Pro-Palestinian encampment sets up on UQAM lawn
CBC
A second pro-Palestinian encampment was set up by Montreal university students, this time at a Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) campus.
Tents started going up by the science building downtown Montreal on Sunday afternoon — one day before the injunction request filed by McGill University to have the encampment on its lawn dismantled will be heard in court.
It also comes a few days before the 76th anniversary of Israel's declaration of independence — which Palestinians and their supporters refer to as the Nakba, which means "catastrophe" in Arabic. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced from their homes or fled in the ensuing 1948 war between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
By Sunday afternoon, about 40 people were at the encampment.
The group behind the encampment, Solidarité pour les droits Humains des Palestiniennes et Palestiniens (SDHPP-UQAM), demands the withdrawal of McGill's injunction request, an academic boycott against Israel from all Quebec universities, the public disclosure of all UQAM's collaborations and links with Israel, full divestment from companies with ties to Israel and the abolition of the Quebec-Israel office.
Over the last week, Israel ramped up its military operations in Gaza's southern city of Rafah, considered the last refuge in Gaza for more than a million civilians. Some 300,000 people have fled the city following evacuation orders from Israel, which says it must invade to dismantle Hamas and return about 100 hostages taken on Oct. 7. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's retaliatory strikes.
"As the occupying forces intensify their murderous aggression against Rafah, we, students and workers, refuse to remain silent in the face of the apartheid, genocide and colonial crimes of the State of Israel," said Leila Khaled, a spokesperson for the encampment in a news release.
"We are addressing UQAM, but also the Quebec state and the Canadian state to take action to end their collaboration and complicity with the rogue state."
Jenny Desrochers, an UQAM spokesperson, said the university is aware of the encampment but that the organizing group is not recognized by UQAM. She said security is keeping an eye on the encampment.
"The safety of everyone is of paramount importance to the University. The community's free access to the UQAM pavilions must be preserved at all times," she said. "UQAM wishes to point out that its Foundation has no investment in armaments, having adopted a responsible investment policy many years ago, nor does it have any mobility or framework agreements with Israeli universities."
On Friday Canada abstained from voting on a United Nations General Assembly motion granting new rights and privileges to Palestinian representatives. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country refrained from voting because of its commitment to reaching a two-state solution — a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza alongside Israel.
At least nine other pro-Palestinian camps have been set up on Canadian university campuses over the last two weeks, including the one at McGill, inspired by a similar movement in the United States.
A surgeon who used to work at Flin Flon's hospital says residents in the northwestern Manitoba city have been left in a precarious situation after more than five years without general surgery services.
Moubarak Bokhit Ali's memories of his home country of Sudan are punctuated by flashes of violence.
The man behind the Moose Jaw health centre that has claimed “a 100 per cent success rate in stopping the progression and in restoring function of people with ALS” says a recent CBC story about his company is evidence that he is seen as “a direct threat to the ALS drug industry.”
The Neighbour to Neighbour Centre’s trans and non-binary grocery program, which offers free food and household products to community members once a month, began with a simple question: how do we get free menstrual products to trans people without being awkward?
Bill Van Vugt is living a life that's unlike most other people his age, and one which has seen him turn a longtime hobby into championship gold.
The provincial government is taking steps toward improving Alberta's lucrative sand and gravel industry.
As medical labs across Ontario remain understaffed, one medical association is calling on the province to expand labs’ capacity for student placements by funding positions to train them.
The year wrapping up means it's getting closer to tax season, and the federal Community Volunteer Income Tax Program will once again be offering free filing services for Islanders with modest incomes.
It's not so easy to remove a politician from office between elections in Canada.
Natasha Martin-Mitchell says creating art gives her a sense of calmness that acts as a medicine during stressful times.
Gabriel Vilardi scored twice and star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves in his first game back from injury to power the Jets to a 5-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday that snapped Winnipeg's three-game losing skid.
Alberta’s auditor general Doug Wylie says his office's budget will be $1.5 million short next fiscal year.
British Columbia has filed a civil claim against e-cigarette giant Juul Labs, alleging the company developed highly addictive nicotine products and fuelled youth nicotine addiction with “deceptive marketing practices.”