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.
Burnside News – NS: Economy at Risk as Immigrants Become Disenfranchised with Employment Opportunities
If immigration is going to be the key to economic prosperity in the future, Canada has to do a better job of matching employment opportunities with the skill and education levels of newcomers, says a national continuing education leader. On Thursday, Marie Bountrogianni told the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education conference in Halifax that new Canadians are becoming disenchanted with the lack of meaningful employment opportunities open to them, and Canada risks losing the battle for critical future talent if changes are not made quickly. […] While the federal government has made some progress by changing the rules to give international students more opportunity to work while at university, Bountrogianni said the development of on-campus settlement and immigration services would be a good next step.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Communiqué – Faire revivre l’incident du Komagata Maru
Une exposition percutante et captivante sur le plan visuel commémorant le centenaire du voyage du Komagata Maru et explorant l’apport des immigrants sikhs au Canada sera bientôt présentée partout au pays, avec l’appui du gouvernement du Canada. Tim Uppal, ministre d’État (Multiculturalisme), a annoncé l’octroi d’une aide financière au Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada (SHMC) pour la creation de l’exposition « Lions of the Sea ». La contribution, d’un maximum de 89 500 $, s’inscrit dans le cadre du programme InterAction. L’exposition d’envergure nationale, qui s’appuie sur des artefacts originaux fournis par le SHMC, se promènera partout au Canada pour faire revivre l’épisode du Komagata Maru et permettre aux Canadiens d’un océan à l’autre d’être mieux renseignés sur sa signification historique.
iPolitics – “Lost Canadians” Advocate: Committees Won’t Hear Us on Citizenship Bill
A leading Canadian citizenship advocate is accusing the Conservative government of violating democratic values by denying him the opportunity to appear before a Senate committee on the implications of a controversial citizenship bill. Don Chapman, arguably the loudest advocate for the “Lost Canadians,” — individuals who believe themselves to be entitled to Canadian citizenship but who are not considered citizens under current citizenship law — says the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology will not hear from him as it studies Bill C-24, the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act. Chapman is an expert on the plight of the thousands of Lost Canadians who have been denied citizenship due to what he calls discriminatory laws.
Calgary Herald – Foreign Worker Debate Causing Concern at Brooks, High River Meat Plants
As the federal government mulls changes to its troubled temporary foreign worker program, employees at meat processing plants in Brooks and High River are worried their dreams of a future in Canada could be about to evaporate. […] On slaughterhouse floors and meat-packing assembly lines across the country, there aren’t enough Canadians to go around. Whether it’s because the jobs are often located in rural areas or because the nature of the work simply turns people off, labour shortages are common. […] According to Statistics Canada, 10 per cent of the 65,000 people working in the pork, chicken, and beef processing sector are temporary foreign workers. […] The jobs also have the ability to transition into more permanent employment. Cargill spokesperson Chantelle Donahue said the company does everything it can, including offering language training, to help its temporary foreign workers seek permanent residency status. She said 90 per cent of Cargill’s foreign workers who want to stay in Canada permanently are successful.
Un regroupement d’organismes francophones des Territoires du NordOuest a élaboré le premier plan jamais créé pour augmenter l’immigration francophone aux TNO. Manière de table de concertation, le Réseau en immigration francophone des Territoires du NordOuest (RIFTNO) est formé de l’Association francoculturelle de Yellowknife, du Centre d’accueil francophone, de Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada, du Collège nordique francophone, de la Fédération francoténoise et du Conseil de développement économique des TNO (CDÉTNO). Le plan stratégique du RIFTNO a été prepare par le cabinetconseil en gestion de l’immigration et de la diversité culturelle Diversis; ses axes principaux sont l’accroissement de la population francophone aux TNO par l’immigration, l’accueil et l’intégration des nouveaux venus grâce à la mise en place de services appropriés.
Toronto Star – Walking a Fine Line with Ontario’s Ethnic Voters
Myer Siemiatycki, a politics professor at Ryerson University and a leading researcher on the voting habits of those in Ontario’s non-white and ethnic communities, says the three main leaders are walking a careful line with these groups in this election. […] Though the leaders aren’t completely ignoring issues that interest ethnic voters, the leaders seem to be operating with the attitude that appearing to pay too much attention to their concerns — immigration, newcomer settlement and integration, for example — could provoke a backlash in parts of the province, the professor argues. […] There are a number of seats, especially in suburban areas of Toronto like Brampton, Mississauga, Richmond Hill and Markham, where there are constituencies with significant concentrations of South Asian, Chinese and — in Vaughan, Richmond Hill, and Markham — Jewish voters, the professor notes. In order to ensure as many as possible from these groups get out to vote, Elections Ontario spokesperson Michelle Goland, who is in charge of outreach, says the organization has stepped up its efforts to ensure newcomers and members of “multicultural communities’’ are aware of the points of entry when it comes to voting. Included in those efforts is a data base with about 3,500 contacts and organizations that work with these communities, such as Toronto Community Housing, which has a high concentration of non-whites and new immigrants as residents.
