Events

• Thu 4 Mar
• Thu 4 Mar – Thu 11 Mar

Israeli Aparthaid Week 2010// La Semaine contre l’apartheid israélien 2010 – Montréal

Join us and over 40 cities around the world this year in marking the 6th annual Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW). IAW is a week of lectures, workshops, film screenings, and cultural events to educate about Israel/Palestine, and also to give momentum to the growing campaign of Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israeli apartheid. Events in Montreal will take place at UQAM, Concordia, McGill, and other locations around the city. –>See the online trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2vBvjcovd0 –>Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: Twitter: www.twitter.com/SAI_Montreal Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/ydqpkgk

• Thu 11 Mar
• Thu 11 Mar

Bottled Water Free Day!

Around the world, people are taking a stand in support of public water and against the privatization of water. More and more people question: bottled water safety, weak industry regulatory standards and practices, growing corporate control of water, misleading bottled water marketing schemes, and the serious social and ecological toll of for-profit water. In Canada, over 70 municipalities, 6 school boards and 3 campuses have successfully phased out the provision and sale of bottled water in their divisions. At McGill, SSMU and QPIRG McGill are already Bottled Water Free Zones, groups and individuals are taking the pledge to halt their purchase of bottled water and make sure they only have bottled water free events. Stand up, speak out, ditch the bottle and turn on the tap! Join TAPthirst this Thursday, March 11th for Canada’s first Bottled Water Free Day! Take the pledge and make today the first day of your bottled water free life at: www.bottledwaterfreeday.ca Want to get involved? More info? Contact tapthirstmcgill@gmail.com ___________________________________

• Thu 11 Mar
• Today 17:30 – 19:30
• Graduate Student’s Association, 2030 Mackay (This venue is not wheelchair accessible)

“Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid” Book Launch

Featuring a talk and bilingual Q&A with Yves Engler author of “Canada and Israel”. Books will be available at the event.

• Thu 11 Mar
• Today 18:30 – 21:30
• Cultural Studies Building, 3475 Peel

KANATA presents…”Rocks in Whiskey Trench”

On August 28, 1990, a convoy of 75 cars left the Mohawk community of Kahnawake and crossed Montreal’s Mercier Bridge–straight into an angry mob that pelted the vehicles with rocks. The targets of this violence were Mohawk women, children and elders leaving Kahnawake, in fear of a possible advance by the Canadian army. In Rocks at Whiskey Trench, Mohawks remember the terror as windows shattered around them. Police had orders not to arrest anyone–and though they stood by during the rock-throwing, they were able to prevent the mob from reaching the cars and attacking their occupants. This video is the fourth in Alanis Obomsawin’s landmark series on the Mohawk rebellions that shook Canada in 1990. A painstakingly researched social document, the film looks back at the events surrounding the August 28 attack, and delves into the history of Kahnawake and the consequences of the appropriation of land that have shrunk its territory by more than two-thirds over the last 300 years. Time and healing circles have helped close the wounds, but it will take much longer for Kahnawake residents to forgive and forget. 2000, 105 min 18 s Directed by Alanis Obomsawin http://films.nfb.ca/rocks/

• Thu 11 Mar
• Today 19:30 – Fri 12 Mar 0:00
• Club Lambi, 4465 St-Laurent blvd.

“Speak Up for Palestine!” Cultural event

Featured performers: Abeer (Hip-hop, Palestine!), Remi Kanazi (spoken word, New York City), Rich Siegel (jazz piano, New York City), Narcicyst (Hip-Hop), Ghada Chehade (spoken word), Moody Mo (Hip-hop), Sikh Knowledge (Hip-hop) -15 (Venue not wheelchair accessible)-15 (Venue not wheelchair accessible)

• Fri 12 Mar
• Fri 12 Mar 18:30 – 21:00
• de Sève Cinema, 1400 de Maisonneuve West (métro Guy-Concordia)

OTHER INCONVENIENT TRUTHS Beyond “sustainability”, towards environmental justice Opening Panel of Study in Action

Speakers include: -> Gord Hill: Indigenous (Kwakwaka’wakw) artist and organizer, author of “500 Years of Indigenous Resistance,” member of the Olympics Resistance Network -> Sharmeen Khan: environmental justice and anti-racist activist, writer and researcher -> Poya Saffari: farmer and activist active with le Coop jardins de la résistance & Solidarity Across Borders -> Catherine St-Arnaud-Babin: queer feminist activist and ex-squatter, member of the eco-radical collective Liberterre More detailed info at http://www.qpirgconcordia.org/studyinaction Keynote panel followed by a reception at QPIRG-Concordia (1500 de Maisonneuve Ouest, #204).

• Sat 13 Mar
• Sat 13 Mar 10:00 – 18:00
• 7th Floor, Hall Building, 1455 de Maisonneuve West

STUDY IN ACTION: An undergraduate conference linking students with community activism

The Study In Action conference is free. Welcome to all! PANELS, DISCUSSIONS, WORKSHOPS & ART EXHIBIT AND FOOD THEME: “Environmental Justice” Topics include: Radical Environmentalism; Racism in Canada; Food Security and Urban Agriculture; Urban Renewal and Public Space; Greenwashing NGOs; Indigenous Land Issues and Development; Impacts of Canadian Mining; “Greening” Prisons; and more DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF PANELS & WORKSHOPS: http://qpirgconcordia.org/studyinaction/schedule.html -> The Study In Action conference is free. Welcome to all! -> Breakfast, lunch and beverages are provided free during the conference. -> Wheelchair accessible. -> Childcare available on-site (please phone 48 hours in advance). -> Whisper translation available for all panels and workshops in English and French. Please pre-register by e-mail at studyinaction@gmail.com (students: please indicate your name, school and field of study; community members: let us know who you are) or visit the website.

• Sun 14 Mar
• Sun 14 Mar 10:30 – 18:00
• 7th Floor, Hall Building, 1455 de Maisonneuve West

STUDY IN ACTION: An undergraduate conference linking students with community activism

The Study In Action conference is free. Welcome to all! PANELS, DISCUSSIONS, WORKSHOPS & ART EXHIBIT AND FOOD THEME: “Environmental Justice” Topics include: Radical Environmentalism; Racism in Canada; Food Security and Urban Agriculture; Urban Renewal and Public Space; Greenwashing NGOs; Indigenous Land Issues and Development; Impacts of Canadian Mining; “Greening” Prisons; and more DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF PANELS & WORKSHOPS: http://qpirgconcordia.org/studyinaction/schedule.html -> The Study In Action conference is free. Welcome to all! -> Breakfast, lunch and beverages are provided free during the conference. -> Wheelchair accessible. -> Childcare available on-site (please phone 48 hours in advance). -> Whisper translation available for all panels and workshops in English and French. Please pre-register by e-mail at studyinaction@gmail.com (students: please indicate your name, school and field of study; community members: let us know who you are) or visit the website.

• Mon 15 Mar
• Mon 15 Mar 5:00 – 6:00
• Pie-IX métro

14th International Day Against Police Brutality Demonstration

To commemorate the 14th International Day Against Police Brutality, the Collective Opposed to Police Brutality (COBP) invites everyone to march in the streets of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. We choose to march in Hochelaga to denounce the systematic social profiling that occurs here. For the past several years, police repression has increased in Hochelaga. Not content with chasing the homeless, street youth and sex workers from downtown, the police has also increased their operations in those neighbourhoods where the marginalized have been displaced. Whether by mass ticketing, no-go zones or just plain police violence, it’s clear that the goal of this repression is to “clean up” Hochelaga in order to attract another type of affluent resident for a new gentrified ghetto. In Hochelaga, like elsewhere, the police are in the service of property developers, and not everyday people in need. On this International Day Against Police Brutality we will also march on the streets to express our outrage at police impunity. Ever since the death of Fredy Villaneuva, killed in Montreal-Nord by police officer Jean-Loup Lapointe, Quebec society has continued to learn more troubling facts about this affair in particular, and about the police in general. Not only did the Montreal Police take the life of an unarmed youth, but we now know that police investigations of other police are characterized by innumerable irregularities that show their bias in favour of killer cops. In Vancouver, the Dziekański case — involving Robert Dziekański who was tasered to death three years ago by four RCMP officers — reveals the same problems. These “peace officers” abuse their powers and sometimes even kill innocent and unarmed individuals without the least worry of being punished, since they know the system is there to protect them. This situation has a name: impunity. The most well-known cases of police abuse – such as Villaneuva, Dziekański, Barnabé and many others – are just the tip of the iceberg. Since the killing of Anthony Griffin in 1987, 60 people have been killed by the Montreal police. Daily, in the streets of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve like those of Montreal-Nord, St-Michel and downtown, we are victims of intimidation, profiling, harassment, aggression and police violence. Rarely are charges laid against the police and just a few go on to receive ridiculously weak penalties that are often appealed anyways. The police tend to target the neighbourhoods where people are poor, marginalized or racialized. Both social and racial profiling are a reality that has been documented by the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse. Predictably, the SPVM and their employer, the City of Montreal, continue to deny these proven facts and worse, they are trying to sabotage the work of the Commission by using delaying tactics with the objective of reducing the investigative capacities of the Commission. This technique is employed by the police brotherhood as well. When they’re not trying to introduce new regulations to increase public police powers, they’re trying to cancel public enquiries, as is the case currently with Anas Bennis (a Montreal resident who was killed in 2005 in Côte-des-neiges). The police brotherhood always works to excuse and protect killer cops. It’s well known that the police protect each other, and that formal mechanisms are incapable of protecting the public from police abuses and the denial of justice. The police ethics board is an insufficient recourse that does not have any weight against the powerful machine of the police brotherhood. For years, the number of complaints against the police has achieved record levels. However, the number of police officers brought before the ethics board as well as the recognition of guilt has lowered. Since the reforms of 1997, conciliation has become an obligatory step for dealing with complaints against police. This is a very practical recipe to clear the police because with conciliation not ends up in the courts or in the files of the Commission. In front of all of this, we have the right to ask: who protects us from the police? With the brotherhood, an employer, prosecutors, the law and politicians all on their side, the cops can continue to act like cowboys without any regard for human rights. That’s why we need to create our own solidarity that is stronger than theirs. In the Villaneuva case, friends and family, neighbours and activist groups have mobilized and managed to advance the cause of justice and truth. If we want to really overturn current trends, we must do the same for all victims of police abuse. We must rise and bring to an end the silence in order to stop the impunity. That’s why the Collective Opposed to Police Brutality invites everyone to come demonstrate on March 15. Together let’s break the silence and denounce police abuse!

• Thu 18 Mar
• Thu 18 Mar 17:00 – 18:00
• Room M-1, Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry Building (3640 University Street)

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ROAD FROM COPENHAGEN

Greening McGill and the McGill School of Environment invite you to a round table on the recent climate change conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The panelists bring to the table extensive experience with the UN climate change regime as well as a range of expertise in natural and social sciences as well as public policy. They will speak to the future of the United Nations climate change regime, the prospects for parallel climate change initiatives, and Canada’s role in the debates at Copenhagen and in its aftermath. Panelists: -John Drexhage – International Institute for Sustainable Development -Steven Guilbeault – Equiterre -Catherine Potvin – McGill University -Mark Purdon – McGill University Moderator: Jaye Ellis, McGill University Sponsor: Hydro-Québec Scholars in Sustainable Development http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=383105434516 Greening McGill is a QPIRG McGill working Group

• Thu 18 Mar
• Thu 18 Mar 19:30 – 21:30
• Leacock 232, McGill University

TAPTHIRST presents…”Blue Gold: World Water Wars”

Sam Bozzo/ USA, Canada/ 2008/ 90 min It’s not the money. It’s the power. In every corner of the globe, we are polluting, diverting, pumping, and wasting our limited supply of fresh water at an expediential level as population and technology grows. The rampant over-development of agriculture, housing and industry increase the demands for fresh water well beyond the finite supply, resulting in the desertification of the earth. Corporate giants force developing countries to privatize their water supply for profit. Wall Street investors target desalination and mass bulk water export schemes. Corrupt governments use water for economic and political gain. Military control of water emerges and a new geo-political map and power structure forms, setting the stage for world water wars. We follow numerous worldwide examples of people fighting for their basic right to water, from court cases to violent revolutions to U.N. conventions to revised constitutions to local protests at grade schools. As Maude Barlow proclaims, “This is our revolution, this is our war”. A line is crossed as water becomes a commodity. Will we survive? www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com 2000, 105 min 18 s Directed by Alanis Obomsawin http://films.nfb.ca/rocks/

• Fri 19 Mar
• Fri 19 Mar 19:30 – 21:30
• 1455 de Maisonneuve West, Auditorium H-110 (Guy-Concordia Metro)

Montreal Premiere Film Screening: TAPPED About the greatest advertising and marketing trick of all time.

FREE – Wheelchair accessible Co-presented by QPIRG Concordia and TAPThirst, with the support of Sustainable Concordia and the Loyola International College. ABOUT THE FILM: Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce? This feature is an unflinching examination of the big business of bottled water. This timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water. From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities which were the unwitting chips on the table. A powerful portrait of the lives affected by the bottled water industry, this revelatory film features those caught at the intersection of big business and the public’s right to water. (Atlas Films, USA, 2010) View the trailer here: http://www.tappedthemovie.com/

• Mon 22 Mar
• Mon 22 Mar

WORLD WATER DAY

• Thu 25 Mar
• Thu 25 Mar 19:30 – 21:30
• Cultural Studies Building, 3475 Peel

Greening Mcgill presents…”The Cove”

The Cove begins in Taiji, Japan, where former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption. In the 1960s, it was O’Barry who captured and trained the 5 dolphins who played the title character in the international television sensation “Flipper.” But his close relationship with those dolphins – the very dolphins who sparked a global fascination with trained sea mammals that continues to this day — led O’Barry to a radical change of heart. One fateful day, a heartbroken Barry came to realize that these deeply sensitive, highly intelligent and self-aware creatures so beautifully adapted to life in the open ocean must never be subjected to human captivity again. This mission has brought him to Taiji, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the sleek, playful dolphins and whales that swim off their coast. But in a remote, glistening cove, surrounded by barbed wire and “Keep Out” signs, lies a dark reality. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of Taiji, driven by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and an underhanded market for mercury-tainted dolphin meat, engage in an unseen hunt. The nature of what they do is so chilling — and the consequences are so dangerous to human health — they will go to great lengths to halt anyone from seeing it. Undeterred, O’Barry joins forces with filmmaker Louis Psihoyos and the Oceanic Preservation Society to get to the truth of what’s really going on in the cove and why it matters to everyone in the world. With the local Chief of Police hot on their trail and strong-arm fishermen keeping tabs on them, they will recruit an “Ocean’s Eleven”-style team of underwater sound and camera experts, special effects artists, marine explorers, adrenaline junkies and world-class free divers who will carry out an undercover operation to photograph the off-limits cove, while playing a cloak-and-dagger game with those who would have them jailed. The result is a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery that adds up to an urgent plea for hope. The Cove is directed by Louie Psihoyos and produced by Paula DuPre Pesman and Fisher Stevens. The film is written by Mark Monroe. The executive producer is Jim Clark and the co-producer is Olivia Ahnemann. http://www.thecovemovie.com/

• Fri 26 Mar
• Fri 26 Mar – Sat 27 Mar
• McGill University

Connecting Academia and Activism on Water Issues

Uncharted Waters is an interdisciplinary conference that aims to bridge the gap between academia and activism, connecting youth to those already dedicated to working towards the necessary solutions for a soft-path water future. This three-day long interactive conference will be an engaging opportunity to learn more about water activism in Canada; why it’s necessary; who are the key players; and how to get involved! With workshops on topics ranging from the tar sands to soft-path water management. Strategizing sessions, and interactive face-to-face sessions with Canadian water activists. With sessions by: – Clayton Thomas-Muller of the Indigenous Environmental Network – Meera Karunananthan, lead water campaigner for the Council of Canadians **Don’t miss the keynote address by Canadian Chair of the UN Water for Life Decade, Bob Sandford! (Open to all) *** Be part of this exciting initiative and make your voice heard as the groundwork is laid in the creation of a youth water movement! For more information check out our website: www.unchartedwatersconference.ca To register please fill out our form here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dC0wXzMtWnp6R1BPc3J3VTFTS1FCc0E6MA

• Thu 1 Apr
• Thu 1 Apr 17:00 – 21:00
• Thompson House, Basement. 3650 Peel

QPIRG McGill’s ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Items to be presented… …audited financial statements. …annual reports from the outgoing board, Rad Frosh Coordinators, School Schmool editorial board, Summer Stipend recipients, and QPIRG Staff. …a review by all of our working groups of what they’ve accomplished in the last year. … and elections! Elections for the Board of Directors and the Conflict Resolution and Complaints Committee (CRCC)… …nomination forms for the board of directors and CRCC are available at the QPIRG offices and must be submitted to Chief Electoral Officer’s mailbox at QPIRG by NOON, March 26th, 2010. …only McGill student members are eligible to vote of run for the Board of Directors. … McGill students and community members can run for the CRCC. Snacks and light refreshments will be served. Childcare and translation is available, just notify 48 hours in advance.

• Sat 3 Apr
• Sat 3 Apr 17:00 – 21:00
• Studio LEVIER on 4525 rue St-Jacques.(Metro: Saint Henri)

“End the Exploitation! March for Liberation!” political fashion hosted by the Philippine Women Centre of Quebec (PWCQ)

For more information please contact Krystle or Joy at (514) 678-3901. Cost: .00 donation Contact: Krystle or Joy (514) 678-3901 Website: www.kapitbisigcentre.org (Montreal, Quebec) Ever been to a fashion show where the bolts of fabric tell stories or where models strut their militancy? Don’t miss this event, “End the Exploitation! March for Liberation!”, organized by the Philippine Women of Centre of Quebec (PWCQ), a political fashion show where Filipino women unleash their artistic talent towards creating a change, addressing the struggles faced by women in the Filipino community. Come to End the Exploitation! March for Liberation! You are also invited to join hands with the community, and volunteer in the preparation of this cultural event, weaving the groundwork for positive action, right here in Pinoyville! With International Women’s Day fast approaching, people from around Montreal will be taking to the streets to show their support for equality, to celebrate the great women in their lives, and to denounce all forms of exploitation and oppression. Meanwhile, in Pinoyville, Filipino youth are preparing to march down the catwalk in an act of solidarity. The political fashion show aims to visually portray the current struggles of women in the Filipino community, to provoke thought, and to inspire all with a show of strength and hope for the future. Historically, International Women’s Day has been an occasion to press demands for justice, as well as to celebrate the struggles of women around the world who have devoted their lives to promoting liberation and equality. It has its beginnings during the industrial revolution when women were not even allowed to vote and ever-worsening working conditions led to protests by the women forced to work in such environments. In 1908, it so happened that 20,000 immigrant women took to the streets to call for improved working conditions in a garment factory. Their struggles inspired socialist women to press for an International Women’s day. A few years later, in 1917, Canadian women were given the right to vote. But, the struggle continues! With the Philippines as the top source country for most of Canada’s migrant workers and immigrants, Filipinos are now filling Canada’s needs for cheap labor like so many immigrant communities before them. Currently, the majority of Filipino immigrants are women, coming in under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP), a temporary foreign labour program that deskills members of the community across generations, leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, and forces them to live inslave-like conditions. Their labour may liberate one class of women from domestic work, however, it is the working-class women who are left with little or no childcare options. Then, there is the issue of family separation; the women working under the LCP are obligated to migrate to Canada leaving behind their children and family. In most cases, it can take eight years before a mother under the LCP is reunited with their children. Meanwhile, they are often the primary breadwinner of the family, sending most of their earnings home. “We want to take the the stories of these courageous women and present them using fashion. Through this medium, we hope to raise the awareness of the exploitation that women are suffering” says Joanne Vasquez, Chairperson of PWCQ. In celebration of International Women’s Day, and in honor of past struggles, everyone at the PWCQ is excited to collaborate in the production of the political fashion show, End the Exploitation! March for Liberation! “Like the women who came before us, we need to take a stand, and fight for our genuine emancipation!” asserts Krystle Alarcon, Board Member of PWCQ. The Philippine Women Centre of Quebec invites you to join the march and support Filipino women in the fight for gender equality and justice.