The Montreal University unfortunately has a troubling history of abuse and complicity towards people of colour and those with disabilities or mental illness. McGill was heavily involved in the MK ULTRA experiments, which involved brainwashing and psychological torture of patients. Additionally, Indigenous children were subject to abuse by professors in further experiments.

The survivors of these crimes have filed lawsuits in recent years against McGill, associated hospitals, and the Canadian Government. The main perpetrator, Dr. Ewan Cameron, worked for a team at the Allan Memorial Institute, where he carried out these experiments. Despite efforts from the Defendants, the lawsuits have not been dismissed, forcing McGill to confront its liability and involvement in this abuse.

During these experiments by Cameron, patients were drugged, left in sensory deprivation rooms, and forced to listen to recordings on loop.  Cameron, who was the first chair of the University’s psychiatry department, tried to legitimize his experiments and their methods.