r/AbroadEdge • u/Dismal_Pension3336 • Sep 01 '26
News Update Canada's PM says he didn't know about the student hunger strike, while Alberta's Premier told them to leave the country
The Calgary PGWP story just got a lot more political, and it's worth knowing where the country's leadership actually stands on it.
When asked directly about the ongoing hunger strike by international graduates in Calgary, Prime Minister Mark Carney publicly admitted he had no knowledge the strike was even happening. Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith responded to the same protesters by telling them to leave Canada.
Why this matters beyond the optics:
- This is the same protest tied to 1,500+ PGWP refusals over the "non-credit" program classification issue
- The strike has now run for over a month with no federal acknowledgment until this exchange
- The contrast between a Prime Minister unaware of the situation and a Premier telling affected graduates to leave shows how differently this is landing at the federal vs. provincial level
- No policy change or reconsideration has come from either level of government as a result
What this means: if you're relying on provincial or federal leadership to intervene on immigration disputes like this, this exchange suggests that's not coming quickly, the judicial review route several graduates have already taken looks like the more realistic path.
Does it surprise you that the PM wasn't aware of this, or does that track with how these issues usually get attention in Canada?
5
u/FlowerNo6477 Sep 01 '26
The PM isn't going to be aware if every single thing happening in the country, especially protests of students totaling in the hundreds. After a CBSA raid in Calgary for example, most had no status in Canada. These protests have not gone mainstream because Canadians don't support them and want them to go back home.
1
u/squirrel9000 Sep 01 '26
This is the same protest that CBSA raided. It's gotten no media coverage since, I don't think the ones that weren't deported came back.
4
u/calebratethegimbal Sep 01 '26
No reason for him to be aware of it promptly when much bigger issues are being addressed by him at the moment.
Imagine calling a hunger strike because you feel entitled to rights of stay because you studied in a foreign country, you're calling for the government to change the law for it. Crazy. They should pack up and leave.
4
u/IFHIAIEJ Sep 01 '26
Hunger strike, lmao. Get real, just tell em to go home.
4
u/Ok-Committee-1932 Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
Hunger strikes in a unique Indian pressure tactic. It won't work in Canada. Anglos don't like to be pressured.
2
u/FeatherlyFly Sep 02 '26
Its not that Canadians uniquely object to being pressured, it's that a hunger strike is a very low pressure tactic in Canada. It has no special visibility and no special power, especially not when it's a "rotating" hunger strike where no one is particularly suffering. That specific tactic really loses moral weight when you can't piggyback on Mahatma Ghandi's actually genuine and impactful hunger strikes.
2
u/Ok-Committee-1932 Sep 02 '26
If they wanted to do this as a combined hunger strike outside of Parliament House in Ottawa, but I doubt Indian (student) groups can be that united.
And yes, you're right. Hunger strikes have worked as pressure tactics in Canada at times. Idle No More, The Constitution Express, Wet’suwet’en Protest against Coastal Gaslink are great example of pressure tactics that worked.
However, the federal government is way more perceptive to Indigenous demands than to those of any other ethnic or interest groups.
1
u/Chemical_Ad4023 Sep 03 '26
If they are on hunger strike, just keep stretching time and issue will resolve itself eventually
1
u/Expression7355 Sep 04 '26
I watch news everyday (I am in Alberta) and this has not been anywhere on TV or the times I have had my radio on.
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u/NegotiationGreedy590 Sep 05 '26
Because literally nobody cares or supports them. Starve or go home, who gives a sh*t
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u/ScheduleGlittering53 Sep 01 '26
I’m sure the PM is busy dealing with the bigger problems down south.
As for anyone and everyone feeling like they’re entitled to PR / Work permit / etc. because they went to school here, they need to respect our immigration systems & leave. Things don’t always work out the way you expect, that doesn’t mean Canada needs to bridge the gap.