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.
New York Times – The Trade-Offs of Relocating North to Canada
The number of Americans choosing to head north to retire in Canada has remained low — reaching a high of 1,675 in 2008 (for immigrants older than 49), then dipping to 1,060 in 2011, and rising again in 2013 to an estimated 1,565. Recent changes to immigration law have dimmed Canada’s appeal somewhat, certainly to wealthy would-be residents, who were once eligible to immigrate if they had a net worth of $1.6 million and could offer an $800,000 interest-free, five-year loan to the federal government. That program, which attracted some people with money but little commitment to Canadian life, was dropped in February, and 50,000 applications are to be returned, some to potential immigrants who have been waiting more than four years. But for some Americans, Canada’s more liberal social and economic policies, including cradle-to-grave health care from the government, remain deeply appealing. So, too, is the draw of a country with spectacular landscapes and, in some places, more affordable real estate.
Vancouver Sun – Immigrants Who Arrive in Canada Before Age 9 More Likely to Stay in School
Children who immigrate to Canada as teenagers are much less likely to finish high school than those who come when they are younger, according to a CD Howe Institute report released today. High school completion rates, an important indicator of future success, drop dramatically for children who arrive in Canada after the age of nine. Dropout rates are about 20 per cent for those who arrive in secondary school, compared with about 15 per cent for boys who arrive before the age of 10 and 10 per cent for girls, according to the findings. Colin Busby and Miles Corak, authors of the report Don’t Forget The Kids: How Immigration Policy Can Help Immigrants’ Children, take particular aim at the controversial Temporary Foreign Worker program, which they say “needlessly separates children from their parents for long periods, and delays their arrival to the country, raising the risks that they will not reach their full potential in Canada.”
ABS CBN News – Pinoys Feel Impact of TFW Moratorium in Canada
Filipino workers and support groups are now calling on the federal government to reconsider its position on the moratorium on the temporary foreign worker program. Fast food service worker Dexter Datoc is about to go out of status. His application for a renewal of his Labor Market Opinion is up in the air after the federal government’s moratorium on the issuance of LMO’s for the temporary foreign worker program. With a deadline fast approaching this month, Datoc knows he has no choice but to head back home after more than 2 years as a TFW in Canada. […] Datoc is not alone. A growing number of Pinoy workers are worried about their status in Canada after the moratorium. What’s worse, the suspension of LMO’s for the hiring of TFWs is not limited to the food service industry alone as it affects janitors, cleaners, grocery clerks and more.
Radio-Canada – 23 millions de dollars pour 5 certificats de sécurité
La gestion des certificats de sécurité a coûté plus de 23 millions de dollars aux Canadiens au cours des cinq dernières années, a appris Radio-Canada selon des données obtenues en vertu de la Loi sur l’accès à l’information. Depuis 2008, Ottawa a renouvellé cinq certificats de sécurité contre des personnes déjà visées par cette procédure exceptionnelle. Aucun nouveau certificat de sécurité n’a toutefois été délivré depuis 2008, selon un rapport du ministère de la Sécurité publique datant de 2010. […] Le SCRS, l’Agence des services frontaliers du Canada, Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada, Justice Canada, le ministère de la Sécurité publique et celui des Affaires étrangères sont les principaux organismes fédéraux qui participent au programme.
Al Jazeera – UK Backs Stripping Citizenship Over Terrorism
The UK’s House of Lords has approved a controversial law allowing the government to strip citizenship from naturalised Britons it accuses of terrorism. In April, the upper house of the British parliament had rejected the measure proposed by Theresa May, the UK’s interior minister, but passed the law on Monday after a government amendment. Members of the house voted 286 to 193 in favour of the amended legislation, peers from the opposition Labour party voted against. The lords reversed course after May accepted the addition of a clause that would only allow citizenship to be taken away if there were “reasonable grounds” to believe suspects could acquire another nationality. Campaign groups have slammed the law, saying it would leave people stateless and offered no safeguards against abuse. Liberty, a British civil-rights campaign group, criticised the House of Lords for their “empty compromise” and described the proposals as “barbaric”.
Globe and Mail – Kenney Tells Quebec to Hire its Youth Rather Than Use Foreign Workers
Quebec just has to hire its own youth and unemployed instead of relying on temporary foreign workers, federal Employment Minister Jason Kenney said Monday. The province is seeking an exemption to a federal moratorium so restaurants in the province can hire such workers. Kenney told the Commons the moratorium was imposed to protect Canadians who are looking for work. The federal minister pointed out that 14 per cent of Quebec youth are unemployed, as are 20 per cent of new arrivals to the province. […] A spokesman for Quebec Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil said on the weekend the province has no problem with the program and that restaurants need temporary foreign workers to keep operating, especially in the summer.
