Vol 43 No 6

QUID NOVI

Vol 43 No 6 23 Nov 2021

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McGill University Faculty of Law Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RÉDACTEUR EN CHEF Christopher Ciafro ART DIRECTOR DIRECTRICE ARTISTIQUE Hanna Rioseco LAYOUT EDITOR ÉDITRICE DE MISE EN PAGE Jamey Irwin COPY EDITORS SECRÉTAIRES DE RÉDACTION Marie-Ève Ouellet Muna Tojiboeva Raina Young COLOUMNISTS CHRONIQUEURES ET CHRONIQUEUSES Preksha Mehta Gary Preteau Sofia Watt Sjöström CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE COLLABORATEURS ET COLLABORATRICES Riley Klassen-Molyneaux Marie-Ève Ouellet Special thanks to Prairie Koo for designing the layout.

~ The Quid Novi is published weekly by the students of the Faculty of Law at McGill University. Production is made possible through the direct support of students.

All contents copyright © 2021 Quid Novi.

Les opinions exprimées sont propres aux auteurs et ne réflètent pas nécessairement celles de l’équipe du Quid Novi. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the McGill Law Students’ Association or of McGill University.

Envoyez vos commentaires ou articles avant jeudi 17h00 à quid.law@mcgill.ca.

Toute contribution doit indiquer le nom de l’auteur, son année d’étude ainsi qu’un titre et un sous -titre pour l’article. Les images doivent être soumises séparément. L’article ne sera publié qu’à la discrétion du comité de rédaction, qui basera sa décision sur la politique de rédaction disponible sur notre Facebook @quidnovi.mcgill.

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QUID NOVI

CETTE SEMAINE...

INSIGHTS

COMMUNAUTÉ

8 | WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO

2 | FROM THE GELBER

BE A CANADIAN CITIZEN? Is Citizenship Obsolete?

5 | SOME SUGGESTIONS

FOR YOUR STRESSED-OUT STREAMING THIS SEMESTER Seeing Three Netflix shows or movies to watch between study sessions

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Vol 43 No 6 23 Nov 2021

EVENTS

Citations Galore

3 | MEET THE TEAM Sofia Watt Sjöström

4 | WANT TO BE A MENTOR?

Apply to Join the OSD’s Peer Mentoring Team

6 | RENCONTREZ L’ÉQUIPE Marie-Ève Ouellet

7 | BOURSE PAUL-ANDRÉ

CRÉPEAU 2022 – 2023 For a studies in French outside of Canada

10 | LA BOURSE D’ÉTUDES

LE TRÈS HONORABLE PAUL MARTIN PÈRE 2022-2023 Pour le programme LLM de l’Université de Cambridge

11 | THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

PAUL MARTIN SR SCHOLARSHIP 2022-2023 For the Cambridge University LLM program

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Vol 43 ● No 6

FROM THE GELBER Citations Galore

Riley Klassen-Molyneaux | 4L

Editor’s Note: Last week’s edition of “From The Gelber” was incorrectly attributed. The correct author was Ana Rogers-Butterworth, Liaison Library. We apologize for this editorial oversight. À l’heure actuelle, tu es probablement plongé.e dans une mer de documents jusqu’aux genoux. Alors, laisse-nous, les gens du service de référence de la bibliothèque Gelber, t’aider avec les citations de ton fameux travail de recherche qui doivent être faites selon le Manuel canadien de la référence juridique (le Manuel de citation).

La première chose à noter est que, au bureau des références, nous ne sommes pas des experts en citations. Nous faisons de notre mieux et pouvons t’aider pour certaines questions de base, mais, en général, il est préférable que tu te réfères au Comité de citations de la Revue de droit de McGill (McGill Law Journal). Ils ont des heures de bureau sur Zoom entre 13h30 et 14h30 les lundis, mercredis et vendredis. Cherche dans ta boîte de réception pour les derniers liens Zoom !

Si tu ne peux pas te rendre à la réunion Zoom, n’hésite pas à leur envoyer tes questions à : mljcitationscommittee@ gmail.com. Un membre du Comité des citations te répondra sous peu. Aussi, la RDM a un blogue fascinant qui explique chaque semaine une nouvelle section du Manuel de citation, jetant de la lumière sur des sources difficiles à citer.

QUID NOVI • 23 NOV 2021

Mais, cette semaine, tu as de la chance : cet assistant de référence étudiant de la bibliothèque Gelber a été aussi membre du Comité des citations de la Revue de droit de McGill. Laisse-moi donc répondre à quelques questions courantes sur les citations pour te mettre sur la bonne voie.

First, note that, as a McGill student, you have access to an online version of the ninth edition of the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (the Cite Guide). To get there, just go to the library’s Law Subject Guide (available here). Scroll down. Look on the right and click on McGill Cite Guide.

You’ll end up in WestLaw. Scroll down and click on the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation. There you go.

Second, in the print Cite Guide, just inside the front cover, you have the basic model for most of the sources that you’ll have to cite (juste à l’intérieur de la dernière page, il y a les modèles de base en français). In the online version of the Cite Guide, the general forms are the very first button after you choose the French or the English version of the Guide.

Once you find those general forms, just format the infor2

mation from your source following the model that it most closely resembles!

Third is knowing exactly when to footnote a source: how much do you have to rely on a source before you need to footnote it? Section 1.3.1 says that, in addition to when you quote or paraphrase a source, you should also footnote when you even allude to a source. The question then becomes: how do I cite something that I only allude to? If you only vaguely remember getting an idea from an article, you have a couple of ways to introduce that source in section 1.3.6 on introductory signals.

If you’re “quoting a source directly,” 1 you don’t need an introductory signal. If you’re paraphrasing a source or simply alluding to it, then you definitely need an introductory signal.

Which one? Well, it depends on how the source relates to your idea or sentence. If the source directly supports your claim, then use the default see.2 Easy-peasy. If the source is just an example of what you claim in your text, then write see e.g.3 If the source is essentially padding for your footnote or your argument—which, let’s be honest, journals and professors often ask us to do!—or if it’s a source that is only vaguely relevant to your claim, then you can use see also or, if the source is just context for your claim, see generally.4 Of course, sources can relate to your claims in the other ways described in section 1.3.6, but these are the most common.5 Fourth is how to approach electronic sources. A good way to think about the commonly used section on electronic sources, section 6.19, is that you can cite a document as a website or as a PDF under section 6.19 unless it fits neatly into another category in the Cite Guide. So, if you have the PDF version of a United Nations report, chances are that that source will fall under section 5.1.2.2.2 on UN Reports6 rather than in the default rules on PDFs in section 6.19. If the source is a PDF but is also a Parliamentary or government report,7 chances are that it will fall into section 4.1.5 1 Riley Klassen-Molyneaux, “Citations Galore”, Quid Novi (23 November 2021), online: <quid.mcgill.ca/aboutus.php>.

2 See Klassen-Molyneaux, supra note 1.

3 See e.g. Klassen-Molyneaux, supra note 1.

4 See generally Klassen-Molyneaux, supra note 1.

5 Cf Klassen-Molyneaux, supra note 1.

6 See Report of the UN Commissioner for Refugees, UNGAOR, 15th Sess, Supp No 11, UN Doc A/4378/Rev.1 (1960).

7 [Un exemple en français cette fois-ci] Voir Chambre des communes, Industrie Canada, Rapport sur l’examen législatif des

on government documents rather than in the default rules on PDFs in section 6.19. Section 6.19 on PDFs is nice for those random PDFs published by research committees, universities, or whoever else.8 To sum up: use the section on electronic sources (6.19) only when the source doesn’t fit neatly into the other sections!

Le cinquième et dernier petit conseil sur le Manuel de citation porte sur ta marge de manœuvre en tant qu’étudiant.e habile et capable. Ta marge de manœuvre n’est jamais plus pertinente que dans la section sur le droit international. Il y a plein de documents publiés par les Nations unies, que ce soit sous forme de rapports, de conventions ou peut-être même d’arrêts provenant de divers tribunaux internationaux. Parfois, il arrive que le document ne rentre pas nettement dans l’une des catégories prévues dans le Manuel de citation pour le droit international. À ce moment-là, il n’y a pas nécessairement une bonne ou une mauvaise façon de citer la source : il faut te rapporter à ton gros bon sens !

For example, not long ago, a student asked us how best to cite this: North American Dredging Company of Texas (USA) v United Mexican States (1926) UN (US-Mexico General Claims Commission) (Commissioners: C van Vollenhoven, G Fernandez MacGregor, Fred K Nielsen).

The trouble with this source is that it predates most of the tribunals listed in all of section 5.2 of the Cite Guide on International Materials > Cases. And there is no discrete section on the US-Mexico General Claims Commission.

So, we suggested that the student take advantage of the flexibility in the Cite Guide and use her creativity. Let the Guide guide you, but don’t assume that it has an answer for every source. In this example, we told the student to pick a section that would allow her to get as much of the information in the reference as possible to help readers find the same source.

We suggested following section 5.2.11 on International Arbitration Cases. As it turns out, the way in which she cited that case above in fact resembled section 5.2.11 the most and it allowed her to include more reference information than other ways of citing it—but she always had the choice between 5.2.11 and several other sections of the Cite Guide!

Ce n’est qu’un survol rapide de quelques concepts dans le Manuel de citation. Si vous avez des questions de base, venez nous voir à la Bibliothèque Nahum Gelber ou écrivez-nous à reference.law@mcgill.ca. Mais tes meilleur.e.s ami.e.s en matière de citations seraient toujours le Comité de citations de la Revue de droit de McGill ! articles 21.01 à 21.19 de la Loi sur les brevets (2007) (Ministre de l’industrie : Jim Prentice).

8 See e.g. Anand Menon, “The Economic Impacts of Boris Johnson’s Brexit Proposals” (2019), online (pdf): The UK in a Changing Europe <ukandeu.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/The-economic-impact-of-Boris-Johnsons-Brexit-proposals.pdf> at 4.

MEET THE TEAM Columnist Sofia Watt Sjöström | 1L

Where are you from / where have you lived?

Born in the United States to a Canadian mother and Swedish father, I grew up in London, England, before moving to Montreal at age nine. I also spent a year in Stockholm, Sweden in 2017/18!

What drew you to the Quid?

I love writing, and I didn’t want it to become something I only did for school. Also, I adored writing for my school literary magazines throughout High School and CEGEP. As a bit of a shy person, I think it’s a nice way to get involved in the community.

What did you do before McGill Law? I studied Liberal Arts at Marianopolis College!

Quel était ton cours préféré avant de commencer à la faculté de droit?

I loved Philosophy, History, and English literature.

Was law school a dream come true or a happy accident?

Do you want to be a lawyer?

A dream come true! I cannot pretend that I just stumbled upon Law School by accident, as the application took work. As for my career, I’m not totally closing any doors, but I don’t intend to take the classic law-firm route. I hope to end up either in government or academia…

Qu’aimes-tu faire quand tu n’étudies pas ?

I love reading and writing for fun! I also enjoy baking cakes and bread.

As-tu un quartier préféré à Montréal?

I love the Plateau but have yet to spend much time there.

Où aimerais-tu travailler dans cinq ans?

I think there is a high likelihood that I will stay in school, but if I had to start working right after this degree, I think it would be cool to work for the government. In theory, I’d work anywhere, but I do love big cities…

SUBMIT TO THE QUID NOVI! Envoyez vos commentaires ou articles avant jeudi 17h00 à quid.law@mcgill.ca

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QUID NOVI • 23 NOV 2021

Vol 43 ● No 6

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SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR STRESSED-OUT STREAMING THIS SEMESTER Three Netflix shows or movies to watch between study sessions Gary Preteau | 2L

The continued blossoming of Fall means we have the pleasure of seeing all the season’s colours come to life. These views are invaluable considering the cooling weather also means we are creeping towards what we dread all year long: finals season.

This time usually involves longer nights of studying, stronger cups of coffee, and a bloodstream full of cortisol. So naturally, let me tell you about all the great ways to distract yourself during this busy time!

In all seriousness, I do think taking time away from reading the Supreme Court’s prose is important to get through the semester in one piece. There are many ways of doing this, such as running, reading, or whatever your heart yearns for.

I find watching television and film to be one of my favourites and its accessibility (a streaming service login grants you a small universe of choice), makes it a great option.

I will thus talk about three pieces of content that I believe are worth your time as a stress reliever this exam season.

If you are super focused and won’t have time for any of this tomfoolery, these make for great winter break consumption. All three are available on Netflix.

The Haunting of Hill House I once read the famed critic Roger Ebert describe himself being struck by “a quality between generosity and love” when describing a film’s richness and details.” I quite liked that expression and have since tried to spot this quality in everything I watch. One place I found this quality was in The Haunting of Hill House.

Based on Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name and adapted by Mike Flanagan, Hill House will make you jump over its ten-episode run, but it feels wrong to call it a “horror” show. First, the show works to create terror (where fear is created by anticipation) instead of horror (where fear is induced by seeing the terrible thing).

More importantly, the show’s purpose is to tell a story about a family and its grief. Horror is used as a storytelling tool rather than being the purpose of the story.

Flanagan uses two narratives, one when the family was

younger and one where they are all adults, to create a family with depth and intrigue. The characters within the family are frustrating, sympathetic, and, when combined, make for an exploration of family that goes well beyond cliches. Each character is carefully developed to fit into a greater whole and be strong independent figures.

Hill House is full of minor details that you likely won’t spot but that serve as much more than throwaway Easter eggs.

Without noticing them, you get a fantastic story that leaves an impression. However, when you dive deeper, you realize the care with which Flanagan approached this project. His scenes and characters take on a richer meaning. The careful directorial choices he made become increasingly visible as being the central reason for the series’ success. The quality between generosity and love is impossible to miss amidst the care Flanagan poured into Hill House.

Princess Mononoke Hayao Miyazaki may very well be the greatest animator in cinematic history. That name may not be a household one in Canada, but his most popular film, Spirited Away, is more well-known. It is not uncommon to see it listed as the best animated movie ever. I personally disagree, but I still think Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli tops the list of the best animated movies.

Princess Mononoke, released four years before Spirited Away, is, to me, the epitome of what an animated movie can do. Miyazaki uses animation to push the visual product beyond the limits of live action while telling a story that is intensely relevant and human.

Miyazaki’s seemingly endless imagination is reflected in the visual product. The unique creatures and animals are given life through his iconic and ageless animation style.

Despite a highly imaginative scene, the story being told in it is intensely human. The central focus is humanity and its industrious drives conflicting with nature and its needs.

This story was relevant in 1997 and gets increasingly more relevant as we continue to see the effects of climate change.

However, Miyazaki avoids simplistic binaries of good and evil or right and wrong, providing a story with complexity 5

Vol 43 ● No 6 fitting to the subject matter. By taking the perspective of Ashitaka, an outsider to the conflict, we get a perspective that gives air to both sides. Changes in perspective would have transformed the main antagonist, Lady Eboshi, into either the heroic saviour or the evil destructive force of the story. Both labels would not be wrong either, which seems paradoxical. Miyazaki, somehow, takes this paradox and inserts it as a central feature of a film that, despite hearing both sides, makes an undeniable statement.

S#!%house Maybe you don’t want anything too intense and would prefer a more relaxed viewing experience. Enter S#!%house.

Centred around a freshman’s difficult adjustment to college life and love, Cooper Raiff’s directorial debut manages to defy the customs of two genres at once. In place of the crazy parties we usually see in college movies, we get a depiction of the feelings of isolation and anxiety that are rampant in college but relatively unexplored on the silver screen. Rather than craft a story about love’s power or beauty, the movie allows for awkwardness and turbulence to permeate the dynamic between the main characters without ever losing an ounce of genuineness.

S#!%house does not rush in its storytelling, which may turn off some viewers. However, I found the slower pace to be a refreshing change. The stakes aren’t the fate of the world or the damnation of anyone’s soul. It is straightforward and doesn’t try to be anything other than a college kid’s experience of awkwardly bumbling through their freshman year.

QUID NOVI • 23 NOV 2021

The movie also has a strange charm to it. On first viewing, the refreshing depiction of the college experience is what struck me. On rewatch, it was the characters’ realism that caught my eye. Raiff keeps his characters simple. They are entirely regular people with nothing particularly “special” about them.

They fail and experience emotions in familiar ways without exaggerating or forcing the issue, making them relatable.

S#!%house probably won’t become your favourite movie ever and that’s fine. I do think it makes for a pleasant viewing experience. It feels like a leisurely stroll down memory lane, with all the angst, naivety, and excitement that comes with first starting college. During a time of high stress and deadlines, a leisurely stroll type of a movie can be a perfect way to wind down.

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RENCONTREZ L’ÉQUIPE Secrétaire de rédaction

Marie-Ève Ouellet | 2L

Where are you from / where have you lived?

Je viens de Rimouski, dans le Bas-Saint-Laurent, et je vis à Montréal depuis l’année dernière.

What drew you to the Quid?

Je voulais m’impliquer dans la faculté. J’ai aussi toujours aimé la langue française et je voulais explorer mon intérêt pour l’édition.

What did you do before McGill Law? Avant de commencer mes études en droit, j’étais en Sciences de la nature au Cégep de Rimouski.

Quel était ton cours préféré avant de commencer à la faculté de droit?

Au cégep, j’avais des intérêts très variés. J’aimais autant mes cours de calcul différentiel et intégral que mes cours de littérature ou de philosophie.

Was law school a dream come true or a happy accident?

Do you want to be a lawyer?

Law school was something I wanted to try because I knew nothing about law and really wanted to learn something new. I wasn’t sure I wanted to become a lawyer when I got into law school, and I am still unsure about it, but I do really like studying law.

Qu’aimes-tu faire quand tu n’étudies pas ?

I really enjoy reading books or watching movies. I am always willing to go for coffee with friends too.

As-tu un quartier préféré à Montréal ?

I am still exploring Montreal, so it’s hard for me to say which part of the city is my favourite. However, I live on the Plateau, and I do really enjoy the ambiance there.

Où aimerais-tu travailler dans cinq ans ?

Je ne suis pas encore certaine de ce que je veux faire plus tard, si je veux devenir avocate, poursuivre mes études ou me diriger vers une autre carrière. Par conséquent, j’explore encore mes options pour l’instant.

BOURSE PAUL-ANDRÉ CRÉPEAU 2022 – 2023 La Bourse d'études en langue française de l'Institut canadien d'études juridiques supérieures permet d'acquitter les droits de scolarité payables à une université à l’extérieur du Canada dans un programme d’études dispensé en langue française et une partie des coûts de subsistance et de déplacement, sous réserve de tout autre octroi monétaire que reçoit le ou la bénéficiaire. L'Institut canadien d'études juridiques supérieures détermine annuellement le montant de la bourse, jusqu'à concurrence de 20 000 $ pour l'année 2022-2023, en tenant compte notamment des droits de scolarité et des autres coûts de subsistance et de déplacement prévus.

CRITÈRES D'ADMISSIBILITÉ Cette bourse a pour objet de financer des études supérieures en droit visant l'obtention d'un diplôme de deuxième cycle ou de troisième cycle (l'équivalent d'une maîtrise ou d'un doctorat en droit dans une université canadienne), dans un programme dispensé en langue française dans une université à l’extérieur du Canada ou encore de permettre d’effectuer un séjour d’une année dans le cadre d’un programme doctoral en cotutelle avec une université à l’extérieur du Canada de langue française. Le ou la récipiendaire doit avoir obtenu son baccalauréat ou une maîtrise en droit d'une université canadienne dans les quatre ans précédant l’année d’études projetée.

Pour pouvoir bénéficier de cette bourse, il faut avoir été accepté par une université à l’extérieur du Canada dans un programme d’études dispensé en langue française en vue de poursuivre des études supérieures en droit ou être déjà inscrit et engagé dans un programme doctoral en cotutelle. Les candidats ne sont pas obligés d’avoir une confirmation de leur admission au moment de la soumission de leur dossier ou de la sélection du récipiendaire de la bourse.

CANDIDATURES Les candidatures doivent inclure : 1. un curriculum vitæ; 2. une déclaration écrite de la personne intéressée expliquant son projet d’études supérieures ou, s’il y a lieu, l’état d’avancement de son doctorat en cotutelle; 3. une copie de ses relevés de notes d'études de premier et de second cycles, d'études de droit ou d'un cours de formation professionnelle du Barreau, selon le cas; 4. un maximum de trois lettres de recommandation; et 5. un état des droits de scolarité et des coûts de subsistance et de déplacement prévus.

Les candidatures doivent parvenir, par la poste ou par courrier électronique, AU PLUS TARD LE 31 DÉCEMBRE 2021, à : Anne Thomas, Vice-présidente et Secrétaire Institut canadien d'études juridiques supérieures C.P. 43538, Bureau de poste de Leaside 1601, avenue Bayview Toronto (Ontario) M4G 4G8 Téléphone : 416 429 3292 Courriel : info@canadian-institute.com Site Web : www.canadian-institute.com EXAMEN DES CANDIDATURES Un comité de sélection, constitué à cette fin annuellement par l’Institut, examine les candidatures en fonction notamment de la qualité du dossier académique et du projet d’études. L’octroi d’une bourse est soumis à la vérification par le comité que les différents critères d’admissibilité sont satisfaits. Le comité de sélection se réserve le droit de ne pas octroyer la bourse en l’absence de candidatures qu’il estime qualifiées. Les décisions du comité de sélection sont sans appel.

SÉLECTION DE LA PERSONNE RÉCIPENDIAIRE DE LA BOURSE L'Institut communiquera d'ici le 15 avril 2022 avec l'éventuelle personne récipiendaire de la bourse.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

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Vol 43 ● No 6

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CANADIAN CITIZEN? Is Citizenship Obsolete?

Sofia Watt Sjöström | 1L

I have been thinking about this recently because my father recently became a Canadian citizen after living in Canada for ten years. Unfortunately, he missed the municipal elections by days. It felt rather absurd: whilst I, a 19-year-old student with no job, could vote, a 50-year-old, tenured professor could not. And he is not the only productive adult that has to work for the same right that many of us get automatically… When you think about it, citizenship rights are quite bizarre.

First, let’s look at the history. Did you know Canadian citizenship did not exist until 1947? The first Canadian citizen was Prime Minister Mackenzie King! 1 Before that, would-be Canadians were British subjects. 2 That changed after World War II. On one hand, the war had led to a surge in patriotism. 3 On the other, the Canadian government wished to resolve “divisiveness” 4 (read: widespread racism that they were at least in part responsible for through war-time immigration policies). 5 So, maybe respect for diversity is at the root of Canadian citizenship – albeit in a problematic way…

QUID NOVI • 23 NOV 2021

Back in 1947, I would not have been Canadian.

Citizenship was passed down patrilineally (and I got it from my mum). 6 As an immigrant, I could have become a citizen after five years of residency, if I understood English or French, and had “good character” 7 . Even then, naturalized citizens were distinguished from Canadian born citizens. 8 Only in 1977 would I have been legally indistinguishable 1 See Erica Gagnon et al, “Canadian Citizenship Act, 1947” (2021), online: Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 <pier. ca> [perma.cc/research/immigration-history/canadian-citizenship-act-1947].

2 See Gagnon supra note 1.

3 See Adam Chapnick, “The Gray Lecture and Canadian Citizenship in History,” (2007) 37:4 American Rev of Can Studies at 444.

4 See Ibid.

5 See Ibid.

6 See Gagnon supra note 1.

7 See Gagnon supra note 1.

8 See Julius H Grey & John Gill, “Canadian Citizenship” in The Canadian Encyclopedia, (Historica Canada: 2020) online: <thecanadianencyclopedia.ca> [perma.cc/en/article/citizenship].

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from the latter group – and allowed to keep my dual citizenship! 9 Other changes occurred even later.

Notably, in 2007, children adopted by Canadian parents could finally be citizens in the same way as biological children would be. 10 Who gets to be a Canadian citizen today? Since 2017, you need: 1) to have lived in Canada for at least three out of the past five years, 2) to communicate in either English or French, and 3) to pass a test in geography, politics, and history. 11 You also need to be a permanent resident. 12 And the application takes time. At my dad’s oath of citizenship ceremony, the judge noted that becoming a citizen takes patience and perseverance. It is a challenge.

Why does it matter? As a citizen, you have many of the same fundamental and legal rights as non-citizens. 13 But there is more. As a citizen, Canada is your country, so you have the “absolute right to leave and enter” 14. You can get a Canadian passport. 15 In theory, you can move, live, and work anywhere in Canada. 16 Moreover, you have the right to be formally heard. You can vote, and even run your own campaign. 17 It is empowering. For me, voting felt like the biggest rite of passage in coming of age. I can only imagine what it feels like to get that political voice midlife.

Isn’t it interesting – weird, even – that only citizens 9 See Grey supra note 8.

10 See Ninette Kelley & Michael Trebilcock, The Making of the Mosaic: A History of Canadian Immigration Policy, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998) at 452.

11 See Ibid; Grey supra note 8; “Apply for Canadian Citizenship” (11 August 2021), online: Government of Canada <canada. ca> [perma.cc/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen.html] [“Apply”].

12 See “Apply” supra note 11.

13 See Grey supra note 8.

14 See Grey supra note 8.

15 See “Your Rights and Freedoms in Canada” (5 November 2018), online: Government of Canada <canada.ca> [perma.cc/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants/learn-about-canada/human-rights/your-rights-freedoms.html] [“Your Rights”].

16 See Grey supra note 8.

17 See “Your Rights” supra note 15; Grey supra note 8.

get that voice? The more I think about it, the more it feels like a relic of a different age. Sort of like the Indian Act, we ought to do away with it, but we have no good enough alternative in mind.

So, it stays…

What makes a citizen’s voice more legitimate than that of a permanent resident? It has little to do with their future stake in our society, or the social and economic contributions they have made today. Think about it: some citizens may not even have set foot in Canada. There is something arbitrary in this system.

Maybe the idea of citizenship just is not as compelling as it used to be. Maybe it is globalization: people are more interconnected.

It is not taken for granted that we will live out the rest of our lives in the same place. Most of us have immigrated, or will immigrate, at some point in our lives.

I am not saying that the system is wrong. It is simply uneven. For many people, citizenship is the culmination of years of effort. It is a huge feat. For many others, however, citizenship is nothing special. I did not do anything to deserve it. I was just born, and it was handed to me. I do not know if I can fully appreciate its significance. And I think it is a bit silly that I can take these rights for granted, whilst others have no such option. Our entire political system seems to be based on something quite arbitrary – and maybe, increasingly obsolete.

This may come across as a provocative suggestion, but I think it is something to think about. Ideas like citizenship are so basic to our society that we rarely question them. So, that is what I am inviting you to do.

What is the point of citizenship?

Is it a good idea? Even if it is a useful start for democratic and mobility rights, surely this system could be improved.

QUID FAQS What is the Quid?

Founded at the Faculty of Law in 1981, the Quid Novi is a weekly journal that is run by the students and for the students. The Quid is meant to serve as a platform and creative outlet for all law students to articulate their ideas, comments, and opinions – legal and non-legal alike.

Can I send in a submission if I’m not a columnist?

Absolutely! The success of the Quid relies on you, the student body, sharing your thoughts. We strongly encourage each one of you to submit at least one piece to the Quid before you leave the Faculty.

What types of submissions do you accept?

One of the most unique things about the Quid is that it does not have specific criteria for the style or content of submissions. In the past, we’ve had submissions in the form of poems, articles, short stories, cartoons, announcements, lyrics, photographs, and the list goes on.

Whether you want your submission to be serious, controversial, or comical – the freedom lies with you!

Do you still accept “overheards”?

We do! Did you overhear something funny or bizarre on campus? Did your professor say something funny that’s too good to keep to yourself? Do you have an interesting anecdote? Share it with the Quid!

How do I submit an article?

You can send your submissions to quid.law@mcgill.ca by 5:00 p.m. every Thursday in order to be featured in the following week’s issue.

Is the Quid available only online?

The rumours are true, the Quid has officially moved to an online-only platform. However, the Quid team is working hard to get a website up and running that will hopefully be more reader-friendly than our current PDF format.

How often does the Quid publish a new issue?

A new issue is released every week, on Tuesday morning Where can I find the latest Quid issue?

A new issue is released every week, on Tuesday morning. You can follow us on our Facebook page Quid Novi – Droit McGill Law to stay up to date with the latest Quid Novi issue or keep an eye out for the Quid in the LSA’s The Brief email that is sent out each week. We will also be launching an Instagram account in the coming weeks.

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QUID NOVI • 23 NOV 2021

Vol 43 ● No 6

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QUID NOVI • 23 NOV 2021

Vol 43 ● No 6

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