volume 33, issue 2
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A Deal With the DevilTRANSCRIPT
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CONCORDIA’S INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1980
SHEPARD: THE NEW GUY ON PRIDE, PROTESTS & CONTEMPT • PAGE 06
HOW TO VOTEThe Link’s guide to voting in QC2012, in three easy steps:
STEP TWO
STEP THREE
STEP ONE
FIND OUTIF YOU CAN VOTE
FIND OUTIF YOU NEED TOREGISTER
GOVOTE!
ARE YOU A CANADIAN CITIZEN ARE YOU 18 YEARS OLD HAVE YOU LIVED IN QUEBECFOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHSY Y
YES
IF REGISTERED YOU SHOULDHAVE BEEN INFORMED BYMAIL BY AUG. 12.
YES
N
TO REGISTER, YOU NEED:- ONE DOCUMENT WITH YOUR NAME AND DATE OF BIRTH (BIRTH CERTIFI-CATE, HEALTH INSURANCE CARD, PASSPORT, DRIVER’S LICENCE, ETC.)- ONE DOCUMENT WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS (HYDRO QUEBEC BILL, INTERNET OR CELL PHONE BILL, QUEBEC DRIVER’S LICENSE)
BETWEEN AUG. 22 AND AUG. 30, YOU MUST REGISTER IN PERSON, AND YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR ADVANCE POLLS. TO FIND OUT WHERE YOU CAN REGISTER, SEE THE ELECTIONS QUEBEC WEBSITE AT ELECTIONSQUEBEC.QC.CA.
YES
YOU MUST BRING:- AT LEAST ONE PIECE OF GOVERNMENT-ISSUED PHOTO IDENTIFICATION (QUEBEC HEALTH INSURANCE CARD,DRIVER’S LICENCE, PASSPORT)
JUST TO BE SAFE, YOU SHOULD BRING AS MANY PIECES OF GOVERNMENT-ISSUED ID AS YOU CAN CARRY.
ELECTION DAY IS SEPT. 4, WHICH IS A TUESDAY. IF YOU WORK DURING POLLING HOURS (9:30 A.M. TO 8:00 P.M.)YOUR EMPLOYER MUST ENSURE YOU HAVE FOUR CONSECUTIVE HOURS OFF TO VOTE—IT’S YOUR RIGHT.
NO
SORRY, NO DICE
NO NO
ELECTION TIMELINE BY PIERRE CHAUVIN WITH FILES FROM ALEX MANLEY@PIERRE_CHAUVIN
BY COLIN HARRIS@COLINNHARRIS
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Monthly Day of ActionSince March, the Coalition large de
l’Association pour une solidarité syndicaleétudiante has organized monthly demon-strations on the 22nd of each month. Tensof thousands marched peacefully fromPlace du Canada, the demonstrationstretching for 16 city blocks. One arrest isreported, for mischief.
Back to Class for UniversitiesThe Law 12-mandated return to classes
meets with resistance at the Université deMontréal and Université du Québec à Mon-tréal, where striking departments faceblocked classes early in the morning, andrepeated class disruptions at UQAM occurthroughout the day. The police are called,and arrest 20 at UdeM—19 under Law 12provisions, and one for assaulting an officer.
English DebateStudent unions from Concordia,
McGill, and Dawson College organize anEnglish-language debate followed by aQ&A with the audience. The event isscheduled for 6:00 p.m., at the John Mol-son School of Business (1450 Guy St.).
Voting dayCitizens head to the polls. Campaign
publicity is banned in the media.
Current AffairsCurrent Affairs the link • august 28, 2012 thelinknewspaper.ca/news04
The numbers just don’t lie. Wehave a voting problem.
The provincial election fouryears ago saw the lowest voterturnout in Quebec since 1927—only 57% of Quebecers made itout to cast a ballot in 2008.
Despite increased participa-tion in Quebec’s general electionsof 1994 and 1998, voter turnouthas been on a steady decline sincethe mid ‘80s.
Quebecers still statistically
vote in greater numbers than themajority of the rest of Canada,but that’s not much to brag about.
The federal election of 2008marked one of the lowest voterturnouts in Canadian history,seeing a total of 58% of eligiblevoters cast a ballot.
But what makes this generalelection particularly interesting isthe contentious social and politi-cal climate surrounding theprovince.
At the very centre of Quebec’spolitical climate is a loud, activeand politicized youth invested inchange.
The youth, however, have his-torically followed suit with therest of the province in their votinghabits.
Only 36% of youth aged 18-24voted in the last general electionof Quebec.
There’s still plenty of roomhere for improvement.
THE YOUTH VOTEBY COREY POOL@COREYRIVER
qc general elections 1985-2008
GRAPHIC HILARY SINCLAIR
voter turnout inFEDERAL ELECTION 2008
the link • august 28, 2012thelinknewspaper.ca/news 05 Current AffairsCurrent Affairs
is the Parti Québécois candidate forSainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques.
Tuition Fees & Fiscal ManagementA PQ government would stop
the Liberal government’s tuitionhikes and repeal Bill 78. “After that,we would hold a summit on univer-sities,” said Breton. “On the topic offunding, it seems there are manage-ment problems.”
“We’re not against freezing fees,nor are we against free education,but everything has to be part of anational debate,” said Breton. Re-forming university governancewould also be on the table. “Some-times, one can wonder if people [onboards of governors] act in the in-terest of students or other inter-ests,” said Breton.
Financial AidFinancial aid for students would
also be discussed at the summit onuniversities, Breton said. “Currentstudents, alumni, and future stu-dents will all be included, in a dem-ocratic and pro-citizen way, todecide what direction we shouldhead in. This debate took place inthe sixties, and it’s time to do a newone,” he said.
After the summit, the govern-ment would receive a number ofrecommendations. “The govern-ment will study it and say ‘Here iswhat we propose, do you agree?’ ex-plained Breton.
Youth Unemployment“Young people having difficulty
finding a job after university is aproblem that existed when I wasyoung,” said Breton.
According to Breton, the mainproblem arises from the expectationthat students will already have jobexperience when they graduatefrom university. “It’s mathemati-cally impossible,” he said. “The PQwants to create a mentoring pro-gram so older people can transitiontoward retirement while helpingyoung people to gain experience,”he added.
Youth Vote“What happened this spring is a
good strategy to help students vote,”Breton said. “I have a feeling thatyouth turnout is going to be up thisfall,” he added, but said that theoverall problem is hard to solve.
is the Québec Solidaire candidatefor Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
Tuition Fees“Since the founding of the party
in 2006, Québec Solidaire hasadopted a clear stance on free ed-ucation,” said Leduc. “We believethat the foundation of a demo-cratic society is education,” headded.
“Education, because it’s a right,should be accessible to all socialclasses, whether you’re born inHochelaga-Maisonneuve or West-mount.” Leduc estimated that pro-viding free tuition would cost thestate around $425 million.
“To find this money, we wouldrestore the capital tax, but only onfinancial institutions. This tax wasabolished by Jean Charest in2007.”
Financial AidQuébec Solidaire wants to
merge all welfare programs intoone by establishing a guaranteedminimum income. “Anybody whodoesn’t have a job, or who has ajob that doesn’t pay enough [tolive] would receive $12,000 fromthe state,” explained Leduc.“$12,000 per year is a good foun-dation [for students] to focus ontheir studies without having towork 30 hours per week,” he said.
Youth UnemploymentLeduc knows the topic quite
well. Despite obtaining a Mastersdegree in history, he did not find ajob in his field of study.
“University is also a place tolearn working methods and to de-velop critical thinking skills. Youdon’t necessarily end up in yourparticular field,” said Leduc.“[However], Québec Solidaire hasa far-reaching economic plan, theGreen Plan, that proposes a seriesof massive public investments tofacilitate job creation.”
Youth Vote“It’s only a month after Moving
Day. A lot of young people movedand did not necessarily have thetime to change their address,” saidLeduc, who will be handing outflyers to encourage people to vote.“Every time the Liberals wereelected in the last 20 years, theturnout rate was low.”
is the Option Nationale candidatefor Sainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques.After studying in Paris and Ottawa,Monière taught at the University ofOttawa and has been teaching at theUniversity of Montreal since 1986.
Tuition Fees“For us, education should be free
from preschool to post-secondary,”said Monière.
“We believe that a society thatinvests in the development ofknowledge is profitable: the morepeople are educated, the more theywill have qualified and interestingjobs, the higher their income will be.They will pay more taxes and thestate will earn back its investment.”
Monière says that the federalgovernment cut education transferpayments to Quebec, and an inde-pendent Quebec would be able to fi-nance free tuition fees. “If we werenot part of Canada, we could get thetaxes back we sent to Ottawa,” saidMonière. “We send more than $50billion in taxes to Ottawa [peryear].”
University Fiscal Management“Universities cry hunger but
aren’t doing anything to reducetheir expenses,” said Monière. Hewants to increase the number of ac-ademics sitting on university Boardsof Governors.
“We believe that at least 50% ofthe BoG should come from the aca-demic community,” he explained.“[Business people] don’t know any-thing about the university. Theycome here to apply the [private] en-terprise model.”
Financial Aid“Students have to live, so there
will be a system of loans,” he said.“A loan in itself isn’t bad—what isbad is excessive debt,” said Monière,adding that free tuition would grad-ually reduce the need for recourse toprivate lenders.
Youth Unemployment“Obviously there are no magical
solutions,” said Monière, who be-lieves the current system does notconnect young people with the mar-ket’s needs. “We propose a systemof internships, starting in secondaryschool, which would link educationwith the labour market, with job re-quirements.”
is the Liberal Party of Quebec candidate for Laval-des-Rapides.
Tuition Fees“Currently the hike is $254 for
7 years, starting this year,” saidPaquet. Taking into account thestudent tax credit, Paquet saysthe hike will only amount to $167per year.
For Paquet, there is no rela-tionship between tuition fees andaccessibility. “In Ontario, tuitionfees increased considerably, [yet]the university attendance rate in-creased.”
“In seven years, the Quebectuition fees will be quite lowerthan the Canadian average,” saidPaquet.
Financial AidAll students who currently
have a bursary will see their bur-saries increase by an amountequivalent to or greater than thatof the hike, Paquet said.
“[There are] 67,000 studentsthat receive a bursary equal or higher than the tuition feehike.”
Any student whose familyearns less than $100,000 will beeligible for financial aid.
“Students from low-incomefamilies and the middle class arespared,” said Paquet.
The tax credit could be post-poned if the student’s incomeisn’t high enough to be taxed,said Paquet.
Universities’ Fiscal ManagementThe PLQ’s main justification
for the hike is that Quebec’s uni-versities are under-funded.
“Other universities in NorthAmerica and in the world keepinvesting. If we don’t move, the quality of our degrees and the availability of professors willbe directly impacted,” said Pa-quet.
Paquet recognizes some prob-lems in the fiscal management ofuniversities.
“There were cases of abuse orpoor fiscal management,” saidPaquet. “Cases like that are notacceptable.”
The current hike will go di-rectly to services related to edu-cation and research for students,says Paquet.
is the Coalition avenir Québec can-didate for Mercier, and a formerConcordia student.
Tuition Fees & Fiscal Management“The CAQ’s position has been
clear since the beginning: our students are attending what weconsider to be under-funded uni-versities,” said Boncompain.
The CAQ proposes a tuition in-crease of $200 per year for the next5 years, to be followed by indexa-tion. “The additional financing [...]will be contingent on an efficiency-based management plan for eachuniversity,” said Boncompain.“[This] has been demanded by stu-dents many times over, to makeuniversities accountable.”
Financial Aid“If a student, once he is done
school, is not able to pay back [hisdebt] after ten years, we will forgiveit,” said Boncompain. “On the mat-ter of accessibility, students areright,” said Boncompain. “We willmake sure middle-class families[that earn] $60,000 and less willhave loans and bursaries to makeup for the [tuition] hike.”
Youth Unemployment“The CAQ proposes to hold en-
trepreneurship classes for ouryoung people. This would providenot only the tools to learn andtraining, but also spark their desireto start their own businesses, tocreate their own jobs.”
Boncompain also says the CAQwants to push for more universitieslike the École de TechnologieSupérieure, which combines studywith work experience. “It’s not easyfor a young student who just left[university] to do interviews. Sup-port at this level is always impor-tant,” said Boncompain.
Youth Vote“Mr. Legault was the first to be
active on social media during thiscampaign,” said Boncompain, re-ferring to a Twitter debate theCAQ leader had with MartineDesjardins, the FEUQ’s presi-dent.
Boncompain is disappointedthat students won’t be allowed tovote at CEGEPs and universities.“The Liberal Party said no. I don’tunderstand how they can say no.”
CANDIDATE PROFILESJULIE BONCOMPAIN DENIS MONIÈRE ALEXANDRE LEDUCDANIEL BRETONALAIN PAQUET
QC2012 BY PIERRE CHAUVIN@PIERRE_CHAUVIN
The Link Chats With New ConU Prez Alan Shepard
Current AffairsCurrent Affairs the link • august 28, 2012 thelinknewspaper.ca/news06
C lasses don’t start for an-other week, but there’s al-ready a new face on
campus. On Aug. 1, Alan Shepard offi-
cially took office as Concordia’sbrand new president and vice-chancellor.
Shepard takes office at an inter-esting point in the university’s his-tory, following on the heels offormer interim-president FrederickLowy and a slew of recent presiden-tial and administrative embarrass-ments that have put Concordia inthe headlines for all the wrong rea-sons.
Fresh from a five-year term inOntario as provost, vice-presidentacademic and chief operating offi-cer at Ryerson University, Shepardjoins Concordia’s community withhigh hopes.
From his humble beginnings asa self-professed “farm kid in therural American midwest,” to a grad-uate student in the American south,an administrator in Texas and thenOntario, Shepard claims to havegrown accustomed to big transi-tions.
He says that his job as presidenthas been a long time coming.
“Some of the skill sets of being apresident are things I’ve been work-ing on for a really long time,” saidShepard. “Any time you’re in thesesenior admin roles, there are cer-tain things you need to learn aboutbudgets, how things work and whatthe issues are.”
Shepard says that the best train-ing ground for his work as an ad-
ministrator came early in his careerwhen he ran a university-wide ac-creditation project at Texas Chris-tian University.
“What was great was that I got tolearn how these places work,” hesaid. “How sports programs work,how funding, insurance, security aswell as all the academic programswork. Not many profs get that kindof moment early in their career, get-ting to have a bird’s-eye view of thewhole [university]. It was then thatI became really keen [for] thesekinds of jobs, these kinds of oppor-tunities.”
Despite being transposed into aforeign province in the midst of po-litical turmoil, to a university strug-gling to clean up its image duringone of the largest social movementsin recent history, Shepard is sur-prisingly optimistic.
“This is an amazing moment inpost-secondary education,” he said.“Universities have been around fora long time, and for most of thattime the way that we taught stu-dents has been fairly consistent. Inthe last 10 years or so there hasbeen an accelerated sense thatthings are changing. […] This is themoment for urban universities.”
Shepard believes that Concordiais in an advantageous position, notonly because of its location in Mon-treal, but also because of its tradi-tion of community engagement.
“We don’t have big monasticwalls around us,” he said. “I haven’tfound any gates yet. This is a placethat welcomes people in.”
But despite his optimism, Shep-ard will inevitably be confrontedwith messes that he didn’t cause,yet will be made to clean up.
The protests that have happenedat Concordia are a result of what ishappening politically in Quebec,but also what is happening inter-nally at the university. When askedhow he intends to address the so-called “culture of contempt” at theuniversity, Shepard’s answer wassimple.
“Communication is key in a uni-versity, and having this kind of hi-erarchical structure where theadministration is very aloof—that isnot the kind of administration thatI want to inhabit.”
To Shepard, understanding andbuilding off the university’s historyis important, but he stresses theneed to “not always look in therearview mirror.”
“Of course, there have beensome very difficult times in the past.I’ve read about them in the press,but I don’t want to only dwell onthose.”
Last spring, Shepard got a tastefor what protest actions are like atConcordia when a group of roughly20 students disrupted a meeting inwhich the then-presidential hopefulwas being introduced to the com-munity.
The disruption came amidstclassroom and building blockadeshappening at universities across theprovince, and less than a month be-fore the emergency Bill 78—nowknown as Law 12—was introduced.
When asked how he intends toconfront the possibility of thesekinds of situations happening in thefuture, Shepard draws from per-sonal experience.
“Two weeks before my PhDexams was the march on Washing-ton for lesbian and gay rights,which really mattered to me,” saidShepard, who is openly gay. “I hadthis moral dilemma of whether tostay locked up and studying for myexams, or to go to what turned outto be this enormous moment of so-cial protest.
“A huge number of us marchedon Washington and it was a greatturning point in my young life interms of coming out. So I’ve beenon both sides. I’ve been on the ad-ministration side and I’ve been theperson protesting in the street. I getthat energy.”
That said, he believes that therestill exists a “magic line,” and thatthough protesting is “fine andgreat,” some moderation is neces-sary.
“I think we all have a communalobligation to each other to protestin a way that doesn’t put people atrisk,” said Shepard. “So, somebodyinterrupting my presentation to thecommunity—I didn’t take that per-sonally. If someone interrupts yourability to complete your universitydegree […] I think I have an obliga-tion to make sure that we provideevery means for you to get that ed-ucation.”
Though Shepard has the futureof the university in mind, he’s notquite sure exactly what that futurewill be.
“When I was being interviewedfor the job, I said repeatedly that Idon’t trust leaders who show upand say, ‘I have a plan for you,’” hesaid. “I want to work with the com-munity to see where it’s been andwhere it can go, or where it wants togo.
“Of course presidents andprovosts and whatnot help to shapethat, but they don’t just get out their memo pad and say, ‘Here’sthe vision.’ It doesn’t work likethat.”
TALKING WITH THE PRESIDENTBY COREY POOL@COREYRIVER
“Two weeks before my PhD exams was the lesbian and gay rights march on Washington. I had thismoral dilemma of whether to stay locked up and study for my exams, or to go to this enormousmoment of social protest. A huge number of us marched on Washington and it was a great turningpoint in my young life in terms of coming out. So I’ve been on both sides. I’ve been on theadministration side and I’ve been the person protesting in the street. I get that energy.”
—Concordia President Alan Shepard
PHOTO COREY POOL
INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE: SPACEY JAZZ FROM OUR BACKYARD • PAGE 9Fringe ArtsFringe Arts
JULIA JONES@JULIATJONES
The Bicycle Film Festival is notjust about the films, despite aneclectic mix of movies from differ-ent bike subcultures.
The worldwide festival has vis-ited Montreal four times, offeringa varied selection of shorts and fea-ture-length films ranging from iceraces to BMX features from thepast year.
But with a sponsor like PabstBlue Ribbon beer on board, theevent is happening as much out-side the theatre as it is on thescreen. Marissa Plamondon-Lu,the festival’s producer, said thatmight actually be the festival’shighlight.
“The best part about the festivalis riding your bike to the screening,watching the movie, riding yourbike, watching more films,and then you go to the parties andmeet people and you maybe join a riding club with them, you might
race them,” she said.Plamondon-Lu said the BFF is
a good meeting ground for thewide range of demographics thatcompose cycling communities, be-cause it isn’t exclusive to one typeof cycling.
“You got the young or old BMXtricksters, with your old schoolroad racers, with the bike messen-ger fixie crowd. It really celebratesthe feeling that we all get when wepush forward in whatever kind ofbike that we have,” she said.
Plamondon-Lu noticed cyclingin Montreal has seen an immensegrowth since the festival firststarted, four years ago.
“I’ve been taken aback. You rideon de Maisonneuve and it’s like acycling highway, and I hope thatthat sort of popularity is going tobe reflected in how many peopleshow up to the films,” she said,adding that this year’s edition willbe at Cinéma du Parc, a largervenue than previous years.
After the opening screening on
Friday night, festival-goers are in-vited to the Learn-to-Draw Alley-cat, a bike race where participantshave to race to different check-points around the city, and whilealso putting their drawing skills tothe test.
Before the matinée on Satur-day, festival-goers can meet at ParcJeanne-Mance for a fashion ride tothe theatre. Boutique Citizen Vin-tage and Fitz & Follwell, a bikeshop that offers bike rentals andbike tours of Montreal, will be of-fering gift certificates to the best-dressed cyclists.
“Everyone is encouraged todress in a vintage attire and CitizenVintage has invited a bunch offashion blogs from the city to dresstheir own models, too,” said Plam-ondon-Lu. “It’s going to be a giantpicnic, and we’re setting up a por-trait booth. It will be super fun.”
The closing party will be at Kat-acombes (1635 St. Laurent Blvd.).Entry is $5.00, or free with a festi-val ticket stub.
ANNE-MYRIAM ABDELHAK
It’s with a dark, political incor-rectness that Dito Tsintsadzebrings his latest work to Mon-treal’s World Film Festival. TheGeorgian filmmaker has been liv-ing and making movies in Ger-many for the past 12 years, and hislatest film, Invasion, invites theaudience to share his bleak, blackhumour.
The film focuses on Joseph, anaging hermit who never got overthe death of his wife and son. Hislife begins to change when rela-tives of his late wife visit his iso-lated mansion. Little by little, thestrangers begin to infringe on hisphysical space, which in turn dis-turbs his mind and habits.
“Invasion, for me is this basicthing that is also extremely com-plex,” Tsintsadze said. “It’s physi-cal, sexual and psychological.”
The project started in a per-sonal way for Tsintsadze, drawinginspiration from times when hefelt himself like an invader to-wards his own friends.
“This is when I started ques-tioning the limits of intrusion, andthe borders we should put on oursocial interactions.”
Although focusing on invasionas a keystone, the film exploresdifferent themes such as love, sex-uality, the loss of family and re-constructing oneself.
It’s shocking in its crude de-picting human nature. However,Tsintsadze focuses on questioning
the actions of his characters,rather than judging them.
“I don’t want to be moralistic,”he said. “They’re all human beingsat the end, trying to survive. Justlike us.”
The multifaceted movie dealswith some sad and disturbing con-tent, mixed with an absurdist sen-sibility.
“Some people see my film as adark comedy, others as a surreal-istic drama,” he said. “It’s likereading Kafka. I find Kafka funny.Even if he deals with particularlydark things, it still has this strangeand dark humour. Here, we arelaughing at how far one can go atabusing someone else’s privacy.”
“There is some realism at thecore of the movie, but it is con-structed, poetized. I’m building onlife to create a fable. This makes ituniversal,” said the director.
For Tsintsadze, the most im-portant thing is to allow infiniteinterpretations, using symbolsthat each viewer can interpret andunderstand in their own way.
“The movie is a universal storyin which everybody can find itsown meaning. Even after havingseen it, they should keep it in mindand constantly find new significa-tions,” he said. “When a film isover, it is only the beginning.”
Invasion / Montreal WorldFilm Festival / Aug. 27 at 9:00a.m. and Aug. 28 2:00 p.m. /Imperial Cinema (1430 BleurySt.) / $10.00
SPACE INVASION“Physical, Sexual and Psychological” Film Debuts at MWFF
“I find Kafka funny. Even if he deals with particularly dark things, it still has this strange anddark humour. Here, we are laughing at how far one can go at abusing someone else’s privacy.”
—Invasion Director Dito Tsintsadze
Bicycle Friends Forever Bike Film Fest Returns With Races, Parties and Fashion Contests
Bicycle Film Festival / Cinéma du Parc (3575 Parc Ave.) /$10.00 / For more info, visit bicyclefilmfestival.com.
the link • august 28, 2012 thelinknewspaper.ca/fringe 09 Fringe ArtsFringe Arts
All Systems Cleared for Some Mighty Fine JazzLocal Trio Cover Nirvana, Radiohead; Journey to the MoonMARIE-CLAUDE CABANA
The Jérôme Beaulieu Trio does-n’t quite fit the mold of traditionaljazz musicians. Performing instru-mental Radiohead covers andhand-plucking piano strings on-stage, the Montreal-based group isbringing jazz to a younger crowd.
It has been a year of firsts forthe group who, after winning theJazz en rafale contest, and takinghome the Grand Prix du Festi-Jazzinternational de Rimouski in 2011,were given a coveted spot playingMontreal’s International Jazz Fes-tival last July.
This followed the April releaseof their first album, L’Homme surla lune, a musically innovativerecording inspired by the firstmoon landing in 1969.
As could be expected, gigs forthe group, which features JérômeBeaulieu on the piano, PhilippeLeduc on bass, and William Côtéon drums, are multiplying in thewake of the festival.
Although Beaulieu occasionallyarranges tracks by the likes of Ra-diohead and Nirvana for the trio,playing jazz “his way” is very im-portant to Beaulieu, who writesmost of their material. The result isa more accessible, contemporary,pop-rock-driven form of jazz thatdelights neophytes and aficionadosalike.
For Beaulieu, the key to makinga living as a musician, and morespecifically a jazz pianist, is liveshows.
“Aside from the fact that jazz isan elite kind of art form, because ofthe Internet, there is little chancethat an artist will earn a living offrecord sales today. In fact, it’s im-possible.”
He admits however, that alongwith helping the trio garner new
fans, the visibility offered by theirperformance at the InternationalJazz Festival boosted the sale oftheir most recent album.
Still, when asked whether heprefers the big jazz fest crowds or
playing small intimate club venues,Beaulieu hesitates.
“I love big crowds,” he says,“but there’s something absolutelycrazy about playing in a smallvenue with people sitting two feet
behind you.” When asked if the size of the
venue affects the selection of piecesthe trio plays, Beaulieu says itdoesn’t really matter.
“I don’t necessarily pick differ-ent pieces, but I’ll play them differ-ently,” he says. “For outdoorvenues, although we’ll still play afew ballads to vary the pace, weemphasize the more punchy andrhythmic pieces. In a small venue,we can whisper.”
Though the crowd typically be-comes silent when the trio plays“Man on the Moon,” a piece that incorporates a recording of themoon landing, the recent death of
astronaut Neil Armstron will be-stow a new significance to that si-lence.
Upcoming gigs will provide the opportunity for the trio to per-form both in outdoor, and indoorvenues. They will be Les midis JazzAccès Culture’s featured artist atnoon on Aug. 30, at Place Émilie-Gamelin’s outdoor stage in theQuartier des Spectacles.
Local radio station CIBL 101.5will also dedicate an installment ofJazz Encore to the JérômeBeaulieu Trio on Sept. 24. Then, onSept. 27, they’ll be playing at theUpstairs Jazz Bar & Grill onMackay St.
“There’s something absolutely crazy about playing in a smallvenue with people sitting two feet behind you. For outdoorvenues, although we’ll still play a few ballads to vary the pace,we emphasize the more punchy and rhythmic pieces. In asmall venue, we can whisper.”
– Jérôme Beaulieu
FRINGE CALENDARAUG. 28 – SEPT. 3
THEATRE1. The PillowmanAug. 28 - Sept. 1Mainline Theatre (3997 St-Laurent Blvd.)
MUSIC2. ExperienceMTLAug. 24 - Sept. 1 Parc olympique (4141 Pierre-de-Coubertin Ave.)Visit expmtl.com for more info.
FILM3. Rock the Bells Wu-Tang Clan documentaryAug. 31 Place de la Paix (St-Laurent Blvd. b/w Ste-Cather-ine St. and René-Lévesque Blvd.)9:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
4. Bicycle Film Festival Aug. 31 - Sept. 1 Cinema du Parc (3575 Parc Ave.)$10.00
5. Montreal World Film Festival Aug. 23 - Sept. 3 Visit ffm-montreal.org for more info.$10.00
TALK6. Noise Creates Meaning: A Dis-cussion on Music and SocialMovements Aug. 29Espace POP (5587 Parc Ave.)6:00 p.m.
VISUAL ART7. Dr. Sketchy Montreal: Tank Girl edition Drawing sessionSept. 1 Mainline Theatre (3997 St-Laurent Blvd.)2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. $10.00
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SportsSports STINGERS: THE BEES ARE BACK • PAGE 12
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
PHOTO DYLAN MALONEY
The Stingers are back! The fall sports teams are prepping for the regular season; clearly, Stingers half-back Kris Robertson is already in mid-season form, blazing by would-be University of Toronto tacklers inFriday’s exhibition game. The Stingers will be looking to improve on last year’s 4-5 record and make a charge to knock the University of Laval Rouge et Or off their pedastol as defending champions.
BOXSCORESWEEK OF AUG. 19 TO 25
Saturday, August 25 Women’s Soccer: Concordia vs. St. Lawrence College
Monday, August 20
Sunday, August 19
Friday, August 24
Football: Concordia 31, University of Toronto 24
Men’s Soccer: Concordia 2, University of Windsor 3
Men’s Soccer: Concordia 3, Trent University 2
Monday, August 20
Friday, August 24
Women’s Soccer: Concordia 2, University ofOntario Institute of Technology 1
Women’s Soccer: Concordia 0, University of Windsor 0
UPCOMING GAMESTHIS WEEK IN CONCORDIA SPORTS
31
1
2
3
Men’s Rugby: Concordia at Royal Military College
Women’s Rugby: Concordia at St. Francis XavierFootball: Concordia vs. Bishop’s (1:00 p.m., Concordia Stadium)Men’s Rugby: Concordia at St. Lawrence
Women’s Rugby: Concordia at St. Francis XavierBaseball: Concordia vs. Carleton (12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.,Pierre-Elliot Trudeau Park)
Women’s Soccer: Concordia vs. Middlebury (12:00 p.m., Concordia Stadium)
the link • august 28, 2012 thelinknewspaper.ca/sports SportsSports11
ANDREW MAGGIO@AJMAGG19
Sergio Pessoa had spent his whole lifetraining for this moment.
As he walked into his under-60-kilo-gram fight against Yerkebulan Kossayev ofKazakhstan at the ExCeL Exhibition Centrein London, England, representing Canadaat his first-ever Olympic fight, he soaked inthe moment—and knew he was ready for it.
“In my head, I’m thinking, ‘I prepared somuch,’” said the 23-year-old judoka fromSao Paolo, Brazil. “I went through it somany times in my head and I was ready forthe moment. I was a bit stressed, but it wasnothing out of the ordinary.
“I was feeling ready—physically, men-tally, I was all there.”
Unfortunately for Pessoa, who moved toMontreal in 2006, all the preparation in theworld could not have helped him on thisday. Despite an evenly fought match, Pes-soa lost by unanimous decision after takinga penalty for a false attack in the “goldenscore” period of the fight—similar to over-time in other sports.
Pessoa understands now that he candraw from this experience at the 2012 Sum-mer Games in future competitions, but thatwasn’t the first thing that crossed his mind
when the judges announced their decision. “I really wanted to come back with a
medal,” said Pessoa, “so for me it was…pretty devastating. That loss for me was re-ally tough.”
Pessoa admitted it took him a couple of days to get over the early defeat, but he recuperated quickly and made the mostof his two weeks in London. He made sureto attend the surreal closing ceremonies,after being unable to attend the openingceremonies because of his fight the nextday.
“It was fun,” said Pessoa. “It was amaz-ing. You walk into the stadium and you getchills. There were so many people there.”
Despite participating in an individualsport, Pessoa exudes qualities of a goodteammate; his lasting memory of the Lon-don Games was not a personal one, but wasa moment dedicated to celebrating histeammates’ accomplishment.
“My friend Antoine Valois-Fortier won abronze medal in the under-81-kilogramevent,” said Pessoa. “Him winning themedal and the celebration, with myself andall my teammates there cheering for him,the whole stadium going crazy, for me,that’s going to be the moment I rememberthe most.”
Pessoa started doing judo when he was
only four years old. His father, Sergio Sr.,owned a judo club in their hometown of SaoPaolo.
Pessoa has followed in his father’s foot-steps in more ways that one; Sergio Sr. wasalso an Olympian in judo, and Sergio Jr.wants to follow in the same professionalfield as his father; both share a keen interestin finances, specifically the stock market.
Pessoa enjoys trading stocks when hehas time off from training, and will be look-ing to get accreditation as a chartered finan-cial assistant once he finishes his bachelor’sdegree in finance at the John MolsonSchool of Business this semester.
In true Olympian fashion, Pessoa didnot hesitate when asked what it was abouthis sport that he enjoyed the most.
“The competition,” he said. “If I was justdoing judo for fun, I don’t think I would bedoing it. It’s something different and that’swhat keeps me going.”
After experiencing the lows in London,it’s safe to say that Pessoa will be workingharder than ever to be in top form for theRio de Janeiro Games in 2016, for what hesays will be his last Olympics.
It’s a story right from a movie script—aCanadian judoka on the podium in hiscountry of birth in his final fight. Pessoa cer-tainly hopes it turns out that way.
ANDREW MAGGIO
Olympian Joins Women’s Hockey StaffYet another Olympian is joining the Con-
cordia community. This time, however, itwon’t be in the fields of wrestling, judo, orfencing.
The Concordia Stingers women’s hockeyteam will be welcoming Canadian hockey leg-end Caroline Ouellette, who will be joining theteam as an assistant coach to work alongsidelong-time head coach Les Lawton.
The 33-year-old Montreal native, a formerStinger herself (in 2002), Ouellette has been amember of the Canadian National Women’sIce Hockey Team for the past 13 years, and haswon three Olympic gold medals.
She has also competed in several Interna-tional Ice Hockey Federation women’s worldchampionships, winning five gold and four sil-ver medals.
Liam Mahoney Joins TSN 990 Broadcast TeamOne of Concordia’s greatest football names
is coming to the place where he became a na-tional phenom; this time, though, he’ll be mak-ing his impact in the press box.
Former Concordia Stingers star quarterbackand slotback Liam Mahoney has been namedthe colour commentator for Concordia footballbroadcasts on TSN Radio 990 this season.
Mahoney, a native of Lachine, QC, played forthe Stingers from 2007-2010, but has been aforce in Quebec football for over a decade. Ma-honey was selected by the Winnipeg BlueBombers in the sixth round of the 2011 Cana-dian Football League draft, but joined theHamilton Tiger Cats later that summer as a freeagent.
He joins the TSN 990 Stingers broadcastcrew as a sideline reporter.
Tremblay, DuGrenier Come Home Empty-HandedDespite dominating the university wrestling
scene since joining the Stingers wrestling teamfour years ago, David Tremblay was unfortu-nately unable to bring home a medal from the2012 Summer Games in London, England.
Tremblay, a four-time All-Canadianwrestler with the Concordia Stingers and Mar-tine DuGrenier, currently an assistant coachwith the Stingers, both left the English capitalempty-handed.
Tremblay lost to Ahmet Peker of Turkey inhis opening match of the men’s 55-kilogramfreestyle competition, while DuGrenier com-peted in the women’s 63-kilogram freestyleevent, making it to the bronze medal match,but ultimately falling to Battsetseg Soronzon-bold of Mongolia.
Men’s Hockey Team Welcomes Kabbaj & PayetteThe Concordia Stingers will be injecting
some more Quebec-grown talent, adding to analready impressive group of local major-juniorplayers, such as starting goaltender NickChampion.
Defensemen Youssef Kabbaj and SébastienPayette, who both spent last season in the Que-bec Major Junior Hockey League, have com-mitted to join the Stingers men’s hockeyprogram.
Kabbaj played three years in the Q, finish-ing his career with the Gatineau Olympiques.In 55 games, he scored seven goals and added20 assists, while Payette, who played his finalyear with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles,scored seven goals and added 25 assists.
A native of Westmount, Kabbaj will studyeconomics at Concordia. Payette, who is fromLaSalle, is enrolled in Concordia’s Urban Stud-ies program.
SPORTS IN BRIEFThe Latest on Everything StingersThe Fight of His Life
Concordia Judoka Sergio Pessoa’s London Experience
“My friend Antoine Valois-Fortier winning the bronze medal in the under-81-kilogram event, and the celebration, with myself and all my teammates therecheering for him, the whole stadium going crazy, for me, that’s going to be themoment I remember the most.”
—Sergio Pessoa
PHOTO JASON MORRIS
SportsSports the link • august 28, 2012 thelinknewspaper.ca/sports12
A ugust in Montreal means the bees are back. At Con-cordia, the eighth month means the same thing asStingers fall training takes off. With the start of
their seasons only days away, the athletes are gearing up forwhat they hope will be their own championship seasons.
Here are your fall 2012 Concordia Stingers:
—with files from Seth Galina
STINGERS SEASON PREVIEWSA Brief Look at Concordia’s Fall Sports
• ANDREW MAGGIO
Football:The Stingers enter the season with
high-expectations for themselves. After finishing last season with a
disappointing 4-5 record and gettingblown out 33-7 by the Laval Rouge et Or in the semi-finals of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, the teamand head coach Gerry McGrath are looking to build around a talented nucleus of offensive and defensive players.
“We need to be more mature and exe-
cute a little better [this year],” said Mc-Grath.
“Raul Thompson and Michael Don-nelly are a great one-two punch at tail-back, Matt Gulakow has really come on atfullback and tight-end, our receivers KrisBastien and Mike Harrington and JamalHenry, those guys know how to play. I metwith our leadership group the other dayand they expect us to win the Vanier Cup.”
The Stingers open their regular seasonSept. 1 at Concordia Stadium against theBishop’s University Gaiters at 1:00 p.m.
Men’s Soccer:The men’s soccer team, led by coach
Lloyd Barker, a former Jamaican nationalplayer and Montreal Impact forward, islooking to break a streak of eight consec-utive seasons without making the play-offs.
The team has made some improve-ments since Barker took over in 2007, buta postseason berth has remained elusive.
Barker will be looking to veteran mid-fielder Karim Haroun, who led the teamwith 5 goals and 6 points last season,
enough to earn him a spot on the RSEQsecond all-star team. Forward EduardoMazzonna will also be a key player, pro-viding offense in his second season as astriker.
Despite two non-conference losses toopen the season, there were severalflashes of brilliance that gave hope thatthis might be the season the Stingers findthemselves back in a playoff spot.
The Stingers open their regular seasonSept. 6 at the Université de Montréalagainst the Carabins at 8:00 p.m.
Women’s Soccer:Concordia’s women’s soccer team
is coming off an underwhelming year,picking up only two victories to go alongwith three draws and nine losses.
Despite this, an influx of talent willlook to take the women to the next levelunder head coach Jorge Sanchez, who isentering his tenth year with the team.
A former Concordian himself,Sanchez is no doubt looking for big seasons from veteran forward JenniferDuff and second-year players Alex-andra Dragan and Melissa White-Kendro.
The Stingers open their regular sea-son Sept. 6 at Université de Montréalagainst the Carabins at 6:00 p.m.
Men’s Rugby:Despite a subpar 1-4-1 record last
year, the Concordia Men’s Rugby teamadvanced to the RSEQ championshipgame against McGill, ultimately falling28-7 to the league-best undefeated Redmen. Head coach Clive Gibson islooking to rally his troops with thehopes of reaching another champi-onship game, and coming out of it witha better result.
“We’re looking for a championship,”said Gibson, who’s had a hand in run-
ning both the men’s and women’s pro-grams since 1996.
“I’m looking to strengthen the for-wards so we can gain more profitableballs. I’m expecting big things from mycaptain Dario Pellizzari. He’s put in agreat deal of work in the offseason, notonly on his own physvical preparationbut also on building team cohesiveness.”
The Stingers open their regular sea-son Sept. 7 against the Université deSherbrooke Vert et Or at Concordia Sta-dium at 9:00 p.m.
PHOTO DYLAN MALONEY
the link • august 28, 2012 thelinknewspaper.ca/sports SportsSports13
Women’s Rugby:The Concordia women’s rugby team
turned in a solid overall performance lastseason, going 4-2 in the regular season andreaching the RSEQ championship againstLaval. Unfortunately, the women sufferedthe same fate as the men, falling to theirneighbouring archrivals 43-27.
The women did manage to get fourplayers named to the RSEQ women’srugby all-star team, notably HughannaGaw, one of the league’s premier players.
Gaw was named an All-Canadian for
the second year in a row, following up herCanadian University Sport (CIS) Rookie ofthe Year Award in 2009.
She led the team in tries and tackles lastseason, and looks to replicate her phenom-enal season this year with the hopes ofpushing the team, led by eighth-year headcoach Graeme McGravie, over the final ob-stacle in their quest for a championship.
The Stingers open their regular seasonSept. 7 against Université de SherbrookeVert et Or at Concordia Stadium at 7:00p.m.
Baseball:Concordia’s baseball team may fly under
the radar at times, but the squad, led by headcoach Howard Schwartz, has been a pillar ofconsistency over the last several years.
Having been to nationals four times inthe last five years and winning numerousconference championships in the process,
Schwartz is looking to continue that domi-nance, despite introducing many new play-ers this season.
“When you have not that many [players]returning, and so many new faces, they haveto go through their own personal evolutionof becoming comfortable with playing forthe university and being part of something
probably bigger than they’ve ever been a partof,” said Schwartz.
“My expectation is to focus on developingthe philosophy of the team to get them tolearn how to be a successful group. I’m ex-pecting guys like André Lagarde to step upand take control, being a third-year player,as well as guys like Brandon Bercovits to get
on the mound and gain from his experiencefrom last year.”
The Stingers open their regular season Sept. 2 against the Carleton University Ravens at Pierre-ElliotTrudeau Park in a double-header; the firstgame begins at 12:00 p.m., while the sec-ond starts at 2:30 p.m.
Cross-Country Running:Concordia’s cross-country team may still
be considered a club, and may be open to anywilling participants, but that doesn’t meanthat they take their sport lightly. Led by headcoach John Lofranco, the group looks to im-prove upon their solid results from last sea-son.
“For the guys, we need the depth guys [3-4-5 runners] to perform better. They were ayoung group last year, so hopefully anotheryear will help,” said Lofranco.
“The same goes for the women: we have anice returning core who are a little more ex-perienced now, and know what to expect. Ifthey can work as a group and motivate eachother, they can be greater than the sum oftheir parts.
“It’s hard to say [with regards to expecta-tions] as it depends on the other teams,”Lofranco admitted. “We are always at a dis-advantage when it comes to recruiting, so wehave to develop from within. We look for in-dividual improvement from each individual.That’s the goal.”
“I expect Ryan Noel-Hodge to challengefor the provincial title and quite possibly thenational title,” said Lofranco of the comingyear. “I’m excited about Jackie Peters. Shehad a stress fracture in the winter and didn’trun much between March and June. She’spain free and I think she will have a good fall.She has a great attitude: I could see her mov-ing into the top 20 this year.”
The Stingers will participate in their firstevent Sept. 15 at the McGill Open; the womenwill be running the 4K, while the men will berunning the 6K.
PHOTO CLEMENT TAGNEY
PHOTO DYLAN MALONEY
PHOTO JENNIE MAE ROY
ADVOCACY INACTION: CSU UNDERPREPARED TO DEFEND ACCUSED STUDENTS • PAGE 19OpinionsOpinions
ALEX MANLEY@ALEX_ICON
On Aug. 25, a Gazette article byformer The Link news editorChristopher Curtis featured an in-terview that laid plain the feelings ofmany anglo Montrealers: Asidefrom the Liberals, “there aren’t anyother options for English speakersin Quebec.”
Apart from the succinctness ofthe statement and how well it illus-trates the province’s linguistic ten-sions in the lead-up to a generalelection, it’s also worth consideringthe phrase “English speakers inQuebec,” and what that suggests.
I don’t consider myself an Eng-lish speaker in Quebec. I considermyself a Quebecer.
I’m an anglophone; my motherwas born in England, and my fatherin Ontario. They met in Toronto,lived in France together for a year,and moved to Montreal in the ‘80sto start a family together. We spokeEnglish at home; they sent me to anEnglish public school, where I wasplaced in a French immersionstream.
The first time I ever met a realflesh-and-blood sovereigntist, how-ever, was trick-or-treating at ahouse with a ‘Oui’ poster promi-nently displayed inside on Hal-loween 1995 in St-Henri, the dayafter money and the ethnic vote—asthen-Parti Québécois leaderJacques Parizeau put it—kept Que-bec a part of Canada.
If the anglo community seemedhermetically sealed when it came tothe Yes/No politics of the referen-dum at the time, it seems to havelargely remained that way in thedecade and a half since.
Curtis’s article also makes itclear that—west of Guy St., candi-dates for the PQ, the Coalitionavenir Québecois, Québec Solidaire,the Option Nationale et al. might aswell phone it in.
When it comes to anglo Mon-trealers—“English speakers in Que-bec”—the Liberal Party is the onlyoption, because the Liberals are theone party who will promise outrightnot to hold a referendum on sepa-ration. There’s more to the city—and the province—however, thanthe west end of Montreal.
With a week to go in the cam-paign, the Liberals are down in thepolls—five percentage points backfrom the PQ, and even one percent-age point behind the upstart CAQ.It’s time to consider the very realpossibility that Sept. 6 will usher ina government that is willing to con-sider—or excited to deliver—a refer-endum.
This might be as good a time asany for a wake-up call. Quebec is aFrench-speaking province. It ispopulated primarily by French-speaking people, its culture is pri-marily a French-speaking one, andits politicians are primarily fran-cophones as well.
For too long, anglos in Quebechave sought to live separate from
this reality, carving out red anglo-phone enclaves against the bluebackdrop of the province.
Montreal has wonderful barsand restaurants, you can skate onBeaver Lake in the winter, the sum-mers here are to die for and angloMontrealers can get by just fine,without more than a ‘bonjour’ and a‘merci’ to their name, providingthey stick to the right neighbour-hoods.
In the leaders’ debate on Aug.19, when the talk turned on the lan-guage question, PQ head PaulineMarois decried the presence of busi-nesses in the downtown core wherecustomers couldn’t get served inFrench.
To some, that might seem like afabrication at worst and a silly thingto harp on at best. But if there’s onething I’ve found about Englishspeaking people in Quebec over theyears, it’s that they have a completeinability to put themselves in theshoes of their French-speakingcounterparts. It’s, “They should stopcomplaining,” or, “They have a vic-tim complex.”
Yet Quebec is the only Frenchpart of what can seem at times alargely monocultural and monolin-guistic continent, andAmerican/Canadian music, moviesand businesses already run throughthe province like veins. Quebec isintegrated in all the ways it doesn’twant to be.
A friend of mine recently posedthis question on Facebook: Why do
so many people think there’s onlyone way to be a true, good, legitQuebecer? I responded that therewas no such thing as a good Quebe-cer, only good Quebecers. It is asynthesis of people and their differ-ences that makes a society, notclones of a person.
But that answer holds true atthe personal level, too. What is atrue, good, legit Quebecer? Some-one who enjoys Hollywood moviesbut also C.R.A.Z.Y., the Trailer ParkBoys and Les amours imaginairestoo.
A good Quebecer shouts herselfhoarse when Bon Jovi comes on atkaraoke, but also enjoys “Les étoilesfilantes” by the Cowboys Fringantsand “Montréal -40C” by Malajube.A good Quebecer disdains CélineDion, but can do so fluently both inFrench and English, caline de bine.
Enfin, a good Quebecer is poly-valent.
This is a distinct society, but it’sa society distinct with differenceand diversity. That’s somethingworth celebrating. On Sept. 4, Que-becers will head to the polls—butthey should be voting with confi-dence, not out of fear.
Unless something drastic hap-pens this week, the Liberals maywell be unseated, and we may befacing a referendum vote againwithin a few years.
I find it hard to believe thatQuebec could successfully work it-self up into enough of a state to ac-tually separate in the current
economic climate. But maybe notfar down the road, young anglo-phone children, for whom Montrealis the only home they’ve everknown, will be told that they do notbelong here by the writings on thewalls.
Mistrust and animus exists inevery society, and neither side has amonopoly on a moral high ground.Both, for instance, largely leave outFirst Nations Quebecers from thediscussion; they weren’t brought uponce during the leaders’ debate.
But next week, we shouldn’t de-scend to the level of mistrust andanimus; we shouldn’t try to retain astranglehold on a province that isnot ours to hold onto.
Instead, we should vote for theparties whose views align mostclosely with our own, whicheverparty that is, not the party willing tokowtow to the language politics of adivide born of decades of close-mindedness, class divides and arro-gance.
To vote for the Liberals—or tostay at home—purely out of a short-sighted desire for a malfunctioninglinguistic status quo does a disserv-ice to all Quebecers.
There are more issues at stakehere than the spectre of a future ref-erendum. The parties have plans forthe environment, for the poor, forthe rich, for the cost of university tu-ition, and if there’s one thing thattranscends language politics—that’sthe same in both French and Eng-lish—it’s numbers.
OUI/NO
the link • august 28, 2012thelinknewspaper.ca/ops 15 OpinionsOpinions
COLIN HARRIS@COLINNHARRIS
Whether you’re new to Que-bec or not, it’s pretty obvious thatthe province’s politics works ontwo spectrums. While parties arejudged on the scale of left vs.right, what often trumps this de-bate, in debates and commentaryalike, is where a party sits on thefederalist/sovereigntist spec-trum.
And when I consider votingfor a party with sovereigntist val-ues to unseat Charest, I feel atwinge from my Ottawan up-bringing, warning me I may becutting off the nose to spite theface.
After living in Quebec for twoyears, however, it’s become clearto me that things aren’t so blackand white. But what is clear isthat the polarizing nature of thesovereignty debate is dangerous.It makes voting for the left im-possible for anglophones withcold feet and has made the PartiQuébécois the volatile giant it isnow.
When the motion to separatewas put to a vote 17 years ago, itwas voted down by less than onepercentage point. And while thepush for sovereignty is quieternow, the PQ can’t afford to alien-ate the hardest of nationalistswhen it’s so close to regainingpower from the Liberals.
Losing MNA Jean-Martin
Aussant last year was a blow tothe PQ’s separatist cred, intensi-fied by the fact that ‘95 referen-dum-era premier JacquesParizeau has now thrown hissupport behind him.
His new one-seat party Op-tion Nationale aims for the heartof the sovereigntist cause, un-moved by the politics of soft na-tionalists the PQ needs to retainits size.
They can’t lose the sovereign-tist base; it’s their bread and but-ter. It explains why the PQ willconsider a referendum if only 15per cent of Quebecers want it, inwhat Pauline Marois formerlycalled a politically binding citi-zen’s referendum.
The small parties campaign-ing on leftist values and Quebecnational identity don’t have thispluralist problem yet. The PQ hasto rally the worker vote, the leftand sovereigntists hard and softto get the majority they seek.
But here I am, sitting on theleft, and trusting Marois is some-
thing I just can’t do.In trying to prevent the hard
nationalists from jumping to Op-tion Nationale, Marois speaks ofpolicy that only validates thestereotype of the xenophobicQuébécois. And while the party’ssocial-service-friendly platformis attractive, they’ve subordi-nated it to preservation of cul-ture—a decision that could drivethe left to Québec Solidaire.
Because when Marois speaksof the Québécois, it has as muchto do with race and religion as itdoes with language.
She was originally running onthe platform that everyone wish-ing to run for public office wouldneed a competence in French,but when she realized she hadforgotten about First Nationscommunities, Marois changedthis idea to only apply to immi-grants.
Her party is running on thepremise of secular government,but with the caveat that the cru-cifix is a cultural object—as if a
hijab has nothing to do with cul-ture.
And that’s perhaps the great-est indicator of the PQ problem:they need to keep their base andgain new support to win the ma-jority, which means being thechampion of Quebec’s historywhile immersing themselves intothe social issues that will shapeits future.
And, caught between the two,they haven’t managed to be he-roes for either cause. What theydo have going for them is theirposition as an alternative toCharest.
The international language ofcommerce is English, and bar-ring its use in the workplace, likeMarois has suggested, is aCuster’s Last Stand against thegreat tide of globalized businessQuebec’s economy necessarilyneeds to interact with.
While a customer should al-ways have the opportunity to beserved in French, forcing the ex-clusive use of one language onthe private sector veers far closerto oppression than a so-calledprogressive party should.
And while the PQ has spokenout against Charest’s tuition in-creases, there’s no guaranteeMarois will be the friend to stu-dents, even if former studentleader Léo Bureau-Blouin wins inhis riding.
A majority PQ governmentwould hold a “national discus-
sion” on the subject according toSainte-Marie—Saint-Jacquescandidate Daniel Breton. Maroishas been a fairweather friend tothe students, illustrated by herwearing the red square only atthe height of its popularity, andher quick separation from themovement when a fall electionlooked possible.
The provincial equivalent tothe New Democratic Party,Québec Solidaire, has never wa-vered in its support for the print-emps érable crusade againstneoliberal politics, and co-leaderFrançoise David proved her com-petence in the Radio-Canadaleader debate.
And, most importantly, whileQS is explicitly pro-sovereignty,they acknowledge how impera-tive it is to fix what’s broken first,without blaming all Quebec’swoes on federalism.
They provide a solutions-based platform without harpingon language politics. In a minor-ity government, a QS bloc can goa long way towards looking outfor the social welfare of theprovince—something that will beneeded if Legault’s right-wingparty winds up in third place.
You can vote for a party withintrinsically Québécois values foraccessible healthcare, daycare,housing and tuition without sell-ing out to separatism. That’swhat your ballot in a referendumis for.
PQ PASSÉ
“The small parties campaigning on leftistvalues and Quebec national identity don’thave this pluralist problem yet. The PQ hasto rally the worker vote, the left andsovereigntists hard and soft to get themajority they seek.”
the link • august 28, 2012thelinknewspaper.ca/ops OpinionsOpinions17
My boyfriend and I are in a committed long-distance relationship. Re-cently, I moved in with a male friend and I’ve gradually discovered thatI have deep feelings for him. At first I wasn’t too concerned, because we’re both involved with peoplewe’re serious about, but a combination of feeling safe around him andtotal sex deprivation has led to some awkward thoughts. I really love my man, but I’m miserable trying to ignore these feelings.Can I make this easier on myself or is it a hopeless case?
—Rent-Up Desire
There are some ways to make this a little easier on you, but be-fore that can happen, you need to figure out what your ideal solu-tion actually looks like.
Whether or not these “deep feelings” are deep emotional feel-ings, deep sexual feelings or a bit of both is pretty key—is this some-one you want to date, regularly sleep with or just fool around withonce or twice?
You also say your roommate is in a serious relationship, so I’mwondering if he’s been giving you reason to believe he wants some-thing to happen with you. If your roommate wants something tohappen, then things will probably get pretty messy however youplay it.
If this is the case, don’t cheat. Cheating is a really shitty and dis-respectful thing to do to someone, and if you feel like it may cometo that, I suggest either talking to your boyfriend about how you’refeeling and potentially breaking up, or finding yourself another liv-ing situation.
At the same time, don’t ignore your thoughts. Use your fan-tasies, masturbate to them (if you aren’t already), and enjoy theawesome orgasms they’ll give you.
Fantasizing is not cheating, and there is absolutely nothingwrong with exploring the things you’re fantasizing about doingwithout actually doing them to relieve some tension. Sometimespeople even realize they don’t actually want to do the things theyfantasize about once they get it a little out of their system.
In another direction, I don’t know how long you’ve been doingthe long-distance thing, but sometimes when couples are apart forsome time but know they still want to be together, they temporarilyopen up their relationship.
If the lack of sexual intimacy is becoming a recurring issue andan open model is of interest to you and your boyfriend, then itmight be something to start looking into and seriously discussing.
Being open can mean a lot of things, and the boundaries are re-ally up to the couple to decide based on their own comfort levels.
It can be really complicated to switch from a monogamous long-term relationship to an open one, and both partners need to wantit and be committed to the process. It’s definitely not for everyone.
That may or may not be for you, but even with an open relation-ship, you still live with this guy! What is the likelihood that yourboyfriend will be cool with you fucking the guy you live with? Orthat things won’t get awkward once you’re done messing around?You might lose him not only as a roommate, but as a friend too.
If you’re having trouble ignoring your feelings, then maybe youshouldn’t be ignoring them. They may be there because you needa change, however big or small. My advice is to figure out what youreally want from your relationship, and whether this living situa-tion is best for you.
For help working through your sex-related fears, youcan always contact Concordia Counselling & Develop-ment. The Sir George Williams campus office is reachableat 514-848-2424 ext. 3545, and the one at Loyola is ext.3555.
- Melissa Fuller
Send questions to [email protected] check out “Sex & Pancakes” on Facebook.
Apartment Building Tensions
ACROSS1. During the production of this
1998 animated film, over 600 re-ligious experts were consulted toensure an extremely high level ofaccuracy. (3 words)
3. This 1984 film marked DavidLeah’s return to filmmaking aftera 14-year hiatus. (4 words)
11. Home to some of the mostdeadly animals on the planet, thisland down under is also the nameof a 2008 film. In fact, during itsfilming, Nicole Kidman savedHugh Jackman from being stungby a scorpion that was crawling uphis leg.
13. The Han characters usedfor the title sequence of this filmtranslate to “Evil Spirits Make aBig Scene in Little Spiritual State.”(5 words)
14. Harrison Ford got his firstmajor break when George Lucasdiscovered him working as a setcarpenter. Lucas liked him somuch that he cast Ford in this1973 comedy. (2 words)
15. The Central Park Zoo fromwhich the main characters escapein this 2005 DreamWorks filmdoesn’t actually house any lions,zebras, hippos, or giraffes.
16. In the 2003 remake of aMichael Caine movie, 32 miniswere used during filming that in-cluded specially built electricmodels. This was because of lawsprohibiting gas-operated vehiclesin the Los Angeles subway tun-nels. (3 words)
17. This film, the second Bondflick starring Sean Connery, wasalmost his last. During filming of the helicopter sequence fromthe end of the film, an inexperi-enced pilot flew too close to theactor, nearly killing him. (4words)
18. Taking homage to the nextlevel, this 2006 film starringGeorge Clooney was shot onlyusing techniques and technologyof 1945. The only deviation fromthis was the inclusion content thatthe Production Code of the timewould have prohibited—nudity,swearing and violence. (3 words)
DOWN2. All of the broadcasts that
Robin Williams does for this warcomedy film were ad-libbed by theactor. (3 words)
4. Johnny Depp shot all of his
scenes for this film in nine days,but when he was done he didn’twant to leave. Depp suggested todirector Robert Rodriguez that heplay the small part of the priest, sohe could stay longer. (6 words)
5. This film starring GeneHackman was the first R-ratedmovie to win Best Picture at theOscars. (3 words)
6. Actor Ralph Fiennes insistedon wearing his full burn makeupeven for shots that only includedhis face in this 1996 film that tookhome 9 of the 12 Oscars it wasnominated for. (3 words)
7. Errol Flynn stars in this film,which is actually a remake of thefilm Singapore, altered to takeplace in Turkey’s largest city.
9. When this film based on anovel was first released, 25 min-utes of it were cut out for screen-ings in West Germany. (4 words)
10. This 1941 Bogart film is al-most entirely identical to thenovel on which it was based, wordfor word and scene for scene. (3words)
12. Randal Kleiser, director ofthis 1978 film, hated the song“You’re the One That I Want,” say-ing it “sounded awful.”
MOVIE COUNTRYCHRISTOPHER TAN - @CHRISVTAN
OpinionsOpinions ## the link • august 28, 2012 thelinknewspaper.ca/ops18
There must be dinosaur bones belowde Maisonneuve Blvd. W. The city hasbeen digging and excavating the stretchbetween St. Marc St. and Mackay St. formonths but still—nothing to show off atthe museum of natural history.
But Quebec needs more dinosaurs inOttawa! Keep digging!
Until significant discoveries are made,the area around Concordia is being sub-jected to random excavation. Was it theintention of those re-paving the sectionbetween the Hall and and McConnellbuildings to create of the least fun roller-coaster in Canada?
After biking through jaywalkers onBishop St., the bike path dips from streetlevel to sidewalk and there’s a sewer gratenear Mackay, which is about 6 incheslower than street level. Wheeee! Worstride ever! Look at me as I enjoy this re-verse speed bump!
Also, thanks for the random plantsthat now separate the bike path from deMaisonneuve. Woo, shrubbery! It’s like askit called “The Knights Who Say, ‘Ouch,My Knee.’”
And thanks for the amazing reroutingeffort that’s happening west of Guy St.,where the bike path is essentially an extraparking lane. Look at all those happy carsand vans that are using the right-handside of de Maisonneuve as an extra park-ing lane!
I mean, it’s only the way hundreds ifnot thousands of commuters get aroundeach day, but if three people with carsneed a spot to park—into the gutter withthem two-wheelies!
I’m so thankful for this teleporter. It’sreally the only way to travel.
–Elysha Del Giusto-Enos,Fringe Arts Editor Online
Construction CriticismNAH’MSAYIN?
GRAPHIC JOSHUA BARKMAN
BARTONCOMIC JONATHAN WOODS
COMIC JOSHUA BARKMANFalse Knees
ARIES: Look under your couch. There’sa few pennies down there.
TAURUS: You need to take a shower;people are giving you awkward stares.
GEMINI: Change your Facebook statusto “Hey, I’m single.” You will be re-warded.
CANCER: Frosh week will treat youwell. Be sure to drink a lot.
LEO: You will be struck by lightning.
VIRGO: Virgins, virgins everywhere.
LIBRA: Watch your back, there’s peoplebehind you.
SCORPIO: Maybe tone down the sting-ing remarks, okay.
SAGITTARIUS: Cash mon-ay! Make itrain! (Money, that is).
CAPRICORN: Pre-game for your firstclass. Like, Power Hour-style.
AQUARIUS: A change of identity mightbe a good idea.
PISCES: Have you been fishing lately?
HOROSCOPE CLÉMENT LIU - @CLEMENT_LIU
JUPITER AND MARS WILL COLLIDE
## OpinionsOpinionsthe link • august 28, 2012thelinknewspaper.ca/ops 19
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The Link is published every Tuesday during the academic year by The Link Publication Society Inc. Content is independent of the university and studentassociations (ECA, CASA, ASFA, FASA, CSU). Editorial policy is set by an elected board as provided for in The Link ’s constitution. Any student is welcometo work on The Link and become a voting staff member. The Link is a member of Canadian University Press and Presse Universitaire Indépendante duQuébec.Material appearing in The Link may not be reproduced without prior written permission from The Link.Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters 400 words or less will be printed, space permitting. The letters deadline is Friday at 4:00 p.m. The Linkreserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length and refuse those deemed racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, libellous, or otherwise contraryto The Link ’s statement of principles.Board of Directors 2012-2013: Clare Raspopow, Mathieu Biard, Christopher Curtis, Justin Giovannetti, Morgan Todd, Jamila Musayeva, Laura Beeston,Adam Kovac, Julia Jones; non-voting members: Rachel Boucher, Julia Wolfe. Typesetting by The Link. Printing by Hebdo-Litho.
Print contributors: Anne-Myriam Abdelhak, Joshua Barkman, Pierre Chauvin, Marie-Helene Chisolm, Melissa Fuller, Faiz Imam, Julia Jones, AmandaLaprade, Jennie Mae Ray, Dylan Maloney, Jason Morris, Clement Tagney, Christopher Tan, Jonathan Woods.
Cover by Julia Wolfe
Volume 33, Issue 2
Tuesday, August 28, 2012Concordia UniversityHall Building, Room H-6491455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.Montreal, Quebec H3G 1M8
editor: 514-848-2424 x. 7405 arts: 514-848-2424 x. 5813 ads: 514-848-2424 x. 8682fax: 514-848-4540business: 514-848-7406
GRAPHIC PAKU DAOUST-CLOUTIER
KANGAROO COURT
JULIA WOLFE
COREY POOL
OPEN
OPEN
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ELYSHA DEL GIUSTO-ENOS (ACTING)OPEN
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Editorial
T he face of the student movementis certainly changing, but at least26 Concordia students are still
stuck in a fight from three months ago. The fate of these students, who were
charged for their actions during the strike,will drastically change the future of studentunrest at English universities. It’s too badthat this delicate situation will be decidedby Concordia—and its new student union.
After all, the relationship between Con-cordia and its students has been pretty mis-erable recently. So we shouldn’t besurprised at the total callousness of the uni-versity when it comes to bringing chargesagainst their own students.
Students were informed of their chargesat the start of June, a move the schoolclaims was to avoid extra exam-time stress.Unfortunately, that decision meant manystudents were already home for the sum-mer. The CSU was in transition and Quebecwas in turmoil.
Since then, students haven’t seen any ofthe evidence against them. They’ve done
their best to plan, but without the actualdocuments in front of them or a date ontheir calendar, their hands are sort of tied.Concordia keeping this information fromthe charged students puts them at a majordisadvantage with regards to defendingthemselves.
And for those who argue that studentswho blocked classes deserve the treatment,keep in mind this is all still alleged. Stu-dents are facing a major handicap beforetheir trial, innocent or otherwise. By treat-ing charged students as guilty ones, theschool is completely disregarding any pre-sumption of innocence.
In light of their particular situation,most of the charged students have beenmeeting with the CSU’s Student AdvocacyCentre to come up with as many hypothet-ical game plans as they can.
Unfortunately, the Advocacy Centrecan’t and shouldn’t do the union’s job.
CSU President Schubert Laforest saysthe union doesn’t want to demand allcharges be dropped without consultation
with the students. Many of the involved stu-dents, however, feel the union should havedone everything within their power to getthe charges dropped from Day One.
They’re right. The role of our union should be as close
as possible to that of a labour union. Ourelected representatives shouldn’t have toask students if they want the chargesagainst them dropped. From the day theenvelopes appeared on doorsteps, it wastheir responsibility to speak out.
We’ll need a strong CSU this year espe-cially. We can only hope that the CSU willlearn before it comes time to advocate fortheir constituents at the Board, Senate andon the streets.
It’s worrisome to think this might be anindication of the kind of CSU performancewe can expect this year. If this was theunion’s first real test, they failed outright.
But this was much more than a test—these trials will set an important precedent.
While Concordia has a powerful historyof activism, strikes on this scale are historic
for an English school. How these studentsare tried will send a clear message to thepolitically active members of this univer-sity—and every other English school at-tempting a student mobilization on thislevel.
The school itself made its ideas clearabout who should and should not occupythis space the moment the letters were sent.Those ideas won’t be written in stone, how-ever, until the ink dries on the students’records.
We should be grateful, then, that thesedecisions will not rest solely in the hands ofthe administration. The tribunal that willjudge the students will ideally be made upof a healthy mix of students, faculty, admin-istration and support staff.
Let’s hope they take into account themany hurdles the charged students are fac-ing in order to get a fair trial.
Whatever they’ve done—or not done—their cases haven’t even begun and alreadythey’re being mishandled. Hopefully it’s nota sign of things to come.