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.
Journal de Montréal – Les immigrants montréalais plus touchés
Le marché du travail tarde à utiliser la main-d’œuvre immigrante pour combler les besoins de main-d’œuvre. Des trois grandes régions métropolitaines de recensement (RMR) que sont Toronto, Vancouver et Montréal, cette dernière occupe le premier rang quant au plus grand nombre d’immigrants en chômage. Même si Montréal est la deuxième plus grande RMR canadienne pour son PIB et la grandeur de son marché du travail, elle affiche néanmoins le taux de chômage des immigrants le plus élevé. Cette conclusion se fonde sur les données de l’Enquête sur la population active (EPA) de Statistique Canada de 2012. En 2012, Montréal, Toronto et Vancouver comptaient près des deux tiers des immigrants du Canada. Les trois métropoles regroupent à elles seules 36 % du marché du travail canadien et environ la moitié du PIB de la province où chacune est rattachée. Le poids économique de Montréal, Toronto et Vancouver est indéniable, ce qui explique pourquoi les populations immigrantes choisissent de s’y établir.
La Presse – Réfugiés syriens: l’ONU demande la collaboration du Canada
La crise syrienne qui dure pousse le Haut Commissariat des Nations unies pour les réfugiés (UNHCR) à repenser son programme de réinstallation et à revenir frapper à la porte d’Ottawa. Le haut commissaire Antonio Guterres a rencontré le ministre canadien de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration, mercredi, dans le cadre d’une tournée qui le mène en Europe, aux États-Unis et au Canada, à la recherche d’un refuge pour 100 000 Syriens. M. Guterres dit attendre une réponse positive du ministre Chris Alexander. Lorsque l’UNHCR cherchait des pays pour 30 000 réfugiés syriens, le Canada avait accepté d’en accueillir 1300, mais on est encore très loin du compte. M. Guterres affirme qu’il est maintenant urgent de partager le fardeau des pays voisins de la Syrie. Le programme de réinstallation a donc été révisé à la hausse afin de se montrer solidaire de ces pays.
Radio-Canada – Sensible, la question du recrutement au CSF
Le personnel du Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF) doit-il être aussi diversifié que le sont ses quelque 5000 élèves de 60 ethnies différentes ? Tous ne s’entendent pas sur la question, et le Conseil, lui, ne dit mot. Le personnel du Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF) doit-il être aussi diversifié que le sont ses quelque 5000 élèves de 60 ethnies différentes ? Tous ne s’entendent pas sur la question, et le Conseil, lui, ne dit mot. […] En 2013-2014, le CSF employait 451 enseignants et 106 suppléants. Il semble toutefois que le recrutement se fait principalement auprès d’établissements d’enseignement québécois depuis de nombreuses années, ce que confirme la présidente du syndicat des enseignants du programme francophone.
Caledon Enterprise – How Diversity has Changed the Way We Handle Our Dead
“I realized there was a lot that was wrong with that,” recalls the spiritual leader of Mississauga’s Ram Mandir Hindu temple and president of the Hindu Federation. Not having a proper place to scatter the ashes — a sacred ritual for Hindus and Sikhs — was “very stressful and very painful.” That prompted the federation to work with community members, conservation authorities and government officials, resulting in the provincial guidelines of 2009 allowing ashes to be scattered on Ontario’s Crown land and water. That’s just one of many examples of how the Greater Toronto Area’s ever-evolving demographics are redefining how we handle our dead. Hospitals now allow Buddhists to stay by the bedside of deceased loved ones, chanting prayers to help the spirit leave the body. Interfaith couples can be buried together. And cemetery operators have turned to Feng Shui masters for advice on positioning graves. Years ago this would have been unheard of. But now, a concerted effort is being made to accommodate cultural and religious needs for final disposition in a region that’s among the most ethnically diverse in the world.
CBC – Immigration Promoted to Save French Community
The French community on P.E.I. will not survive unless the community can find ways to attract more French-speaking immigrants, say the organizers of a conference in eastern P.E.I. this week. More than 100 people are gathered at the conference in Brudenell, organized by the Francophone Economic Development Council. Council chair Martin Marcoux told CBC News Wednesday without immigration the future of the French community on the Island does not look good. P.E.I.’s already small francophone communities are shrinking due to out-migration and an aging population. […] That can be difficult, because P.E.I.’s French communities are mostly in rural areas, with limited services and job opportunities. The conference has brought in speakers from other parts of the country, to learn what is working there.
CBC – Regina Woman gets Scary Call from “Tax Scammers”
Ali Khan and his wife Seema are coming forward with their story about being victims of a fraud attempt. They want immigrants and newcomers to be aware of the dangers phone scammers pose. Seema arrived in Regina as a permanent resident in December, but when she got a phone call last week, the voice on the other end told her she’d be arrested and deported, Ali said. The caller said she owed $750 in “immigration tax” that she was supposed to pay at the airport in Toronto. He said payments could be made by credit card and if she didn’t pay up, she’d be arrested by the RCMP within half an hour. The caller knew her arrival date, her home city in Pakistan, the number of children she had, her Regina address and her immigration file number. […] Jan Volzke, founder of the California company NumberCop, says the Regina family has apparently been targeted by a phone scam that’s been in operation for several years. Typically, scammers try to get immigrants to fill out “visa forms” when they are in their home country, then use the detailed information to try to defraud them, said Volzke, whose company works to protect people against phone scams.
