The Tribune
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 2024 | VOL. 44 | ISSUE 3
Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University
EDITORIAL Canada and McGill must confront their roles in eco-racism against Indigenous peoples
FEATURE Where Did All the Whimsy Go? PGS. 8-9
PG. 5
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY From mountains to oceans: Climate change and ecosystem dynamics PG. 14
(Bruno Cotler / The Tribune), PG. 3
Protestors and Concordia University security clash at SPHR rally
NEWS
Students continue to pressure McGill administration to meet demands of divestment Shani Laskin Managing Editor
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student rally in support of Palestine resulted in tense interactions between protestors and Concordia University security on Sept. 12. The rally was organized in conjunction between chapters of Students for Palestine’s Honour and Re-
sistance (SPHR) at McGill and Concordia—formerly known as Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights—and Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) Montreal. It began in front of the Arts Building at McGill and proceeded to various buildings at Concordia where it was met by tens of security officers. At 1 p.m., nearly 100 protestors met and engaged in call-andresponse chants to condemn Israel’s siege on Gaza and McGill’s
Law faculty union suspends its strike on Friday, resumes on Monday NEWS
McGill maintains its court case against AMPL’s certification Ghazal Azizi Contributor
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he Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) has been periodically on strike since April 24, 2024. The union, which represents tenured and tenuretrack professors at the Faculty of Law, received its certification in November 2022, after
a year-long legal battle with McGill at Quebec’s Tribunal administratif du travail (TAT). After more than a year at the bargaining table, McGill and AMPL have yet to arrive at a collective agreement (CA) and the university continues to challenge the union’s certification with an appeal case at the TAT. On Sept. 12, AMPL an-
nounced that it had suspended its strike to extend “an olive branch” to the university and would return to work on the condition that McGill drop its judicial review of AMPL’s certification by Sunday, Sept. 15. Since the university has decided to maintain its case against the union, AMPL has resumed its strike, effective Sept. 16. PG. 2
response to student mobilization in recent months. Some slogans explicitly called out McGill President Deep Saini with protestors chanting, “Deep Saini, pick a side: justice or genocide.” In a speech made to attendees, Alex*, a representative of SPHR at McGill, said the rally was a response to a call to action from National Students for Justice in Palestine which included picketing classes on campus. PG. 3
Canada and McGill must confront their roles in ecoracism against Indigenous peoples EDITORIAL
The Tribune Editorial Board
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s the climate crisis steadily worsens in Canada, so do the livelihoods and environments of Indigenous peoples who bear the disproportionate brunt of its effects. Climate change is eroding both access to resources and foundations of Indigenous tradition, ritual,
and history. These impacts on Indigenous communities are not incidental. They stem directly from systemic eco-racism, perpetuated by blatant disregard for Indigenous ownership of land and self-determination, as well as Canada’s prioritization of fossil fuel companies, infrastructure projects, and large public institutions such as McGill. McGill prides itself on
its cutting-edge sustainability models and practices, such as its carbon offset program, green roof agriculture, and an online sustainability module. The latest and most ostentatious claim to sustainability is McGill’s New Vic Project— an $870 million CAD renovation of the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) to extend McGill’s STEM and research facilities. PG. 5