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.
Assemblé de la francophonie de l’Ontario – Communiqué – Déclaration de Denis Vaillancourt, président de l’Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario, suite au dépôt du Projet de loi 161 sur l’immigration en Ontario
« L’Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario (L’Assemblée) est heureuse du dépôt du Projet de loi 161 – Loi portant sur l’immigration en Ontario et apportant une modification connexe à la Loi de 1991 sur les professions de la santé réglementées, le 19 février dernier, dans lequel le gouvernement de l’Ontario indique vouloir s’engager à « permettre aux collectivités de partout en Ontario, y compris les communautés franco-ontariennes, d’attirer, d’accueillir et d’intégrer des immigrants ». En se donnant la possibilité de travailler plus étroitement avec le gouvernement fédéral sur le recrutement, la sélection et l’admission d’immigrants qualifiés dans la province, l’Ontario devrait ainsi pouvoir atteindre plus facilement la cible de 5% d’immigrés francophones que la province s’est fixée.
La Presse – Des dirigeants religieux réclament une loi sur l’immigration
Des dirigeants catholiques et évangéliques ont publié mercredi une lettre ouverte au Congrès des États-Unis pour demander aux élus de voter sans délai la réforme de la loi sur l’immigration, au nom de la «dignité humaine». […] «Notre système d’immigration ne reflète pas notre engagement à l’égard de la dignité humaine, de l’unité de la famille et du respect de la loi qui nous définit comme Américains», disent-ils. Le texte est notamment signé du président de la commission Migration de la Conférence des évêques américains USCCB Eusebio Elizondo, de l’évêque de Brooklyn Nicholas DiMarzio et de Leith Anderson, président de l’Association nationale des Evangéliques.
Montreal Gazette – British Man Admits At Vancouver Immigration Hearing He Once Led Babbar Khalsa
A British man facing deportation from Canada admitted Wednesday at an immigration hearing that he once led the banned Sikh separatist group Babbar Khalsa in England. But Gurmej Singh Gill testified that his cause was always peaceful and lawful, and the British group was not linked to other Babbar Khalsa groups in various parts of the world. […] Canada Border Services Agency wants Gill, once a permanent resident, removed from Canada. The 71-year-old was returning to British Columbia on a family matter when he was stopped by border officials at Vancouver airport last November and ordered to appear before the Immigration and Refugee Board. […] The Canadian government considers Babbar Khalsa International and Babbar Khalsa the same organization.
Daily NK – Canadian Nonprofit Championing NKHR Cause
Canada, a nation thousands of kilometers from the Korean Peninsula, recently established its own North Korean Human Rights Day. As a country, Canada was already viewed as a relatively positive destination for North Korean refugees, thanks in part to welfare programs said to be more generous than those of South Korea, and minimal discrimination. But how do defectors reach Canada in the first place, and who helps them along the way? Based in Toronto, HanVoice is the largest non-profit human rights organization in Canada devoted to North Korean human rights and resettling refugees. Founded in 2007 by three law students from York University in Toronto, the organization initially set out to assist North Korean refugees resettling in Canada by connecting them with their local communities. […] North Koreans may enter and remain in Canada while their refugee claims are processed. However, many such claims are dismissed and applicants summarily deported as refugees, since those who’ve already entered the South are automatically granted South Korean citizenship.
Vancouver 24hrs – Immigration Expert Wants CBSA to Scrap Private Guard Contracts
Canada Border Services Agency is now reviewing its use of private contractors for guarding detainees following the in-custody death of a Mexican woman. An immigration expert, however, thinks the agency should just scrap contracting out altogether. Lucia Vega Jimenez was found hanging in a shower stall at CBSA’s Vancouver airport detention facility on Dec. 20 and died eight days later. Guarding and transporting detainees at the short-term holding centre is contracted out to private firm Genesis Security Group. “When it comes down to security-focused jobs — where you have a private contractor at times responsible for the safety and security of those in detention — I have a real problem with that,” said Kelly Sundberg, associate professor of Justice Studies at Mount Royal University, and an immigration officer for 14 years.
Star Phoenix – Immigration Spurs Saskatoon Population Boom
Saskatoon was one of the fastest growing cities in the country in 2013 thanks in large part to an influx of new international immigrants according to new data released by Statistics Canada. With a grow rate of 3.9 per cent in 2013, the Saskatoon region fell just behind the Calgary region that had a rate of 4.3 per cent. Saskatoon’s census metropolitan area — which includes the cities of Saskatoon, Martensville and Warman and large swaths of surrounding communities — grew by more than 11,000 people in 2013. The area now has a total population of 292,597, a boom lead largely by international immigration. Nearly half of newcomers to region were international immigrants. The region recorded the highest growth rate among international immigrants at a rate of 2.1 per cent.
