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 – Déportations d’immigrants: plusieurs manifestants demandent un moratoire à Obama
Des dizaines de personnes s’intéressant de près à l’immigration et de partisans d’un relâchement migratoire aux États-Unis se sont réunis dans plusieurs villes du pays pour demander de nouveau au président Barack Obama de suspendre les déportations. Les organisateurs des manifestations du «Jour d’action» de samedi affirment que le président dispose du pouvoir exécutif pour mettre fin aux déportations qui ont pour conséquence de séparer de leurs proches des immigrants vivant illégalement au pays. À Eloy, en Arizona, plusieurs partisans se sont rassemblés devant un centre de détention fédéral après avoir roulé pendant plus de 100 kilomètres en provenance de Phoenix. Selon des organisateurs, de nombreuses personnes présentes ont des proches se trouvant à l’intérieur de l’enceinte depuis plus d’un an.
Delta Optimist – Newcomers Gain Experience by Helping Out Community
Many newcomers to Canada are interested in volunteering. In addition to contributing to their new community, they may see it as a way to improve their language skills or gain work experience. Or they may wish to socialize and meet new people. To engage new Canadians, organizations must be welcoming and supportive. They should intentionally reach out to newcomers. […] Immigrants volunteer at a rate of 39 per cent and volunteer an average of 162 hours per year. While this rate is lower than people born in Canada (47 per cent of Canadians over 15 years old), immigrants tend to contribute more hours.
Rabble News – In Refuge on Refugee Rights Day: The Awan Family Story
Since August 2013, Khurshid Begum Awan has been living in sanctuary in a Montreal church. She had courageously opted to defy a deportation order which would have disrupted her access to care, divided her family and put her safety at risk. Widely observed as Refugee Rights Day, April 4 marks the anniversary of the Singh Decision. On a day where we remember migrant and refugee struggles for freedom, dignity and security and recommit to fighting ongoing injustice, we highlight the struggle of the Awan family. The Awan family’s story is shaped by the systemic exclusion of migrants and by the by the violence of the Canadian immigration system.
CBC – Tories Accuse NDP of Hiding Info as Immigration Email Surfaces
It’s another chapter in the continuing saga over a former cabinet minister’s role in a tussle between the province and the federal government over changes to the immigration program, a battle Manitoba eventually lost. Manitoba’s opposition Progressive Conservatives are accusing the governing NDP of hiding information from requests made under Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation. The Tories said in 2012, they requested information about then-cabinet minister Christine Melnick and whether she played a role in inviting immigrants and groups involved with immigrant issues to a debate at the Manitoba Legislature about changes the federal government was making that might affect them. […] At the time, the Tory request came to nothing. But the party repeated it this year, and were stunned with what it received: an email from a government staffer referring to a draft of the invitation and an outline of how it would be dispersed to encourage people to “attend and support” the provincial government’s efforts to protest Ottawa’s changes.
CBC – Languages Commissioner Wants More French-Speaking Immigrants
New Brunswick’s commissioner of official languages says more must be done to ensure that one-third of all immigrants to the province are francophones. Katherine d’Entremont says only 12 per cent of immigrants to the province have registered as francophones in recent years. She says that is too far out of step with the historical reality of francophones making up 33 per cent of the province’s population. “The demographic weight of the community is lessening,” said d’Entremont. “If the francophone community sits at 33 per cent of the overall population and year over year over year, immigration rates are attracting only 12 per cent francophones, then the 33 per cent is going to decline gradually over time,” she said.
La Presse – Immigration: un homme et une femme arrêtés pour fraude massive
L’Agence des services frontaliers du Canada a arrêté cette semaine deux consultants montréalais qui auraient aidé 367 familles libanaises à obtenir frauduleusement le statut de citoyen ou de résident permanent canadien afin de profiter des services sociaux sans y avoir réellement droit. Une grande proportion des centaines de clients du duo auraient fait mine de résider au Canada pour jouir des services sociaux alors qu’ils habitaient en réalité au Moyen-Orient, selon ce qu’ont découvert les enquêteurs de l’Agence. Rafic Mansour, 66 ans, de Dollard-des-Ormeaux, et Meryem El Hassani, 51 ans, de Laval, ont comparu au palais de justice de Montréal, hier, pour répondre de près d’une quarantaine de chefs d’accusations criminelles, notamment d’avoir encouragé leurs clients à faire des déclarations trompeuses aux autorités en matière d’immigration, citoyenneté, passeports et impôts.
