Council of Canadians - PEI Chapter

04/15/2026

This Palestinian Prisoner Day, we stand with prisoners and against the Israeli "Palestinian Prisoner Ex*****on Law". This new law, passed on March 30th 2026, legalizes death by hanging. A barbaric escalation of genocide that applies only to Palestinians and in a state with a 99% conviction rate. Over 10,000 Palestinians, including 350 children, are held in Israeli torture camps under systematic starvation, abuse, and torture.

Friday, April 17, 2026
4:30pm - 6:00pm
University Ave, Sidewalk in front of Brown's Court (Across from UPEI)

Bring friends, signs, and your voice! Together, we'll demonstrate, raise awareness, and demand the liberation for all prisoners and the end of the Palestinian Prisoner Ex*****on Law. May every prisoner be free and may the Zionist regime crumble.

04/15/2026

We need a fair tax system.

Gabriel Zucman is one of the world's leading economists studying wealth inequality, and what he's found is damning. His solution: a 2% minimum wealth tax on ...

04/11/2026

Don't miss your chance to see Palestine '36 at City Cinema! This powerful historical film captures the 1936 uprising against colonial rule and is Palestine’s official entry for the 2026 Oscars.

Playing now until Tuesday. Share with friends and show up to support Palestine and independent cinema! 🎥

Get your tickets in-person or online at citycinema.ca.

04/09/2026

NO to
NGO support for Carney's
CORPORATE WELFARE

04/06/2026

Shame on Carney.

“I am disgusted with the prime minister for saying ‘I can outlast her,’ because our people are dying prematurely,” Grassy Narrows Chief Sherry Ackabee was quoted saying. “Shame on him for laughing at people who are sick and bullying a woman, and shame on those who laughed along with him.”

04/06/2026

03/23/2026

Hon. Anne McLellan and Hon. Lisa Raitt, co-chairs of the Coalition for a Better Future statement -

Our statement on the government's Defense Industrial Strategy
The Coalition for a Better Future welcomes the federal government's defence industrial strategy as a step towards building Canada's industrial capacity. The goals are ambitious: tripling defence-industry revenue, creating 125,000 jobs, boosting exports by 50 per cent, and increasing the share of defence contracts awarded to Canadian firms from 43 to 70 per cent by 2035. Industry leaders across sectors, from robotics and satellite technology to advanced manufacturing, have responded positively, recognizing that domestic procurement is vital to competitive industries.
This support is broad and cuts across the Canadian economy and Coalition member organizations. Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters has been clear that Canadian manufacturers have the “talent, technology, and capacity to deliver” on the potential of this strategy, while emphasizing that success will depend on close coordination between government, contractors, and domestic suppliers — especially small and mid-sized firms.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has called the scale of new funding “unprecedented” and noted that “the true measure of success will be how these dollars translate into real operational readiness, modernized equipment, and a stronger Canadian Armed Forces.”
U15 Canada, representing Canada's leading research universities, says that universities can help drive innovation and secure sovereign capabilities — noting that in an era of geopolitical risk and technological competition, research institutions have a critical role to play.
The Coalition has long asserted that Canada's economic challenges are structural, not cyclical — and that closing the productivity and investment gap requires deliberate, well-designed policy that prioritizes innovation and job creation across the country.
The "Build-Partner-Buy" framework aims to support this by fostering domestic production while reducing reliance on U.S. military hardware. While the intent is understandable, given the current geopolitical landscape, we must ensure that Canadian suppliers can deliver quality and timely solutions. Where Canadian suppliers can deliver, the policy has the potential to create jobs, anchor supply chains, and generate export opportunities. But if we rely on domestic suppliers in areas where they cannot compete effectively, we risk higher costs, inferior equipment, and missed opportunities.
The true measure of this strategy should, first and foremost, be focused on measuring the capacity of the CAF to defend our sovereign territory. In equal measure, the strategy’s success will be demonstrated by its impact on Canada's competitiveness and productivity, rather than procurement statistics alone. We urge the government to be discerning in identifying firms and awarding contracts, focusing on real industrial capacity rather than political pressures. Canada is capable of building world-class defence industries. A commitment across governments and the private sector to this strategy, combined with the capital and policy framework to back it up, offers an opportunity to do so. The Coalition will monitor progress and continue to hold the government accountable for results that translate into productivity, job creation, and long-term competitiveness.
About the Coalition for a Better Future
The Coalition represents a diverse and growing community of like-minded organizations in the private and not-for-profit sectors. We are unified in our belief that economic growth is necessary for job creation, rising incomes, a cleaner environment, and a better quality of life.
For more information, please contact:
info@canadacoalition.ca

03/23/2026

Canada Is Ramping Up Deportations, with 400 a Week
A focus on criminality has echoes of the early immigration crackdown under Trump
by George Abraham
Updated 8:19, Mar. 20, 2026 | Published 6:30, Mar. 20, 2026
Canada’s immigration enforcement agency is ramping up deportations and is hoping to sustain an annual target of 20,000 over the next couple of years. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) deported 22,500 foreign nationals in 2025—the highest annual total in its history—and is currently removing approximately 400 individuals from Canada each week, an agency spokesperson told me in an interview.
Canada has a high number of migrants “without status” given the policy change in late 2023, when the country reversed course on immigration by tightening the criteria for admitting international students and temporary foreign workers. In addition to deportation, they also face the prospect of being denied future visa applications.
The number of people in Canada without a valid visa remains guesswork. Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre said in a recent podcast interview that he estimated the number of people who may be overstaying their work or study permits at 2 million. “[W]e don’t know how we are going to deal with their refusal to leave and what this means for housing, health care, and jobs,” Poilievre told former CBC news anchor Peter Mansbridge.
“My sense is we really don’t know how many temporary migrants may be overstaying their visas,” says professor Christopher Worswick, who is part of Carleton University’s Migration Policy Research Group. “Given the massive increase in temporary residents over the [Justin] Trudeau years, it is a major concern, but I don’t think there is a way to know for sure if people are leaving, which is, to say the least, unfortunate.”
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada data puts the number of temporary-stay visas and permits issued as of November 30, 2025, covering the years 2025–27, at a total of 5.1 million. The ministry notes this figure may be misleading, as it includes those who hold multiple visas or permits simultaneously (an international student, for example, can also have a work permit), those who may have extended or restored their status, or those who may have left Canada. Ottawa does not have a way of tracking those who leave
Canada’s ongoing immigration crackdown has its detractors, who see the country turning its back on foreigners who were brought here to “subsidize” the education system and offer cheap labour on farms and factory floors over the preceding seven years.
“They are denied permit renewals and permanent residency and then criminalized for working to feed their families,” says Syed Hussan, co-executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. “What is needed is equal rights and permanent resident status for all, not hunting down people who are working.”
The CBSA’s high target numbers for deportations rely on two drivers: a Border Watch Line, which specifically calls on tipsters to report (among others) “persons who have overstayed their status in Canada or who are working or studying in Canada without authorization,” and prosecuting employers for “the unauthorized hiring of foreign workers.” In the latest case, the agency has laid criminal charges against two directors and an employee of a Quebec company for hiring twenty-one foreign workers who were not authorized to work at the premises.
According to the CBSA spokesperson, the tip line is buzzing, receiving 47,900 tips in 2025. These included 9,400 specifically flagging suspected foreign nationals working illegally in Canada.
The agency has received new funding to ensure that it has the resources to enforce immigration laws, targeting about 20,000 annually over the next two years, the spokesperson said, prioritizing cases with a criminal history or national security concerns, such as terrorism.
Although those who study immigration enforcement see no parallels between Canada’s new-found vigour in enforcing visa rules and the gravity of what is currently unfolding in many American states, this focus on criminality is similar to the initial days of the immigration crackdown launched in the United States in January 2025. In the early days of US president Donald Trump’s second term, Immigration and Customs Enforcement began targeting convicted criminals, drug and weapons smugglers, and human traffickers. But ICE’s tactics have now gone far beyond this stated goal, most recently on the streets of Minneapolis. Whether Canada’s tactics ever attain that level of harshness remains to be seen.
Originally published as “Border agency ramping up ‘illegal’ removals; public swamping tip line” by New Canadian Media. Reprinted with permission

03/21/2026

Canada advances Defence Industrial Strategy to strengthen security, sovereignty and prosperity
Published: March 19, 2026 at 5:23 p.m. ET
The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.
Minister McGuinty highlights $900 million to boost defence innovation and quantum technology
WATERLOO, ON, March 19, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, announced that the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is investing over $900 million, through Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy, in a long-term plan to support national prosperity and build a resilient domestic defence economy. Through the strategy, the Government of Canada is accelerating the development of defence and dual-use technologies to meet Canada's defence needs and build a globally competitive Canadian defence sector.
While at the University of Waterloo today, Minister McGuinty highlighted the direct funding to support the development and commercialization of quantum technologies.
-- Quantum computing will break codes, integrate with advanced AI and push material sciences further than what can be achieved using classical computers. Quantum computers will reshape the battlespace, putting compute power on the front lines with firepower by, among other things, using uncrewed systems and quantum encryption, simulating molecular interactions and complex systems, and rapidly developing advanced warfighting materials like batteries and warheads. -- Quantum communications will enable covert communications, anti-spoofing, and jamming-resistant and secure key distribution, making it safe to talk across battlefields and continents and through space-enabled communications. -- Quantum sensors can detect traces of electric and magnetic fields, gravitational variations, vibrations, or motions at levels unachieved by classical systems. Simply put, this means seeing the adversary before they see you.
The Government of Canada is pursuing a long-term, whole-of-government approach to strengthening the defence industrial base as a pillar of national security, economic resilience and prosperity.
Quotes
"Canada's security depends on our ability to innovate at home. Through the Defence Industrial Strategy, we are strengthening our sovereign capabilities and supporting Canadian companies in the development of next-generation aerospace, drone, quantum and biomedical technologies. This investment will help advance defence and dual-use technologies to equip the Canadian Armed Forces with cutting-edge solutions while reinforcing a resilient, globally competitive defence industrial base."
-- The Honourable David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence
"The world is becoming more complex, and the global economy is rapidly evolving. Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy positions our country to lead in emerging fields--like quantum technologies--strengthening our domestic industrial base and enabling Canadian innovators to shape the future of defence. These investments will accelerate cutting-edge dual-use technologies and deliver world-class capabilities for the Canadian Armed Forces, grow Canada's quantum and defence sectors delivering good jobs for Canadians, and build a more resilient, competitive Canadian economy."
-- The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
"For over a century, the National Research Council of Canada has advanced research and innovation that strengthen our nation's defence and security. Building on the depth of our expertise, extensive partnerships with research institutions, and connections to ambitious Canadian businesses, we remain committed to advancing sovereign defence technologies that enhance security, create prosperity and reinforce Canada's strategic economic position for the future."
-- Mitch Davies, President, National Research Council of Canada
Quick facts
-- Initial investments under the Defence Industrial Strategy contribute to Canada spending 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence in 2025--2026. -- Increasing investments in core military capabilities, building up Canadian industry and investing in dual-use technologies are putting Canada on a pathway to meet the new North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defence Investment Pledge to invest 5% of GDP by 2035. -- The Canadian defence industry contributes nearly $10 billion to Canada's GDP and supports over 81,000 jobs. -- The NRC was established by the Government of Canada during the First World War to coordinate and promote scientific research that could contribute to the national war effort. The NRC has evolved into Canada's leading research and innovation organization, supporting science and technology across a wide range of fields--including aerospace, engineering, life sciences and digital technologies--and leveraging these capabilities for defence priorities. -- The National Research Council of Canada's (NRC) new programs in support of Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy reinforce its long-standing partnership with the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces. This enduring collaboration represents the single largest client relationship of the NRC today. -- Since 2021, the NRC has delivered more than 975 joint projects with DND, advancing aerospace, sensors, marine and biosecurity technologies. -- The NRC's Challenge programs have provided more than $240 million in joint research and development funding since 2018. They have produced 2,600 technologies and tools and nine spin-off companies.

03/20/2026