Many of QPIRG-McGill’s activities are conducted through its working groups. These are autonomous organisations and collectives, made up of students and community members, who undertake action and research into issues at the core of QPIRG McGill’s mandate. Working groups work on a plethora of issues, ranging from migrant justice, to queer activism, to indigenous solidarity campaigns.
Current Working Groups
Accessibilize Montreal! aims to make Montréal a more accessible place in every way: from the mindsets and interactions between Montrealers to the infrastructure that surrounds us. By holding workshops and providing trainings, we seek to challenge mainstream perceptions of disability, and through advocacy and direct action we protest transit and systemic discrimination. Join us in our movement beyond ableism and in a respect of diversity!
Black & Indigenous Harm Reduction Alliance (BIHRA) advocates for self-determined health & harm reduction services, by and for Indigenous & Black people in Tio’tia:ke. We aim to address the lack of representation of these communities as leaders in harm reduction initiatives at a grassroots level, through intra-community collaboration, relationship building, and mutual aid. We are committed to uplifting the wisdom and experiences of women, 2 spirit, sex worker, and incarcerated community members.
The Black Healing Centre (BHC) is an initiative that aims to open a physical Healing space for Black folks in Tio’tia:ke (Montreal) in the summer of 2022. The Black Healing Centre’s core mission is to create an accessible and safer space for Black people to gather, connect, and heal. Our intention Is to create an anti-oppressive, anti-racist community hub where people of African descent feel seen, heard, and supported. Our promise is to create an intentional space for us by us.
The Centre d’appui aux Philippines / Centre for Philippine Concerns is made up of Filipinos and non-Filipinos in Montreal, Quebec supporting the Filipino people’s movement for National Democracy, which is part of the global struggle against imperialism.
CIRCLZ
CIRCLZ is a discussion group for Black people to discuss among themselves about issues that they face inside of their communities but don’t find enough spaces to address these issues deeply. The conversations will be filmed in order to use it as an education tool. Conversations will be filmed and recorded with the consent of the participants. These discussions have the intent to build community outside of moments of reactions due to anti-Blackness incidents happening in Montreal and Quebec.
Climate Justice Montreal is a group pursuing environmental and climate justice through education, mobilization and collective action in solidarity with directly affected communities. Climate Justice Montreal strives to act in solidarity by using anti-oppression and decolonization principles, making decisions by non-hierarchical consensus. We are committed to open, inclusive, participatory and transparent organizing in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal, Quebec).
Community Cooks Collective is a mutual-aid initiative dedicated to cooking for and transporting meals to people experiencing homelessness in Montreal/Tiohtià:ke. Join one of our events, grab your spatula, and help make a difference for those in need! Nous parlons français aussi!
In 2017, as part of ongoing efforts to oppose and resist the rise of far-right, anti-immigrant, fascist, and colonial ideologies and movements, local anti-fascist organizers and activists launched Food Against Fascism. We gather together regularly to make hot, healthy, tasty meals that we then serve in public spaces. We also have informational materials related to social justice struggles.
The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair—for anarchists and people curious about anarchism—features about a hundred tablers offering books, zines, periodicals, art, and more, along with some twenty workshops, a kidz zone, food, and more. See the website for the full list of tablers and complete schedule:
Pan-Asian Collective (PAC) aims to fill a gap in the McGill community by creating a space meant for Pan-Asian support, education and solidarity. We are not bound by the common experience that comes with being racialized as Asian and recognize that Asian communities have historically been divided and racialized differently, having different relationships with colonial powers and other Asian communities. Through this collective, we hope to give space for Pan-Asian solidarity and resilience.
The Prisoner Correspondence Project is a collectively-run initiative in Montreal, Quebec. We coordinate a direct-correspondence program for gay, lesbian, transsexual, transgender, gendervariant, two-spirit, intersex, bisexual and queer prisoners in Canada and the United States, linking them with non-incarcerated members of the same communities.
The Prison Radio Show has been on the air in Montreal for more than a decade. The show seeks to confront the invisibility of prisons and prisoner struggle, by focusing on the roots of incarceration, policing, and criminalization, and by challenging ideas about what prisons are and who ends up inside.
Solidarity Across Borders is a Montreal-based network engaged in the struggle for justice and dignity of immigrants and refugees. We are comprised of migrants, immigrants, refugees and allies, and come together in support of our main demands: the regularization of all non-status people (Status for All!), an end to deportations and detentions, and the abolition of double punishment of migrants with criminal records. For us, there is no such thing as “illegal” human beings, only unjust laws and illegitimate governments. We organize not on the basis of charity, but rather solidarity and mutual aid.
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights – McGill (SPHR) is a non-profit, student-based organization that advocates on a strong social justice platform to uphold the rights of the Palestinian people in the face of human rights violations and all forms of racism, discrimination, misinformation and misrepresentation.
The Trans Patient Union is an advocacy and mutual aid collective by and for trans and nonbinary patients at McGill and in broader Tio’tia:ke (colonially known as Montreal).
UNRULY WRITERS CLUB
Montreal and area writers, join THE UNRULY WRITERS CLUB. ***A space to create our work, grounded in disability justice*** What to expect: Hands-on exercises, mutual support, the opportunity for sharing and feedback in a supportive setting. And — dedicated time to write! When: 1st Thursday of every month, 12-1:30 pm, more frequent sessions in 2021.
Women of Diverse Origins is an alliance of grassroots women’s groups and individuals from diverse cultural communities, which has organized the International Women’s Day demonstration for 20 years and other events that reflect our militant stand and our awareness about the world context and the role of our struggles within it.