Update: Notice of Default of MoA with McGill University

Update 2026/11/12

As a fee levy group, QPIRG-McGill relies on a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with McGill University in order to receive the funds democratically allocated to us by the student body. A part of this MOA obligates QPIRG members to abide by the student code of conduct. On January 30, 2025, the University issued a notice of default on this MOA, alleging that our inclusion of Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance (SPHR) as a part of our Working Group program, which provides funding and material support to grassroot social justice groups, constituted a breach of that code due to SPHR’s alleged activities on campus. 

QPIRG-McGill fought this allegation with the overwhelming support of our community. Together, we were able to raise the nearly fifteen-thousand dollars necessary to pay for the MOA mandated arbitration. We are incredibly grateful for this support and consider it a clear indication of where McGill students stand. As we prepared for arbitration, SPHR withdrew as a working group. This decision effectively ended the legal process, rendered further arbitration moot, and returned our relationship with McGill to the status quo. 

SPHR made the decision to step down as a Working Group in the interest of QPIRG and all its Working Groups. The arbitrator had decided not to include evidence demonstrating McGill’s concerted efforts to suppress Palestinian voices on campus. After consultation with our lawyer, we came to believe that a decision in our favour was unlikely. A decision against QPIRG would have resulted in the creation of a trust wherein QPIRG’s finances would be overseen by a board of trustees, half of whom would be McGill administrators. This state of affairs would leave QPIRG’s future as an independent voice for students uncertain. It would also make our ability to support other Working Groups difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, given SSMU’s decision to allow McGill to veto any future referendum questions, a dissolution of the MOA could put QPIRG’s funding in jeopardy.

The impact of this allegation against QPIRG was substantial. From only the effort required to fight this legal battle, time and resources were sapped from our other programs. Furthermore, McGill leveraged its infrastructure to curtail our presence on campus: after the notice of default, QPIRG was stripped of room booking ability for a year, and a training unaffiliated with QPIRG but facilitated by our staff was cancelled. Moreover, McGill set a dangerous precedent by interfering with QPIRG’s relationship with a Working Group in order to restrict its activities. The new scrutiny on our Working Groups has a stifling effect. Finally, per the MOA, we are obligated to equally split the cost of arbitration despite the extreme differences in our finances. To compare QPIRG and McGill’s finances, our cash at August 31, 2025, was $44 324, whereas McGill’s cash at April 30, 2025, was over 2000 times higher, at $117 100 000. McGill’s decision to pursue legal action forms a strategy which favours the group with the greatest resources. Regardless of the outcome, the process becomes a punishment for students or employees who dissent with the administration.

It is in light of these facts that we would like to thank SPHR for their decision. Today we understand the movement to liberate South Africa from apartheid as one that required militant struggle; we know that in the decades to come the movement to liberate Palestine will be seen in the same light. We believe that McGill has a uniquely censorial relation to Palestine organizing, making it all the more important to advocate for, as students have again and again shown their support through historic protest and referendum. Although this is not the outcome we hoped for, QPIRG remains committed to the Palestinian struggle and to the struggle of the oppressed, both in Tio’tia:ke and worldwide. 

Our expenses breakdown for the cost of our legal fees was as follows:

$689.50 – Consultation with Grey Casgrain law firm

$5 748.75 – Flat fee for the work of our lawyer, Me Max Silverman

$11 559.59 – Arbitration fees for Woods LLC

GRAND TOTAL: $17 997.84

Our lawyer kindly gave us a flat rate for all of his amazing work on our case, ultimately giving us a tremendously favourable solidarity rate. However, this still far exceeded the $500 per year that QPIRG budgets for legal fees; to levy the funds, we initially reallocated funding from some of our other programming budget lines, and then reached out to groups at McGill for some very generous donations. We were thus able to cover the fees of our legal counsel. We would especially like to recognize the sizable contributions of the following groups: 

  • $5000 from the Community Solidarity Fund (SSMU)
  • $1838.78 from Grind’Her
  • $1500 from AMURE
  • $500 from AMPFA
  • $500 from Queer McGill
  • $250 from TSUM

Most importantly, we would also like to thank each and every individual donor who contributed to our fundraiser. We raised $14 678.28 overall.