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.
Concordia University News – In Defence of a “Holistic Approach” to Immigration and Integration
Chedly Belkhodja, a professor at Concordia and principal of its School of Community and Public Affairs, testified for Canada’s Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages on March 31. Belkhodja’s presentation focused on the impact of recent changes to the national immigration system on official language-minority communities, a subject he addresses in his research. […] This week, Belkhodja’s main message to the standing committee concerned the way in which francophone immigration is considered in discussions about the present reforms to Canada’s immigration system. “It is crucial that francophone minority communities position themselves in relation to these profound changes, and that they be able to find their place in this evolving context,” he said. “There is thus an important need for research in this perspective in order to better assess the economic performance of francophone immigrants and the capacity of francophone minority communities to operate in this economic immigration paradigm.”
News1130 – Report Shows Ontario GDP to Average 2.1 Per Cent Growth Over 20 Years
A shrinking work force combined with an aging population will pose challenges for Ontario’s economy, which is expected to grow at a slower rate than the national or U.S. average in the next two decades, according to a report released Wednesday. The report, released by Finance Minister Charles Sousa, predicts Ontario’s real Gross Domestic Product will average 2.1 per cent growth between 2014 and 2035, compared with 2.2 per cent nationally, 2.4 per cent in the U.S. and 3.1 per cent globally. […] The report says that while the workforce shrinks, immigration will become the main source of growth for new labour in Ontario, supporting the Liberal’s request for Ottawa to give the province the same powers to pick immigrants as Quebec. “It will be crucial to smoothly integrate newcomers into the workforce,” says the report. “The federal government will need to provide greater support to enable Ontario to achieve this goal.”
Canadian Foundation for Innovation – Tune-Up for Canada’s Welcome Wagon
To take a closer look at settlement and integration issues, Esses and her research partners have founded the Pathways to Prosperity project in partnership with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and are assembling a 1,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art laboratory. When complete, it will house equipment that will allow them to conduct and record interviews with immigrants and service providers across the country and to analyze their confidential data. It will also include a professional video and image production suite for making high-quality videos that will help them determine how immigrants respond to different types of messaging. Esses and her team will create videos containing information and messaging similar to those which government agencies and settlement services provide to help immigrants adjust to life in Canada. The videos will differ in only one aspect of their content —how information is worded or conveyed (e.g. through text versus images). By taking these videos into the community and presenting them to groups of immigrants from different cultural backgrounds, they will be able to assess the effectiveness of the videos.
Northern Ontario Business – Professions North Links Immigrants to Employers
For three years, Professions North has helped foreign-trained professionals find positions in Northern Ontario that match their skills. Sudbury’s Laurentian University started the program to help foreign-trained accountants and financial services professionals get Canadian accreditation. It has since cast a wider net – the program also works with engineers, IT professionals and architects – to link its clients with organizations in the North that could benefit from their skills and experience. The organization received $2.7 million in funding through Laurentian to support its services for three more years, until 2017. […] Because most immigrants settle in larger centres like Toronto and Vancouver when they first arrive, Professions North’s mandate is to promote Northern Ontario as a viable option for newcomers. The organization has offices in Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins, Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, and works with newcomer services in each community. To date, assistance has been given to more than 300 internationally trained professionals, and 70 have obtained employment after completing the bridge training program.
La Presse – La charte devrait inciter les communautés culturelles à voter
Interpellées par la charte de la laïcité, les communautés juives et musulmanes du Québec se rendront massivement aux urnes le 7 avril, prédisent leurs représentants qui parlent même de jamais-vu dans l’histoire de la province. «Cette fois, ce sera 100 % de la communauté qui ira voter!» laisse tomber le président du Forum musulman canadien (FMC), Samer Majzoub, en entrevue téléphonique au Soleil. Le Montréalais, qui habite la province depuis 25 ans, affirme n’avoir jamais senti autant d’engouement pour des élections. Il est persuadé que cela se traduira dans les urnes alors que généralement, les musulmans votent ni plus ni moins que l’ensemble de la population.
«L’immigration, c’est bien plus qu’un projet de charte des valeurs!» s’exaspère Philippe Rouleau, le directeur général du Service d’orientation et d’intégration des immigrants au travail (SOIIT) de Québec. D’entendre le chef de la Coalition avenir Québec, François Legault, affirmer qu’il fallait fermer les vannes de l’immigration en raison du fait que le taux de chômage des nouveaux arrivants affichait 11,5 % lui écorche les oreilles. Rappelons que le Québec accueille plus de 50 000 immigrants par année. […] Depuis bientôt 30 ans, le SOIIT veille à l’intégration professionnelle et culturelle des immigrants de la région de la Capitale-Nationale.
