The Federal Court of Appeal has confirmed: the use of the Emergencies Act to crush the Freedom Convoy was unconstitutional. 🇨🇦 A massive congratulations to Christine Van Geyn and the Canadian Constitution Foundation (@CDNConstFound). You have rendered an immense service to the people of Canada by leading this legal fight! ⚖️ Our analysis of the original Federal Court ruling: c2cjournal.ca/2023/04/the-la…

Europe’s debate over certain urban districts often stalls on a single question of vocabulary. Immigrants from Africa, including Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, make up 48 percent of France's immigrant population. Many have settled in its troubled suburbs, known as banlieues, which grew out of public and low-income housing built after the Second World War and have seen repeated riots. Critics say gangs hold sway in hundreds of districts, emergency workers are routinely attacked, and police can often enter only in large, heavily armed teams. Yet the media and academics still dispute whether "no-go zones" is an accurate term, with some calling it a provocation by the far right. What should governments do when public services cannot operate safely in a district? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

German police data for 2023 show one nationality was suspected of serious sexual offences at more than 10 times the rate of German citizens. That group was Afghan citizens, with 89.6 suspects per 100,000 residents being suspected of rape, sexual coercion and serious sexual assault, compared with 8.6 among German citizens and 28.8 among foreign nationals overall. The figures count suspects rather than convictions, and some of the difference comes down to demographics, since recent arrivals are disproportionately young men. Critics of German migration policy say foreign-born residents make up about 20 percent of Germany's population but 40 percent or more of its criminal suspects across all offences, and that foreign-born suspects in sexual offence cases have more than doubled since 2000. Should governments publish crime statistics adjusted for age and sex so comparisons are fair? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

Sweden accepted Europe’s highest rate of asylum-seekers in 2015 and later had to confront some uncomfortable crime statistics. A 2018 report by Swedish national television found that about 58 percent of men convicted of rape and attempted rape over five years were born abroad. In cases where the victim did not know the attacker, the share of foreign-born offenders exceeded 80 percent. Critics also tie the asylum surge to a rise in gang violence once unheard of in Sweden, with gangs recruiting children as young as 10 and hundreds of bombings recorded. Officials now list 165 "vulnerable areas" that many residents avoid. Should governments publish crime data by place of birth so the public can debate immigration with the facts? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

A wave of migration to Britain became known as the "Boriswave", named after the prime minister who presided over it. In 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union, ending free movement for EU citizens. But after new immigration rules took effect in 2021, net migration climbed to a peak near 950,000 in 2023, roughly triple its level a decade earlier, with many being low-skilled immigrants coming from India and Pakistan. Critics argue the vote was meant to restore control of Britain's borders, yet political leaders instead allowed a surge of largely low-skilled immigration. Net migration only fell sharply after visa rules were tightened in 2024. Should net migration targets be set in law? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

The number of foreign-born residents in the European Union rose from 40 million in 2010 to 64 million in 2025, and one decision in 2015 sits at the centre of the story. In 2015, a three-year-old Syrian boy drowned as his family tried to cross from Turkey to Greece, and his death became a symbol of Europe's migrant crisis. The family was fleeing the war between Kurdish forces and ISIS in Syria, and only the father survived. Later that year, the German chancellor announced that Germany would accept hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. Critics call the decision reckless and say it drew even greater waves of migrants, primarily illegal, across the continent. They add that many were from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa and that a high proportion were unattached men of military age. Should one national government be able to make admissions decisions that affect an entire continent? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

A Canadian lobby group has set a population target for the year 2100 that is more than double today’s figure. The group was founded in 2009 by two prominent business figures, one of whom then led a global consulting firm. It urged Canada to grow to 100 million people by 2100. In 2017, a federal advisory panel on economic growth headed by the same co-founder recommended increasing immigration, though numbers had already risen steeply by then. The prime minister at the time welcomed those “fleeing persecution, terror and war,” telling Canadians that “diversity is our strength.” Critics say the resulting surge was disruptive, and it was eventually capped by the Covid-19 pandemic and a public backlash over housing shortages, youth unemployment and urban crime. Should Canadians get a direct say in how fast their country grows? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

A gang recruiter's offer to an 11-year-old in Sweden is being held up as a warning for Canada. According to a police investigation reported by the children's rights organization Humanium, a 19-year-old gang member offered an 11-year-old boy 150,000 kronor, about €13,600, to carry out a murder. Sweden accepted Europe's highest rate of asylum-seekers in 2015, and gangs there now recruit children as young as 10 to commit crimes and run drugs. Many people have died. The country keeps a list of 165 "vulnerable areas" where most ordinary Swedes are afraid to go, including Malmö. A Canadian writer says Canadians should look at developments in Europe to understand where uncontrolled mass immigration can lead. She points to Germany, where foreign-born residents make up about 20 percent of the population and 40 percent or more of criminal suspects, and where Syrians and Afghans are reported to commit crimes at 15 times the national average. She argues that Canada's trend is moving in the wrong direction. Canada's annual immigration intake is just over 750,000 before outflows, asylum claims totalled 114,515 in 2025, and Statistics Canada recently raised its population estimates by over 700,000 people, largely because it had underestimated the number of non-permanent residents. In Europe, sexual assault and rape are on the rise and have totalled over 2.5 million in 2014-2024. The figures do not include the UK, and also omit European women who have been otherwise abused or outright murdered by migrants, some of whom operate as rape gangs. Do you think Canada can learn anything from Europe's experience with immigration? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

A civil commission's report on the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel focuses on one particular category of crime: sexual violence against women and girls. Titled "Silenced No More", the report alleges that hundreds of women were sexually assaulted during the Hamas attack and that hostages later suffered sexual slavery while in captivity. Some commentators argue that sexual violence has become a deliberate weapon of modern terrorism and war, and that Western societies have been slow to recognize the threat it poses closer to home. What obligations do governments have to document and prosecute sexual violence? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

A single statistical revision this month added roughly the population of a mid-sized city to Canada’s official count. Canada’s federal government projects an annual immigration intake of over 750,000 people before departures are counted, roughly the population of a fair-sized city. On top of that, 114,515 people filed asylum claims in 2025. The current government has announced “cutbacks” to immigration levels but the country remains firmly pro-immigration. Critics argue the scale raises serious questions about whether border agencies and courts are able to properly screen new arrivals and efficiently remove those who commit serious crimes. Net immigration began rising before 2015 and climbed steeply under a former prime minister who welcomed newcomers fleeing persecution and war. A lobby group founded in 2009 has urged population growth to 100 million by 2100. Two developments slowed the surge: the Covid-19 pandemic briefly disrupted global travel, and a public backlash — driven by increasing urban crime, housing shortages and youth unemployment — forced the federal government to reconsider its targets. Should public-safety screening and deportation enforcement be strengthened before immigration targets rise again? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

A mass border crossing in North Africa led Italy to reinstate border controls within days. On July 30, 2026, tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on Africa’s Mediterranean coast. Estimates range from 50,000 to more than 70,000, and most of those who crossed were Moroccans. Spain deployed soldiers and installed a floating barrier, and Italy responded by temporarily restoring border checks on air and sea arrivals from Spain. Critics of European border policy see the episode as evidence of how exposed the continent's frontiers are. They argue Europe's borders have been under strain for years: in Germany alone, the population of foreign-born residents grew from 10 million to 18 million from 2010 to 2025, while illegal small-boat crossings of the English Channel continue even today, almost nightly. Should European countries coordinate border enforcement more closely? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

A 20-second encounter on an Ottawa street led one journalist to investigate what is happening to women and girls in the West. In the winter of 2023, a longtime journalist was walking to an appointment on a busy downtown Ottawa street late one morning when a man blocked her path and used sexually abusive language about her body. Her side of the street was empty of pedestrians, and she says she had little doubt that he could have seriously hurt her. She does not know what stopped him but presumes it may have been the heavy traffic or her effort to ignore him and keep moving. She later reported the incident to Ottawa police. However, there was no follow-up, even though the man’s actions appeared to meet the threshold for sexual harassment, criminal harassment, or uttering threats. Security footage from a local grocery store might have helped identify him, yet there was no investigation. Her terrifying experience occurred a few months after the October 7 attack. A civil commission report titled “Silenced No More” documents horrific sexual violence committed by Hamas against hundreds of Jewish women. Their experiences reveal how rape and the sexual degradation of women and girls have become common features of modern terrorism and war. The journalist warns that sexual crimes against women and children are on the rise even in Canada and argues that, although many people are not ready to discuss the issue, such a conversation must take place. Do you think police take reports of street harassment seriously enough? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

Police-recorded rapes in the European Union rose by more than 160 percent in a single decade. Figures from the European Union’s statistics agency show that police recorded roughly 37,000 rapes across Europe in 2014 and roughly 97,000 in 2024. Recorded sexual violence as a wider category rose from about 131,000 to about 257,000 over the same period. The increase coincides with the arrival of millions of migrants from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa since the mid-2010s, which advocates of tighter border controls cite as a driver. Others, however, point out that police-recorded figures may reflect changes in reporting habits and legal definitions. How much of the rise reflects increasing crime and how much of it reflects a greater willingness to report it? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

A man ordered to be deported from Canada has not been removed, and the reason is written into his immigration status. He fled Eritrea in 2017, was smuggled through Egypt, Israel and one or more European countries, then flew to Canada where undisclosed parties sponsored him as a refugee in 2018. Within a year he was committing sexual assaults. Since then he has built a lengthy criminal record and a long string of media reports about his repeated release from custody. He is considered a high-risk offender and has been ordered deported, but courts have barred his removal because conditions in Eritrea are described as volatile, though not war-torn, and he is officially a "protected person". Offences like his are punishable by up to 10 years in prison for a regular Canadian, yet he has served just months. His latest interaction with the justice system came in August 2026. He continues to reside in Guelph, Ontario. The reason he has not been removed is his "protected person" designation, which courts have cited in barring his return to Eritrea. Should a person's refugee status affect whether they can be deported after repeated violent offences? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/monste…

The 4th Annual Patricia Trottier and Gwyn Morgan Student Essay Contest invites Canadian undergraduates to write 1,500 to 2,500 words on a current issue of their choosing. Topics can cover anything current in politics, culture or the economy — argued from the perspective of classical liberalism or the broader Western tradition. First place wins $2,800, with $7,000 in total prizes. The top three essays have the opportunity to be edited and published by C2C Journal. These authors will also attend Freedom Week in Montreal and the Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference in Ottawa, with travel and admission expenses covered. Entries close at midnight on November 8. If you know a student who would be interested in this opportunity, please pass this information along. Full contest details and registration: manningfoundation.org/4th-an…

Read the full story: c2cjournal.ca/2026/08/the-ul…

Read the full story: c2cjournal.ca/2026/08/the-ul…

Read the full story: c2cjournal.ca/2026/08/the-ul…

Shoppers browse a wall of colourful tins in Stockholm. Sweden has Europe's lowest rate of tobacco-related illness and death, and what's inside these tins is a big reason why. The tins hold snus, a moist smokeless tobacco placed under the lip. Along with oral pouches, it has become a popular nicotine product in Sweden and other parts of Europe. In the meantime, the daily rate of cigarette smoking has dropped to a mere 6.4%. With the nicotine use being still high, at over 20% of Sweden's population, it is evident that Swedes have not given up nicotine — instead, they have switched to lower-risk alternatives that do not involve burning tobacco. The country is also reported to have Europe’s lowest rates of smoking-related illness and death. Is a country that swaps cigarettes for lower-risk nicotine products a public-health success story, or simply a different kind of nicotine problem? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/endgam…

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The UK's National Health Service is putting a quit-smoking tool directly into people's hands through a free app on their phones. The app is part of a broader British strategy that includes "Swap to Stop", a program under which health workers sometimes approach smokers on the street and offer them free vapes in place of cigarettes. It reflects a harm-reduction approach that treats quitting as a gradual process supported by accessible tools, rather than relying solely on bans and stern warnings. Cigarette use has declined in the UK alongside this strategy, particularly among young people, although the use of e-cigarettes, oral pouches and other nicotine alternatives has increased within the same age groups. Could easier access to quitting tools accomplish more than restrictions ever could? Read more at: c2cjournal.ca/2026/09/endgam…