Montréal · September 26, 2026
Montréal calls for a coordinated pause on AI
Around 40 people came together at Phillips Square on September 26 to call for a global, coordinated pause in AI development, according to PauseAI Canada's count.
The call from Montréal
- An international agreement, with Canada taking part, to pause development until AI can be made safe and democratically controlled.
- Rigorous international rules, with oversight that makes them effective.
- A public conversation about the risks, the choices ahead and the role of elected representatives.
A day of conversations
Le Devoir describes demonstrators chanting, handing out brochures and speaking with passersby along Sainte-Catherine Street. Organizer Étienne Langlois called for countries to act together, while the movement’s national leader urged people to listen to experts about AI risks.
The exchanges included disagreement and curiosity. One passerby who challenged the protest left after a courteous conversation and a handshake, taking a brochure with him. Participants argued that international cooperation would give society time to decide how AI should develop.
Reporting summary: Mathilde Beaulieu-Lépine, Le Devoir, September 26, 2026. The newspaper estimated around thirty people present; the attendance count above is PauseAI Canada's.
Read the report in Le Devoir (French) ↗The protest in pictures
Keep the conversation going
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