Dear McGill community,
I know that some of you are still shaken by the events of last Thursday, when dozens of masked protestors forced their way into the James Administration Building, barricaded and chained exterior exits, spray-painted the premises, damaged furniture, and led many employees in the building to feel intimidated, unsafe, and afraid.
Some of you have concerns about the presence of police on our campus that day. But when protestors cross the line from peaceful expression into unlawful and frightening actions, we have to call on law enforcement authorities to ensure the safety of our community. What we saw on Thursday – and what we have seen increasingly, during a troubling escalation of intimidating and often illegal activities in recent weeks – is not peaceful protest.
A new proposal to encampment representatives
Since the encampment began on April 27, we have attempted dialogue with McGill students in the encampment multiple times. Though they walked away from discussions some weeks ago, McGill remains steadfast in its commitment to an open and transparent dialogue, conducted in good faith. Yesterday, the University shared an updated offer with encampment participants who are members of the McGill community, going beyond previous proposals both in substance and level of specificity and detail.
This continued effort to reach a peaceful resolution to the encampment, which has been in place on the lower field for over six weeks, comes in addition to the University’s renewed suggestion to appoint a neutral third-party mediator to facilitate discussions.
McGill’s updated proposal includes:
- Exploration of Divestment from Weapons Manufacturers: A review of direct equity investments in entities, regardless of the countries in which they operate, that derive a dominant portion of their direct revenues from the production of military weapons would be undertaken. After benchmarking with peer institutions and extensive consultations within our community, including students, the Committee on Sustainability and Social Responsibility would make a recommendation regarding divestment to McGill’s Board of Governors under a specific, accelerated timeline.
- Increased Investment Disclosures: While McGill already discloses all direct equity and fixed income investments above $500,000, going forward and wherever possible, these disclosures would also include holdings below $500,000.
- Support for Palestinian Scholarship and Displaced Scholars: A mandate to support Palestinian scholarship at McGill and leverage our Scholars at Risk program to support scholars and students displaced or affected by crises in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East. This would include extensive consultations across our community, including students.
- Amnesty for Encampment Participants: Though the encampment is unlawful and violates our policies, the University would grant a disciplinary amnesty to any McGill student or employee for participating in the encampment prior to June 15, 2024. However, this amnesty would not extend to other acts we have seen that are currently under investigation, such as the forceable entry into the James Administration Building, the destruction of property, vandalism, harassment, etc.
McGill’s revised proposal aligns fully with its principles and mission. Similar proposals have led to successful resolutions and the voluntary dismantling of encampments by protesters at other universities.
Achieving that resolution requires good-faith discussions from both parties. The University has made substantial offers on many occasions, yet encampment representatives have declared their demands non-negotiable.
I urge McGill community members in the encampment to discuss this updated proposal in good faith, through a skilled and impartial mediator, in the hope of reaching a peaceful and satisfactory resolution for all.
Sincerely,
Deep Saini
President and Vice-Chancellor