Projects 2017-2018
- Municipal Elections
- Our Turn
- Bill 62
- Bill 151
- Science and Policy Exchange
Municipal Elections
The municipal elections will take place on November 5th, including the election of Montréalès mayor. Important to remember! If you are a Canadian citizen, have lived in Montréal for at least 6 months and are registered at your apartment, you are able to vote!
For more information visit Élection Montréal
Questions about the elections? Check out this really great resource put together by the Centre for Urban Ecology of Montréal!
Results : http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-montreal-denis-coderre-valerie-plante-1.4388700
Our Turn
Our Turn is a national student-led action plan to end campus sexual violence through evidence-based programs and effective action. After disappointment with inadequate institutional and government responses to sexual violence, students have decided that it’s OUR TURN to combat campus sexual violence. The National Our Turn Action Plan, written by individual students from Carleton University, working alongside the SSMU, provides students across the country with tools to:
PREVENT campus sexual violence
SUPPORT survivors on campus
ADVOCATE for reforms at the campus, provincial and national levels
The Action Plan, published on October 11, 2017, includes a Campus Sexual Violence Policy Scorecard, whereby the student unions who have signed onto the action plan have graded their school’s sexual violence policy using a comprehensive grading system developed by students. The goal of the Action Plan is to initiate a national movement, spurring students to create their own independent task forces to combat sexual violence on campuses across the country.
21 Canadian student unions have signed on to collectively work to make campuses safer by implementing this action plan during the 2017-18 school year. We aim to create a long-term sustainable program to continue supporting student unions as they implement prevention/support/advocacy programs on their campuses.
For a copy of the action plan please see:
http://ssmu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/our_turn_action_plan_final_english_web.pdf?x26516
Our Turn in the Media:
- http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/our-turn-movement-unites-survivors-of-sexual-assault-through-student-unions-1.4348709
- http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/students-and-experts-create-programs-to-fill-gaps-left-by-school-sex-assault-policies-1.4286812
- http://www.mcgilltribune.com/news/our-turn-action-plan-aims-to-mend-university-sexual-violence-policies-101717/
- https://nowtoronto.com/lifestyle/class-action/our-turn-sex-assault-campus-report-card/
In the Winter 2018 semester, an Our Turn Taskforce will be created, with representatives from faculties and community groups in order to work on addressing rape culture on our campus.
Interested in getting involved? Email external@ssmu.ca
Bill 62
On October 18th, the National Assembly of Québec passed Bill 62 which, as well as the imposition of other worrying limits to religious accommodation, bans the wearing of face coverings while either giving or receiving public services. This legislation, which blatantly targets women who choose to wear veils, uses the language of “state religious neutrality” to further discrimination and marginalization in the province for political gain.
Bill 62 is the manifestation of a mentality of division and fear that has been mobilized in our province, and therefore explicitly a student issue. The SSMU fully condemns Bill 62. We cannot ignore it, and must continue to mobilize with other community groups until it is repealed.
Resources:
- Read the SSMU’s full statement on Bill 62
- The full bill
- McGill Law Students Against Bill 62
- Template for a letter to oppose Bill 62 put together by some of our members
- Information on Quebec Charter of Values controversy in 2013
- McGill Daily article on Bill 62
- Information on the court challenges to Bill 62
Bill 151
On October 31st, the Minister of Higher Education Hélène David brought a bill to the National Assembly which will require institutions of higher education to adopt stand-alone policies on sexual violence by September 2019. It’s organized into 5 parts : General Provisions (2 points) ; Policy (8 points) ; Accountability (2 points) ; Oversight and Monitoring Measures (3 points) ; Miscellaneous and Final Provisions (3 points). The Commission on Culture and Education conducted consultations on the proposed bill, which the SSMU took part of, contributing to the dialogue to ensure that there are minimum standards and accountability systems in place for the universities putting in policies beyond the Minister herself. To see the recommendations of the SSMU and Our Turn on Bill 151, see the Open Letter listed below in resources. On December 8th, the National Assembly passed the proposed bill unanimously. In 2018 they will be creating a guide to go with the bill – which SSMU, Our Turn, and many other student-led organizations will be working on contributing to.
Resources :
- Article on Consultations for bill in Spring 2017
- The videos of the consultations for the commission
- Strategy released by the Minister on August 21st
- SSMU statement on the Strategy
- AVEQ statement on Proposed Bill 151
- UEQ statement on Proposed Bill 151
- Open Letter on Bill 151 by AVEQ, SSMU, and Our Turn
- AVEQ Statement Upon Passing of Bill
Have questions or want to learn more? Email external@ssmu.ca
Science and Policy Exchange
Science & Policy Exchange (SPE) is a Montreal-based, non-profit organization convinced that science and policy must communicate to better serve society. Their mission is to help bridge the gap between academia, industry, and government to inspire evidence-based policy-making. In addition, they engage and inform the general public, who feel the impact of these policies. SSMU was proud to sign on to their #Students4theReport open letter to the Prime Minister, which can be found here.
Find out more about their work on their website!