https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/62030/archive/files/6f2da3fab25b4aec8156345f63d085a4.pdf?Expires=1792627200&Signature=mkffb1c73oTlm9zs1IVR-I8OmbFIosC1QNc9kdyAiWFk0dt9rr0BoLKZx4q358XuNURqCDWtUC6cWUfQwsuqsZ7lFTT1heondVdMIZEKo6aHbcnGmyokTHG0voGiKRiug7K%7ERamXJ0c8AMQCwBG3Y0UV76wFgpc6mGzO0Hjn3tOFipQXTVoDXw27DifCULTwJxApXg9KNHMs8LMdzyYuHUBXyeAyUn-NXWCfJxTnkHaKoq4j5%7EfvhiLLtoQrYQ0Gq3Ag%7EPk6xcpEtgRrpZrjqPqUYHyqdQ2YvexFFr1ewBkVblBlV5mh8%7EF-5y7mqUOhswRfFKorO4uSHC1yS5fmzw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM cbd44c04b3b6e7e0d0c721f509d886d2 PDF Text Text 30/05/2026 14:00 Home | Divest McGill The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20250216161647/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/ HOME ABOUT US CAMPAIGNS DIVESTMENT AT MCGILL GET INVOLVED AFTER 11 YEARS, MCGILL HAS COMMITTED TO DIVEST Since 2012, Divest McGill has been pushing for change through research, education, and mobilization. Students, faculty, and staff made our cause known to those in power through protest and dialogue. After 11 years, McGill has finally committed to divest from all direct holdings in fossil-fuel companies listed in the Carbon Underground 200 by 2025.  THE FIGHT CONTINUES: DEMOCRATIZE, DECOLONIZE, & DIVEST! https://web.archive.org/web/20250216161647/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/ 1/3 �30/05/2026 14:00 Home | Divest McGill We’re calling on McGill University to acknowledge and address the urgency of the climate crisis by divesting from its investments in the fossil fuel industry. What has McGill's Administration said in response? The beneficial impact of fossil fuel companies offsets or outweighs injurious impact at this time. [CAMSR Report, 2016, pg. 9] Why should McGill Divest? Why hasn’t McGill Divested? Divestment attacks the power and legitimacy of the fossil fuel industry by challenging its social license to operate. Although the science is clear, McGill has rejected divestment from fossil fuels twice. Read more Read more Want to learn more about us? https://web.archive.org/web/20250216161647/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/ 2/3 �30/05/2026 14:00 Home | Divest McGill Although rallies, banners and chants are very visible, a lot of Divest’s work happens behind the scenes, through research and planning. MORE ABOUT DIVEST MCGILL MORE ABOUT OUR WORK Made by My Media Creative . We acknowledge that our work takes place in Tiohtiá:ke/Mooniyang on the unceded territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka and Anishinaabeg.  HOW TO GET INVOLVED divestmcgill@gmail.com https://web.archive.org/web/20250216161647/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/ mymediacreative.org 3/3 �30/05/2026 14:01 About Us | Divest McGill The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20250216163322/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/about-us HOME ABOUT US CAMPAIGNS DIVESTMENT AT MCGILL GET INVOLVED ABOUT US Cliquez ici pour la version française Our Campaign Divest McGill is an environmental justice campaign calling on McGill University to acknowledge and address the urgency of the climate crisis by withdrawing the direct (segregated) investments of its endowment fund from the fossil fuel industry. It is also a team of 150 students who have, over the last 7 years, committed time and energy into research, education and mobilization to demand better of their University.   We are part of a worldwide, growing movement. More than $9.94 trillion  is being divested from the fossil fuel industry all around the world, and 15% of that comes from educational institutions. We began our campaign in the Fall of 2012, and we’ve been building a strong coalition ever since. Through petitions and formal endorsements, we’ve gained the support of thousands of students; several faculty and staff members (see the McGill Faculty and Librarians for Divestment); as well as major student associations, faculties, and the McGill Senate. High-profile institutions have a duty to lead the much needed green and just transition of our economies. This starts by removing the moral license to operate given to the fossil fuel industry, an industry with a powerful lobby and a vested interest in preventing emissions reductions. Our Goals: 1. Complete and transparent divestment from the top 200 fossil fuel companies  (globally, by reserves) 2. Mobilize our supporters in solidarity with Indigenous and other marginalized students on campus, in Montreal, and in Canada 3. Educate and mobilize the McGill community (administration, staff, and students) in support of bold and justice-oriented climate action such as carbon neutrality and pipeline resistance https://web.archive.org/web/20250216163322/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/about-us 1/2 �30/05/2026 14:01 About Us | Divest McGill Our Endorsements: McGill Senate (2018) McGill Faculty and Librarians For Divestment (2016)  Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) (2016) Post Graduate Student Society (PGSS) (2013) McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT) (2017) Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) (2023) Faculty of Law (2018) Faculty of Science (2022) Faculty of Arts (2022) Faculty of Education Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (2022) McGill School of Environment Le Délit; The McGill Daily; The McGill Tribune Now What? On September 12th, 2018, McGill’s Senate overwhelmingly approved a motion advising the Board of Governors “to divest the endowment from all companies whose primary business is the extraction, distribution, and/or sale of fossil fuels; and from all mutual funds that invest in such companies”.    In the face of this significant support for divestment, CAMSR (the Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibilities, a sub-committee to the Board of Governors), which recommended to continue investing in coal, oil and gas in 2013 and again in 2016, was mandated to assess the issue of divestment for a third time. CAMSR presented new recommendations in December 2019. Want to know how we got here? Want to know how you can help make sure the upcoming decision is right this time? View a timeline of our work Learn how to get involved Divest McGill organizes on unceded Kanien'kehá:ka territory. We recognize the deeply rooted connections between the fossil fuel industry, colonialism and extractivism; these projects disproportionately harm Indigenous peoples, cultures and livelihoods. Divest McGill intends to continuously work towards unsettling our environmental efforts within the settler colonial university context by learning about and engaging in solidarity work and accompliceship. Made by My Media Creative . We acknowledge that our work takes place in Tiohtiá:ke/Mooniyang on the unceded territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka and Anishinaabeg.  divestmcgill@gmail.com https://web.archive.org/web/20250216163322/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/about-us mymediacreative.org 2/2 �30/05/2026 14:02 CAMPAIGNS | Divest McGill The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001701/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/projects-8 HOME ABOUT US CAMPAIGNS DIVESTMENT AT MCGILL GET INVOLVED CAMPAIGNS Divest McGill has run many specific campaigns over the years designed to fight for our goals from several different angles. Our campaign strategy is ever-evolving and depends greatly on our membership. On this site, we have gathered information on some of our most recent campaigns (nonexhaustive).  DEMOCRATIZE, DIVEST, DECOLONIZE. https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001701/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/projects-8 1/2 �30/05/2026 14:02 CAMPAIGNS | Divest McGill IMG_2733.jpg METRO BOYCOTT IMG_2702.jpg Made by My Media Creative . We acknowledge that our work takes place in Tiohtiá:ke/Mooniyang on the unceded territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka and divestmcgill@gmail.com mymediacreative.org Anishinaabeg.  https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001701/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/projects-8 2/2 �30/05/2026 14:02 DEMOCRATIZE & DIVEST | Divest McGill The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001750/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/democratizemcgill HOME ABOUT US CAMPAIGNS DIVESTMENT AT MCGILL GET INVOLVED Democratize McGill “In order to divest McGill, we have to democratize McGill.” - Greg Mikkelson, former tenured McGill prof who resigned over McGill’s third refusal to divest 10 Years Later: Board of Governors Progress Report December 2022 The Board of Governors (BoG) reports that their sustainable investing objectives are being met. However, these recommendations have never been more than filler corporate jargon intended to greenwash McGill’s public image for the benefit of profiting off of crises, including the climate crisis.” This report exposes some of the ways in which McGill greenwashes us. Here, we outline the truthful version of McGill’s progress to achieve the eight recommendations contained in the CAMSR Report to the BoG. To view the full report, beyond the abbreviated version on the right, click here. After 10 years of campaigning, decades of colonial exploitation and violence, and many attempts by McGill’s PR campaigns at saving the university’s reputation and image, it is time for us to double down on our efforts and take the power into our own hands. Please feel free to share the materials at hand and spread the word about McGill BoG greenwashing. What is the McGill Board of Governors? https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001750/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/democratizemcgill 1/3 �30/05/2026 14:02 DEMOCRATIZE & DIVEST | Divest McGill The McGill Board of Governors (BoG) is the University’s highest governing body, whose mandate is “focused on ensuring the sound governance and trusteeship of the University’s assets: financial assets, property assets, and human resources.”   The BoG is made up of 25 voting members: the Chancellor (ex officio), the Principal and Vice Chancellor (ex officio), 12 members at large, 3 representatives of the McGill Alumni Association, 2 representatives of Senate, 2 representatives of the academic staff, 2 representatives of the administrative and support staff, 1 representative of the Students' Society of McGill University, and 1 representative of the PostGraduate Students' Society.   Additionally there are two student non-voting positions: 1 representative of the McGill Association of Continuing Education Students and 1 representative of the Macdonald Campus Students' Society. Of the 25 voting members of the BoG, only 8 are elected (either directly or indirectly) by the McGill community. This makes the BoG a fundamentally undemocratic institution. Fall 2021 Assembly Divest McGill began as a campaign with three goals. The first: to get the University to drop its $50 million worth of investments in the fossil fuel industry. The second: to engage in solidarity actions with communities most affected by the fossil fuel industry’s operations, particularly Indigenous communities. And third: to educate and mobilize McGill students around ecological issues. Our campaign has gathered the support of the undergraduate and postgraduate student unions, key staff unions, and - in 2018 - McGill’s largest body of elected representatives, the Senate, which voted for divestment. However, as each new wave of support came in, McGill’s central body of authority, the Board of Governors, kept refusing to drop McGill’s investments in the fossil fuel industry. First in 2013, again in 2016, and then in 2019. We have reached a boiling point. We are now fighting for a democratic university: A change in the governance structure as the only way to change McGill’s relationship with the fossil fuel industry. It is also our best commitment to solidarity with people who are housed by the university, who work as staff for the university, or who are directly affected by its investments and its colonial legacy. It is solidarity, for instance, with all those affected, especially the immunocompromised, by McGill’s COVID-19 policy: developed by administrators; protested by staff and students. We want to hear your concerns and ideas. This "hybrid" assembly,  on November 19th, 2021, was one of the first steps to do just that . We invited students, professors and other staff members to participate in a public assembly to discuss our issues with the current governance structure, and imagine together what a true democratic university could look like. To read more, check out this article.  The Democratize McGill Coalition After the first assembly, a Democratize McGill Coalition was born. Currently, the coalition is made up of members of Divest McGill, Queer McGill; Socialist Fightback at Concordia and McGill; McGill Corporate Accountability Project and acknowledge that our work takes place . We the Protestors Legal Information Clinic in addition to other independent members. in Tiohtiá:ke/Mooniyang on the unceded divestmcgill@gmail.com https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001750/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/democratizemcgill Made by My Media Creative mymediacreative.org 2/3 �30/05/2026 14:02 DEMOCRATIZE & DIVEST | Divest McGill territory the Kanien'kehá:ka and whether you want to endorse the coalition as a Fill out thisofsurvey to let us know Anishinaabeg.  group, help us organize assemblies or join the listserv: link   Don't forget to go like the coalition's Facebook page, as we will soon release a call for logo submissions! https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001750/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/democratizemcgill 3/3 �30/05/2026 14:03 METRO BOYCOTT | Divest McGill The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001745/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/metro-boycott HOME ABOUT US CAMPAIGNS DIVESTMENT AT MCGILL GET INVOLVED Boycott Metro! Our Statement of Principles: An Open Letter to Metro Inc. and the McGill Board of Governors image_from_ios (1).jpg McGill must end its multi-million investment in the fossil fuel industry. We want Metro Board member Maryse Bertrand to stop blocking divestment in her role as a vice-chair at McGill. Please join us in signing this petition to support a boycott of Metro grocery stores, and to help bring an end to institutional investments in Canada’s unsustainable fossil fuel industry. Metro Inc. is one of the giants of the Canadian grocery and pharmacy business. Under Metro’s ownership, there are 326 name-sake locations across Ontario and Quebec, and hundreds of other stores under recognizable brands such as Super C, Adonis, Marché Richelieu, Première Moisson, Food Basics, and Marché Ami. With some reservations from the federal Competition Bureau, in 2018, Metro acquired some 400 Jean Coutu stores.  Maryse Bertrand sits on Metro Inc.’s Board of Directors. Ms. Bertrand is a board member of the National Bank of Canada, and a vice-chair on the highest administrative board of McGill University, the Board of Governors. In her capacity as a vice-chair at McGill, she has refused to support the school’s total divestment of its $1.6 billion endowment from the fossil fuel industry. Since 2012, the McGill community has pushed the McGill administration to end its investments in the fossil fuel industry. In 2019, these investments totalled, roughly, $50 million. Motions for divestment have been supported by the student and teachers’ union, prominent faculties, and most importantly, by the democratic body of the university, the McGill Senate. However, only McGill’s Board of IMG_2702.jpg Governors has executive control over the school’s investments. In the winter of 2019, the school’s by-in-large unelected Board, including Ms. Bertrand, officially rejected a democratic motion by the Senate that would have seen McGill divest. This provoked a student occupation of McGill’s administration building in February 2020. The global movement for fossil fuel divestment has led to institutions divesting more than $14.5 trillion since 2011. This movement started in universities and faith groups, and 15 percent of those institutions that have divested since are universities. In 2018, Goldman Sachs credited the “divestment movement” as “a key driver of the coal sector’s 60% de-rating over the past five years” and Shell announced it would begin considering divestment a “material risk.” In July, Alberta’s Premier, Jason Kenney, troubled by Deutsche Bank’s divestment decision, admitted that fleeting investment was among the “biggest challenges of Canada’s energy industry.”  And all for the better. Canada’s oil and gas industry is accountable for the largest share among economic sectors of Canada’s emissions. The environmental degradation produced by the industry’s operations has left behind over 1.6 https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001745/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/metro-boycott 155209466_1754646328046541_5666628191173 1/3 �30/05/2026 14:03 METRO BOYCOTT | Divest McGill trillion litres of toxic fluids in industry tailings ponds, containing substances like lead, arsenic, and mercury. High cancer rates have been observed in downstream, often Indigenous, towns like those of the Mikisew Cree and the Athabasca Chipewyan. Moreover, work camps erected besides resource extraction projects have a history of introducing a largely male workforce to Indigenous communities; driving up substance abuse, sexual exploitation and assault (see, for instance, the seventh chapter of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s report). Within the first year of one industrial project, in 2011, RCMP data showed an increase of 38 percent in reports of sexual assault in BC’s Fort St James area. All of these crimes are generally overlooked largely due to the economic, cultural and political hegemony of the oil and gas industry in western Canada. In Alberta, the entrenched economic and cultural reach of the oil and gas industry has pushed public and political opinion against ecological action. Only 27% of Alberta considers climate change worthy of the title “emergency.” Calgary’s September 2019 climate rally numbered only several hundred to Montreal’s 500,000. At the political level, the industry-financed lobbying organization, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), makes hundreds of lobbying contacts with federal government officials each year, openly hostile to environmental and humanitarian efforts to limit the operations of the oil and gas industry. In 2020, Maryse Betrand earned an annual retainer on the Board of Metro of  $130,000 and has over $672,000 in equity holdings in the company. Relative to 2019, her annual retainer has increased by 8% and the value of her equity holdings has increased by 16.5%. McGill’s Board of Governors deliberately appoints its members for their corporate connections to big businesses like Metro Inc.. For instance, Ms. Bertrand sits on McGill’s Board alongside Cynthia Price Verreault who worked for Petro-Canada for roughly 18 years. Metro Inc. has tremendous financial and professional leverage over Bertrand, who in turn has the power to change McGill’s investments in the fossil fuel industry.  Our Demands 1. Metro Inc. must release a public statement condemning McGill University’s investments in the fossil fuel industry; 2. Metro Inc. must facilitate a discussion between Maryse Bertrand, Divest McGill, and Climate Justice Montreal, with Metro acting as a third party; 3. Maryse Bertrand must put forward a motion for divestment from the fossil fuel industry at a meeting of McGill’s Board of Governors and rally support from her colleagues; and 4. Metro Inc. must adopt a mandate to lobby provincial and federal politicians against future investments in the fossil fuel industry.   We hope this boycott extends past demands on Metro or McGill. Our elected provincial and federal representatives must understand this divestment movement is not limited to the local level. These officials must stop allowing their governments to fund Canada’s major players in the fossil fuel industry, and must prevent future funding from banks, universities, and other financial institutions. 152982531_337267050938367_11866378249116 For those interested in becoming more involved in the campaign, do not hesitate to contact us at divestmcgill@gmail.com. This open letter has been signed by Extinction Rebellion Québec, Quit RBC - XR Québec, Extinction Rebellion Youth Québec, Pour le futur Montréal, Climate Justice Montreal, Sortons la Caisse du Carbone, Coalition etudiante pour un https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001745/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/metro-boycott 2/3 �30/05/2026 14:03 METRO BOYCOTT | Divest McGill virage environnemental et social (CEVES), LeapUofT, DivestED, Fossil Free LakeHead, RadLaw, McGill Law Climate Justice, Climate Justice Climatique uOttawa, McGill Corporate Accountability Project, the Milton Parc Citizen’s Committee, and Divest McGill METRO BOYCOTT ZINE Made by My Media Creative . We acknowledge that our work takes place in Tiohtiá:ke/Mooniyang on the unceded territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka and divestmcgill@gmail.com mymediacreative.org Anishinaabeg.  https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001745/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/metro-boycott 3/3 �30/05/2026 14:03 Divestment | Divest McGill The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001740/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/divestment HOME ABOUT US CAMPAIGNS DIVESTMENT AT MCGILL GET INVOLVED WHAT IS DIVESTMENT? For an institution to “divest” means to withdraw its investments from a specific industry, and redirect that money into a more responsible and ethical portfolio. What is Divestment? WHY DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUELS? Why Divest? The Case for Divestment By definition, investors hope that the companies they have stakes in grow and offer profitable Misconceptions returns. The fossil fuel industry is the last thing we wish to see grow. That is why Divest McGill urges our University to stop supporting coal, oil and gas coal companies.  Divestment is about acknowledging that money carries power, and that it is up to us to use that power to send strong political statements. Divestment also attacks the legitimacy of the fossil fuel industry by raising awareness on its damaging impacts, whether to human rights, the environment or democracy. That’s what makes it a tactic for climate justice.  Let’s be clear: it is not a panacea; yet, it is part of the large range of bold actions needed to fight the climate crisis and engage in a just and truly sustainable transition. Divestment would be all the more significant if performed by an institution which praises itself for being a leader in sustainability like McGill. A big reputation comes with great visibility and large responsibilities. As students, we will hold our administration accountable. On Social Injury In order to officially divest, McGill would need to find that investing in fossil fuels causes “grave social injury.” Social injury is defined as “the grave injurious impact which the activities of a legal person is found to have on consumers, employees, or other persons, or on the natural environment” (CAMSR, Terms of Reference, 2018)   https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001740/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/divestment 1/4 �30/05/2026 14:03 Divestment | Divest McGill As we argued in the 150-page research brief in March 2015, anthropogenic climate change does represent a grave injurious impact because it: 1. Puts pressure on food systems, 2. Causes inundation of densely inhabited coastal areas, 3. Increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, 4. Poses serious direct risk to human health, 5. Leads to ecosystem collapse, 6. Threatens First Nations groups and Indigenous cultures, 7. Poses security threats, 8. Damages infrastructures of cities, including Montreal, 9. Initiates positive feedback loops which are known to accelerate other consequences in an abrupt and non-linear manner. Now, because as supplies of coal, oil and gas, fossil fuel companies have a vested interest in climate change inaction, these corporations have played and continue to What is Divestment? play a major role in frustrating the enactment and enforcement of the domestic and Why Divest? international laws that protect individuals’ health, safety, and basic freedoms in the The Case for Divestment face of the climate crisis. They do this by:   Misconceptions - Lobbying governments against climate change policies, - Funding of anti-scientific climate-denial propaganda, mirroring the strategy of the tobacco industry (an industry McGill divested from due to its harm to society) - Promoting insufficient technical “solutions” such as carbon sequestration. Read our research brief for the full story and all our sources. THE CASE FOR DIVESTMENT *you can read the full version of all the texts cited below as well as their bibliography in our Publications section  “The moral case is simple. As long as universities like McGill don’t divest, they remain caught in a glaring contradiction: betting their prestige on preparing young people for the world while betting their dollars on making it uninhabitable.” (Martin Lukacs, journalist at the Guardian and one of the alumni who returned their McGill diploma; The Guardian, March 2016) "The IPCC report that came out on [October 6th, 2018] outlined a future that is more dire than any of us are prepared for [...] We need to act. We need to be bold and fearless in the face of climate change [...] We invite CAMSR to consider that we are living in a day and age where fossil fuels are no longer going to be sustaining us.” https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001740/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/divestment 2/4 �30/05/2026 14:03 Divestment | Divest McGill (Open Letter from Faculty to McGill’s Board of Governors, 2014) “McGill has divested for moral and political (as opposed to purely financial) reasons at least three times in the recent past: in the 1980s from companies doing business in South Africa in 1980s; in the first decade of the 21st Century, from corporations doing business in Myanmar and tobacco firms. Such divestment campaigns nearly always result in stronger government action effectively reducing the harms caused by offending companies.” (Senate motion presented by Gregory Mikkelson, overwhelmingly adopted on September 12th, 2018) “If we say that we’re going to address the climate risk, as countries and businesses are [doing], it means that the value of these fossil fuel assets will fall, will actually collapse; because the value of fossil fuel assets is based on the potential of exploiting the entire reserves of fossil fuels that are in the books of these companies. So if we say that we’re only going to exploit 20, or 25, or 50, or 60 percent of these reserves, it means the value [of the investment] will fall by that much. You’re investing in a stock that will be a “stranded asset” soon. So if you’re to keep your investment in fossil fuels, you’re making a bet that the world will not be acting decisively on climate. […] It’s a completely unethical posture for any investor to say, ‘I’m betting on the destruction of the planet.” (Karel Mayrand, director of the David Suzuki Foundation in Québec and one of the McGill alumni who returned their diplomas in sign of disapproval of their alma mater’s investment policy, The McGill Daily, October 2015) What is Divestment? MISCONCEPTIONS Why Divest? The Case for Divestment Misconceptions Divestment is complex: we agree! That’s why Divest McGill has proposed a very targeted divestment program from only the top 200 fossil fuel companies as measured by reserve. Our 2015 submission to the Board actually suggested a preliminary divestment strategy from only Enbridge and Shell. We conducted case studies on these two companies, which found both environmental and social injury caused by these two companies. It has worked in the social rejection of apartheid and tobacco. In any case, this mentality of searching for a panacea will not work; we acknowledge that many solutions are required to properly tackle climate change. The primary goal of divestment is not to financially cripple the industry. The goal is to signal to policymakers that supporting the fossil fuel industry is not in society’s best interests so they should no longer be supported by governments through subsidies and loose regulations.  https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001740/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/divestment 3/4 �30/05/2026 14:03 Divestment | Divest McGill Universities are havens of knowledge and thus carry important social clout and intellectual authority. We as students, professors, and administrators can take advantage of our privilege in being here by using that clout to empower a shift towards a low carbon economy.     “Shareholder action” only works for specific industry changes. The problem with fossil fuel firms is their entire business model. A shareholder can’t ask them to phase out their product.   The fossil fuel industry is fairly unique: it is a powerful lobby with a vested interest in specifically preventing emissions reductions, which are essential to proper climate policy. Made by My Media Creative . We acknowledge that our work takes place in Tiohtiá:ke/Mooniyang on the unceded territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka and Anishinaabeg.  divestmcgill@gmail.com mymediacreative.org What is Divestment? Why Divest? The Case for Divestment Misconceptions https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001740/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/divestment 4/4 �30/05/2026 14:04 Divestment at McGill | Divest McGill The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001720/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/at-mcgill HOME ABOUT US CAMPAIGNS DIVESTMENT AT MCGILL GET INVOLVED DIVESTMENT AT MCGILL It starts with an endowment... McGill owns an endowment fund of 1.67 billion dollars (value reported on March 31st, 2019). This “pool of money” is primarily composed of donations, and is managed by the Office of Investments according to the Investment Policy. To learn more about McGill's investments, see below. The Investment Policy states that the Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR) must recommend that McGill divest from fossil fuels in order for it to take effect in their investment policies. It is this very committee, CAMSR, that has rejected divestment from fossil fuels twice. SO, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT CAMSR. The current chair of CAMSR, Cynthia Price-Verrault, held several senior management positions during her twenty years in the petroleum industry. [Board of Governors, 2019] CAMSR tried to change its Terms of Reference in December 2017 so that its mandate would include to https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001720/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/at-mcgill 1/4 �30/05/2026 14:04 Divestment at McGill | Divest McGill “refrain from using the University’s resources to advance specific social or political causes.” [CAMSR Proposed New Terms of Reference, 2018, pg. 14] WHAT HAS CAMSR BEEN UP TO? In February of 2015, Divest submitted to CAMSR its second petition calling for divestment from fossil fuels, along with a 150-page report outlining the long-term social and environmental harm caused by the fossil fuel industry. The petition was rejected. CAMSR recommended McGill keep investing in fossil fuels for the second time and presented its report to the Board of Governors on March 17th, 2016. WHAT WAS THEIR REASONING? The Committee remains unconvinced that grave injurious impact resulting from the activities of the top 200 fossil https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001720/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/at-mcgill 2/4 �30/05/2026 14:04 Divestment at McGill | Divest McGill fuel companies or a particular fossil fuel [CAMSRcompany Report, 2016, pg. 10] has occurred at this time. Continuing to explore or refusing to keep unburnable reserves underground does not directly have grave injurious impact on individuals or the natural environment. [CAMSR Report, 2016, pg. 10] CAMSR fails to see the logic or virtue in singling out the activities of fossil fuel companies for special attention, when concerted efforts are needed on a mass scale to change the behaviour of many companies and individuals. [CAMSR Report, 2016, pg. 9] 15.jpg A group of Professors from the MFL4D (McGill Faculty and Librarians For Divestment) graded the CAMSR’s infamous report as if it had been a student’s paper. They found multiple fallacious arguments, unsupported claims, and overall lack of academic rigour. Read the report version annotated by the profs here. MCGILL'S INVESTMENTS https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001720/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/at-mcgill 3/4 �30/05/2026 14:04 Divestment at McGill | Divest McGill To get the numbers right, Divest members created mcgillinvests.in, a tool to explore McGill's investment data, obtained via Access to Information requests. The endowment was organized into several categories of interest, bringing into focus the investments deemed socially and environmentally irresponsible. Here is an overview of the findings: It is to note that a Fossil Free Fund (FFF) was launched in 2017. However, as of today the FFF only represents... 0.38% of the total endowment! (FFF weight as of March 31st, 2019) Made by My Media Creative . We acknowledge that our work takes place in Tiohtiá:ke/Mooniyang on the unceded territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka and Anishinaabeg.  divestmcgill@gmail.com https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001720/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/at-mcgill mymediacreative.org 4/4 �30/05/2026 14:05 Get Involved | Divest McGill The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001710/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/get-involved HOME ABOUT US CAMPAIGNS DIVESTMENT AT MCGILL GET INVOLVED GET INVOLVED Join the Democratize, Divest, and Decolonize Campaign After 10 years of demonstrations, petitions, assemblies, referendums (and more!) for fossil fuel divestment, the undemocratic Board of Governors refuses to act and, instead, is a soapbox for corporate greed and colonial extractivism.   "We are tired of demanding change from those who never intended on listening...We will prefigure a democratically-led university...We are occupying McGill to create a festive, autonomous space...which belongs to all rather than to the corporate elite".   Students are asking for the community to show its support by coming out to events (all taking place onsite in the Arts building starting March 7th), supporting the occupation on social media, speaking out and organizing direct democracy within your own networks to democratize and divest NOW! What you can do: 1) Fight for Divestment, write (link to email template) to the Board of Governors. 2) Sign the Petition for McGill's Divestment from TC Energy. 3) Join us in the Arts Building to #OccupyMcGill and make your voice heard for democratization and divestment. 4) Join the Democratize McGill coalition or sign up for our email list We always welcome new ideas! Follow our Facebook page for updates on our weekly meetings upcoming events, and special projects. And don’t miss our “DM 10 https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001710/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/get-involved 1/2 �30/05/2026 14:05 Get Involved | Divest McGill presentations at the beginning of each semester! They’ll help you an idea of what we do and how you can get involved!  Feel free to contact us with any suggestions or questions! divestmcgill@gmail.com How we operate: We are a non-hierarchical group—we collaborate within working groups and through specific projects with everyone’s voices being equal in decision-making.  Our current teams and tasks include: Outreach and Mobilization Communications Research Organizing rallies, tabling, Fossil Free Week, etc. Acting as spokespeople, managing our web presence, and preparing press releases or op-eds. Keeping up to date with all of the latest findings, research, and related initiatives that can help strengthen our cause. Additionally, we look at meeting documents, reports, and statements from the McGill administration to make sure we know where they stand. Maintaining Alumni Networks Liason Contact with administration Making sure motivated alumni are with us in our fight for climate justice by organizing events thethe “Diploma Returning Ceremony” we did in  2016. Liaising with the McGill Faculty and Librarians For Divestment (MFL4D), as well as with other campus and community campaigns like Divest Concordia, Désinvestissons UdM, Divest MountAllison, 350.org, and more! Presenting at Board of Governors meetings, discussing with Board and administration members. Made by My Media Creative . We acknowledge that our work takes place in Tiohtiá:ke/Mooniyang on the unceded territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka and Anishinaabeg.  divestmcgill@gmail.com https://web.archive.org/web/20250203001710/https://www.divestmcgill.ca/get-involved mymediacreative.org 2/2 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource DIVEST McGill Subject The topic of the resource Environmental Justice, Divestment, Climate Action Description An account of the resource Since 2012, Divest McGill has been pushing for change through research, education, and mobilization. After 11 years, Divest McGill successfully lobbied McGill to to divest from all direct holdings in fossil-fuel companies listed in the Carbon Underground 200 by 2025. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource DIVEST McGill Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 02/2025 Title A name given to the resource Divest McGill website as of February 2025 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Divest McGill Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Website Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Divest McGill Description An account of the resource This document is a record of the Divest McGill website, previously hosted at divestmcgill.ca, as of February 2025. Since the campaign's beginnings, the website functioned as a central space to host information about Divest McGill's history, principles, and actions. The website domain is no longer hosted by Divest McGill. Climate Activism Divest McGill divestment