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.
La Presse – Embauches accélérées: le nouveau système suscite des craintes
Une nouvelle étude gouvernementale laisse entendre que les nouveaux arrivants au pays ont des craintes concernant les efforts d’Ottawa pour s’assurer que les immigrants potentiels possèdent les compétences nécessaires pour correspondre à la demande au pays. Dans une étude d’Ipsos Reid commandée plus tôt cette année par Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada, les répondants se sont demandé pourquoi le gouvernement fédéral n’en faisait pas davantage pour trouver des emplois aux immigrants qualifiés déjà présents au Canada, mais qui «ont été frustrés par l’absence de reconnaissance de leur formation et leur incapacité à acquérir suffisamment d’expérience au pays». En vertu du nouveau système d’entrée express au pays, qui sera lancé en janvier, les employeurs canadiens pourront embaucher des candidats hautement qualifiés de l’étranger s’il n’y a pas de main-d’oeuvre disponible au sein de la population existante ou chez les résidents permanents.
CBC – Immigrants to Canada Not Sold on New “Express Entry” System
A newly released government study suggests newcomers to the country have misgivings about Ottawa’s intention to ensure would-be immigrants possess skills that are in demand in Canada. The respondents to the study wondered why Ottawa isn’t doing more to find jobs for qualified immigrants already here but who “have been frustrated by the lack of recognition of their credentials and their inability to acquire a sufficient amount of Canadian experience.” The government’s new express entry system, launching in January, will allow Canadian employers to select skilled candidates from abroad if there are no Canadians or permanent residents available for the work. Express entry candidates who are offered jobs or nominated under the so-called provincial nominee program will be invited to apply for permanent residency. […] But the Ipsos Reid study, commissioned by Citizenship and Immigration earlier this year, suggests newcomers in 14 focus groups located in seven communities across the country weren’t sold on the new system.
CTV News – Canada to Force Mother of Three Back to Nigeria Today
The Canadian government deportation of a woman and her two children to Nigeria tonight at 7 p.m. has taken a new twist, as it turns out that the mother does not have a necessary Nigerian visa for her third child, who is Canadian. Protesters are decrying this forced deportation of a mother and two of her three children to Nigeria today, as the order to leave stems from a complicated maze of immigration procedures that will divide the family and possibly subject them to danger in West Africa. Observers are upset that mother-of-three Winifred Agimelen has been ordered deported to Nigeria on a flight out of Montreal tonight at 7 p.m. even though her husband is a landed immigrant and one of her three children is Canadian-born.
Toronto Star – Bill Tabled to Ban Refugees from Social Assistance
A Conservative MP’s private member bill is quietly making its way through the legislature and, if passed, could exclude refugees from accessing any social assistance. Bill C-585, which is before Parliament for second reading later this month, would allow provinces to individually impose residency requirements for eligibility for social assistance benefits and restrict access to those benefits by refugees. The bill was tabled by Pickering-Scarborough East MP Corneliu Chisu as an amendment to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act, which lays out the terms of the Canada Social Transfer, including funding for services such as post-secondary education, child care and welfare. Currently, the act stipulates that a province may not impose a minimum period of residency to restrict eligibility for social assistance — or it will risk losing some or all of its social transfer payments. […] Embedding such a major change in a private member’s bill has irked antipoverty and refugee advocates because such bills, as opposed to government bills, are less transparent and undergo less scrutiny; they’re usually put forward to address issues of regional significance.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Communique – Célébration de la culture et du patrimoine au Festival celtique de Halifax
Costas Menegakis, secrétaire parlementaire du ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration du Canada, a annoncé aujourd’hui un financement de 9 875 $ pour le Festival celtique de Halifax de 2014, qui célèbre le patrimoine celtique en Nouvelle-Écosse. Ce festival annuel, mis en place par la Celtic Cultural Society of Nova Scotia, a pour objectif de promouvoir le patrimoine celtique de la Nouvelle-Écosse, notamment irlandais, écossais, gallois, breton, de l’île de Man et des Cornouailles. L’événement célèbre la culture et le patrimoine par la musique, des expositions artistiques, la nourriture, les sports, l’artisanat, la langue et des démonstrations de danse celtique et autres. Le festival se tient du 12 au 14 septembre 2014 au Halifax Forum Multipurpose Centre et devrait attirer des milliers de visiteurs. Le financement provient d’Inter-Action, le Programme de subventions et de contributions pour le multiculturalisme.
Radio-Canada – La santé menacée des travailleurs étrangers
Le Canada a accueilli quelque 190 000 travailleurs étrangers temporaires en 2011, des employés qui sont présents dans tous les secteurs d’activité. Loin de leur pays, ils sont exposés à l’exploitation, et leur santé est trop souvent menacée, explique la Dre Marie-Jo Ouimet. Notre médecin en résidence parle des principaux maux qui affligent ces travailleurs et de leurs difficultés à obtenir les compensations auxquelles ils ont droit [Cliquez le lien pour écouter la chronique santé].
