The film documents the sale of exploration and extraction rights of parcels of land in Northern BC to companies, the lack of real consultation with communities, and the lack of regulation and monitoring of operations. It also shows Behn’s whirlwind journey through law school as an activist in his community. Over the course of the film, Behn speaks at several high-profile events and journeys to New Zealand to meet Maori communities facing similar threats.

The movie includes an emotional scene in which Behn’s father speaks about his experience in a residential school, and others speak of high suicide rates in Indigenous communities and the pain of losing one’s culture.

Structural injustice, loss of Indigenous culture

Behn himself was at the event where he answered audience questions. As Behn was introduced, he squatted down to the ground explaining that, as a man, “[he is] very aware of body language.” Throughout the question period, he returned to squatting in a gesture of humility.

“My world is war.”

The discussion, much like the film itself, was about more than the struggle against unjust LNG extraction in Northern BC. Broader themes of structural injustice and loss of Indigenous culture and way of life were woven into the story of fracking for LNG. While watching the film, it was clear that LNG extraction is only part of the problem, and that there is more being fractured than just the land.

Behn spoke of his own struggle being away from the land and living in a highly adversarial environment instead. “My world is war,” he said.

“[The goal was] getting truth on the screen and making it open and free for everyone so they can take action.”

He said that while filming the movie, he nearly killed himself three times. However, his motivation for leaving the land to become a lawyer is clear; in the film, he explains to one of his peers that lawyers are the only people in this country to whom judges listen.

In an interview with The Daily, Diana Tapia Munguía, one of the coordinators of Cinema Politica, said the goal of the event was “getting truth on the screen and making it open and free for everyone so they can take action.”

Behn had some words of encouragement for those who want to take action: even small action matters, when it’s done in a way that “seeks to critique or understand.”

However, he emphasized the need to engage strategically to have an impact because “the systems of disempowerment are so well structured after 600 years.”

“The honesty that Caleb exhibits in the film and in his talk afterwards move me very deeply.”

The evening ended with a performance by the Raging Grannies, a group of grandmothers that draw attention to issues of peace, environment, and social justice through singing and street theatre.

Vivian Wiseman, a member of the Raging Grannies, said that “the honesty that Caleb exhibits in the film and in his talk afterwards move me very deeply. […] I am in awe of his self-understanding, and it gives me a lot of optimism for the future.”

The post Fracking threatens Indigenous culture appeared first on The McGill Daily.

However, which causes “matter to all of us” is a controversial topic for some groups on campus.

Demilitarize McGill, which organizes against military research at McGill, is running a counter-campaign called ChangeMcGill24 which encourages alumni to take a pledge not to donate to McGill until military research is ended at the university.

According to the Demilitarize McGill website, there are six different research groups involved in military research at McGill: the Aerospace Mechatronics Lab, the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Laboratory, the Institute of Air and Space Law, Missile Guidance Research, the Network Dynamics Lab, and the Shock Wave Physics Group.

Thermobaric Weapons

In an interview with The Daily, Jason,* a member of Demilitarize McGill, highlighted the Shock Wave Physics Group’s research on thermobaric weapons, also known as fuel-air explosives (FAEs), as particularly concerning.

According to a Human Rights Watch report, “FAEs are more powerful than conventional high-explosive munitions of comparable size, are more likely to kill and injure people in bunkers, shelters, and caves, and kill and injure in a particularly brutal manner over a wide area. In urban settings it is very difficult to limit the effect of this weapon to combatants, and the nature of FAE explosions makes it virtually impossible for civilians to take shelter from their destructive effect.”

According to the Demilitarize McGill website, these weapons have been used in the Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars, among others.

Demilitarize McGill also documents direct linkages between McGill researchers with the American and Canadian militaries, including collaboration with researchers in the military and publishing papers which include research partially funded by military agencies.

“If you hold that standard […] I do think there’s an obligation to not be complicit in war crimes and violent, aggressive warfare.”

According to McGill’s mission statement, the University will create and disseminate knowledge “by carrying out research and scholarly activities judged to be excellent by the highest international standards, and by providing service to society.”

Jason claimed that by engaging in military research, McGill is being hypocritical because “if you hold that standard […] I do think there’s an obligation to not be complicit in war crimes and violent, aggressive warfare.”

Accessibility and regulation concerns

Demilitarize McGill also questions how the McGill administration handles the research. Jason accused the administration of being secretive and “[bringing] students to court over access to information requests.”

For example, in the Fall of 2012, some members of Demilitarize McGill submitted access to information (ATI) requests in response to questionable activities by McGill’s CFD Laboratory. These students were brought to court by the University, which claimed these students orchestrated a “complex system for acquiring documents” as “retaliation” for unknown events during the 2012 student strike.

Jason also voiced concern about the fact that “there’s really no regulation on the ethics of military research at McGill.”

As part of a McGill review of general research ethics in 2009, Demilitarize McGill called for “an ethical review of any research conducted in conjunction with anyone receiving military employment or funding.”

“There’s really no regulation on the ethics of military research at McGill.”

However, the final draft adopted by Senate in 2010 “lacked any ethical review for potentially harmful research,” says Demilitarize McGill’s website, and today McGill has no mechanism for investigating the potential harm of its military research.

Withholding donations

Anand Patwardhan, a documentary filmmaker who graduated with an MA in Communication Studies from McGill in 1982, has taken the pledge not to donate to the University.

In a statement to The Daily, Patwardhan said, “I am deeply disappointed to hear that McGill, my alma mater, is involving itself with military research.”

Derek Cassoff, McGill’s Director of Strategic Communications for University Advancement, informed The Daily in a written statement that donors can choose where they would like their donations to go.

“I am deeply disappointed to hear that McGill, my alma mater, is involving itself with military research.”

“McGill24 donations won’t support researchers or research labs directly. Some donors may choose to give to the Deans Development fund in a particular faculty, which supports a range of needs and emerging priorities over the year, as determined by the Dean. Some of these could involve research, but this would be a very small percentage of overall donations,” Cassoff added.

“McGill24 donations won’t support researchers or research labs directly.”

Regarding the University’s stance on military research, Cassoff said, “there will be no change to McGill’s policies based on this specific campaign” because “those who support the Demilitarize McGill campaign represent a tiny fraction of the approximately 30,000 donors who give to McGill every year.”

Patwardhan, however, believes educational institutions like McGill “should set an example for the rest of Canada and the world,” and said he would be “both grateful and proud” if McGill ended its military research.

*Name has been changed.

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The association was founded in November 1962, three months after Jamaica gained its independence. According to its website, the association aims at “the social, political, economic, educational and cultural integration of the Jamaican Community and by extension the Black Community within Montreal, and the Province of Quebec.”

In an interview with The Daily, Michael Smith, president of the association, said that he hopes to encourage people “to be proud to be Jamaican; not to hide [their] heritage.”

The association celebrates contributions of the Jamaican community to Montreal and plans social events. It also offers community support programs.

“For any young mother, it’s challenging. I noticed there have been issues with the parents. Some of them have problems when their young daughters are pregnant.”

The Au Futur program for young mothers is one of these programs. Speaking to The Daily, Susan Hamilton, coordinator of the Au Futur program, cited racism, difficulty in finding jobs, and living in a French-speaking province while not speaking French as some of the most common challenges faced by Jamaicans in Montreal. According to Hamilton, young mothers face further challenges, one of which is isolation.

“Well, for any young mother, it’s challenging. I noticed there have been issues with the parents. Some of them have problems when their young daughters are pregnant. Some are disowned, kicked out of the home. [This] makes it very difficult for the young mother who then becomes somewhat isolated and may end up in even more difficult situations, you know, without family support,” Hamilton said.

The Au Futur program aims to address some of these problems by helping young mothers find jobs or return to school, as well as by offering various activities such as group cooking classes, which teach practical skills in a social setting, and gatherings like reading circles.

Black History Month

Speaking to the importance of Black History Month, Smith said, “The history books need to be rewritten a little bit more truthfully. […] The way Canadian history books will present it, you’d think there was only slavery in the U.S.. […] There needs to be a greater acknowledgement of the Black community or African community through history.”
McGill Law student Brittany Williams also spoke to The Daily about Black History Month as well as about her experiences as a half-Jamaican, half-Trinidadian student at McGill.

Williams told The Daily in an interview that Black History Month is a source of inspiration and pride for her because she learns about new Black role models every year.

“I remember in elementary school and high school seeing those people, and not even the Martin Luther Kings and the Rosa Parkses, but hearing about people here, in the same context as you, who were doing amazing things. If they can do that, so can I,” Williams said.

“I remember in elementary school and high school seeing those people, and not even the Martin Luther Kings and the Rosa Parkses, but hearing about people here, in the same context as you, who were doing amazing things. If they can do that, so can I.”

Smith warned that learning about Black history, however, should not be restricted to a single month. During Black History Month, Smith said, “The focus is really on slavery, but there’s so much more to it than that, and you can’t address it all [in a single month].”

Williams added that Black History Month can be “a great time to start conversations.” While the conversations might be difficult or uncomfortable, Williams maintains that they are always worthwhile.

Speaking to her own experience at McGill, Williams said, “Sometimes [there are] ignorant people, sometimes naive people. I’ve never met anyone outright racist in school, but [it’s] just constantly having to teach people, or help people unlearn.”

Williams noted that intentionally acknowledging privilege can help. “I don’t know if a lot of my classmates who aren’t minorities consider the kind of work minorities have to do to be in a classroom that wasn’t really built for them. […] I’m oftentimes uncomfortable in class because of something someone says or what we’re learning, and I don’t think that’s a reality for everyone.”

Williams gives McGill students this advice to avoid making racialized students uncomfortable: “Recognize the way that you think and how you grew up and how that might shape the way you interact with people” and “be open to difficult conversations.”

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The consultation meeting was organized by the Educational Community Living Environment (ECOLE) project, the Milton Park Recreation Association, the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM), and the Société de développement communautaire Milton-Parc.

Speaking to The Daily, Dimitri Roussopoulos, an activist in the community and one of the organizers, explained that the meeting sought to prepare for the public consultations that are being organized by the OCPM as well as to bring people from the community together.

Acording to an October 15 announcement on the OCPM’s website, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre mandated the OCPM in June, 2015 to consult on “concrete, ambitious and achievable solutions to Montreal’s dependence on fossil fuels.” The first phase of the consultation process ran from October to January. The second phase is currently underway, and will continue until March.

The consultation meeting was structured around five themes, focusing on reducing dependence on fossil fuels in transportation, buildings, industry, personal lifestyle, and municipal services.
In an interview with The Daily, Guy Grenier, who worked with the OCPM, explained the vision of the event.

“The basic idea was to give Montrealers a say in this topic. It impacts everyone, so we work very hard to try to reach everyone to get the opinion of every Montrealer,” Grenier said.

But Roussopoulos emphasized that the event wanted to “go beyond simply talking about climate change and to talk about system change. […] In other words, what really has to change in our society in order for us to live in harmony with nature, rather than being at war with nature, which is what our society is engaged in now,” Roussopoulos said.

“People are willing to act and that’s making me more optimistic, and I feel I’m not alone in what I think of those things. So it’s going to prompt me to be more active in the future.”

Participants were asked to sit at French, English, or bilingual tables in order to discuss fossil fuel challenges that they are particularly interested in and potential solutions to those challenges. Presentations of the discussions to the wider group – which were translated to ensure that speakers of both languages were able to understand – discussed a variety of topics, such as public transportation, food consumption, bike infrastructure, presence of large delivery trucks, and urban agriculture.

Alongside the discussion of climate change, Roussopoulos said the event aimed to “bring people from the Milton-Parc community together, and to connect them with the students on the McGill campus; for them to get to know each other – because they don’t.”

Grenier outlined various other ways for how people can get involved in the consultation process. “They can participate in the creative marathon, they can organize a consultation group – we have a do-it-yourself consultation kit, they can write a [memorandum], or just present themselves to a public hearing and ask to take the [microphone].”

Event participant Caroline Dionne, who has a PhD in History and Theory of Architecture from McGill, noted pollution and a lack of green space in the community as major concerns.

Dionne told The Daily, “People are willing to act and that’s making me more optimistic, and I feel I’m not alone in what I think of those things. So it’s going to prompt me to be more active in the future.”

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