Dear CCF readers, happy September and we hope everyone had a good Labour Day Weekend. With summer officially behind us, there's a number of developments we'd like to bring to your attention this week: first, a group of Chinese graduate students are suing the IRCC for absurdly long VISA processing times, with the CSIS claiming that those delays are on the basis of legitimate national security concerns. This story develops just as Senator Yuen Pau Woo officially launches a new non-profit organization to fight against the arbitrary discrimination against individuals in Canada on the basis of perceived affiliations to the Chinese state — a phenomenon that Woo describes as "modern exclusion." 

All this while the  China-Canada Canola war wages on and the Carney government ramps up military spending. See below for this week's stories in detail. 

Until next time! 

Georgia Kelly, 
Communications Director (georgiajinkelly@uvic.ca) 

As Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola products continue to hamper the cash price of one of the country's most valuable crops, farming experts say producers have big decisions ahead of them. 

Dozens of Chinese graduate students are accusing Ottawa of discrimination because their study permit applications have been left in limbo for months, preventing them from beginning their advanced degrees at Canadian universities.

Published: September 1, 2025
Written by: Canadians United Against Modern Exclusion

This case study examines how litmus testing—judging individuals‘ loyalty based on their views on specific issues—has been practiced in Canada. Through three examples involving parliamentary committee hearings and a public inquiry, it shows how litmus testing shifts the focus in conversations about foreign interference from evidence and logic to personal opinion and prejudice. This practice not only harms those directly implicated but also discourages broader political participation, by equating loyalty to Canada with holding certain approved views.

Published: September 1, 2025
Written by: Canadians United Against Modern Exclusion

This case study examines how the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference contributed to the exclusion of Chinese Canadians. Although framed as a neutral investigation into foreign threats to democracy, the inquiry marginalized the perspectives of the majority of Chinese Canadians and treated contested claims as objective evidence of interference. In doing so, it reinforced harmful assumptions that Chinese Canadians act under the direction of the Chinese government rather than their own judgment. These dynamics show how stated efforts to safeguard democracy can reproduce racialized narratives, constrain political participation, and reinforce broader patterns of exclusion.

Published: August 25, 2025
Written by: National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

This new arrangement between the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the TNI strengthens the military partnership between both nations and will increase collaboration in areas of maritime security, bilateral and multilateral exercises, and capacity building, among others.

The two sides should "not let the border issue define the overall China-India relationship," Xi said, adding that economic development for both countries should be their main focus.

The joint declaration adopted at the summit reaffirms member states’ commitment to combating terrorism, promoting regional security and economic cooperation, addressing climate change, enhancing connectivity, and fostering cultural exchanges, while emphasising a multipolar world order and the need for reform in global governance.

UN Security Council permanent members China and Russia backed Iran on Monday in rejecting a move by European countries to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran loosened a decade ago under a nuclear agreement.

MacCallum worried that CPC support for Zionism by “Canadians who consciously or unconsciously discriminate against Jews socially, professionally or economically, give substance to the fear that anti-Semitism is preparing to clothe itself in the respectable garb of a philanthropic policy…”. Writing over eighty years ago, she revealed how anti-Jewish racism and support for Zionism could be complementary, a question that remains relevant today.

The balance of evidence does suggest that Canada contributed more than any other country, including the USA, to the establishment of Israel. As such, Canada has considerable responsibility for the several million Palestinian Arabs who were forcibly displaced to make way for the new state of Israel, or incorporated into it as second class citizens.”

Mark Carney is embarking on the largest military spending hike in Canada since World War 2.

Almost two years after the federal government announced it would cap international student permits, the province’s public post-secondary institutions are struggling to bring international students through their doors.

Published: August 28, 2025
Written by: Randall Yip

It’s the story of a seriously ill Chinese American mother who also must care for her schizophrenic son. Rosemead stars Lucy Liu who also produced the film. It debuted at Tribeca in June to critical and audience acclaim.

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