Comment

Comment March 2, 2022

Canada must take a step back from military intervention

It is crucial, as this crisis plays out, that we condemn Russian aggression while also recognizing that Canada has historically played a damaging and destabilizing role in the region. Canadians must resist falling into uncritical wartime rhetoric about Canada’s myth-worthy peacemaking identity. Canada has exploited Ukraine as a proxy site for its own ambitions and, as such, Ukraine has found itself sandwiched between the aspirations of two major powers in the world.

Comment February 16, 2022

Grade-school system should embrace critical literature

There is a strong tendency in the Canadian public school system that assumes teaching curriculums that maintain the status quo in our social lives is somehow politically neutral. Teachers steer clear of hard and polarizing topics in the humanities and social sciences to avoid angry parents who might disagree with them. As a result, high school often consists of preparing students for the sciences while leaving social topics to English class and a selection of outdated western literature that has little relevance to a large portion of the class.

Comment February 15, 2022

The Conservatives are facing an unavoidable demise

Six years have passed since prime minister Stephen Harper left office. Since then, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) has had two leaders, two interim leaders, two leadership elections and another currently underway. Harper’s tumultuous legacy has left a permanent stain on the CPC and seemingly made the party less electable.

Editorial February 15, 2022

Single-use fees are for waste reduction, not profit

Businesses should not stand to profit from climate initiatives. Instead, businesses should be required to contribute all fees collected and put them toward climate action plans. Without mandates on how to spend these fees, franchise owners may be tempted to pocket the money to make up for revenue lost as a result of COVID-19. Worse, they may be tempted to hoard the extra income for a rainy day fund to offset potential losses in the event that COVID-19 restrictions lead to more closures. We cannot afford to leave the decision up to businesses any longer — with the climate emergency we find ourselves facing, it is imperative corporations prioritize the environment over profit.

Comment February 9, 2022

Most students do not want in-person classes

The unfortunate truth is that the most equitable way to deliver education is by universally delivering it online for the remainder of the semester while details are hashed out during the summer for a return in the fall of 2022. By abruptly dropping news on students that they will be forced to return in-person or drop their classes, the U of M is suggesting education will no longer be accessible for people who are immunocompromised.

Editorial February 9, 2022

Climate change goals must reduce greenhouse gas

A valuable tool for those who seek to blur the lines of necessary action is to obfuscate terms. Today, people confront a variety of terms with distinct meanings under the umbrella of environmental concern daily. Under this umbrella, policies seeking to reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean, fossil fuels used by consumers and the protection of green spaces are all given equal merit. While all of these goals are noble, our current emergency requires us to examine, prioritize and institute specific actions to counter human-caused climate change.

Comment February 2, 2022

Bell, I want action

Though the mission and vision of Bell Let’s Talk certainly materialize positive dialogue about mental illness, the Canadian public must also be aware of the the deep systemic issues the organization fails to tackle. Despite raising over $8 million in donations for this year’s fundraiser, the campaign itself fails to provide further education on mental illness and naively relies on a social media campaign that occurs once a year and then fades from the public eye until the next fundraiser. This creates an image of philanthropic charity that Bell maintains in order to reap tax cuts laid out by the Canadian government for corporations that contribute to social causes.

Comment February 2, 2022

Deaths on border necessitate immigration reform

These deaths were far from the family’s choice. Economic instability or political persecution in home countries, mixed with the U.S. and Canada’s unsupportive and often oppressive immigration systems, force the hands of migrants seeking asylum. When people are refused entry or refused humane conditions upon entry, gambling on death becomes a risk that migrants are willing to take.

Editorial February 1, 2022

Students still facing pandemic alone

The pandemic has disproportionately affected students and they are still feeling the residual damages caused by changes to the education system and the labour market. Although their situation is getting somewhat better, students’ lives have been changed permanently byCOVID-19 and they still lack proper support.