Food bank use in Quebec in 2025 has hit record numbers, surpassing 3 million assistance requests, according to Food Banks Canada's HungerCount 2025 recent report. Employed people and students are among the fastest growing user groups, with food banks struggling to keep up with demand.
A McGill expert is available to comment on this topic:
The city of El Fasher in Darfur has recently been captured by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sudanese militia that had besieged the city for 18 months. Since then, reports of civilian massacres along ethnic lines have emerged, as inhabitants attempt to flee.
In early 2025, the UN called the current civil war in Sudan, which began in 2023, the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.
With voting already underway for the Nov. 2 municipal elections in Montreal and more than 1,000 other Quebec municipalities, McGill University experts can comment on key urban issues.
Hurricane Melissa, now a Category Five tropical cyclone, has made landfall in Jamaica. It is the strongest storm to hit the island country in at least 150 years and the most powerful recorded anywhere in 2025. It has caused severe flooding and mass evacuations across Jamaica and along the storm’s projected path, which includes Cuba and the Bahamas.
McGill experts are available to comment on this topic:
On Nov. 4, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will present his government’s first budget. Carney leads a Liberal minority government, so for the budget to pass he will need to garner support from some members of other parties. Budget votes are confidence votes, meaning that defeat of the budget could trigger new elections.
These McGill experts are available to comment:
On Sunday, Nov. 2, Canadians in most of the country will set their clocks back to standard time. (Those in Yukon, most of Saskatchewan and some other places remain on standard time year-round.) A Private Member’s Bill to end the biannual time change was introduced in the House of Commons earlier this month, reigniting the age-old debate.
Topics McGill University experts can address:
The company that makes Tylenol is pushing back against a proposed safety warning on labels for all drugs containing acetaminophen. A petition filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls for labels to state that, if taken during pregnancy, the medication may increase a child’s risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.
A report released yesterday by an inter-university team of researchers has found that none of the mobile games intended for children under the age of 13 fully comply with Quebec, Canadian or U.S. laws on the protection of children's data.
This McGill University expert was part of the research team and can discuss this topic:
As trade tensions with China and the United States continue to affect Canadian canola exports, producers are seeking new markets abroad.
Pascal Thériault, Director of McGill’s Farm Management and Technology Program, can comment on agricultural economics, farm management, and market diversification in the agri-food sector.
pascal.theriault [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)
While experts call for stronger oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) technology development, including clearer legal frameworks, the legal system itself is grappling with AI-related challenges. In recent days, Quebec and several other jurisdictions have issued substantial fines to individuals who submitted court documents containing “hallucinations,” the term for false or invented information generated by AI tools.
Israel and Hamas have agreed on a ceasefire as well as an exchange of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners.
These McGill experts are available to comment:
Rex Brynen, Professor, Department of Political Science, can comment on the Arab-Israeli peace process, refugees, Middle East politics and regional security, development assistance, peacebuilding, and authoritarianism and democratization in the Arab world.
Fall is a dangerous season for pedestrians, with a rise in road accidents linked to reduced visibility and shorter daylight hours. According to the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), October and November consistently see spikes in pedestrian injuries and fatalities, with a notable increase in deaths in recent years.
To draw attention to this problem, the SAAQ marks Pedestrian Safety Month each October, as do authorities in several other jurisdictions.
Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barette will be unveiling a Quebec constitution Thursday, according to media reports.
This McGill expert is available to comment:
Johanne Poirier, Professor and Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism, Faculty of Law, can speak about various aspects of federalism, the protection of minorities (notably linguistic ones), and, more broadly, public law.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting U.S. President Donald Trump today in Washington to discuss trade and tariff issues.
These McGill experts are available to comment:
Diya Jiang, PhD candidate and course lecturer, Department of Political Science, has expertise in the politics of trade, Canada-U.S. relations and public opinion.
Diya.jiang [at] mail.mcgill.ca (English, French)
