More than 100 students have been stuck in limbo as they wait for the Canadian government to approve the visas that would allow them to come here for graduate school. At least 26 universities across the country have accepted them into a wide range of programs. But there's something the students have in common: they live in, or are from, Gaza.

The Palestinian Students and Scholars at Risk Network (PSSAR) has been sounding the alarm about the unusual delays, while some of the applicants remain in places that have been, and continue to be, bombed. They say the response from the federal government — particularly from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — has been wanting.

On this episode of Sources, Nada El-Falou, PSSAR's director of student services, joins Ontario reporter Eric Wickham to discuss how Canada's inaction is endangering these students, and what can be done to get their visas finally approved.

Links

• CBC Radio's The Morning Edition - K-W – "Hear Sally Ghazi Ibaid’s audio submission to the University of Waterloo" (Dec. 18, 2024)

• PressProgress – “More Than 100 Gazans Have Been Accepted to Canadian Universities. Canada Isn’t Letting Them In.” (Jan. 27, 2026)

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While, for the first time in decades, there’s a nonzero chance of Canada getting smaller (with Alberta maybe wanting out and the U.S. maybe wanting in), PressProgress, at least, is only getting bigger.

That’s… something?

On this extra-festive edition of Sources, Eric speaks to Emma, Stephen, Rumneek and Jonathan about some of the favourite stories they’ve worked on this year and the many ways that this place has grown.

Stories discussed include:

• "While workers walk the picket lines, DHL brings in scabs by the busload" (June 18)

• "The Albertans Counting on America to Help Break Apart Canada" (July 25)

• "There’s a Wave of Violence Targeting Canadian Sikhs, and the Government Seems Powerless to Stop It" (Nov. 18)

• "Ben Mulroney is Blurring the Lines Between Journalism, Business, Lobbying and Partisan Politics" (Sept. 22)

• "The Campaigns Targeting Canadian Doctors Who Want to Discuss the Health Crisis in Gaza" (Sept. 18)

• "Journalist in Poilievre’s Viral 'Apple' Video Says Election Results Bring Him 'Satisfaction'" (April 30)

And note: We recorded this episode before Elections Alberta gave its go-ahead to the separatists’ latest petition application, and also prior to the OneBC party losing official status in the BC legislature. A couple weeks, it turns out, really can be a long time in politics.

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Mark Carney is billing his first budget as an "investment budget," but with plans to eliminate 40,000 jobs in the federal public service and cut $60 billion in program spending, is this really an "investment budget" or is it an austerity budget?

The 2025 federal budget gives Canadians a first look at the details behind Carney's plans to have federal departments cut 15% in spending, reduce the federal workforce by 10% and spend tens of billions of dollars on so-called "nation-building projects."

On this episode of Sources, Canadian Labour Congress Senior Economist DT Cochrane joins PressProgress Editor Luke LeBrun live inside the federal budget media lock-up to share his first impressions on the Carney government's first budget.

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An ostrich farm in rural British Columbia keeps making national and international headlines.

It's the subject of a federal cull order, after 69 birds were found dead from an H5N1 or avian flu outbreak — routine procedure to stamp out further spread. But that's not entirely why they've caught the attention of U.S. politicians.

On this episode of Sources, virologist and University of Saskatchewan professor Dr. Angela Rasmussen joins PressProgress health reporter Brishti Basu to talk about the very real health risks of zoonotic diseases and the political circus surrounding this particular flock of ostriches.

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As the housing crisis persists throughout Ontario and across Canada, more and more municipalities are struggling with how to manage vulnerable residents in need of support.

In Barrie, the mayor declared a state of emergency, so the city could more aggressively move to take apart encampments. But in Kitchener, a recent court decision concerning a longstanding encampment blocked the forcible removal of its residents, at least for now.

On this episode of Sources, Ontario reporter Eric Wickham speaks to Ashley Schuitema, executive director and lawyer at Waterloo Region Community Legal Services, about the unfolding situation in Kitchener and beyond.

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One of the top news stories in Canada this week was the tense stand-off between Air Canada and its 10,000 flight attendants.

The Air Canada flight attendants' strike saw planes grounded across Canada as flight attendants demanded better pay, including an end to unpaid ground work. Then Mark Carney's government intervened and invoked a controversial section of the labour code to order flight attendants back-to-work, leading the flight attendants to announce they would be defying the Carney government's orders.

On this episode of Sources, PressProgress' Labour Reporter Emma Arkell joins PressProgress Editor Luke LeBrun to unpack one of the most charged labour disputes in recent Canadian history.

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In the months since winning its third consecutive majority, Doug Ford’s government has proposed or passed a flurry of laws with the potential to reshape Ontario.

But with aggressively vague names like the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act,” it can be hard to keep track of which bill does what — let alone all the ways they’ll impact the lives of the people who call the province home.

On this episode of Sources, PressProgress Ontario reporter Eric Wickham asks The Trillium’s Jack Hauen to speak to all the bills beloved by Ford. He also goes on a walk with associate editor Jonathan Goldsbie, to try to ground the reforms in Toronto’s physical reality.

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Racialized immigrant women are some of the most disadvantaged workers in Canada, with an employment rate significantly lower than racialized immigrant men and non-racialized immigrant women. Often, certifications and work experience from their home countries aren’t recognized, pushing many into low-wage, precarious jobs. If they experience harassment or unsafe working conditions, reaching out for help is made more complicated by language barriers, systemic racism and unfamiliar bureaucracy.

Community-based researchers with City in Colour Cooperative, based in Surrey, BC, created the Safer Workplaces project to better understand the unsafe and exploitative working conditions many racialized immigrant women face, and how unions and workers' compensation boards can better support them.

In this episode of Sources, you’ll hear directly from Safer Workplaces participants who shared their stories. Then, Rahil Adeli, community-based researcher for City in Colour, joins PressProgress Labour Reporter Emma Arkell to discuss the systemic barriers to workplace justice encountered by racialized immigrant women in Canada.

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