Welcome to The Podcast. Cedric Gallant will produce and host this podcast alongside our Section Editors every week. The shows will rotate weekly to cover topics from each section of our newspaper!
This week’s show, Chatcordia, was produced by Cedric Gallant and Dalia Nardolillo, The Concordian’s Community Editor. Tune in for future episodes of Chatcordia, where we interview students about all things from serious to silly!
In this episode:
Cedric Gallant covers this week’s headlines and interviews Concordians at the Climate march last weekend.
For our Chatcordia segment this week, Community Editor Dalia Nardolillo asked Concordia students what they’re eating as we head into the busy (and often without lunch) days of the Fall semester.
Thanks for listening and make sure to tune in next week!
Concordia Stingers' men's soccer game against the McGill Redbirds on Sept. 23, 2022. Credit: Kyran Thicke/Concordia Athletics
Andrew Foote and a stunning defence help get the victory
The Concordia Stingers men’s soccer team fought a challenging game against the McGill Redbirds in which Concordia came out victorious 2-1 on Friday night.
The first half of the game showed a lot of determination from the Stinger’s offence. However, it wasn’t until the 33rd minute that forward Andrew Foote finally pierced through the defence of McGill goalie Ludovyck Ciociola, the current U Sports Athlete of the Week.
Only eight minutes later, Foote scored again, securing his second goal of the season. Both goals were assisted by defender Angus Legault.
Stingers’ forward Andrew Foote after a soccer game against the McGill Redbirds on Sept. 23, 2022. Maria Bouabdo/The Concordian
Nearing the end of the first half however, Redbirds’ midfielder Jake Gerenraich scored, with an assist by midfielder Reese Carlow, to help McGill get closer to a tie.
There were no goals in the second half, as McGill’s defence pushed back hard to try to tie the game. However, the Stingers’ still dominated on the field with 10 shots compared to McGill’s six.
“[Our offence] was successful because it was simple,” said Stingers’ midfielder Benoit Litty Mpako during a post-game interview. “We were just concentrating on getting control of the ball and moving it forward.”
Stingers’ head coach Greg Sutton said they had been working hard after last week’s 3-2 loss against the UQTR Patriotes.
“We were able to bounce back and show a little bit of moxie from our guys,” Sutton added. “We knew obviously that this was going to be a challenging game as it always is against McGill with our rivalry. We’re all just very proud of our performance.”
Sutton also spoke about Foote’s performance. “We all know he can do a lot of great things for us and so full credit to the guy for being able to step up in a big moment. Honestly, it’s not a surprise, he’s been able to do that already in his short history with us,” he said.
“It was what the team needed, and it was a solid performance all around,” Foote said. “We came out here and everybody wanted it. That’s what I did and that’s what everyone else did.”
“It was a little bit scrappier than we wanted, but we’ve learned a lot of things, simple as that. It’s just another win and we want to win a lot more,” added defender and team captain Sean Homes before running off to his teammates for a post-game huddle.
Finding alternative means of fundings in the cinema industry crucial more than ever before
As new cohorts of young creatives, freshly graduated from CEGEPs and universities are developing their own audiovisual works, the world of independent cinema is undergoing a revolution, both creatively and technologically.
New faces are entering the business with the modernized technologies and social networks that have revolutionized the distribution and communication around films and series. One of the challenges that awaits these young people in the film industry, however, is the question of funding.
When Catherine Quesnel read the script for what was supposed to be a short film sent to her by her friend and classmate Eléonore Delvaux-Beaudoin, she decided to co-direct it with her in the form of a mini web series. One of the obstacles she quickly discovered was the issue of production.
While the inspiration to write and create was not lacking for these two CEGEP students, the question quickly arose as to how they would finance their project.
The duo asked for help from their classmates Lu Sergei Denaud and Léa Desjardins, who became producers on the project. Soon, they were joined by other fellow students to create a production team for the web series Léo au féminin.
They explained that the first thing that was on their mind when starting was to clearly define how they were going to merge the artistic side with the production side.
“It was always about constantly defining, ‘How many people do we need? What are all the steps? This takes money, how do we find it?’ ” explained Desjardins. “There is no set rule to follow, you have to constantly be looking, searching for the information.”
The team already had some technical notions of organization and production that they had learned in school during their film classes.
“We tried to give ourselves a good structure, an organization as soon as we started the pre-production and then we had to ask ourselves the question of how to find funding in Quebec,” said Denaud.
The team first looked at funding opportunities throughout Quebec’s state-funded organizations for the development of arts and culture, such as the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC).
“At the beginning we thought we would go for subsidies, but it was not easy,” said Desjardins. SODEC does offer a funding program for people starting out in the industry.
However, it proved to be too complicated for the young team to apply for financial aid: “It’s very complicated: you must fill out a lot of documents, you must know which team you have, and you must have UDA members for the actors,” explained Desjardins.
L’Union des artistes (UDA) is a professional union tasked with representing artists who speak French, or any language other than English within Canada.
However, the team had decided to hire people from their network of young actors and directors to work on the series. None of them had a foot in the door yet and were by no means already unionized. The team’s inexperience was therefore the defining factor that did not make them eligible for the grant.
The production team decided to register the series as an “amateur” not-for-profit production and not a “professional” one, which wouldn’t allow them to ask for subsidies but would give them more freedom.
“We decided to be amateur officially, but as professional as possible in practice. We wanted to give it all anyway,” said Desjardins. Denaud also added that this gave them more freedom on shooting, and release dates.
This freedom, they discovered, was also obtained from the rejections they had received from numerous production companies. This allowed them to stay independent and make the series the way they wanted, without any obligations from a company.
Nonetheless, from these rejections came the precious help of a producer who decided to be their mentor. They also found the help of a professional film editor who was willing to edit the series voluntarily.
Jonathan Beaulieu-Cyr, a young independent producer and director from Montreal, explained that it is complicated to find funding for a project as a fresh graduate starting out in the industry.
“Organizations such as SODEC and Telefilms give generous amounts of money, but you must be very advanced in your career,” said Beaulieu-Cyr. “I know that I am very lucky personally to be able to make a living exclusively from film, it is very rare.”
Wiebke von Carolsfeld, a film director, writer, editor, and a teacher at Concordia’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema agreed with Beaulieu-Cyr.
“You have to pay up before you get paid and that can drag on forever,” she said. “It does put an interesting dilemma in the beginning, for example, how are you going to get experience to get hired?”
Von Carolsfeld added that she believes that the most important thing for young creatives is mentorship and access to professionals in the field who are willing to offer their help to navigate the complicated industry.
This is exactly what allowed the team of Léo au féminin to produce the series. Quesnel explained how creating connections worked to their advantage.
Louanne Caron/Léo au féminin
“For example, we had a friend who was going to be one of our actors who had friends who did lighting,” said Quesnel. “And those people rented a studio so connecting with them allowed us to have some kind of headquarters and people that were good with lighting and good with equipment.”
Through a call for donations on GoFundMe, the team managed to raise funds, gather a social media following in the process and develop a solid network of friends, classmates, and people in the industry that finally led to the success of their project.
The mom-and-pop second hand books and records shop finds a way to stay alive despite various adversity
In the early 90’s, Sean Madden, a young Concordia graduate, began buying books and records from local yard sales and auctions, eventually sparking his interest in selling them. As his hobbies pursued, his father — playwright Peter Madden — joined him, setting his literary passion ablaze.
“We often buy things from the community, and then it’s a nice process because it returns to the community. I always feel like I work really hard to keep Encore open because what we do here isn’t as much about selling as being a space for works of art to find other lives,” said Madden, the dedicated owner of Encore Books & Records.
Shawn Madden, owner of Encore book store Kaitlynn Rodney/The Concordian
The two would trade from all sorts of stores across town, namely S.W. Welch, The Word, and Odyssey. “Eventually we had so much stuff piled up, we were getting too good at it,” said Sean Madden.
“We stopped supplying other stores and looked for our own. It took us a year and a half to find this location. We lived in NDG, and we wanted something from NDG.” Thus, Encore Books & Records was opened in 1999 on Sherbrooke West and Harvard.
Madden was keen on finding unusual records from niche genres. “People were throwing out all kinds of things, and it’s always so fun to find somebody’s collection and learn about who they are, what they enjoy.”
Encore Books & Records has well over 100 genres of books, and over 40 genres of music on vinyl. However, running a second-hand bookstore on a busy street is no simple task.
“Our profit margins are fine, but it’s a lot of work and I think it’s difficult, because our customers are also our suppliers, and people aren’t used to selling things to us,” said Madden. However, the team is always looking for great finds, and people can make their own contributions in their own way and pick something up for themselves.
Caitlin, waiting at the cash for her next customer. Kaitlynn Rodney/ The Concordian
The owner disclosed that he was not planning on expanding the franchise, especially after how COVID-19 affected small retail businesses over the past couple of years.
“I hope Encore is here forever.”, said Caitlin Van Fossen, an Encore Books employee and a student at Concordia. “I think folks do love supporting local, and Sean likes to emphasise that we want to support the local community, unusual gems that you’ll never find elsewhere.”
Kaitlynn Rodney/ The ConcordianEncore bookstore, is a used and new book store they carry all kinds of genres, as well as records , cds and cassesttes. Kaitlynn Rodney/ The Concordian
The Paper Kites playing at Théâtre Fairmount. Captured by Saro Hartounian for The Concordian
The Australian folk group banded with the Hudson native to create an intimate night for their Montreal fans
Matt Holubowski opened the show with nothing but reverb and delay on his guitar. The Hudson native lulled the crowd with his Rufus Wainwright-esque voice over the flowing hammer-ons and pull-offs that echoed. It was his unique way of playing finger-style.
After the first two songs “St. Clarity” and “Revelator Eyes”, he chatted with the crowd and engaged in banter with a few folks which is always appreciated by the fans. The last thing anyone wants is a Whitney Houston situation where the artist comes up on stage, sings their set without interacting with the crowd and leaves.
Holubowski ended his setlist with “Exhale/Inhale,” which involved using the shimmer effect on his guitar which makes the reverb “shimmer.” It was a wonderful way to end the set, and it felt like the audience was underwater.
The Paper Kites opened after a 20-minute intermission with their song “St Clarity.” Fifteen seconds into the song, a girl near me fainted and they took her to safety. The crowd was waiting with bated breath as they wondered what the next song would be: it was “Revelator Eyes.” Guitarist David Powys really liked using a David Gilmour tone, probably using a big muff pedal to boot.
After three songs they thanked their fans for coming in to see them and went on to play “Climb On Your Tears” which prompted a lot of couples to slow dance; it was a nice atmosphere indeed.
The singer Sam Bently recounted a story about playing in a pub called The Roadhouse in a small Australian town where no one knew who they were. They played an unreleased song out of the album that they wrote called “Green Valleys.”
Halfway through the set, the singers Bentley and Cristina Lacy sang a duo of “For All You Give.” My favourite song out of the setlist was “Bloom.” To be fair, it is their most popular song; unfortunately, the singer couldn’t sing it in the original key because it was an old release so they had to change the key.
For the next song, “By My Side,” they asked the crowd to sing the chorus with them, and sing they did. Voices filled every crevice of the Fairmount Theatre, and probably all the way down to the marché PA downstairs. The eruption of clapping and whooping probably scared the employees.
They ended their main set with “Electric Indigo” and the crowd immediately started to chant the encore song (Olé Olé).
Their encore setlist, comprised of “Featherstone,” “A Gathering on 57th,” and finally “Give Me Your Fire, Give Me Your Rain.” The latter was easily the loudest song in the entire setlist with that intro guitar strum. Sure enough, the song also ended in a long-ending finale with a roar from the crowd. This concert made me feel different towards the end, because I’m usually riled up when I get out of a show, but The Paper Kites were too intimate and soft for that. If they are ever in town again I highly recommend you check them out.
Elliot Maginot playing at Outremont theatre. Photo by Auréa Gamboa
The Concordian sat down for an interview with the musician between a sound check and his biggest headliner at Outremont Theatre
Elliot Maginot, whose real name is Gabriel Hélie-Harvey, has been slowly winning over the hearts of la belle province since his first EP was posted to MySpace in 2013.
He calls himself a “contemplative soul” and is always looking to explore new sounds and avenues with each album release. His songs combine different musical instruments, sometimes including a saxophone, a cello, two guitars, a keyboard, a drum-set and backing vocals all playing together.
After discovering the guitar early on, Maginot dipped his feet in the musical universe as a teenager and doesn’t plan on leaving it.
Although he writes and sings his songs entirely in English, the artist is a dedicated Québécois francophone through and through.
His album Young/Old/Everything.In.Between which released in 2014 propelled him into the spotlight. He quickly joined the lineups for important cultural scenes, like the Montreal Jazz Fest or the Festival d’été de Québec.
Staying in his comfort zone
Although he was not raised religious, Maginot often writes songs with Christian influences. “Holy Father,” “Holy Water”and“Dead Church”are only a few of the songs where the singer uses spiritual vocabulary.
“I guess I am fascinated by the symbolism because it’s so unknown to me. It’s cathartic to sing ‘hallelujah.’ When I sing ‘holy’ I just want to raise my hands,” he said.
One tradition he and his band members share is to dress up in Christmas sweaters in mid-July — right when the heatwave peaks — and write a yearly holiday song.
“I do like Christmas, but it started more as a running gag and now it’s become tradition. It’s a way to return to the studio mid-album. It’s a song we’ll never play live so it’s less pressure and the recording sessions are lighter.”
Future possibilities
Having two previous Gala GAMIQ nominations under his belt, Maginot certainly hopes to win an award in the near future “just to have it at home so [he] can use the statue as a paperweight.” He is currently nominated for two categories in the upcoming Gala de l’ADISQ.
He’s currently working on his next album, in which he hopes to include more collaborations with other artists. As he put it, “My creative bubble is very closed and airtight. I feel intimidated. I’d like to sit down and write something with another artist.”
With every new project comes the goal of exploring new sounds and ideas. Keeping a consistent aesthetic without repeating himself is a challenge Maginot takes on with each new creation.
The singer is currently touring across Quebec promoting his latest album, Easy Morning. On Sept. 16 he passed by Montreal, playing in the Outremont Theatre. It was his biggest show as a headliner.
With a full house, the show offered an intimate performance, with Elliot and eight accompanying musicians delivering a touching rendition of his work.
Indigenous dancing at Concordia University Pow Wow. KAITLYNN RODNEY/ The Concordian
Concordia University hosted its first ever powwow on Friday, September 16 at Loyola Campus. This event was held to commemorate the Otsenhákta Student Centre’s 30th anniversary.
Powwows are cultural exchanges that are used as part of healing ceremonies, and to celebrate Indigenous dance, music, food and art.
Concordia was bursting with energy, Friday, September 16th, all thanks to one person.
Morning Star Fayard, a third-year student at Concordia University, put together the powwow.
“It was late April, early May that we started to plan this event. My part in organizing this event was contacting people who can participate at this event,” Fayard recalled. “I had to reach out to all the dancers, performers, and all the vendors. I had to reach out to the departments at Concordia to help us with advertising, as well as setting up all tents and chairs.”
Fayard explained that she was also very content with the reception of the event.
“Usually at a powwow people can get shy, especially the students. When the event was going on, the MC was really welcoming and everyone just kind of joined in, especially at the inter-tribal dancing,” Fayard said.
During the opening ceremony of the powwow, two drum groups were playing Indigenous music.
Eric Cotté, a member of the Red Tail Spirit group, was among the drummer players present.
“It’s a big honor to be a part of Concordia’s first ever powwow,” Cotté said, visibly emotional. “It’s a big thing we’re doing here and we’re going to do it right in the best way we can.”
In Canada, the 1876 Indian Act obstructed the celebration of powwows by restricting Indigenous peoples’ right to conduct cultural and spiritual ceremonies and wear traditional outfits.
Keeping the history of powwows in mind, all the participants at the event were extremely proud to be there. Among the performers was Nina Segalowitz, a Concordia University alumnus and throat singer.
“I’m very proud to be representing throat singing with my daughter Sierra. I love the fact that there is a gathering and that we are now a part of a community. I think this is how we make bridges between the communities,” Segalowitz said.
While the performances of various dancers and singers were ongoing, there were also many Indigenous vendors selling handmade goods.
The Concordian spoke with Cory Hunlin, one of the vendors present at the powwow and owner of the shop This Claw. “I make traditional / contemporary earrings and I am constantly changing my earrings. Three years ago, I implemented rabbit fur and I made signature earrings out of that,” they explained.
Fayard, being the creative mind behind the whole event, explained that if she was asked to organize the powwow again she’d do it in a heartbeat.
“I thought it was just an amazing experience for all the people that I’ve met and the people that have participated. The performers and vendors just have so much knowledge to share,” Fayard said.
The whole function of the powwow would not have flowed as smoothly without the help of its volunteers present on site. Alyssa Isaac, an Indigenous fourth-year student at Concordia, explained what being a part of this event meant for her.
“It’s great that we are finally starting this, it’s like a little part of home is here on campus,” Isaac said.
A real sense of community was felt at the powwow and that was the goal at the end of the day.
“Powwow for me is celebrating who we are as Indigenous people and opening our community up. Welcoming anybody, you don’t have to be Indigenous to dance in some of our dances,” Segalowitz said.
Indigenous students explain how these racially charged names have impacted them
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the people in this article are their own. They do not speak for their community.
On Sept. 6, Simon Fraser University (SFU) announced their new varsity team name, formerly using both Clansemen and Clan, after a two-year consultation process, replacing the former names that carried racist connotations. They are just the latest in a long line of sports teams who are distancing themselves from their history.
“The university engaged in a renaming process to find a team name that reflects SFU’s values, inspires unity, and is a source of pride,” a media release by SFU stated, revealing the chosen name to be the “Red Leafs.” The university also “sought feedback on the name from nine Indigenous host nations” and consulted many of its student groups representing visible minorities.
Similarly in April 2019, McGill’s administration formed a Renaming Committee and changed the men’s teams’ name from the Redmen to the “Redbirds,” a symbol famously seen on their coat of arms.
The University’s goal was “to choose a name that could unite the entire University, and that was inclusive, respectful and representative not of one single group, but of everyone within the McGill community,” McGill said in a statement to The Concordian.
While SFU, McGill, and other professional teams like the Cleveland Guardians and the Washington Commanders have changed their names to exclude offensive language, other teams still using racially charged names continue to have immense negative effects on Indigenous communities.
During a First Peoples Studies class at Concordia on contemporary social issues taught by Professor Emily Coon, a few Indigenous students shared their thoughts on sports team names that contain racial slurs.
“It contributes to the erasure and makes people feel like Indigenous peoples aren’t current anymore,” said Iohserì:io Polson, an Anishinaabe and Kanien’keha:ka student.
“It fictionalizes Indigenous peoples and makes it seem like we’re not here, that we’re not real nor civilized people.”
Coon, who is herself Kanien’keha:ka, added “If you think of Indigenous youth, the only representation they see of themselves [in sports] is a savage and cartoony caricature. That’s not an accurate representation.”
Concerns over the normalization of slurs towards Indigenous peoples were also palpable in the room.
“Growing up, I’ve had a lot of these terms used on me. Like the RedSkins, I’ve been called that. It just normalizes the terms as an okay thing to say. It makes people used to hearing these terms and saying these terms,” said Polson.
“It’s like with the Kansas City Chiefs and the ‘tomahawk chop,’” added Coon. “Then, all these fans engage in this super racist gesture. You’re normalizing these things that they shouldn’t be doing.”
Considering the fact that sports have always played an instrumental role in the history of Indigenous cultures, some Indigenous people feel ostracized from something that is intimately theirs.
“Sports have been something for our communities that’s helped us cope physically, to stay strong,” said Emilio Wawatie, an Anishinaabe student, referring to the historic exclusion of Indigenous peoples from sports they created, such as Lacrosse.
Wawatie continued talking about his personal experience playing hockey, and the racism he endured which eventually made him quit the game he loved. He recalls being taunted and called slurs on and off the ice. He said his long hair also became a target for racist comments.
“It’s almost as if Indigenous peoples are divorced from sports, as if those weren’t built into our creation stories and into our everyday livelihoods,” said Coon. “We’ve always had sports but now it’s being appropriated and racialized.”
Changing a team name is the first step. However, it should be accompanied by concrete actions, like increased accessibility to sports for Indigenous youth. Furthermore, acknowledging the systemic racism that creates obstacles for Indigenous peoples when participating in sports is what Indigenous peoples want to see, on top of these much-needed name changes.
“This is where solidarity has to come in,” Coon added “This is not an Indigenous issue, this has been created through a settler-colonial system.”
Speaking of pathways for solutions, she concluded with the following: “We can point you in the right direction, we can speak up and make space for our voices to be heard, but that labour has to be picked up by white settler allies.”
Stingers' defender Léonie Philbert taking a shot in a game against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sept. 23, 2022. MARIA BOUABDO/The Concordian
The Stingers’ women’s hockey team got a victory in their first game of the Theresa Humes Cup tournament
The Concordia Stingers were able to come back and score two goals in the third period in a close game against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night at Ed Meagher Arena.
Concordia annually hosts the Theresa Humes Cup tournament, a six-team tournament from Sept. 23 to 25. The four other participants are the McGill Martlets, the University of Montreal Carabins, the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Reds, and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds.
After a scoreless first period, in which the Stingers limited the Varsity Blues to five shots on goal with multiple blocked shots, there was a bit more action in the second frame.
Defender Emma Potter opened the scoring for the Blues with about five minutes remaining in the period.
The Stingers found themselves down by a goal going into the final 20 minutes, but that didn’t stop them. The message was to be grittier and play more physical.
“We have to find ways to win whatever the style of the game, and I think this game was a little bit choppier,” Stingers’ head coach Julie Chu said. “When you play in games like that it’s easy to get frustrated because everyone likes to flow and feel good and move… We had to stay a little bit more patient when maybe it didn’t feel as good.”
It was forward Jessymaude Drapeau who tied the game from a pass by her linemate Emily Fecteau. Drapeau also went on to score the game-winning goal later.
“We started the third period with a good shift and it gave us a lot of momentum,” Drapeau said. “And I think they were important goals so I was happy to contribute to the comeback.”
Stingers’ goaltender Alice Philbert, who made huge saves for her team, had to stay sharp until the dying seconds of the game as the Blues pulled their goaltender for one last chance to tie the game. But Philbert said she wasn’t too worried.
“I really trust the team and my teammates,” she said. “We’re here to learn during pre-season so for me, making mistakes right now doesn’t matter too much, so I’m just having fun. I know everything the girls did and they worked hard so I’m happy with the results.”
In this tournament, each game is worth nine points. A regulation win is worth six points. It’s followed by four-on-four overtime, three-on-three overtime, and shootouts, each worth one point. This point system is used to rank the teams and determine the winner by the end of the third day.
After the 2-1 regulation win for the Stingers, the four-on-four overtime ended in a 0-0 tie. Toronto got the point in three-on-three, with a goal by forward Nikki McDonald. However, Concordia won the shootouts thanks to yet another goal by Drapeau, and the other one by forward Émilie Lavoie. On the other hand, Philbert stopped both of Toronto’s attempts.
Concordia will be facing UNB today in their second game of the tournament. Chu said the team will have to match UNB’s intensity, if not more, as they’re a really structured, disciplined, and hard-working team. Puck drop is set for 3:30 p.m.
Candidates from Quebec’s newest political party discuss the issues facing Concordia students
For some Concordia students, provincial politics tend to be an afterthought to the constant pressures of student life. Whether it’s catching up on assignments or finding classrooms in the Hall building, most students don’t have the time to remain informed or even have a conclusive opinion on Quebec politics.
This is why it may surprise some to learn that Concordia alumnus Rizwan Rajput is running in his first ever election at the age of 38. This fall, he’s the candidate for Bloc Montreal in the Saint-Laurent district.
If you’re unfamiliar, Bloc Montreal is a newly-formed political party led by Balarama Holness — a former CFL football player and Montreal native — whose goal is to ensure that Montreal’s needs are represented and respected in Quebec’s National Assembly.
After graduating from Concordia with a Bachelor’s of Commerce in 2009, Rajput was inspired to become a CPA after seeing how vital a role they played in helping small businesses in his neighborhood.
“My dad actually opened the first halal food store in St. Laurent beside ICQ Mosque in the ’90s, catering to the needs of the community seven days a week,” said Rajput.
Rajput, whose family immigrated from Pakistan, recognized the innate challenges that English speaking immigrants like himself face throughout the province.
“There was this one time when I was on the bus with my mom while I was younger,” Rajput recalled. “A lady was saying something to her in French and my mom and I didn’t speak French at the time. I remember looking up and instinctively knowing it was disrespectful.”
He was motivated to enter politics after seeing how little emphasis other parties and candidates were putting on the city of Montreal and immigrants.
“Bill 21 especially affects my family,” said Rajput. “My wife who wears a hijab won’t be allowed to find employment in some public sectors. Also, Bill 96 forces all home sale contracts to be written in French. This makes it hard for Anglophone Montrealers to understand the papers they are signing.”
Rajput is hoping that his campaign, if nothing else, brings attention to the issues facing his community. “I want to be a part of the rebirth of Montreal,” he said.
Now, 12 years since he graduated from Concordia, Rajput is looking to his alma mater for support in his endeavor. He is hoping to help end the stigma that surrounds young people getting involved and caring about politics and social injustice.
“As a student, I often didn’t vote with the assumption that my vote wouldn’t make a difference,” said Rajput. “However, every vote counts. This is our democracy and if we don’t vote we are allowed to be taken advantage of. We need to educate ourselves on how our voting can impact our lives when we vote for a leader that listens to our needs, visions, well-being and rights, versus one that does not support them.”
This opinion is shared by Bloc Montreal leader Balarama Holness, newly minted politician, who recently ran for office in Montreal’s city election for the first time.
“It’s not good enough in this day and age to bow to the Coca Cola politics of the Liberal party, the Pepsi politics of the CAQ and the Crush politics of Québec solidaire,” said Holness. “It’s about going to that fresh-pressed juice. That new political party that’s actually going to fight for you and that’s authentic. That cares about your issues, that you could even be a candidate for.”
Holness did not shy away from asserting the importance of Quebec’s English language educational institutions, such as Concordia.
“People should certainly be concerned about the future, not scared,” said Holness. “But if there is a concern, it shouldn’t be about voting. It’s about going to engage your democracy at the highest level. As a party, we are from a grassroots movement that was founded on fighting systemic racism and discrimination across all anomalous lines. Whether that’s citizenship, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation. We are at the forefront of the fight for human rights and civil rights.”
The pre-voting for this year’s election begins on Friday Sept. 23 and runs until Election Day on Oct. 3.
Stingers' running back Dwanté Morgan in Concordia's Homecoming game against the McGill Redbirds on Saturday, September 17 2022. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian
The Stingers’ football team comes out on top in the Homecoming game to get their first win of the season.
In Concordia’s Saturday Homecoming game, the Stingers honoured the alumni by getting a dominant 42-16 win against the McGill Redbirds at the Concordia Stadium.
The Redbirds were first to score two field goals. An early 34-yard goal and a 37-yard field goal later in the first quarter — by kicker Antoine Couture — earned the team a 6-0 lead.
After a significant drive led by Stingers’ quarterback Olivier Roy, backup quarterback Adrien Guay — who is mostly utilized for short-yardage plays — pierced through McGill’s defensive line to score the tying touchdown. Stingers’ kicker Ali El Sehemawi got the extra point, ending the first quarter with a 7-6 lead over the Redbirds.
At Concordia’s three-yard line, a touchdown was almost certain for McGill at the beginning of the second quarter, but the Stingers’ defence stood tall and forced their rival to kick a field goal instead.
The Redbirds weren’t done yet, scoring a touchdown on their next drive, resulting in their last points of the game.
The Stingers’ defence once again came up big, this time with halfback Derek Acheampong intercepting a pass in Concordia’s end zone, which was a turning point for the Stingers in the game.
They followed up with a strong 90-yard drive, during which wide receiver Jeremy Murphy had two receptions for 57 yards. Roy ended it with a nine-yard rush for a touchdown. With a successful kick attempt, this put the Stingers only two points behind the Redbirds at halftime.
“I think we played a good 30 minutes, the second half,” Stingers’ head coach Brad Collinson said. “The first half we were a bit sloppy. But I think coming off the bye that’s what happened. We got to clean that up and hopefully the next game we play a full 60.”
In the third quarter, after a drive led by Roy and running back Dwanté Morgan, Guay came out to replace Roy at McGill’s one-yard line and got the touchdown. With El Sehemawi’s extra point, Concordia was up 21-16.
Guay credited his teammates, saying everyone on the field did their job and made his job of scoring near the endzone “very easy.”
Morgan later scored a touchdown on the Stingers’ first drive of the fourth quarter, earning them a bigger lead.
The Stingers had everything going well for them. They got two more touchdowns, another scored by Roy and the last one by runningback Franck Tchembe, which cemented the 42-16 victory.
Quarterback Olivier Roy and slotback Jaylan Greaves celebrate a win against the McGill Redbirds on Saturday, September 17 2022. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian
“On our offensive line we imposed our will on them and we ran the ball very well,” Collinson said. “I think that was the deciding factor in the game.”
Concordia’s defence continued its solid play and made one more end zone interception, this time by cornerback Ahmadou Boubacar.
Collinson pointed out that the defence cleaned up their game in the second half.
“Kudos to them,” he said. “They relaxed, they calmed down, they played the way they were supposed to play.”
Safety Dawson Pierre said that a big part of the defence’s success was communication.
“We started talking to each other,” he said. “We stayed composed, and we just did what we had to do, and then we made plays and that’s what it was.”
Roy ended the game with 25 completed passes for 352 yards, while Murphy had eight receptions totalling 149 yards, and Morgan had nine rushes for 111 yards.
Murphy said that their game plan worked well, and getting the win felt good as it relieved a lot of pressure.
“We were more physical than them and we wanted it more,” he added.
Pierre also said it felt good to see all the work they put in so far this season and during training camp paying off.
The Stingers will be looking to get another win next week in Quebec City where they will face the Rouge et Or at Laval University.
Gardens of Light at the Montreal Botanical Garden. KAITLYNN RODNEY/ The Concordian
Five events that won’t break the bank.
Septembers in Montreal are known for pleasant weather and the nonstop events that occur during the entire month.
The best part about living in this city is that whatever you’re into, there’s surely an event for you.
Here are five events that you should check out this month.
First on the list is the World Press Photo Exhibition, for all the shutterbugs out there. Currently underway at the Bonsecours Market in the Old Port, this event launched on Aug. 31 and runs until Oct. 2.
Among the photographs on display is the winner of the World Press Photo of the Year 2022 — Amber Bracken’s Kamloops Residential School. General admission for the exhibition is $15.
If you want a change in scenery, visit the Gardens of Light at the Montreal Botanical Gardens from Sept. 2 until Oct. 31. Here you can witness nature in all its glory right in front of your eyes.
You can take a walk through the Chinese, Japanese and First Nations gardens and admire the lanterns that line them. The price of this event ranges from $11 to $22.
Next up, calling all tattoo lovers! The Montreal Art Tattoo Show is taking place at the Windsor Station from Sept. 16 – 18. The event brings tattoo artists from all over the world together. Interested visitors can book appointments directly with the artists through Instagram or Facebook. The general entrance fee is $25.
The 18th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival is taking place from Sept. 20 – 25 in cinemas across the Quartier des spectacles, near Place-des-Arts. This showcase is the only officially bilingual Black film festival of its kind in North America. Information regarding different venues and prices can be found on the event’s website.
Finally, for something truly unique, visit the MAPP_MTL festival, kicking off on Sept. 21 and wrapping up on Sept. 25. This event is completely free and will take place in Mile End and the Quartier des spectacles. Expect performances by various artists, like VJ SUAVE. This duo from Brazil, had the idea of putting a projector in their bicycle and as they pedal, their creations appear on the wall. They will be performing on Sept. 17.
