Neil D. Stephenson: McGill rugby award celebrates enduring tale of Canada-U.S. friendship
Article content
Article content
Despite political rhetoric on both sides of the border assuring us that Canadians love Americans, and vice versa, it is essential for ordinary citizens to take tangible steps to maintain and demonstrate this friendship — and to remind ourselves of the many thousands of past instances in our lives where that friendship has manifested itself without us consciously thinking about it.
Article content
Article content
In that spirit, and given the recent federal election, I wanted to share two stories: first, of a new varsity sports award; and second, of a historic, 151-year-old cross-border sports rivalry.
Article content
Article content
The first story begins with its two inspirations, a woman named Marie Evelyn Moreton (better known as Lady Byng, wife of Canada's 12th governor general, Lord Julian Byng) and Winston Churchill. The former was a hockey fanatic who wanted to encourage gentlemanly conduct and good sportsmanship, and the latter famously quipped that, 'Rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen.'
Article content
The other lead characters in the story include a rugby team founded in 1872, an American rugby player from McGill's 1955 squad and a newly endowed sports award.
Throughout its storied history, the McGill University Rugby Football Club (MURFC, which is known today as the McGill Redbirds) has emphasized the importance of how its players conduct themselves on and off the field.
Article content
In keeping with the dicta expressed by Churchill and Byng, MURFC has officially announced the Dr. Joseph Hanaway McGill Rugby Gentleman's Award. This award annually recognizes a McGill rugby player who consistently exemplifies gentlemanly conduct on and off the field for a minimum of two playing seasons.
Article content
Article content
The idea for a non-endowed award was first proposed to McGill Athletics in late 2020 to formally recognize the qualities of integrity, sportsmanship and respectfulness that are integral to rugby culture worldwide. After just five months of fundraising, we surpassed the $80,000 threshold required for an endowment and the newly endowed award was formally announced to the team at a ceremony on April 10.
Article content
Article content
As of today, McGill has received $107,000 in contributions, with additional pledges still coming. Beginning in December, the award will confer a $3,500 cash prize to the named recipient.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
24 minutes ago
- CBC
Canada says no deal is better than a bad one
Aug. 1, 2025 | Canada's federal government insists it won't accept a bad trade deal from the U.S. Plus, cracks in the U.S. economy emerge and U.S. President Donald Trump lashes out as well as Canada's staycation summer.
Canada News.Net
25 minutes ago
- Canada News.Net
Economic Watch: Trump's sweeping new tariffs spark extensive criticism
U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sweeping new tariffs on 69 trading partners, sparking global criticism over economic disruption and sovereignty concerns. WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that further modified tariff rates with 69 trading partners, drawing criticism across the world. The order, set to be implemented on Aug. 7, imposes "additional ad valorem duties on goods of certain trading partners," with rates ranging from 10 percent to 40 percent. SWEEPING TARIFFS Under the new executive order, the "universal" tariff for goods entering the United States will remain at 10 percent, the same rate implemented on April 2. However, the 10-percent rate will only apply to countries with which the United States has a trade surplus, CNN reported, citing a senior official. For countries with which the United States has a trade deficit, a 15-percent rate will serve as the new tariff floor. Still, for more than a dozen other countries, the tariff rates are higher than 15 percent, either because they agreed to a trade framework with the United States or because Trump sent their leaders a letter requiring a higher tariff, it added. On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order increasing the tariff on Canada from 25 percent to 35 percent, with the higher tariff taking effect on Aug. 1. Goods qualifying for preferential tariff treatment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement will continue to remain exempt from the new tariffs. Goods transshipped to evade the 35-percent tariff will be subject, instead, to a transshipment tariff of 40 percent. On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order implementing an additional 40-percent tariff on Brazilian goods, bringing the total tariff amount to 50 percent. On the same day, Trump announced that Washington had reached a "full and complete" trade deal with South Korea, setting 15-percent tariffs on its exports. South Korea has also agreed to invest 350 billion U.S. dollars in projects "owned and controlled by the United States," and selected by himself, Trump said. Trump said on Wednesday that the United States would impose a 25-percent tariff on imports from India, starting on Aug. 1. On July 27, Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that they had reached a trade deal under which the United States would impose a baseline tariff of 15 percent on EU goods. The deal allows the United States to impose a broad 15-percent tariff on EU goods while securing zero-tariff access for a range of strategic American exports. In contrast, the EU has pledged to purchase 750 billion U.S. dollars' worth of American energy and commit an additional 600 billion U.S. dollars in investments in the United States. WIDE CRITICISM The higher tariffs continue Trump's reversal of the decades of globalization that made America's massive services economy the envy of the world but contributed to its long decline in manufacturing, CNN commented. "Our businesses ... need some degree of certainty, and all they're getting is chaos and inflation. So the Trump tariff trade war is a trade war on the American people. We've seen this week the chaos and uncertainty," said Chuck Schumer, Senate Democratic leader. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement on Friday that his government is disappointed by Trump's decision to increase the tariff on Canadian goods to 35 percent. According to the statement, the sectors of lumber, steel, aluminum and automobiles are heavily impacted by U.S. duties and tariffs. The Canadian government will act to protect Canadian jobs, invest in industrial competitiveness, buy Canadian and diversify export markets, said Carney. Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said his government will soon announce a response plan focused on providing financing assistance, deferring tax payments, accelerating export tax refunds, and reactivating labor protection policies. Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade, slammed the U.S.-EU deal as "significantly imbalanced." In a statement following the announcement of the agreement, he said that "concessions have been made that are difficult to bear." The trade agreement is "a political, economic and moral fiasco," Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party in the French parliament, said in an X post. "Hundreds of billions of euros of gas, as well as weapons, will have to be imported each year from the United States. This is a complete capitulation for French industry, and for our energy and military sovereignty," she said. "I don't think Trump wants a trade deal. He wants these countries to surrender their economic sovereignty," said Sizo Nkala, senior research fellow at the Center for Africa-China Studies, University of Johannesburg. "More than anything, the tariff rates represent an assault on and a violation of a rules-based multilateral trading system administered by the World Trade Organization," Nkala said.
CBC
44 minutes ago
- CBC
Vancouver's set to co-host World Cup next year. Who stands to benefit?
World Cup soccer is just a year away from descending on Vancouver. And while some are thrilled about international football stars coming to their backyard, others are concerned about the potential negative effects of hosting one of the biggest sporting tournaments in the world. "There's a concern that the city is really not seeing this as an opportunity to bring the community in ... but an opportunity to shut the community out in order to invite particular kinds of visitors to the expectations of FIFA," Meg Holden, an urbanist at Simon Fraser University, told The Current guest host Catherine Cullen. Holden's concern stems from a 98-page document detailing the stipulations of Vancouver's deal with FIFA to host part of the 2026 World Cup, which was made public on July 15 thanks to a three-year legal battle from independent journalist Bob Mackin. Vancouver and Toronto will both represent Canada as co-host cities during the tournament, jointly hosted in 2026 by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. But even though just seven games will be played at BC Place in Vancouver, some people have big concerns about its impact on the community, and who will actually see the profits. Branding, traffic, 'beautification' rules applied According to the document, Vancouver will have to enforce what's called a controlled area on a match day, as well as the day before a match day, within two kilometres of BC Place. That means the city will be required to cover up or remove "any advertisement and commercial identification located within the controlled area," though what that will look like is unclear. The document also says that public sales of food, beverages, fan items, souvenirs or similar products in the controlled area "must be in accordance with the restrictions defined, and further instructions provided by FIFA." In an emailed statement to the CBC, the Vancouver Host Committee said the controlled area "is in place specifically for the purpose of preventing unauthorized marketing to ensure protection of the FIFA Intellectual Property (IP), also known as their brand." It said that it will not require businesses in the area to close. City beautification, which involves making the city "as attractive as possible," is also mandatory within that same radius, along with traffic restrictions. Holden says this is especially alarming, as that includes Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, which has struggled with crime and homelessness, and could make life difficult for the most vulnerable. "Air quality inside can be terrible. Air quality outside could be terrible if we have a bad forest fire season. What are the plans to make life tolerable for people?" said Holden. City councillor Mike Klassen told CBC's On The Coast guest host Amy Bell that the city won't displace anyone, including those who live in the Downtown Eastside. Klassen said he wants the city to be "really sensitive and supportive" of people in the downtown core, but also wants to ensure "our city sparkles" as tens of thousands of spectators from around the world are about to visit. WATCH | Vancouver councillor addresses business concerns over FIFA contract: Vancouver councillor addresses business concerns over FIFA contract 11 days ago Cost of doing business FIFA is leaving additional costs for venues, policing, organizing, or security to the city. Organizers estimate it will cost between $532 million and $624 million to host the event in Vancouver. Some of that will be covered by the provincial government. Despite reassurances from the city, Jules Boykoff says residents should be very concerned about what hosting a World Cup event will mean for them. Boykoff is a professor of politics and government at Pacific University in Oregon, and has taken a deep dive into the long-term impacts of mega sporting events. "These sporting events, like the FIFA World Cup of soccer or the Olympic Games, tend to benefit the upper echelons of economic society at the expense oftentimes of working class people in the host city," he said. The province has said it estimates about a million out-of-province travellers will visit Vancouver between 2026 and 2031 because of the event, which will lead to an additional $1 billion in visitor spending. But Boykoff, who has written six books on the impact of the Olympic Games on host cities, finds it's usually the big sponsors who are raking in the extra cash, not local businesses. WATCH | Vancouver's FIFA World Cup contract could affect downtown restaurants: Vancouver's FIFA World Cup contract could affect downtown restaurants 13 days ago "When you look at those rosy forecasts that were made in the bid process for the FIFA World Cup, they've really wilted under the heat of reality," said Boykoff. "I mean, costs are increasing in city after city, and these cities are facing real fiscal pressure." In 2018, Chicago withdrew its bid to host World Cup games, saying it felt FIFA could not provide necessary details around how Chicago residents would be impacted. Then in 2021, Montreal withdrew its bid over a lack of provincial government support. Edmonton had a bid to host games, but wasn't chosen. Meanwhile, Boykoff says the World Cup means big bucks for its host organization. FIFA reported over $7.5 billion US in revenue between 2019 and 2022. PR firm Pitch Marketing Group estimates FIFA's revenue will surpass $10 billion US at the 2026 World Cup. According to Vancouver's 98-page contract, FIFA will keep the revenue from ticket sales and sponsorships. "So they have money and they could spread it around, but they tend to be quite miserly with it and look out for their own interests, not the city in which they're visiting," said Boykoff. City accountability Meg Holden says the City of Vancouver already took a big misstep when it originally promised a field at Memorial South Park as training grounds for the Canadian men's national team, switched to the existing National Soccer Development Centre at UBC following public outcry. The host committee says it's working with major businesses within the area to minimize disruptions, and will be ramping up that outreach to include local businesses, stakeholders and residents over the next year. Holden says the city could benefit from doing something similar to what it did ahead of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. It hosted a plebiscite about the Winter Games, giving people a chance to voice their concerns and hopes for the big-time event.
