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.
CBC – Temporary Foreign Worker Program to Face Greater Audit Scrutiny
Employment Minister Jason Kenney hinted on Tuesday at what the next set of changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program will include, just as Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued his clearest warning yet to employers who abuse the program. Kenney said he intends to give Service Canada further audit powers as part of the government’s ongoing reform of the program, which has come under increased scrutiny following a series of stories by CBC reporting alleged abuses of the program. […] Tuesday was the second day in a row Conservatives came under fire in the House of Commons from both opposition parties. Unlike Monday, Harper was in question period today taking some of the heat off Kenney, who was grilled by the New Democrats and the Liberals the day before.
York Region – York Region Rolling Welcome Mat for Newcomers
It takes 15 years for new immigrants to get fully integrated and comfortable in Canada, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti told a symposium yesterday in Markham. “That is way too long. We must make it easier”said Mr. Scarpitti, co-chair of the Community Partnership Council, which created York Region’s Immigration Settlement Strategy. It is estimated, newcomers will account for 55 per cent of York Region’s population by 2031. Citizenship and Immigration Canada chose York Region to create a “Made in York Region” Immigration Settlement Strategy. To achieve this, a community partnership council was created, made up of a cross-section of the community. […] As part of the next phase in the strategy, Community Partnership Council members, which include community organizations, school boards, labour market planning boards, local municipalities, York Regional Police and all three levels of government, committed to 126 actions to help support the well-being of newcomers and residents.
Toronto Star – Refugee Advocates Dub New Appeal Process a Flop
Canada’s refugee appeal tribunal, now more than a year old, offers no “real appeal” to failed refugee claimants and just duplicates functions already performed by the federal court, critics say. Refugee advocates, who say crucial facts of life-and-death cases are sometimes overlooked in the initial decision, want the tribunal to undertake a full review of all the evidence to decide whether a refugee judge has ruled correctly in rejecting an asylum claim. But Ottawa says rehearing a claim from scratch is inefficient and would reduce the lower adjudicator’s job to that of a “preliminary inquiry.” Those arguments are at the core of a current case involving a family from Kosovo whose refugee application was denied — the first of its kind to be heard by the federal court. The case could potentially reopen hundreds of asylum appeals the Refuge Appeal Division (RAD) has dismissed since its inception in December 2012. […] The RAD was approved by Parliament in 2001 but only implemented in 2012, as part of a Conservative government compromise while it rolled out controversial reforms of the asylum process that drastically shortened processing timelines and limited appeals.
L’ancien festival Afrique en fête change de nom, de lieu et prend de l’expansion. Désormais ouvert à toutes les communautés ethniques, le nouveau MondoKarnaval entend instaurer un véritable défilé carnavalesque estival dans la capitale. «C’est un concept qui est complètement différent», assure la directrice et fondatrice du MondoKarnaval, Doina Balzer. «On a vraiment agrandi le public visé», poursuit-elle. «Avant, le coeur était vraiment l’Afrique. À partir de cette année, on part sur un carnaval d’été. On a un carnaval d’hiver ici à Québec, mais pas vraiment pour l’été. C’est comme un clin d’oeil aux vacances, au soleil.» Le festival débordera largement de l’Afrique les 28 et 29 juin au parc historique Cartier-Brébeuf.
Huffington Post – Jason Kenney on Defensive After Foreign Workers Controversy
In the midst of a fresh eruption of abuse allegations surrounding the government’s troubled temporary foreign worker program, Jason Kenney’s reputation as a capable task-master taking a beating. The employment minister was on the defensive Monday in the House of Commons, but he’s also under attack from business groups, labour unions and — perhaps most troubling for Kenney with a federal election looming — everyday Canadians who believe the Conservatives have made it easier for foreigners to swipe their jobs. […] In January, Kenney pledged another round of reforms as employers and trade associations bemoaned the procedural red tape and lengthy delays they say resulted from rule changes enacted a year ago. […] But in the face of more allegations about employers, most of them fast-food restaurants, Kenney is sounding a different tone. His office has been inundated with complaints to its tiplines in recent weeks, employment ministry officials say, and the overwhelming majority of them involve restaurants. Rather than easing restrictions, Kenney is now hinting even tougher rules are on the horizon.
Radio-Canada – Kathleen Wynne condamne une brochure anti-immigration
La première ministre de l’Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, critique vertement une brochure distribuée cette semaine à Brampton qu’elle qualifie de « haineuse ». Dans un communiqué publié samedi, elle dit qu’elle ne tolèrera pas « des politiques haineuses de division en Ontario ». La brochure présente deux photos, la première montrant un groupe de personnes blanches et la seconde montrant un groupe de sikhs. Sous la deuxième photo, il y a la question : « est-ce que c’est vraiment ce que vous voulez ? » Des résidents locaux ont été scandalisés de trouver le prospectus du groupe Immigration Watch Canada, qui se dit contre une immigration massive, dans leur boîte aux lettres. Kathleen Wynne ajoute dans le communiqué que l’Ontario est un chef de file en matière d’intégration, mais que rien n’est jamais acquis.
