an alliance of university, community, and government partners dedicated to fostering welcoming communities and promoting the integration of immigrants and minorities across Canada
The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
Montreal Gazette – Immigration Main Source of Population Growth in Cities: Statistics Canada
Montreal, update your numbers: there are now 4 million people living in the metropolitan area. The latest population estimates from Statistics Canada upgraded the region’s denizens to a nice round number as of July 1, 2014 (well, 4,027,100 to be precise). And greater Toronto, long known for its 5 million inhabitants, broke the 6 million mark between 2013 and 2014. The main driver of growth in cities? Foreign immigrants, as it has been in the recent past. “International migration was responsible for just over two-thirds of the population growth of census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in 2013-2014,” a release from the stats bureau said. “All CMAs with over 1 million inhabitants reported growth rates from international migration of 1 per cent or higher, accounting for most of their population growth (71 per cent).”
CBC – Citizenship and Immigration Canada Might Extend LGBT Refugee Program
Citizenship and Immigration Canada says it’s considering a request to extend a program that helps bring gay refugees to Canada, following concerns from Halifax activists. The Rainbow Refugee Assistance Program receives third-party funding from the department as a pilot project to help cover the cost of sponsoring overseas LGBT refugees to come to Canada. When the program started, $100,000 was set aside to help sponsor LGBT refugees. On Tuesday, activists from the Halifax-based Rainbow Refugee Association expressed concern the program would be cut, putting people in danger. The federal program ensures there’s a separate category of refugees based on sexual orientation, and provides money to get setup in Canada and three months of living expenses. The amount is approximately $3,000 for each refugee. “We fear that the end of this funding will seriously undermine the progress made in increasing the private resettlement of [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex] refugees,” wrote the private group on its website. On Wednesday morning, Citizenship and Immigration Canada said it’s considering extending the pilot program.
Radio-Canada – Montréal réclame la reconnaissance de son rôle en matière d’immigration
Montréal demande au gouvernement du Québec de reconnaître son rôle et son statut de métropole pour l’accueil des immigrants au Québec. Elle réclame ainsi un refinancement des programmes d’accueil d’immigrants afin de pouvoir jouer son rôle d’accueil et d’accompagnement des immigrants sur son territoire. Soulignant que 70 % des immigrants arrivant au Québec s’installent dans la région métropolitaine, Montréal a fait valoir ses réclamations au cours de la présentation de son mémoire dans le cadre de la commission parlementaire sur l’élaboration de la nouvelle politique d’immigration dont le Québec veut se doter. Le mémoire de la Ville propose 11 recommandations afin de faire reconnaître le rôle de Montréal dans l’immigration au Québec. La Ville déplore notamment la suspension de son programme de parrainage professionnel en 2014 pour des raisons de compressions budgétaires. La ministre québécoise de l’Immigration, Kathleen Weil, a renvoyé la balle à la municipalité montréalaise en soulignant que le secteur privé torontois avait assumé un leadership en ce qui concerne l’intégration professionnelle des immigrants.
FCEI – Communique – Mieux arrimer l’immigration et l’emploi: la FCEI présente ses propositions pour la nouvelle politique québécoise
À l’occasion de sa participation aux consultations sur la nouvelle politique québécoise en matière d’immigration, de diversité et d’inclusion, la Fédération canadienne de l’entreprise indépendante (FCEI) a souligné l’importance de bien arrimer cette nouvelle politique aux besoins du marché du travail. « C’est un fait incontestable que l’immigration permet d’enrichir les sociétés et contribue à leur développement économique, social et culturel. Pour ce faire, il faut cependant que les personnes que nous accueillons puissent pleinement participer au développement du Québec, notamment en intégrant un emploi. Ainsi, les orientations du gouvernement doivent tenir compte des besoins réels du marché du travail où les employeurs ont grandement besoin de main-d’œuvre tant qualifiée que non qualifiée. Malheureusement, les travailleurs dotés de compétences de base ont été longtemps défavorisés par nos critères d’immigration. Nous souhaitons donc vivement que la nouvelle politique corrige le tir en ce sens », a affirmé Martine Hébert, vice-présidente principale et porte-parole nationale de la FCEI.
Global News – Newcomers Share Their Stories of Heartbreak and Resilience for Online Project
Saa Andrew Gbongbor’s story of fleeing civil war in Sierra Leone has haunted him since he was 11 years old. […] On Monday night he shared his dramatic story at a national storytelling seminar through Historica Canada, called Passages Canada . Jill Paterson is leading the project. “We’re collecting stories for our online story archive which is a digital collection of people telling their immigration stories and stories about Canadian identity and sharing artifacts of that story,” she said. The first story telling seminar was held in Fredericton where newcomers brought mementos to help tell their stories. Ronald Moreno and his wife Gina immigrated to N.B. from the Philippines 20 years ago. They’re hoping others who are considering the move to Canada will see their story online. “You are helping the future immigrants that the province are really needing so that when they come here it will be easier for them to belong,” he said.
Globe and Mail – New Immigration Rules Risk Leaving International Students Behind
Changes to immigration regulations have made it more difficult for international students who have recently graduated from Canadian universities to qualify for permanent residence. On Jan. 1, new federal rules came into effect that no longer give international students with Canadian work experience an automatic leg-up when they apply to stay in Canada permanently. Now, Canada may find it difficult to continue successfully recruiting international students. Almost 300,000 international students were enrolled in Canadian postsecondary institutions last year, drawn partly by one of the most open systems of residence after graduation.[…] Under the new rules, international students with a degree or diploma from a Canadian institution are placed with other groups of skilled workers in a “pool” from which Citizenship and Immigration draws invites for permanent residence. Before, international students did not have to compete with other skilled workers. The government has promised that the pool, known as Express Entry, will lead to shorter application times and better connections between employers and potential immigrant employees.
