Senators are able to bring as many of the students’ concerns to Senate as possible.

Other motions passed

Institute for the Public Life of Arts and Ideas Director Paul Yachnin addressed Council about a motion to support the proposed Masters program in Public Life of Arts and Ideas.

According to Yachnin, the new program would be a two-year research degree which “brings together the humanities with Arts management and cultural policy.” The motion passed with two abstentions.

The AUS Equity Committee presented a motion to amend equity policy bylaws. Per the motion, the term “officer,” which is currently used to refer to those on the AUS Equity Committee, is to be replaced by “commissioner.”

Lee said that the term “officer” “has a connotation of enforcement and authority.” Council voted to pass the motion.

Council also approved the Arts Student Employment Fund summer allocations, endorsed the formation of a “yes” committee to advocate for the Arts Internship Office fee referendum, and approved the imposition of a fee to help pay for the Panama Field Studies Semester program.

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Hosted by the McGill chapters of the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) and of the Student Association for Medical Aid (SAMA), three speakers – Zoua Vang, Amm Quamruzzaman, and Simona Bignami – were invited to shed light on the problems currently affecting women’s access to healthcare around the globe, and the effect of policies on these issues. The panel discussion included talks from each speaker followed by audience questions.

Zoua Vang, an assistant professor of sociology at McGill, primarily discussed the role of racial and ethnic determinants in infant and maternal health in the U.S. and Canada. In her talk, Vang stressed that socioeconomic status is a factor that majorly affects the study of access itself.

“You can’t treat all women as this monolithic group,” said Vang. In her talk, she examined the ways in which racial, socioeconomic, and ethnic differences related to premature birth rates, which can vary significantly across populations.

Vang demonstrated that among Asian women, there are discrepancies in the health results of women from different countries. While aggregate numbers show that white and Asian women have similar premature birth rates, there are many ethnic variations at play. By dissecting this larger categorization, “we can see for a lot of these Southeast Asian groups like Hmong, Cambodian, Filipino, Lao, and Thai, their rates of pre-term birth are almost twice that of non-Hispanic whites,” said Vang.

“You can’t treat all women as this monolithic group.”

Vang’s discussion also touched on the difficulties facing immigrant women in the U.S., where there is no universal healthcare.

Quamruzzaman, a PhD candidate in sociology at McGill, spoke about political agency and women’s access to healthcare, specifically addressing cases in the Global South.

“There are physical facilities, but access to those facilities [is] restricted, especially to women, those who are poor, and minority groups,” Quamruzzaman said.

Furthermore, Quamruzzaman identified corruption as a serious problem facing healthcare systems in nations in the Global South. “Many who go to public clinics have to pay a bribe,” he explained.

Quamruzzaman also noted how access to healthcare for women is influenced by systems of governance. “Women’s political participation is significantly linked with infant mortality rates. […] It is imperative to improve their quality of governance by improving their healthcare service prospects.”

Bignami, an associate professor of demography at Université de Montréal, spoke about the struggle of collecting medical data in certain countries.

Bignami pointed out that a great deal of the data presented by Vang is not available for Sub-Saharan African countries.

“For Sub-Saharan Africa, we are limited to [using] data from surveys,” Bignami noted. “Everything else that we know is biased insofar that people told us what they thought happened or what they thought we wanted to hear happened.”

Rebecca Kahn, a U2 Cognitive Science student, stated that she attended the panel because she is “interested in healthcare and its shortcomings in biomedicine, Westernized healthcare especially, and how this affects marginalized groups like women and racial minorities.”

“The people running healthcare systems are white men who don’t know what women and cultural minorities need,” she added.

Jessica Petrov, a graduate student in physiology, thought that “it was very informative – they seemed very well-versed on their topics.” She also added that she would have appreciated “more background information for people who don’t know much about the socioeconomic factors.”

Another Physiology student in attendance, Laurence Carrier, expressed the opinion that the panel discussion lacked cohesion, saying that “they were very fragmented, and I would have liked to see a theme.”

While some attendees thought that the panel was unstructured and lacked focus, and neglected certain issues like trans women’s access to healthcare, others still found it helpful.

“I thought they had some really interesting points that I hadn’t heard of before,” said Kahn.

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Speaking to the Daily, newly elected MUS President Élie Lubendo outlined his priorities for the coming year, and discussed some of the ongoing equity concerns facing the Society.

According to his campaign video, published on the Bull and Bear website, Lubendo ran on a platform that focused on three key issues: fostering a good relationship with the incoming Dean of Management, developing a new five-year strategy for MUS, and bridging the gap between the Society and its constituents.This five-year “Vision 2020” strategy, Lubendo explained, would impact recruitment in human resources (HR) and Dave’s Store, a student-run shop in the Bronfman basement. According to Lubendo, the employees at Dave’s Store are “only paid through [the MUS] payroll.”

This five-year “Vision 2020” strategy, Lubendo explained, would impact recruitment in human resources (HR) and Dave’s Store, a student-run shop in the Bronfman basement. According to Lubendo, the employees at Dave’s Store are “only paid through [the MUS] payroll.”

“They don’t have an employee manual or contracts,” he said, acknowledging the long-term liabilities of the situation. “Right now, it’s [very] under the table.”

“It’s hard to blame the MUS fully for that, when [no women] applied [last year]. Yes, there are eight male executives, but then again, zero women applied. The women who did apply for Board of Directors positions won.”

One issue facing MUS is a lack of gender diversity in leadership positions.

“It’s hard to blame the MUS fully for that, when [no women] applied [last year],” said Lubendo, in response to concerns over the Society’s all-male Executive Council. “Yes, there are eight male executives, but then again, zero women applied. The women who did apply for Board of Directors positions won.”

Lubendo continued, “It’s one of those things that everyone knows [is] definitely an issue, but no one really knows why […] and what exactly the solution is.” Lubendo also divulged that, so far, applicants for the upcoming year’s executive positions have predominantly been women.

Meagan Prins was one of two women elected to the Board of Directors for 2015-16, as the U3 representative. She also served as U2 representative this year.

Commenting on the gender composition of MUS student leadership, Prins said, “As much as I would have loved for there to be a representative proportion of females on the Executive Council last year, I don’t think we can use the events of the past year as sufficient evidence to diagnose a systemic problem.”

“The Board of Directors actively seeks to fill positions with candidates that would best meet the needs of the student population, and these candidates vary in demographic composition from year to year,” she continued.

Connecting with constituents

Another concern for some in MUS is the gap between representatives and their constituents.

According to Lubendo, student involvement is a priority for him. “[The Bachelor of Commerce program gets] over 1,200 applications every year. However, it seems that from year to year it’s always the same students getting involved.”

“Even though we’re a faculty of about 2,200, it really seems like […] it’s being run by 300,” he stated, adding that students may feel intimidated because “they see the MUS as a far-away ivory tower.”

“People want an executive council that they can approach, and that’s something that I think we’ll be able to fix next year,” Lubendo added.

An application package for executive portfolios was released last week. The interview process will take place from February 16 to 18, and the new VPs will be announced on February 19.

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On February 12, a candlelight vigil was held in honour of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha, three Muslim students murdered on February 10 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. McGill students and Montreal residents alike showed up to stand in solidarity with the three victims of what many have condemned as a hate crime.

The vigil started at the Roddick Gates before slowly making its way toward the Y-intersection. Participants engaged in a moment of silence for the three students before coordinators shared information about the lives and accomplishments of Deah, Yusor, and Razan. There were also several readings from the Qur’an.

One coordinator, Yara Hammami, shared with attendees, “My friends, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of three beautiful lives [who] selflessly contributed toward the betterment of other lives.”

“How a man can kill three innocent lives is something beyond all of us here,” stated Summia Saed Aldien, another event organizer.

When reading the mainstream media’s coverage of the murders, Aldien called for attendants to “not be naive and accept what the media has been trying to feed us.”

“The murderer is not a deranged, psychotic deviant. We need to acknowledge that this is part of an ongoing institutionalized system that condones, caters [to], and even [commits] violence toward Muslims.”

Antonius Petro, a vigil participant, noted the discrepancies between media coverage of the Charlie Hebdo attack and the murders in Chapel Hill. Petro stressed that media coverage of the shooting at Chapel Hill has been far less extensive. “Half my classmates don’t know what happened,” said Petro of the Chapel Hill shooting.

We need to acknowledge that this is part of an ongoing institutionalized system that condones, caters [to], and even [commits] violence toward Muslims.

Liza Riitters, a McGill student from Chapel Hill, said, “I feel like more people need to pay more attention to this because this isn’t really an isolated incident. Stuff like this happens all the time.”

“The whole thing about the parking dispute kind of pisses me off,” she added.

Aya Siblini echoed this disappointment with media coverage of the killings, and criticized a specific CBS news segment covering the shooting, which attributed it to a parking dispute, and used the homicide to transition into a segment with tips on how to find parking at the mall.

“To me that seems like the media is dehumanizing or normalizing the thing, or just pushing it aside and not giving it the value that it deserves,” Siblini said.

Before the vigil, Aldien spoke to the crowd, condemning the murders and the subsequent media coverage.

“We are here to show the world that we will stand united in the face of bigotry and hate crimes, and to reject this crime as simply a dispute over a parking spot.”

Ammar Saed, a McGill student who read a passage from the Qur’an at the beginning of the vigil, expressed his approval of the way in which the event paid tribute to the shooting victims.
“It’s a peaceful way to celebrate these people’s lives, and at the same time to tell people that the media hasn’t covered [this] enough, the hatred crime that has happened,” Saed said.
Aldien also tied the events of the week to other lost lives by paying respects to other victims. “Let us honour the lives lost in Gaza, Douma, Burma, Ferguson, Yemen – the list goes on,” stated Aldien.

“I believe in actions, I believe in demonstrations,” said Petro. “We should not stop here. We should do this over, and over, and over.”

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The minor is meant to focus on “the development and interconnectedness of European culture, and its relevance for the comprehension of today’s world through the study of literature and the arts from the Middle Ages to modern times,” according to the program’s website.

Despite its broad focus on European literature, the minor does not have a language requirement.

“[This allows] the student to go right away into the really interesting 300-level courses,” explained Stephanie Posthumus, a professor in the LLC department and advisor for the new minor, to The Daily.

Posthumus also mentioned that Andrew Piper, an associate professor in the LLC department, also worked to get the minor approved. Piper was very interested in how the department “could go beyond just our national boundaries and traditions,” said Posthumus, adding, “the minor is what we created as a first step [toward this goal].”

There is only one required introductory course for the minor, which will be offered for the first time next academic year. The minor also allows students to take LLC courses, which, according to Posthumus, are cross-cultural and often concentrated on a specific topic. LLC classes draw students from many disciplines, said Posthumus. “They appeal to a larger audience.”

According to Posthumus, “the idea was to offer something outside of English literature” for students interested in studying literature who felt “stuck in the Anglo-American perspective.”

LLC student council

The LLC department may be expanding in other ways in the future. Beyond the new minor, some students are working to create an LLC student association in order to better to represent the needs of students studying foreign literature.

“The creation of the LLC minor is a huge first step,” said Vincent Simboli, president of the Caribbean and Latin American Studies & Hispanic Studies Association (CLASHSA), in an interview with The Daily. According to Simboli, who is spearheading the initiative, the council would be “a specific legislative body that is pertinent to the interests of language, literature, and culture students.”

According to Simboli, a specific LLC association is necessary due to the special interests shared by students studying foreign literature and languages, such as the importance of studying abroad and the disproportionate impact of budget cuts. “If there are budget cuts to Arts, which there will be in the future, who’s going to get cut first? A Portuguese language class or ECON 208?” posed Simboli.

“I’m not looking to splinter from the AUS [Arts Undergraduate Society], I am just looking for a sister council,” stressed Simboli.

According to Simboli, the new council has faced some barriers. “[There is] general apathy you come across whenever you try to organize students. […] Convincing people that what we’re studying is relevant to a global world [can be difficult].”

“Whenever you try to get people to go anywhere, you basically have to provide free food,” added Simboli.

In light of these barriers, Simboli said that he is “likely not going to be a student when this actually comes to fruition,” and that the LLC student council may be created in two or three years.

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On October 6, the FPPM also published a press release demanding that the Commission des relations du travail take all the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the members of the police force. According to the press release, a majority of the Montreal police has been deprived of training in weapons handling since the closure of four SPVM shooting ranges in 2013.

“This neglect has ensured that the qualification rate of Montreal police in the use of service weapons was about 5 per cent at the end of 2013. The current rate is higher but remains unknown to the Fraternity,” the press release stated in French.

Firearm use and maintenance is not the only area where SPVM training has been said to be lacking. The Quebec coroner’s report on the January 2012 shooting death of Farshad Mohammadi, who was homeless and struggled with mental illness, stated that there needs to be more effective training for police officers in handling mental health crises. The SPVM also recently came under fire for its response to four different womens’ reports of being sexually assaulted by taxi drivers.

Gender and sexual assault

In October, an SPVM spokesperson warned that women should “limit their alcohol consumption and stay in control” after a series of reports from women of being sexually assaulted by taxi drivers. This response was widely criticized as an example of victim-blaming and indicative of the SPVM’s insufficient response to sexual assaults.

Indeed, police departments are often criticized for the way in which they handle sexual assault. In an email to The Daily, Frances Maychak, External Coordinator at the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS), outlined a few of the many factors that prevent survivors from reporting to the police.

According to Maychak, a fear of further violence, concerns about the legal process, trauma, relationship to the perpetrator, and issues of language, citizenship, and immigration can all impact a survivor’s decision.

“[Survivors may] fear violence from the police and/or negative/ violent experiences with the police in the past,” said Maychack, adding that many also fear being blamed for their own assault.
Communication barriers can also impact the ability and willingness of assault survivors to report to police. “Survivors may not speak the language(s) necessary to report their assault(s),” stated Maychak.

Preparation and sensitivity in other issues, such as language, can play a role in the use of force by police. According to Maycheck, attention to the specific needs of sexual assault survivors is crucial.
“It is extremely important that the police are educated on issues of sexual assault, take all reports of sexual assault very seriously, never disbelieve a survivor, and never blame a survivor for being assaulted,” she said.

SACOMSS has recently begun training a team of volunteers to accompany assault survivors to the police, as well as court dates and medical appointments.

The Collective Opposed to Police Brutality (COBP), an autonomous group that aims to combat police brutality, argues that the SPVM’s inefficacy at responding to sexual assault is a product of the patriarchy.

A COBP press release about police violence against women read in French, “Men dominate the army and the police, particularly in positions of command. Men generally have more money than women. Although there obviously are some women who occupy better positions than men, it is possible to speak of Quebec as a patriarchal system that divides society into two classes of unequal genders.”

Homelessness

Despite the implementation of initiatives that sought “to better respond to the many aspects of mental health and homelessness problems” detailed in the SPVM’s 2013 annual report, the homeless population remains a target of police brutality in Montreal. There have been reports of threats from the police for panhandling. Earlier this year, a member of the Montreal police shot and killed Alain Magloire, a homeless man who faced mental illness, after hitting him with a police cruiser.

In order to learn more about the relationship between Montreal’s homeless population and the SPVM, The Daily spoke to the Old Brewery Mission, an organization that works with Montreal’s homeless population. The Old Brewery Mission tries “to work with people to find better solutions, depending what issues they are dealing with.”

Old Brewery Mission Emergency Services Coordinator Neila Ben Ayed spoke with The Daily about the relationship between the SPVM and Montreal’s homeless population.
“Most of the time, it’s not violent; [however] sometimes [the police] lose patience, they can be verbally more aggressive with these kinds of people,” said Ben Ayed. “Homeless people need – how can I say that – they need a human approach.”

“[The Old Brewery Mission] has a great relationship with the police,” said Ben Ayed. However, she conceded that “they have to improve communication.”
“Maybe the SPVM has to improve their workers with more training with specific population issues, like homelessness,” concluded Ben Ayed.

SPVM media relations would not comment on the current training process for officers.

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