President – Jemark Earle

Jemark Earle

Recieved 66.1 per cent of votes (2213 votes total).

Ruth Silcoff

Received 29.2 per cent of votes (933 votes total).

VP University Affairs – Brooklyn Frizzle

Brooklyn Frizzle, U2 Science

Recieved 50.3 per cent of votes (1434 votes total).

Griffin Scott

Received 40.3 per cent of votes (1150 votes total).

VP External – Ayo Ogunremi

Ayo Ogunremi, U3 Arts

Recieved 69.6 per cent of votes (2076 votes total).

Noah Merali

Received 22.7 per cent of votes (676 votes total).

VP Student Life – Maheen Akter

Maheen Akter, U3 Arts

Recieved 64.5 per cent of votes (1964 votes total).

Belle Sullivan

Received 31.1 per cent of votes (945 votes total).

VP Internal – Declan McCool

Declan McCool

Recieved 88.2 per cent of votes (2575 votes total).

No

Received 11.8 per cent of votes (343 votes total).

VP Finance – Gifford Marpole

Gifford Marpole, U2 Arts

Recieved 86.7 per cent of votes (2432 votes total).

No

Received 13.3 per cent of votes (372 votes total).

The post 2020-2021 SSMU Executive Election Results appeared first on The McGill Daily.

President

Jemark Earle

Experience:

Earle has experience as VP Special Events of the Law Students’ Association (LSA), VP Internal of the Black Law Students’ Association at McGill (BLSAM), VP Student Life of SSMU, Director on the SSMU Board of Directors, VP Health and Athletics of the Music Undergraduate Students’ Association (MUSA), and as a Floor Fellow.

Platform:

Earle’s platform focuses on institutional memory and long-term planning, specifically reforming SSMU GAs, working on the creation of a wellness space in 3501 Peel, and looking into the possibility of having more student-run services in the reopened University Centre.

Ruth Silcoff

Experience:

Silcoff has experience as President of the McGill Debating Union, VP Internal of a Hall Council, and Vice President of her high school student council.

Platform:

Silcoff’s platform focuses on increasing interaction and communication with the student body and clubs, proposing new accountability measures, increasing awareness of different academic departments, increasing diversity in different departments, reforming grading practices, and working with the Wellness Hub to create an online sign up system for appointments, among other proposed initiatives.

YES with reservations to Jemark Earle

Jemark Earle is the most qualified candidate for this position. Due to his experience as a former SSMU executive, Earle has crucial institutional memory that the other candidate, Ruth Silcoff, lacks. In addition, we believe his experience in other portfolios will aid him in the role of President, as the position often requires multiple skill sets. Earle’s platform also demonstrates familiarity with ongoing SSMU projects, such as the acquisition of 3501 Peel and the implementation of a Fall Reading Break, as well as institutional knowledge to continue these projects after the current executive departs. We are endorsing him with reservations, as there have been concerns in the past with how, as former VP Student Life, Earle handled the SSMU building closure. However, as the second half of Earle’s term went more smoothly, we believe these initial hiccups in his term are not sufficient enough to warrant a ‘NO’ vote.

VP Internal

Declan McCool

Experience:

McCool’s has experience on the Science Games Committee, the Montreal Runners Charity Organization, as Team Manager and VP Fundraising on the McGill Varsity Rowing Team, and with McGill Sports Media and Communications.

Platform:

McCool’s platform focuses on environmental sustainability at SSMU events, a new Communications Policy, involving first year students more, and making SSMU events more inclusive and survivor-centric.

YES with reservations to Declan McCool

The Daily editorial board endorses a ‘YES’ vote with reservations for Declan McCool. While McCool has some experience in communications and with aspects of the VP Internal portfolio, he lacks experience working in SSMU. However, McCool’s focus on implementing the ‘Golden Rule’ at all events and reforming the Involvement Restriction Policy (IRP) is crucial, and it is extremely important to see the VP Internal pushing for a survivor-centric approach at SSMU events, of which they hold immense responsibility. Our reservations stem from McCool’s proposed Communications Policy, which appears to allude to the current VP University Affairs’ use of profanity to express frustration with the administration’s greenwashing and with racism on campus. The Daily strongly condemns attempts to tone police at SSMU, and for this reason we are expressing our reservations with McCool and the policy he is proposing. Additionally, we hold concerns with McCool’s proposed ban on plastic straws and replacement with only compostable versions. While this may seem to be more sustainable, it does not take into account accessibility concerns for those who need plastic straws and for whom compostable straws are not feasible options. For these reasons, the Daily is endorsing McCool with reservations.

VP External

Noah Merali

Experience:

Merali is currently the SSMU Services Representative, and has spent the past year working, shadowing, and attending meetings on behalf of the current SSMU VP External. They are a member of the Affordable Housing Committee and a member of the McGill Student Emergency Response Team (MSERT). Further, they are involved with the project to renovate the Royal Victoria Hospital, and are working with the Milton Parc Citizens Committee to ensure that the renovation is beneficial to the community.

Platform:

Merali’s platform pushes to continue working for affordable housing in the McGill community, and to improve the image of the McGill community among local Milton-Parc residents. They aim to connect with other student unions to lobby together for larger government issues, and through this, support underrepresented groups on campus. They discussed helping campaigns navigate McGill and SSMU bureaucracy and governing practices while supporting existing campaigns and being a reliable point of contact. They want to expand their office hours and hold public consultation sessions where students can not only discuss issues and share their ideas, but can access resources, institutional support, and guidance to launch initiatives. A large focus of their platform was dedicated to the problem of food security, and how they could work with McGill to establish better food practices. Further, they hope to create a coalition among other student unions at other Quebec universities, such that they could work together to oppose or support causes, creating a stronger voice against the government or for the people.

Ayo Ogunremi

Experience:

Ogunremi is the co-founder of Climate Justice Action McGill (C-JAM) and is currently the vice president of the Black Students’ Network (BSN). He has worked in SSMU as the SSMU Mobilisation Coordinator since September. He has consulted on projects such as the McGill Student Suicide Framework Advisory Committee, SSMU’s Mental Health Plan, and the review of SSMU’s Climate Change Policy.

Platform:

As VP External, Ogunremi’s platform focuses mostly on campus advocacy. He hopes to strengthen SSMU campaigns internally and externally. Through this, he aims to support mental health advocacy, Indigenous and marginalized voices, and to support student unions. On this, he wants to support the SSMUnion development and facilitate its integration into the McGill Communities Council, and engage in early consultations for review of the Indigenous Solidarity Policy. Similar to Merali, he hopes to reach the community by tabling in an accessible public space at least once per month to update SSMU members on VP External activities, to promote information accessibility, and to hear members’ feedback. He wants to assume administrative and financial responsibilities of campaigns to allow Political Campaign Coordinators to dedicate more hours to organizing. Ogunremi also addresses the Affordable Student Housing Committee, and creating a healthier relationship with the Milton-Parc community.

YES with reservations to Ayo Ogunremi

Both candidates are highly qualified for this position. Ogunremi does not have the SSMU experience that Merali has, but his established network of individuals and organizations on campus is impressive and hard to forego. The VP External must operate SSMU campaigns and mobilization efforts, and Ogunremi has a stronger presence in the McGill community, as well as experience working as SSMU Mobilization Coordinator. Additionally, Ogunremi has more experience speaking in French in a professional context – he has done interviews in French – and for a position that requires external interaction with the province, French is critical. However, Merali’s platform fit the mandate of the VP External better than Ogunremi’s did, aiming to reach out to other schools and enact change on a provincial level, and looking beyond the immediate McGill community. Some of their larger-scale projects lack strong actionable plans. It should be noted that in a pair of candidates so closely matched, these small differences make a large impact. Because Ogunremi does not have the same level of experience with and understanding of the VP External portfolio as Merali, the Daily is endorsing Ogunremi with reservations.

VP University Affairs

Brooklyn Frizzle

Experience:

Brooklyn is currently the Resource Coordinator at Queer McGill, which is a SSMU service. They have also worked with Office of the Provost and VP Academic on their plan regarding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Platform:

Brooklyn’s platform focuses primarily on equity. Within the realm of library improvement, they plan to use the Fund to expand the library’s free collection of textbooks and open access materials. They also hope to integrate alternative libraries, such as those at Queer McGill and QPIRG, into the library catalog. They plan to launch an independent research project into the student Wellness Hub, which they told the Daily they will use to “advocate for change [through] McGill’s legislative and administrative bodies, [and work with when] collaborating [with] student groups and executives.” They also plan to give students tools to navigate McGill’s complicated bureaucratic system by “integrating educational content built around alternative reporting streams into the existing mandatory anti-oppression programming.” Furthermore, they aim to “implement measures to increase the representativity of SSMU’s Senate delegation by involving relevant student groups throughout the senate committee appointment process while maintaining due impartiality.” Finally, they hope to add more gender-neutral bathrooms to McGill campus buildings.

Griffin Scott

Experience:

Griffin worked for the Department of Education over summer 2019 doing data analysis and outreach work. He has also been a research assistant at Douglas Mental Health Institute since fall 2019. He does not have any SSMU or student government experience.

Platform:

Scott aims to centre mental health and equity in his platform, including improving the student Wellness Hub, allowing students to defer exams without notes, and making period products and contraception more accessible. He also hopes to advocate for hiring and tenure reform, including working to make these processes more transparent and advocating that disciplinary records be included in tenure decisions. Scott plans to advocate for proper use of preferred names by creating a reporting system for when students are deadnamed and advocating for accessible online requests for name changes. He also plans to create more open access to educational resources, following the model of UBC to build an open library. When asked by the Daily what he would do differently than the incumbent, Scott said “that upon election [he] will favor a diplomatic approach with the university whereas the incumbent has relied on direct action and an adversarial approach.”

NO to both Brooklyn Frizzle and Griffin Scott

Scott’s platform focuses on broad goals with few actionable elements, and he doesn’t have experience working with SSMU. His suggestions for improving the Wellness Hub – online booking and extended drop-in hours – are likely unfeasible, and suggest that Scott hasn’t spent enough time assessing the work that has been done by UAs and SSMU teams in the past. While Frizzle has more experience in a student government setting and stands as a stronger candidate overall, their aim to “implement measures to increase the representativity of SSMU’s Senate delegation” speaks to a misunderstanding of the internal function of SSMU. The UA position requires experience as well as a realistic set of expectations, neither of which are strongly represented by either candidate. Both candidates referenced the importance of a more diplomatic approach when addressing administration, which raises some concern about their understanding of their role as UA. Being diplomatic is a requirement of these conversations, not a campaign promise, and including respectability in their campaign comes uncomfortably close to condemning the outgoing UA’s outspoken (and effective) advocacy strategies. Additionally, UA must be comfortable promoting student needs at the expense of a comfortable relationship with the administration.

Though Frizzle is more qualified, both candidates present at least one action item that is either beyond the scope of the position or unfeasible. With more experience working directly with SSMU, each candidate could become more viable in future elections. For these reasons, the Daily does not endorse neither Frizzle nor Scott.

VP Student Life

Maheen Akter

Experience: 

Akter’s is a U3 student, focusing on Political Science and Psychology. Her work experience includes, Floor Fellow at la Citadelle, and her position as Arts Undergraduate Society Vice-President of Internal Affairs.

Platform:

Akter’s platform consists of five pillars: Revitalizing the University Centre, clubs and services, mental health, family/daycare, and personal projects such as working with the Scholarships and Student Aid Office to create more scholarship opportunities. Other examples of what Akter plans to do with said pillars includes strengthening accessibility regarding Mental Healthcare. For Akter, this would mean connecting the Wellness Hub to mental health clinics outside of McGill services, thus creating ,trans-positive, survivor-centric mandate. Additionally, she wants to provide better feedback mechanisms for SSMU staff, and work with students who need childcare in order to improve the model of daycare at the University.

Belle Sullivan

Experience: 

Asides from campus activism, Sullivan’s experience includes being a member of Union for Gender empowerment, working as the SSMU Eating Disorder Campaign Coordinator, and lastly, being an organizer of the SSMUnion (the union for SSMU employees).

Platform:

Sullivan’s platform consists of three pillars: accessibility, engagement, and samosas.  Some examples of what Sullivan plans on doing with her pillars include holding “a greater amount of office hours to allow for more face time with clubs and club executives”, ensuring “a smooth transition back into the SSMU building for services”.

YES to Maheen Akter

Akter’s proposed mandates suggests a prioritization of accessibility. Her plans are explicit and if successful, would reshape day-to-day campus experience. Furthermore, Akter works to address numerous facets of student life that are being neglected. Examples of increasing accessibility include undertaking an ‘accessibility audit’ in order to provide “washrooms that aren’t gendered, baby changing stations in the bathroom, stalls accessible for mobility devices, etc.” Additionally, Akter wants to renegotiate “vendor contracts to introduce new, affordable food options”, “collect large-scale survey data on McGill student concerns, especially to see student interest around services like long-term counselling,” and continue the work started by Sullivan with the Eating Disorder Support Centre through expanding its resources, Akter, like Sullivan, also plans on eliminating the $25 Samosa fee. Overall, both candidates are qualified, however, Akter’s agenda is more thought-out and precise. Additionally, her strides towards accessibility address numerous facets of student life, from the price of food on campus to survivor-centric mental health counselling.

Sullivan’s platform is not as all-encompassing, and although she is a qualified candidate, and has accomplished significant work that relates to the Student Life portfolio, her proposals lack detail when explaining how they will be executed. When asked about her plan to create initiatives for mature students, she stated she wanted to conduct consultations with students first before specifying any details. Honesty and transparency is appreciated, however, her platform once again seems vague, making it confusing about what she will do with her position if elected. Additionally, her plans for accessibility when it comes to gender identity are limited – she plans on training SSMU employees to be knowledgeable when “using the correct name for anyone with legal names”– whereas Maheen’s plans are far more extensive, hoping to set-up more gender-neutral bathrooms on campus. For these reasons, the Daily endorses a YES vote for Akter.

VP Finance

Gifford Marpole

Experience:

Marpole is an Economics student and is currently treasurer of the McGill chapter of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. However, he lists no other relevant experience working in student government or related positions in finance.

Platform:

Marpole’s platform outlines three main goals: more closely organizing the budget to prevent deficits or surpluses (based on historically-based budget projections), introducing organized summaries before SSMU finance reports for more student accessibility, and increasing the SSMU Environment fee from $1.25 to $1.75 and SSMU Mental Health fee from $0.40 to $0.60. He also plans to work with the funding committee to streamline and optimize the process of funding, making it easier for clubs to apply for funding. His platform emphasizes improving transparency between students and SSMU spending through introduction of the summaries, and investing in “ecological and social sustainability” through the fee increases, in order to support environmentally-friendly practices on campus and to “[increase] the accessibility of the mental health services run through SSMU.”

NO to Gifford Marpole

Marpole has not displayed adequate experience for the role of VP Finance. His platform is short, has little actionability, and does not seem to have a grasp of previous VP Finance resolutions. It is unsure whether organized summaries have already been implemented with students simply not knowing, and the strong emphasis on balancing the budget is unneeded and not necessarily feasible. He also makes no mention of why he has chosen the SSMU Environment and Mental Health fee, other than that they are ‘important’ to sustainability, and does not detail where the money from fee increases will specifically go, or what services and groups will benefit from them. In addition, the SSMU Mental Health fee only funds SSMU advocacy for mental health services, and will not translate into more counselors or improvements for the Wellness Hub, which can only be funded by endowments; this means the Mental Health fee increase will be unproductive in the overall goal of improving access to mental health services. Finally, his platform fails to address the responsibility of VP Finance in corresponding with groups about human resources and insurance, and how he plans to approach these aspects of the position’s mandate.

The Daily’s Coordinating and Managing Editors, Kate Ellis and Willa Holt, have personal relationships with VP External candidate Noah Merali. Additionally, Kate Ellis had a previous professional relationship with VP Student Life candidate Maheen Atker. As such, they both recused themselves and did not participate in the editorial endorsement process for the above-mentioned positions.

This article has been updated to include the full analysis of each candidate’s platform and experience that was included in the Daily’s research and discussion and was conducted prior to the publication of endorsements, in addition to the original posting of the Daily’s endorsements. 

A previous version of this article stated that the Daily’s coordinating editor, Kate Ellis, recused themselves only from the research and discussion involved for the position of VP External. They in fact recused themselves for both the positions of VP External and VP Student Life. The Daily regrets and sincerely apologizes for this error.

The post SSMU Executive Endorsements 2020 appeared first on The McGill Daily.

From the event description:
“We recognize and stand witness to the unlawful incursion of Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline across northern British Columbia. Under ‘Anuch niwh’it’en (Wet’suwet’en law) the five clans have unanimously opposed all pipeline proposals and have not given consent to Coastal GasLink to continue working on Wet’suwet’en lands.”

Photos by José Noé De Ita Zavala

The post PHOTOS: Demonstration in Solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en Nation appeared first on The McGill Daily.

The questions in this referendum are:

• Creation of the Indigenous Equity Fund and Fee
• Creation of SSMU Student Academic Support Services and Fee Levy
• Increase and Nature of SSMU Equity Fee
• Club Fund Fee Increase
• Discretionary Funding for DriveSafe

Creation of the Indigenous Equity Fund and Fee

The McGill Daily editorial board endorses a “yes” vote to the Indigenous Equity Fund and the non-opt-outable $1.00 fee per semester.

The fund in question serves a multitude of purposes, including supporting Indigenous students in need of financial aid for living expenses, providing autonomous funding for Indigenous student groups on campus, providing funding for the costs associated with Indigenous student mobilization, and hiring an Indigenous Affairs Campaigns Coordinator and an Indigenous Equity Researcher.

Creation of SSMU Student Academic Support Services and Fee Levy

The McGill Daily editorial board endorses a “yes” vote to create SSMU Student Academic Support Services (SASS) and the accompanying opt-outable $0.93 fee.

According to SSMU President Bryan Buraga, SASS “would be an integrated office for the expansion of Open Educational Resources, SSMU Tutoring, and SSMU MiniCourses, as well as the creation of fairly compensated notetaker positions and examination prep courses at a more affordable price than for-profit companies such as Prep101.” SASS will make academic help more accessible, especially for first-year students who often do not have the financial means, networks, or resources to access tutoring services. The fee levy would “go towards paying for the salaries of notetakers, as well as a full-time coordinator to manage all administrative aspects of SASS.

Increase and Nature of SSMU Equity Fee

The McGill Daily editorial board endorses a “yes” vote to increase the opt-outable SSMU Equity Fee from $0.50 to $1.00.

The SSMU Equity Committee is a group of students who “promote equity education and tackle equity issues on campus.” According to SSMU Equity Committee Member Caroline Pease, the SSMU Equity Fee “would enable greater equity mobilization and coordination across campus, while allowing the SSMU Equity Committee to better support equity-related student groups.”

Club Fund Fee Increase

The McGill Daily editorial board endorses a “no” vote to increase the opt-outable Club Fund Fee from $2.75 to $7.75 per semester.

The Club Fund Fee increase will go towards building an online interface for clubs (a “Clubs Portal”), the estimated cost of which would be “to the tune of $20,000 [a year] plus tax,” as well as a more comprehensive insurance general liability plan. Because the funds of the drastically increased fee are not going directly towards funding clubs, the Daily is endorsing a “no” vote.

Discretionary Funding for DriveSafe

The McGill Daily editorial board endorses a “yes” vote to allocate five per cent of SSMU DriveSafe’s annual budget to be used as discretionary funding for environmental stewardship and carbon offsets.

DriveSafe is committed to being an accessible service for McGill students and staff and plans to be carbon-neutral by 2030. DriveSafe’s constitution requires that the service “monitor[s] the environmental impact of all its events and operations” and “attempt[s] to utilize the services and resources available at SSMU to maximize capacities for equitable decision-making and environmental stewardship.”

To vote in the referendum, visit simply voting’s website, beginning at 9a.m. on Tuesday, November 12. 

More information on this and future referendums is available from SSMU on their website: here and here

Any questions may also be directed to Elections McGill via email at elections@ssmu.ca. 

Students should also note that the nomination period for both council-initiated and student-initiated questions in the Winter 2020 referendum will be from January 6, 2020 at 9:00 AM to March 12, 2020 at 10:00 p.m. 

Student-initiated questions must collect 500 signatures to appear on the ballot. Student-initiated questions can not alter the composition of SSMU staff or any financial matters related to SSMU. 

The post Fall 2019 Referendum appeared first on The McGill Daily.

The post Sign Petition against POLI 339 appeared first on The McGill Daily.

Becca Yu, QPIRG’s Finance Coordinator, then presented the organization’s financial reports. The organization ended the 2017- 2018 year with a larger surplus than the year before, largely due to the third full-time staff position remaining unfilled for a short period of time, as well as lower working group spending. With this surplus, the organization bought a camera, a projector, and laptops for staff members and working groups to use.

QPIRG staff members then proceeded to give their reports. Staff updated attendees on School Schmool as well as QPIRG’s Popular Education Event Series, which includes Culture Shock and Social Justice Days.

Coordinators of Rad Frosh reflected on their alternative to SSMU’s Frosh that took place in September. This year’s Rad Frosh theme was “We’ve got the beat,” which the coordinators described as an attempt to “archive the reciprocal relationship of social justice and political activism of the ‘80s in relation to the present.” Rad Frosh took place in September and offered 152 participants events such as radical campus tours, Queer prom, a DIY fair, and benefit concerts hosted by BIPOC artists. According to staff members, it was highly attended and a very successful event.

Other presentations included the organization’s outreach report and the summer stipend report, which was awarded to the Third Eye Collective this past summer to construct a zine with resources for sexual and genderbased violence. After updates from the library coordinator, the Community University Research Exchange (CURE), and the Prisoner Correspondence Project, the meeting moved to board reports.

The Board of Directors, the radical research committee, the policy committee, and the accessibility committee all presented brief updates from the past year. Their biggest challenge for the year was reaching quorum and disseminating information between board members for time-sensitive issues.

The meeting then moved to elections for student members and community spots on the Board of Directors, as well as elections for the Conflict Resolution and Complaints Committee (CRCC). Everyone who ran for the positions was elected; this includes nine students elected as student representatives to the Board of Directors, two individuals elected as community representatives to the Board, and two individuals elected to the CRCC.

Finally, all of QPIRG’s working groups in attendance gave their annual reports. A great deal of QPIRG’s mandate is carried out through working groups, who operate autonomously from QPIRG, but receive funding and resources from QPIRG. This past year, QPIRG supported 18 working groups, all of which centre their research and action around social and environmental issues. Working groups include Food against Fascism, Independent Jewish Voice, McGill Students in Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, Women from the Committee of Women of Diverse Origins, Black Indigenous Harm Reduction Alliance, Solidarity Across Borders, and STAND for Prison Justice, among others.

The AGM allowed QPIRG and its working groups to report to its members on the work they have done over the year. For attendees, it was a reminder of all the various organizations that exist on campus and in the community, and what students can look forward to for the upcoming year

The post QPIRG Annual General Meeting appeared first on The McGill Daily.

President

Bryan Buraga

Experience:

Currently, Buraga serves as an Arts & Science Senator, which allows him to participate in SSMU Legislative Council and McGill Senate. Between those two bodies, Buraga has participated in many committees, including serving as director of the Board of Directors and chairing the SSMU Ad-hoc Fall Reading Week Committee.

Platform:

Buraga’s platform outlines five main points. If elected, he would focus on student advocacy, financial and institutional reform, student space renewal, improved student support services, and concrete accountability measures. In advocacy, Buraga would push for a fall reading week by 2020. Additionally, he is calling for “a policy that includes a clause stating that disciplinary action against professors will stay in their employment file for a period of seven years and will be considered in promotion and tenure.” His suggestions for financial and institutional reform include ending uncompensated student labour within SSMU while ensuring that student workers are awarded a fair wage. He would also revisit McGill’s meal plan practices, SSMU’s policy on approving course fees, and the biannual General Assemblies. Student space renewal and improved student support services efforts include acquiring more properties on Peel to host additional student services and clubs. For accountability and transparency measures Buraga suggests monthly Reddit Q&As and bi-weekly Facebook livestreams, along with implementing a SSMU conflict of interest policy.

Kyle Rubenok

Experience:

Rubenok is the current president of the Computer Science Undergraduate Society. He also sits on SSMU’s Finance and Accountability Committees, as well as the Board of Directors. Rubenok’s experience with SSMU has given him “detailed insight into the workings of this organization and has motivated [his] desire to lead it.”

Platform:

Rubenok’s platform has three main points: student experience, health and wellness on campus, and responsible governance. He would advocate for more affordable food options on campus during the renegotiation of food contracts. While Schulich library is closed for renovations, Rubenok wants to make sure student experience isn’t compromised. He plans on converting areas of the University Centre into study spaces, among other improvements to student spaces across campus. If elected, Rubenok pledges to make the 3501 Peel Street Wellness Hub project his “highest priority.” Similarly, he would like to advocate for better health insurance for international students at the upcoming renegotiation of Blue Cross’ contract with McGill. To ensure responsible governance, Rubenok wants to increase advocacy with administrators by fostering a good working relationship with the Deputy Provost Student Life and Learning (DPSLL) Rubenok also wants to improve General Assemblies by making them more digitally accessible, so students who cannot physically attend can still participate.

Endorsement: Bryan Buraga, with reservations 

Buraga has consistently shown that student input and advocacy are his main priorities, and has  demonstrated his capabilities in student government. Some highlights from his platform include a Fall reading week by 2020, ending down-curving grades and 70 per cent finals, supporting divestment from fossil fuels, and continued advocacy for a better McGill policy addressing sexual violence. Our endorsement comes with reservations because of Buraga’s Judicial Board petition in November of 2018.  While Buraga’s ultimate goal was to secure funding for the Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy (GSVP) through SSMU and not student fees, quietly removing himself from the original motion without informing anyone and not taking into account the consequences if the petition passed, resulting in no GSVP at all, is cause to question how Buraga may solve debates like this in the future.

VP Student Life

Billy Kawasaki

Experience:

Up until February, Kawasaki was serving as VP Internal of AUS, resigning in the midst of the POLI 339 controversy. He is currently the HR coordinator of SSMU. In the past he has also acted as the McGill Industrial Relations’ Students Association VP Internal, as the VP Communications and as the chair of FEARC, and sat on the SSMU ad-hoc building committee.

Platform:

Kawasaki’s platform has five pillars: creating a clubs portal, building a SSMU network, mental health advocacy, keeping the eating disorder program, and working towards food security on campus. The clubs portal is at “the heart of [his] mandate.” The clubs portal would facilitate communication between clubs and SSMU, as well as improve the registration process for Activities Night. Building “a SSMU network” involves creating a cultural centre and a wellness hub using the space from properties on Peel and the university centre once both properties open. His advocacy on mental health, eating disorders, and food security involves strengthening existing or creating new programs that support students and foster awareness of these issues.

Endorsement: NO 

From November 2018 to February 2019, Kawasaki served as the VP Internal for the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS). He resigned amidst the POLI 339 debacle, after the suspension of the AUS Executive decision to overturn the Legislative Council’s decision not to approve the course fee. The circumstances of Kawasaki’s resignation and his short time at AUS show a lack of understanding of accountability in student politics, regardless of the other positions he held on campus. Further, while some points in his platform are admirable, like mental health and advocacy, protection of the eating disorder program, and improving food security on campus, the “heart” of his platform is an online portal for McGill clubs. This portal is meant to streamline interactions between student clubs and SSMU, and will take much time and effort to create. Making this initiative a priority neglects the more important policies and efforts surrounding student life, including those regarding mental health and student well-being.   

VP External

Adam Gwiazda-Amsel

Experience:

Gwiazda-Amsel has no previous experience in student government or associated fields.

Platform:

Gwiazda-Amsel’s platform is broken down into four sections: multi-year projects, Montreal initiatives, political engagement at the inter-university level, and SSMU governance. He plans to work to change the R*dmen name and prioritize Indigenous voices. He also pledges to support advocacy around sexual violence, and to work with on-campus groups by holding strategic meetings with committees. Gwiazda-Amsel hopes to “lin[k] McGillians with Montreal, and Montrealers with McGill,” through a SSMU initiative to link off-campus students with those on campus and increasing the representation of Montrealers within student groups in order to increase community involvement. He also believes that McGill needs to foster more interuniversity relationships. He intends to create an ad-hoc team to “study how to meaningfully partner with other universities.” Finally, Gwiazda-Amsel intends to work to increase student confidence in SSMU by acting as an ally and advocating for students, prioritizing constitutionality, representing the interests of all students, and working towards increased centralization, information accessibility, and efficiency.

Endorsement: YES, with reservations

While Gwiazda-Amsel has the least amount of experience within SSMU, which is the reason for our reservation, he does have experience in leadership and community outreach. His platform is ambitious and involves making inter-university connections to strengthen McGill’s student voice provincially, as well as continued advocacy on important campus issues, including changing the R*dmen name, prioritizing Indigenous voices, and working to address sexual violence on campus. He plans to do so through a SSMU initiative to link on- and off-campus students, as well as facilitate community involvement by increasing representation of Montrealers in student initiatives, and to foster relationships with other universities.  

VP Finance

Ahmed Bawany

Experience:

Bawany does not have previous experience working in student government. However, he has worked as the Chief Financial Officer for an unnamed organization, and he is the only student in first year to run for an executive position.

Platform:

Bawany’s platform outlines three main goals: improving spending of SSMU funds, offering a space for students to give feedback, and establishing “better infrastructure.” The candidate states that with his experience in finance, he will make sure “that the money [students] give to SSMU will be in safe hands and is well spent.” Bawany plans to focus on creating more scholarship and financial aid opportunities, as well as improving the health insurance plan for students. He also wants to provide more funding for organizations that work to improve mental health awareness and treatment on campus. If Bawany becomes VP Finance, he will prioritize student feedback in his efforts to improve SSMU’s finance department. Lastly, Bawany wants to establish more sub-departments of SSMU and increase student employment within these departments, in order to improve communication between the departments and students/student organizations.

Sam Haward

Experience

Haward currently serves as the Parliamentarian for SSMU. Additionally, Haward has sat on committees such as Finance, Steering, and Comprehensive Governance Review. Furthermore, Haward chaired the Nominating Committee and co-chaired the
Accountability Committee.

Platform:

Haward’s platform is robust and extremely detailed. He lays out many goals for the VP Finance position, including amending student club banking and finances, investing surpluses from McGill Services into future projects, reestablishing the Financial Ethics Committee with new guidelines, and making the mandate of the Finance Committee clearer to maximize their involvement in Legislative Council. On top of this, Haward states that as VP Finance he would increase transparency between SSMU and the student body, make the international student health plan more accessible, and work towards more socially responsible investing and purchasing.

Ashar Yahya

Experience: 

Ashar Yahya is the current president and VP Finance of the McGill Students Actuarial Association. He has also served as VP Equity for Solin Hall 2017-2018.

Platform:

Yahya’s platform focuses on three issues: utilizing the leftover student clubs and services funds, hiring more students at SSMU to oversee applications for funding from clubs, and working with faculties to improve resources for students. The 16 non-profit clubs that collect student fees had a surplus of over $400,000. Yahya would like to work with these clubs to ensure their funds are spent efficiently. Yahya also hopes to create a McGill specific website similar to Docuum. McGill students would design the website, and collect helpful documents for current or future students through collaboration with professors and past students. Finally, Yahya would change the table booking system so that faculty clubs would book tables through their student associations. SSMU would oversee the table booking for all other clubs.

Endorsement: Sam Haward 

In comparison to the two other candidates, Haward has the most experience in SSMU politics. He is the current parliamentarian for Legislative Council, and has sat on both the Finance Committee and the Governance Reform Committee, positions which have given him valuable insights into the inner-workings of SSMU and the Society’s finances. During the debate between candidates, Haward also proved himself to be most knowledgeable of the position’s needs and current situation. When speaking about the student services surplus and club sanctions, Haward was able to clear up misconceptions and provide concrete solutions. Also, Haward’s extensive platform includes a built-in accountability measure; he has provided implementation guides for all of his campaign promises spanning beyond his term. Haward also wants to improve the transparency and accessibility of the VP Portfolio, renegotiate with BlueCross for better international student healthcare, and recommit to socially responsible investing. Between his experience, knowledge of the role, platform, and accountability measures, the Daily endorses a yes vote for Sam Haward.  

VP University Affairs

Husayn Jamal

Experience:

Jamal has participated in a focus group on the responsibilities of the Dean of Students and Deputy Provost, and is currently a member of the Committee on Student Discipline. He is also speaker-on-call for the Legislative Council and Board of Directors, and a member of the Comprehensive Governance Reform Committee.

Platform:

Jamal’s platform outlines his three main goals for McGill, for SSMU, and for University affairs. Jamal intends to have fewer and more effective University committees, to implement an annual review for the Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning), to advocate for a policy that no longer requires doctor’s notes for class attendance, and to strengthen McGill’s policy on sexual violence to prohibit student-teacher relationships. Within SSMU, Jamal would aim to restructure Legislative Council and the Board of Directors. He will also work on creating a closer working relationship with clubs, services, and student groups. In University Affairs, Jamal would help students address violations of their academic rights, create an open portal for SSMU to centralize data, increase student engagement by expanding the Associate Senator program to encourage first year participation, and simplify the Library Improvement Fund application process to make it more responsive to student needs.

Madeline Wilson

Experience: 

From 2017 to 2018, Wilson served as VP Academic of the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) and chaired the AUS Library Partnership Committee, AUS Academic Affairs Committee, and AUS Departmental Academic Roundtable. Currently, Wilson serves as an Arts Senator, which has let her participate in McGill Senate, SSMU Senate Caucus, and Enrollment and Student Affairs Advisory Committee. She has also worked on the universal wait-list policy, anti-sexual violence advocacy, and divestment from fossil fuels.

Platform:

Wilson’s platform is made up of two sections: concrete advocacy and academic accessibility. She intends to focus on divestment from fossil fuels, sexual violence prevention, improving the accessibility of University governance, and changing the R*dmen name. Wilson would also like to see increased student representation in University committees and governing bodies like Senate. For academic accessibility, Wilson will work to make SSMU’s biannual Know Your Rights campaign more effective at informing students of their rights. She also aims to integrate Open Education Resources into classes, and to increase the usage of wait-lists. She will also work towards the centralization of academic accommodation policy, and will advocate for students’ interests during the revision of the University Student Assessment Policy.

Endorsement: Madeline Wilson

Both Wilson and Jamal have extensive experience within SSMU, knowledge of its governance structures, and well-thought-out platforms. However, Wilson has hands-on experience in social advocacy as a current Arts Senator, something Jamal’s role as speaker-on-call does not entail. In this role she has fought for student interests within SSMU’s governmental structures and at the administrative level. Wilson has already worked on and spoken to many of the ongoing debates on campus, such as #ChangeTheName, McGill’s divestment from fossil fuels, and the Policy against Sexual Violence. In these instances, and in debate, Wilson showed that she is not shy to confront members of the McGill administration and put student needs first. A considerable part of Wilson’s plan as VP University Affairs is “concrete advocacy,” which she has already proven to be adept at. Her platform centres heavily on forcing McGill to listen to student concerns through shadow task forces and increased accessibility to McGill governance.

VP Internal

Sanchi Bhalla 

Experience: 

Over this academic year, Bhalla has “worked closely” with the current VP Finance, gaining experience with creating and sticking to budgets.

Platform:

Bhalla boasts an extensive platform. Her primary goals are making the campus community more accessible and inclusive for all students, starting with updating the SSMU Listserv, fostering campus spirit through social initiatives and events, and providing more alcohol-free options. Other priorities include organizing low-budget campus events, creating a “loyalty card” to promote attendance at multiple campus bars, and SSMU representation at Pride and other parades. Bhalla would also continue to work on creating a campus-wide events calendar, an effort started by the current VP Internal.

 Aandrianna Jacob

Experience: 

Jacob’s Facebook event for her campaign does not mention any previous experience relevant to the position of VP Internal.

Platform:

Jacob’s primary goal is to make the campus community more accessible to all students, starting with updating the SSMU Listserv, making it a more interesting resource, and allowing it to act as a tool of accountability for SSMU. She wants to create a Frosh experience that isn’t dependent on club events and pub crawls, but is part of the Faculty Frosh. She also wants to revamp the McGill app and continue working on a campus-wide events calendar. Jacob wants to hire health staff within SSMU, and promote the existence of these services. Jacob’s campaign focuses extensively on expanding Faculty Olympics. She would like to allow people to collect points throughout the year, centering these opportunities around “expanding social horizons” and environmental awareness.

Endorsement: 

Neither candidate has adequate experience for the role. Both Bhalla and Jacob focus on campus events, a significant portion of the VP Internal portfolio; however their ideas show a lack of awareness surrounding existing programs. The candidates suggested creating sober groups within frosh, yet do not acknowledge the existing sober alternatives available within and outside of faculty froshes. Both also focus on Faculty-Olympics and building school spirit. While they both suggest feasible methods for improving and/or adjusting these events, the VP Internal portfolio is about more than frosh, Fac-O, and “awareness” campaigns. Major parts of the portfolio are first year affairs and faculty relationships, which neither of the candidates focus on.

Longer versions of candidates’ platforms can be found through their Facebook events.

A member of the Daily’s Editorial Board has a personal relationship with one of the candidates and as a result was not included in the endorsement process.

The post SSMU Elections: Candidate Rundowns and Endorsements appeared first on The McGill Daily.

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President

The SSMU President is the leader of the SSMU executive team, in addition to being a key player in interactions with the administration. The President is the only undergraduate representative on the Board of Governors, and sits on Senate. The President is also responsible for the maintenance of SSMU’s governing documents and the enforcement of its Constitution and Internal Regulations. Furthermore, the President is tasked with supporting the rest of the executive team as need arises.

Corinne Bulger

Bulger is a U2 Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies major with a minor in Indigenous Studies at McGill. She is currently an Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Representative and Floor Fellow at New Residence Hall, as well as a former Rez Life Coordinator. As an AUS Representative she has had to sit in on the AUS and SSMU Council meetings, which have contributed to her experience in governance. Her involvement with residence life has both trained her in event planning and established an understanding of the supportive environment necessary for the interpersonal relations within the SSMU Executive Council.

Her platform revolves around three aspects: creating a community space in the aftermath of the SSMU building closure, evaluating the progress of certain projects such as the Our Turn Sexual Violence Policy and the Milton-Parc Relations, and lastly, increasing the accessibility of governance practices such as voting, referendums, and the General Assembly. Bulger stated that the transparency of governing documents and the translation of some of these documents, such as the SSMU Constitution into French, are also aspects which she wants to focus on.

Bulger conveyed a concern towards the amount of privileged candidates running for executive roles and expresses her desire to make “our governing bodies more inclusive.” In terms of governance reform, she cited the mandate to the AUS reformation on their hiring practices as a source of inspiration to base this desire off of. The mandate strongly encourages marginalized groups to apply for executive positions.

Bulger states that her long-term goals as President include creating a positive environment and focusing on teamwork and empathy between different executives on SSMU. She emphasizes the necessity for strong and close relationships between the executives of SSMU in order to increase the overall empathy of the SSMU Executive Board.

Tre Mansdoerfer

Mansdoerfer is a U3 student majoring in Electrical Engineering. He is an Engineering University Society (EUS) Senator as well as a former EUS SSMU Representative. Mansdoerfer’s platform focuses on three aspects: rebuilding faculty relationships, engaging current student concerns, and focusing advocacy on student needs.

As Senator he sat on the Legislative Council for the past two years, and he explains how he has witnessed apathy from most faculties on the council. He cites the impeachment of the Management President over the past two years as well as the lack of involvement of EUS within SSMU. He emphasises his hopes to strengthen inter-faculty relationships. He also describes the lack of involvement in the Round Tables, saying that only four out of the five presidents attended. In order to increase attendance, he expresses a wish to reach out to faculty presidents and establish a more personal relationship with them.

In regards to engaging current student concerns, Mansdoerfer wants to reform the structure of the General Assembly (GA) as well as the Board of Directors. He proposes a lowering of quorum in the GA because he does not believe that high turnout should only occur for assemblies addressing issues students are most passionate about such as the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) campaign. In the past, Mansdoerfer has expressed his belief that SSMU should remain relatively apolitical about “external” issues. He would also like to make the Chair of the Board of Directors a non-voting member as it is undemocratic and he would like to invite two alumni representatives on the Board in order to strengthen its structure.

Overall, Mansdoerfer’s platform stresses a dedication towards involvement and representation of all faculties in SSMU as well as a campaign revolving around “restor[ing] faith in the student society.”

Endorsement: Corinne Bulger, with reservations

Both candidates, Bulger and Mansdoerfer, demonstrate extensive involvement in respective Faculty representation at SSMU and an understanding of student politics. However, Bulger demonstrates a more streamlined plan as a President, as she draws on her experience with student engagement and administrative work, both through her intensive involvement in Residence Life and as an Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) representative to SSMU. While Mansdoerfer’s experience also speaks to his work, his platform only focuses on issues that pertain to student involvement and fails to provide a consistent framework that is aligned with the President portfolio.

Bulger’s platform highlights her dedication to advocacy for increased student participation in government, but fails to propose a concrete solution to SSMU’s inaccessibility. Bulger expresses her intention to follow through on SSMU’s more positive initiatives, including work with the Milton Parc community and Gender Neutral language in SSMU legislation.

However, Bulger only commits herself to addressing the inadequacy of SSMU governance and its relation to student body representation, and thus fails to take a stand on significant political debates, like the SSMU-AVEQ affiliation question. Her goals regarding governance reform, while admirable, are not concretely outlined at this time.
As she presents a hopeful candidate, the Daily endorses Bulger, with reservations.

VP University Affairs

The VP University Affairs plays a pivotal role in student advocacy, sitting on Senate and representing SSMU and its constituents to the McGill administration.The VP University Affairs also oversees the SSMU Library Improvement Fund, works with student senators on advocacy projects, oversees student research initiatives, and implements equity initiatives.

Jacob Shapiro

One of the two candidates to get on the ballot during Elections SSMU’s extended nomination period, Shapiro has no previous experience in student governance at McGill: in an interview with The Daily, Shapiro admitted to being “relatively new” to SSMU politics, but felt that as a self-described future teacher, he was attracted to the VP University Affairs (UA) position as it exists “to remind the university that it’s here for us to learn.” Shapiro’s three-pronged platform stresses “continuity, creativity, and community,” which highlights the VP UA portfolio’s research mandate, commitment to supporting student advocacy,and student consultation. Shapiro’s platform also includes a few more clear-cut promises to build on the work of the current VP UA, including but not limited to, adjusting the Academic Roundtable to allow for greater collaboration, broadening the bi-weekly Senate Caucus meeting to include additional representatives, and creating first-year senate support positions.

While not part of the VP UA portfolio, among Shapiro’s biggest concerns regarding SSMU is governance reform, be it at the level of McGill’s Board of Governors, or within SSMU. He feels it’s intrinsically linked to the VP UA portfolio because “it’s hard to advocate well for students if you can’t prove to the administration, [one] that doesn’t want to listen, that you’re speaking on behalf of students.” He points to “contradictions” in the SSMU system as being proof of this, i.e. SSMU having both elements of direct democracy, such as General Assemblies, but also a Board of Directors more akin to that of a corporation.

When asked which reforms could thus be put forward, Shapiro admitted he has “conflicting ideas because [he didn’t] know what the best model is,” but felt greater consultation needed to take place, and that an “elected Board of Directors should be up for debate.” The ultimate goal should be making increasing student engagement, and making SSMU “as democratic as possible,” he says.

Endorsement: No

While Shapiro’s platform does include some smaller straightforward goals and focuses on student consultation, it contains few concrete proposals. Plans for “support systems for students needing to engage in personal advocacy” and “equity events co-sponsored by student groups” are vague and offer little insight into how to implement them. Shapiro also
fails to mention the Library Improvement Fund, which the VP UA manages. Finally, Shapiro also has too little experience working in and navigating SSMU to convince students that bigger goals like a “university advocacy conference” are feasible. The Daily thus endorses a “No” vote for Jacob Shapiro.

VP External

The VP External is responsible for connecting SSMU’s constituents to the wider Montreal and Quebec community. The portfolio includes communication with other post-secondary institutions and McGill’s labour unions, and lobbying the government on behalf of SSMU. The VP External is also mandated to provide support for student-run social and environmental justice campaigns.

Marina Cupido

Serving as the primary liaison between SSMU members and the wider Montreal and Quebec community, the existence of the VP External position has been questioned by many who don’t understand why the position also mandates that support be provided for student-run social and environmental justice campaigns endorsed by SSMU. However, Cupido has defended the need for the position, and says McGill undergraduates should not shy away from SSMU’s “inherently political” nature: her platform emphasizes issues of social accessibility, be it greater Indigenization efforts on campus, the need for better outreach to the Society’s francophone members, or greater transparency between the society’s members and its student government. Cupido has highlighted the need for greater communication between SSMU and other Quebec universities, in campaigns like CUTE (“Campagne sur le travail étudiant”), organized around fighting unpaid internships in the promises, or in regards to joining a student federation. Amongst Cupido’s biggest campaign promises is her wanting to affiliate the Society with either the Union Étudiante du Québec (UEQ) or the Association for a Voice in Education in Quebec (AVEQ).

In the Winter 2016 referendum period, SSMU members voted against a SSMU-initiated proposal to join AVEQ, but Cupido feels SSMU members have not adequately been made aware of the the merits of joining a student federation, notably the increased level of provincial representation for SSMU. As VP External, she’s promised to continue to fulfill SSMU’s observational status with AVEQ, but also attend UEQ’s meetings and congresses, and initiate a “thorough communications strategy” informing students of the benefits of joining either UEQ or AVEQ, prior to bringing a new motion to referendum next year. Like a number of this year’s candidates, Cupido has little experience serving in student government, but cites her time working with The Daily as a News Editor and as the paper’s Managing Editor as proof of a deep understanding of SSMU’s inner workings, having covered student politics on campus for nearly four years.

Statement of Recusal

Cupido has been a contributor at The Daily since her first semester at McGill. She’s worked as both a News Editor and as the paper’s Managing Editor in the last two years alone, and as such, The Daily’s Editorial Board has chosen to recuse itself from an endorsement, as any endorsement could reasonably be questioned by SSMU’s membership.

VP Finance

The VP Finance portfolio includes ensuring the long-term financial stability of SSMU in cooperation with the General Manager, overseeing funding and operations management committees, providing the Executive Committee and Board of Directors with regular reports on the financial status of SSMU, and developing the annual budget of SSMU. among other tasks.

Jun Wang

Wang is a third year finance student, who previously served as VP finance of the student resident council, as well as the Desautels Management Competition Committee (DMCC). He hopes to rebuild trust in SSMU by implementing reforms to the funding system. Wang’s platform is centered around three pillars; accessibility of SSMU funds, accountability of SSMU’s processes, and the transparency in financial structure.

During the debate, Wang expressed concerns over SSMU’s dense network, which he believes can be inaccessible for individual clubs and student services. Wang’s campaign prioritizes reforms in the application of for funds, as well as a service pooled fund, aimed to allow services to donate their surplus to others in need without a referendum. Wang believes that the reimbursement process and reformed templates should be communicated through a mandatory, collective meeting between the presidents and VP finances of SSMU services. Wang emphasized that many services lacking a business background, may face barriers in understanding their financial position.

When questioned about the role of VP finance in advocating for social responsibility, Wang emphasized the need to maintain financial stability, while representing the interests of students. If elected, Wang plans to build on the social goals of the green funds, and to strengthen SSMU’s social responsibility mandate on its investment portfolio.

Endorsement: No

Wang’s platform for the VP Finance position is based on accessibility, accountability, and a minor restructuring of SSMU finances and communication. He proposes changes to the funding application procedures for clubs in order to make it more accessible and simple, and an advisory committee to review club spending. Wang has served as VP Finance of student residence hall council, and the DMCC marketing committee, but has no SSMU experience. When asked about how he would implement social responsibility in his role as VP Finance, Wang only briefly discussed past initiatives, but did not seem to present any concrete new goals. He did, however, mention that he would try to keep his personal beliefs out of his job. Due to his lack of prior experience with SSMU, along with the limited nature of his platform and relative lack o engagement with social responsibility, the Daily endorses a No vote.

VP Internal

The VP Internal is responsible for communication between SSMU and students and sends out the SSMU listserv. Responsibilities also include the Old McGill Yearbook and various events, including the 4Floors Halloween party, Frosh events, and Faculty Olympics.

Matthew McLaughlin

The VP Internal position at SSMU is responsible for planning events like Frosh, publishing the yearbook, and running the weekly listserv. Matthew McLaughlin, a U0 Management student studying Strategic Management and Urban Systems, is running unopposed. He is currently the SSMU Secretary General and the Douglas Hall President, and has also served on a number of other SSMU committees, including the Accountability Committee and the Community Affairs Committee.

McLaughlin’s platform focuses on the accessibility of SSMU, emphasising the need for more communication. He proposes expanding the weekly listserv to additional platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, and WhatsApp. He also aims to make it easier for students and clubs to submit content to be included in the listserv, along with biweekly Facebook Live broadcasts in which he’ll explain what the SSMU execs have been doing. Furthermore, he wants to create town hall sessions in which students will be able to speak to the SSMU execs face to face, to ask questions and voice concerns. Addressing the SSMU building closure, McLaughlin says he will send out periodic listservs including updates on the construction, and important information regarding the relocation of clubs and services. Matthew’s platform also proposes a centralized calendar in which students would be able to find all events taking place around McGill at one location.

Endorsement: Yes, with reservations

Matthew McLaughlin shows extensive experience in student governance, team working and group governance in general. His proposition regarding the creation of a campus calendar, and concrete propositions regarding student instances and organisations traduce a knowledge of the functionings of parts of the student organisations, that make him mostly fit for the position of VP Internal. The Daily nevertheless maintains reservations based on McLaughlin’s lack of experience regarding the functionings of SSMU’s legislative parts. The Daily also maintains reservations on McLaughlin’s silence on contentious student issues. We worry this silence translates a disregard of the fundamentally political role of a SSMU executive position, and a buy into the idea that SSMU can be apolitical, an idea we believe simply is erroneous given the inherently political nature of governing. The Daily endorses a Yes, with reservations.

VP Student life

The VP Student Life’s portfolio deals with clubs and services, student services, mental health initiatives, and independent student groups.

Sophia Esterle

The VP student life is responsible for overseeing SSMU’s liaisons with the Board of Directors (BoD), student clubs and services, as well as managing McGill’s mental health initiatives.

Esterle previously served as the SSMU equity committee, and the Douglas Hall Spirit Representative. Esterle emphasized the need to advocate for marginalized voices through prioritizing mental health on campus, which has consistently been a prominent election issue in recent years.

During the debate, Esterle emphasized the need for reforms on the McGill Counselling Services, noting the month long wait for the first appointment. Esterle criticized McGill Counselling ‘s binary designation of gender in their sign up sheets, which they feel is “purely wrong and discriminatory.”

When asked about the cutbacks on the Eating Disorder Program (EDP) at McGill, Esterle responded that they will advocate for the right to a treatment program, and regain the resources firstly through communication with Mental Health services, then by pressuring the BoD. If elected, Esterle will attempt to create an in residence support system, and a search engine cataloguing clubs and services.

Esterle also stressed the importance of individual contact with students, despite the building closure, which may limit accessibility. Esterle plans on increasing office hours as needed, in order to maintain direct communication with individual students, and to represent their needs better on the BoD.

Endorsement: No

Esterle is running for VP Student Life on a platform largely based around mental health services at McGill. Her platform is divided into administrative changes, individual changes, and creation of committees. Main points of her platform include: a research engine for McGill clubs and services, and making McGill counseling services more efficient and easier for students to navigate. Esterle’s platform, while hopeful, is relatively limited in scope, and may at times forget to take institutional memory into account. While her commitment to the improvement of mental health services at McGill is valuable, The McGill Daily is not confident that her previous experience as Douglas Hall Spirit Representative and serving on the SSMU Equity Committee has adequately prepared her for the role. As a result, The Daily endorses a No vote.

Endorsements: Winter 2018 Referendum Period

Policy on Implementation of a Fall Reading Week – YES

While a majority of Canadian universities have already implemented a minimum of four or more study days in the Fall semester, McGill belongs to a growing few that have not. According to a 2015 survey by McGill Enrollment Services, 71.5% of respondents were in favour of a Fall Reading Week, and research has suggested that such a break would offer some much-needed respite to new students who might be over-burdened with a transition to life at McGill. The adoption of such a policy would mandate SSMU to support campaigns for the implementation of a Fall Reading Week at McGill through the offices of the VP External and the VP University Affairs, giving students added legitimacy to pursue this goal. As such, The Daily endorses a Yes vote regarding the implementation of such a policy.

ECOLE Fee Levy – YES

Created in 2011, the Educational Community Living Environment (ECOLE) at McGill, a collective living house and community space on the university’s downtown campus, has strived to exemplify a model of urban sustainable living through applied student research, alternative education and community building. Without the organization’s $2.00 opt-outable student fee levy, ECOLE would be incapable of supporting its own open study lounge hours, free space booking services, and putting on events and programming around environmental and societal sustainability. As such, The Daily endorses a Yes vote for this fee.

BSN Fee Renewal and Fee increase – YES

The Black Students’ Network (BSN) at McGill works everyday towards making our university campus safer and more accessible for Black students, and is committed to educating the McGill undergraduate community by hosting panels and events to discuss racial issues. In recent years, the BSN has become the main financial contributor to Black History Month at McGill, and has came forward and made it clear that without a fee levy, continuing to put on BHM at McGill will not be possible. As such, The Daily endorses both a renewal of the BSN’s opt-outable fee and a levy to increase the fee to $1.00 per student for full-time students and $0.50 per student for part time students per semester, from $0.40 per full-time student and $0.20 for part-time students.

Amendments to the University Centre Fee, the SSMU Clubs Fee, and the SSMU Campus Life Fee – YES

With the SSMU Building closure comes a new set of problems for SSMU, mainly concerning its ability to house the numerous clubs and services integral to McGill student life. Many of the fees that have helped SSMU keep said clubs and services going have strict definitions of how they can be spent, which could potentially constrain SSMU’s abilities to secure spaces for them with the building closure. These three motions would allow SSMU some more leeway in managing obstacles in the coming months, obstacles that include paying third-parties other than McGill University for expenses related to SSMU Building closure, allowing SSMU to use significant rollovers in the Club Fund and the Campus Life Fund from previous years, and amending SSMU’s Internal Regulations to allow SSMU to grant money to clubs that are not currently running a deficit. The Daily endorses a Yes vote in these three referendum questions.

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In August 2016, 22-year-old Colten Boushie, a Cree man from the Red Pheasant First Nation reserve, and four of his friends stopped at a farm near Biggar, Saskatchewan to seek help with a flat tire. Boushie was subsequently shot and killed by the owner of the farm, Gerald Stanley, who has since been charged with second-degree murder. Stanley is scheduled to stand trial on February 5, 2018. This case has intensified long-standing racial tensions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and further exposed the racist foundations of the Canadian legal system.

The racial implications of the Colten Boushie trial have been evident from the start. Early on, a Saskatchewan municipal councillor commented, “[Stanley’s] only mistake was leaving witnesses.” Tensions escalated further as a seemingly all-white jury was selected for Stanley’s trial. The lack of Indigenous representation on the jury is not accidental; jury duty is made inaccessible by factors ranging from the cost and distance of travel to the systemic exclusion of Indigenous peoples from jury duty through legislative processes. Additionally, during the jury selection process, Stanley’s defense allegedly challenged and dismissed all potential jurors who were visibly Indigenous, preventing them from being on the final jury.

The case exemplifies discriminatory law enforcement practices. When the police arrived at the Boushie residence to inform the family of Colten’s death, they searched the Boushie home and surrounding area without permission. Some officers, with guns drawn, demanded that Colten’s distressed mother “get herself together,” and asked her if she was drunk. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has also been accused of fuelling assumptions founded on racist stereotypes by attempting to link Boushie’s murder with unrelated cases of theft in the region.

Stanley’s defense argued that a fear for his personal safety motivated the shooting. This rationale is rooted in stereotypes that characterize Indigenous people as dangerous and inherently criminal, which in turn influences the treatment and sentencing of cases involving Indigenous people. In fact, Saskatchewan has a long history of failing to deliver adequate justice in cases where Indigenous people were harmed, or in cases that involve racialized violence perpetrated by law enforcement. In the 1995 killing of Pamela George, an Indigenous woman from Regina, the white murderers were granted full parole after only five years in prison. In 2000, Saskatoon police officers were discovered to have been taking part in ‘starlight tours’ for years, in which Indigenous people were picked up for drunkenness, driven to the outskirts of the city, and then abandoned outside to freeze in the extreme cold. Two police officers involved in one such case served eight months in prison, and no other criminal charges were pursued.

Stanley’s lawyer insists that the Boushie case, “has nothing to do with race,” but historical and ongoing anti-Indigenous violence and the inherent power imbalances in the settler-colonial legal system prove otherwise. Over the course of the trial, and beyond, it is important that support is shown for the families of murdered Indigenous people, and that Indigenous voices are centred in calling for justice and healing. Moreover, it is imperative to advocate for justice in a legal system that is built on the underrepresentation, neglect, and erasure of Indigenous and other racialized people. Other ways to help the Boushie family, like petitions and fundraisers,can be found at: https://www.change.org/p/canadians-justice-for-colten-boushie or https://www.gofundme.com/justice4colten.

The post Colten Boushie case: the legal system continues to fail Indigenous people appeared first on The McGill Daily.

SEDE emphasizes the importance of building relationships with local community groups as a pillar of diversity education. As the largest initiative undertaken by SEDE to encourage community involvement, CED requires support from the administration, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), and a long list of local groups who want to strengthen the relationship between McGill and the wider Montreal community.

Monika Barbe, the CED Program Coordinator, spoke to The Daily about the importance of the event series and what to look forward to in the coming days. Barbe stressed that one of the most valuable things about CED is the opportunity to do hands-on volunteer work.

“[CED] is going to be a chance for people to see the everyday reality of a community organization and the importance of […] the manual work and [to see] that […] change happens there,” said Barbe. “Yes, it’s [CED] very interesting to sit down and reflect and criticize, which I think is super important, but there’s a lot of people working in the community organizations with actual physical jobs […] and interacting directly with the people who benefit from the different organizations, and I think that’s a powerful thing to focus on in terms of social change.”

“There’s a lot of people working in the community organizations with actual physical jobs […] and interacting directly with the people who benefit from the different organizations, and I think that’s a powerful thing to focus on in terms of social change.”

Barbe also described some of the workshops being organized, including the “Equity 101” event hosted by Shanice Yarde, an Equity Educational Advisor at SEDE. According to the CED website, the workshop “is designed to give participants a ‘101’ understanding of equity, and how society is shaped by power and oppression.”

“In a very introductory way [Yarde] is going to present […] the main issues that the office works on, so in that sense I would say that if you’re in any way interested in what SEDE does, that is that workshop is fundamental,” Barbe told The Daily, before finishing with a call for participants from the entre McGill community.

“In a very emphatic way I invite everyone to be part of Community Engagement Day,” she said. “Not only students, because I think with the profile of a student, […] the interest and the initiative to be part of this thing [follows], but also to faculty and staff, because McGill is not only students.”

SEDE has a website listing all the events taking place during CED. People can access the time, location, and description of the events, as well as register for the events they find interesting. The program covers a broad range of topics, from an outdoor movie screening of Demain, a film about the ecological and social challenges posed by climate change, to food distribution for the Welcome Hall Mission food bank. The events are happening all over Montreal and there are still spots available for many of the events.

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With material from The Guardian, Reuters, RT, and Vox.

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With material from The Guardian and NBC.

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Roughly 150,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar over the past two weeks, as state security forces continue to carry out ethnic cleansing operations in the country’s Rakhine province.

This wave of violence began August 25 after an attack by Rohingya militants against government forces, and is nominally aimed at stamping out terrorist activity in the region. However, it appears that civilians are being targeted on a massive scale. The international press has largely been barred from the region, but the refugees who continue to pour into neighbouring Bangladesh have reported massacres and the destruction of entire villages. While Myanmar’s government has claimed that only 400 people have been killed in Rakhine province so far, the U.N. estimates the actual death toll to be at least 1000.

For decades, the Rohingya have faced intense systemic discrimination in the Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship and access to many basic amenities. They are widely known as “the world’s most persecuted minority.” The current ethnic cleansing campaign is not without precedent; a year ago, over 80,000 Rohingya fled the country after nine police officers were killed by alleged Muslim militants, prompting another violent crackdown in the Rakhine province.

While not unprecedented, this latest outbreak of violence seems to be drawing significantly more criticism from the international community than previous conflicts. In particular, Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s de facto leader, has been sharply criticized for her refusal to condemn the violence and take steps to end the persecution of the Rohingya. In recent weeks, many around the world have argued that her Nobel Peace Prize, awarded in 1991 for upholding non-violence and human rights, should be revoked.

Bangladesh, the biggest country of origin for refugees seeking safety in Europe, has struggled with the recent wave of refugees from Myanmar. In some regions, border controls have been tightened, leaving many Rohingya stranded with nowhere to run, while those who make it into the country face desperately overcrowded refugee camps. On September 6, the Bangladeshi government accused Myanmar of laying landmines along the border between the two countries, further exacerbating the plight of the Rohingya. Officials from Myanmar have denied these allegations, though several injuries from landmines have been reported in recent days.

With material from The Guardian and Al Jazeera.

NEW DATA SHOWS HUMAN COST OF WAR IN YEMEN

A U.N. report released on September 6 suggests that the war that has engulfed Yemen since March 2015 is even more devastating than international observers previously believed. The latest figures suggest that at least 3,200 civilians have been killed in airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition; out of these, at least 1,100 have reportedly been children. The report notes, however, that these figures are probably conservative estimates of the death toll.

In essence, the war in the Yemen conflict consists of two main belligerents: the Houthi movement, which overthrew the Yemeni government in 2015, and the Saudi-led coalition, which is trying to reinstall that government. The Houthis, a predominantly Shi’a group, are backed by Iran; the coalition, which includes Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan, receives US support, often in the form of covert drone strikes against alleged “terrorists.” Despite the vast military arsenals at their disposal, the coalition has achieved little strategic success so far, as the Houthis remain in control of the capital and much of the western half of the country.

Now, roughly two and a half years into the conflict, Yemen is home to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Roughly 17 million people – one in five Yemenis – face food insecurity, and seven million are at the brink of famine. Infrastructure has broken down in many areas, and a lack of functioning hospitals, medical personnel, and clean water is having a catastrophic impact on the health of the population. In recent months, a deadly cholera epidemic has struck the country, spreading through polluted water. Between April and August, the U.N. reports, at least 2000 people have died from the disease.

Additionally, Yemenis have suffered direct violence over the course of the war. The targeting of civilians by coalition forces is well documented, with the U.N., activists and eyewitnesses on the ground reporting that houses, hospitals, and schools have been destroyed in addition to more conventional military targets. Houthi forces have harmed civilians as well, albeit on a lesser scale than the coalition.

This kind of violence constitutes a breach of international law, and as the conflict has intensified in recent months, international condemnation of the coalition’s tactics has become more and more widespread. On August 30, 62 NGOs called on the U.N.’s Human Rights Council to launch an enquiry into human rights abuses committed by both sides in Yemen. Earlier this year, the Trudeau government faced criticism when it emerged that Canada too had lent its support to the Saudi-led coalition, albeit indirectly, by selling arms to Saudi Arabia that have been turned against Yemeni civilians. Trudeau’s administration approved the sale of $15 billion worth of armoured vehicles, making Canada the second-largest supplier of arms to the Middle East.

With material from The Guardian and The Globe and Mail.

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The New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) is holding its leadership elections between October 1-15, 2017. The party is selecting a leader to replace Tom Mulcair, and challenge Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party and Andrew Scheer of the Conservative Party. Over the summer, the race has narrowed down to four candidates: Niki Ashton, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Churchill, Manitoba; Charlie Angus, MPP for Timmins, Ontario; Guy Caron, MPP for Rimouski-Neigette-Témiscouata-Les Basques, Quebec; and Jagmeet Singh, MPP for Bramalea-Gore-Malton, Ontario.

The race has largely focused on how to win back the support that was won in the 2011 federal election, and subsequently lost to the Liberals in 2015. A huge portion of that loss was suffered in Quebec, where Tom Mulcair’s opposition to Liberal Bill 62 was perceived negatively. Bill 62 is a bill put forward by the Provincial Liberals of Quebec to ban the wearing of face coverings by governmental employees in the province. The bill has been widely described as Islamophobic, as it would target Muslim women who wear the burqa or the niqab.

As the race moves into Quebec the only Quebecois candidate, Caron, has announced his support of the bill. Ashton initially suggested that she too supports it, later tempering her statement after receiving substantial criticism from her base. Angus, meanwhile, has stated that the matter must go to the courts, and that the government cannot infringe upon religious freedoms. Singh, who is Sikh and wears a turban, has not yet commented on the issue.

Polls in Quebec show a massive loss of interest in the NDP, with 68 per cent of the population describing themselves as “not interested” in a poll conducted by Léger. However, debates over religious freedoms are often explosive in Quebec, and the candidate who impresses the most in the province could generate considerable support for the party nationally.

With material from The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, and The Huffington Post.

PALESTINIAN SCHOOL DEMOLISHED

On August 23 in Jubbet al-Dhib, a village in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian children ready to attend their first day of school were shocked to find the building demolished. The six-classroom school had been razed to the ground by Israeli military forces the night before, leaving volunteers and teachers scrambling to construct makeshift classrooms for the 64 students. A temporary tent to accommodate the children was pitched to replace the caravan school, which was donated by European Union humanitarian organizations.

In defiance of the destruction, students peacefully protested by singing the national anthem before returning home with new school backpacks.

The building and all school materials had been confiscated and/or demolished by Israeli forces on the grounds that no permit had been issued for the construction of the school. Reports claim local residents threw rocks at the soldiers in protest, while the soldiers used tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets to clear the area.

The school itself had been a step forward for Palestinian children in Jubbet al-Dhib in terms of gaining easier access to education. Jubbet al-Dhib is located in Area C of the West Bank, and is under the complete control of Israeli forces, which makes obtaining a permit for opening a Palestinian school almost impossible. The next closest Palestinian school to the village in question is an hour’s walk away over dangerous mountain terrain.

This incident is not an anomaly, but rather one demolition among 92 others this year alone conducted by Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank, despite widespread international condemnation.

With material from Mondoweiss.

INDIGENOUS RESISTANCE IN PERU

Indigenous leaders in Peru have issued an official statement condemning the government for not adhering to laws regarding issues that affect the Indigenous population. Peru’s government is currently negotiating with Frontera Energy, an oil-based Canadian energy firm, on renewing a 30-year contract.

The leaders, who represent more than 100 Indigenous communities, referenced a law passed in 2011 that requires the government to consult these communities before implementing decisions that might impact their territories. However, Ángela Acevedo, the Director of Indigenous Peoples Rights at Peru’s Vice Ministry of Intercultural Affairs argues that while the law is in effect, the state still “takes the final decision.”

The Indigenous leaders, meanwhile, consider the negotiations an unlawful violation of their rights. To protest the government’s action, the Indigenous communities are threatening to prevent the oil firms from accessing their land if a valid consultation with the communities does not take place.

Added to the tribal rights issue is the concern over oil spills in the region. The United Nations special rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes stressed the importance of dealing with the existing environmental hazards before issuing any new deals or contracts that may further exacerbate the issue. Additionally, the rapporteur emphasized that the Indigenous peoples’ concerns should be included when making decisions such as these, because oil spills have been proven to contaminate water to a point that can cause poisoning and death.

With material from The Guardian.

MASSIVE FLOODS HIT SOUTH ASIA

As of August 28th, an especially aggressive flood has hit South Asia, causing major infrastructural damage and the deaths of approximately 1200 Indian, Nepali, and Bangladeshi citizens. The storm is said to have affected around 40 million people in the region already, and the situation is quickly exacerbating to an unprecedented level. While some loss brought about by the monsoon season in South Asia is expected, scientists say this level of damage is unnatural—it is the direct result of climate change. The extreme weather has deprived some villages in India of basic resources such as food and water, destroyed more than half a million homes in Nepal, and submerged approximately a third of Bangladeshi land. The relief efforts will require upwards of 100 million USD. The government of India has already pledged 78 million USD for the heavily affected Bihar state alone.

With material from Democracy Now.

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