Эксперты призывают к реформе или замене комиссии IRAC из-за неспособности противостоять иностранному вмешательству

COMMENTARY: Has history passed IRAC by? Many Islanders are beginning to believe that the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) is no longer fit to face the challenges facing Prince Edward Island in the 21st Century. That was a conclusion that a bystander might understandably draw after attending the presentations before P.E.I.’s Independent Review Commission on July 6 at the Rodd Royalty Hotel. And no issue illustrates the questions surrounding IRAC more than land use, specifically the significant land holdings of Buddhist monks and nuns in King’s County. The controversy swirling around IRAC and the presence of Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns on P.E.I. dates back several years, but it came to a head in 2025 when concerned Islanders learned that, despite assurances that a 2018 IRAC investigation of Buddhist land holdings had been conducted, the investigative officers had prepared no report. Then, in October 2025, Premier Rob Lantz called on the RCMP to look into allegations of Chinese foreign interference and money-laundering on P.E.I. This past May, Lantz ordered an independent commission to review IRAC’s functions and responsibilities. Unprecedented risks What has emerged from these hearings is not only that many Islanders have lost faith in IRAC as an institution, but also that, given changing global circumstances, IRAC’s best before date has come and gone. The conclusion that IRAC has dropped the ball on the Buddhist file was made forcefully by at least two presenters at the July 6 meeting. The first, Jan Matejcek of the Save P.E.I. Association, made the case that P.E.I. in 2026 faced unprecedented risk factors, notably organized crime organizations backed by foreign governments such as China and India. - IRAC ill-equipped to investigate land holdings of P.E.I. monks and nuns: Easter - P.E.I. premier orders review of IRAC - Advertisement 1Story continues below Matejcek cited Ottawa’s 2025 Hogue Commission into foreign interference and investigative reporting by Radio-Canada and the Globe and Mail whose findings have shown that Bliss and Wisdom, the organization representing the Buddhists on P.E.I., has links to the Communist Party of China. Bliss and Wisdom in turn is just one example of the ever-growing trend which sees foreign governments seek to shape P.E.I.’s politics, business, real estate and social life. Echoing Matejcek’s main themes was former Canadian solicitor general, Wayne Easter, a longtime Malpeque MP, who asserted that Islanders needed to know who was investing in P.E.I. land, and whether or not local decisions were being swayed by foreign actors hiding behind seemingly benign groups like the Buddhists. Easter called for a national inquiry into the activities of Bliss and Wisdom. National security The second presentation that drove home the message that P.E.I. was utterly unequipped to deal with mounting foreign interference in this new century were the remarks of Garry Clement, co-author of the eye-opening Canada under Siege: How P.E.I. Became a Forward Operating Base for the CCP. Clement argued that 20 or 30 years ago, things were very different for P.E.I. To Clement, the IRAC issue is not just about land protection, but more broadly about provincial and national security. But is IRAC designed for the environment it now faces? Clement asked. The answer, according to Clement, is no. All the presenters stressed that their comments were not aimed at the actual monks and nuns in eastern P.E.I. Their point was that the monks and nuns could be unwitting pawns of Beijing’s government whose operations have seemingly gone unnoticed by IRAC. As publisher Dean Baxendale states, “the issue before P.E.I. is not Tibetan Buddhism. It is the documented effort by the Chinese communist party, through its United Front system and affiliated organizations, to influence and ultimately control Tibetan Buddhism both inside China and throughout the global diaspora.” Accountability tests But the key message is that in the face of foreign interference IRAC has failed the transparency, accountability and responsibility tests. IRAC has ceased to safeguard P.E.I.’s interests in a world that, in the words of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, is no longer governed by a rules-based international order. It has lost the trust of many Islanders and must be re-structured dramatically. Or else replaced by provincial organizations with a broader mandate than IRAC’s. As Matejcek said in conclusion: “I hope it is not too late.” Ian Dowbiggin teaches history at UPEI.