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.
Victoria News – Camosun College Gets More One-Time ESL Funding
Camosun College is among nine public post-secondary institutions getting additional cash in the 2014-15 school year to support English as a Second Language programs. An additional $6.7 million complements the $10.5 million announced last month of one-time transitional funding to help institutions impacted by the federal government’s decision to change administration of ESL programs for immigrants effective April 1. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will continue to fund English language programming through agreements with service delivery organizations such as not-for-profit agencies and some post-secondary institutions.
Toronto Star – “Unfair” Deportation from Canada Threatens to Rip Family Apart
A leading member of Canada’s Hispanic community faces deportation and the probable breakup of his family because he once acted as an informal liaison arranging contacts between armed rebels and foreign journalists covering the civil war that convulsed El Salvador during the 1980s. […] Vigil, who has been in Canada for more than a decade, has been ordered to leave as soon as the Salvadoran consulate in Toronto can issue him a passport. He has no Canadian travel documents. Following a series of unsuccessful appeals, the final decision to deport Vigil was taken by Citizenship and Immigration Canada this past February, even though it will almost certainly result in the breakup of his family. […] A spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada was unable to say whether Alexander was likely to intervene but she acknowledged he has that authority.
Globe and Mail – PQ Vows to Use Charter Protection for Religious Ban
The Parti Québécois has vowed for the first time to use the notwithstanding clause to protect its secular charter from legal challenges, hoping to attract francophone voters in the final days of the campaign with a reinvigorated plan to restrict the visibility of religious symbols in the province. With the April 7 election quickly approaching, PQ Leader Pauline Marois said she would invoke the constitutional protection for the secular charter, which includes a ban on public servants wearing overt religious symbols such as the hijab, the kippa and the crucifix. Until now, Ms. Marois and her ministers had always said they were confident that their proposal respected the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada News Release – Scarborough Welcomes New Canadians
More than 4,500 new citizens from over 140 countries were welcomed to Canada at 49 citizenship ceremonies held at Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)’s office in Scarborough over the past two weeks. This includes five ceremonies taking place at CIC Scarborough today, which will see a total of approximately 500 people from 63 countries granted citizenship. Ceremonies like these demonstrate how the government is working to make the citizenship program more efficient, helping more people realize sooner their dream of becoming Canadian.
Huffington Post – Why We Must Teach Our Kids to Be “Culturally Bilingual”
The Toronto District School Board plan to help Somali-Canadian youth better succeed in school erupted in controversy when a segment of the community denounced the efforts. […] A task force consulted with hundreds of people within the Somali-Canadian community to come up with a list of comprehensive strategies aimed at stemming a significant drop-out rate, quelling the high number of expulsions, and encouraging the pursuit of higher education. Despite the stated intentions, those protesting the plan expressed fears that it would further marginalize their children. […] Prior to this task force, a similar action plan was implemented to help Portuguese-Canadian youth, who also experience high drop-out rates and struggle to complete high school. […] Budget cuts at all levels do impact the ability of school boards to offer culturally sensitive training and supports. When the federal government slashed funding to immigrant settlement services several years ago, the cuts impacted youth and family programs.
Pauline Marois prête à invoquer la clause dérogatoire pour appliquer la charte des valeurs
Pauline Marois a annoncé lundi qu’un gouvernement péquiste pourrait user de la clause dérogatoire afin de s’assurer de l’adoption de la charte sur la laïcité. La chef du Parti québécois a affirmé que certains avis juridiques et évaluations laissaient entendre qu’il fallait envisager d’emprunter cette avenue. Le ministre qui pilotait le projet de loi 60, Bernard Drainville, avait pourtant déclaré à plusieurs reprises que le Québec n’a pas besoin de recourir à la clause dérogatoire de la Constitution canadienne pour soustraire sa charte de la laïcité à d’éventuelles contestations judiciaires.
