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.
Metro News – U of T Project Advocates Change to Canadian Refugee Policies for People with HIV
Canadian refugee and resettlement policies are negatively affecting would-be refugee claimants abroad who have HIV or are at high risk of contracting the virus, a University of Toronto program has alleged. The International Human Rights Program at the university’s faculty of law is launching a research project to advocate for changes on the immigration policy that has created the “designated countries of origin” list. Immigration office says people from those listed countries are “less likely” to be prosecuted, thus less worthy of a refugee status in Canada. Many of those countries are members of European Union, some from Asia, plus U.K. and U.S.A. But in some of those countries, the risk of contracting HIV, being stigmatized or facing prosecution is higher for refugees, sexual minority people or those who’ve suffered all sorts of gender-based violence, said Renu Mandhane, the program director. Canada should help those people to rebuild their lives here and get access to necessary medical treatment without fear of persecution, she said.
Radio-Canada – Moncton pourrait bientôt compter un centre culturel arabe
Un jeune entrepreneur de la région de Moncton, Mohamed Ali Mhalla, espère ouvrir un centre culturel arabe l’automne prochain. Il explique que l’idée lui est venue après le 11 septembre 2001. Aujourd’hui, avec quelques amis et l’aide de la Ville qu’il compte solliciter, il espère ouvrir les portes de son centre dès septembre prochain. Il veut que le tout concorde avec la rentrée des classes. M. Mhalla veut que le centre soit très accessible à la communauté. Il vise un emplacement au centre-ville. Le centre offrirait des cours de langue arabe pour les enfants et les adultes. L’endroit se voudrait aussi un lieu de rassemblement pour partager la culture arabe du Moyen-Orient et d’Afrique du Nord, notamment l’art, la poésie et la cuisine. « Pour contribuer, pour participer sur la scène socioculturelle dans la région, donc au niveau de l’immigration, de la culture, de l’éducation. On trouve que la communauté depuis le 11 septembre s’est isolée un peu, s’est retirée, par peur, par crainte des préjugés, de la mauvaise image véhiculée dans les médias et tout », explique Mohamed Ali Mhalla.
London Free Press – World-Class Education, Low-Class Marketing
International cross-border education is a booming business. But a report by Bernard Simon of the Munk School of Global Affairs says Canada is being left behind, while the Harper government’s international education strategy has set unrealistic and underfunded targets. Several years ago the Ontario government announced a $37-million program aimed at attracting foreign students to the province’s colleges and universities. Then Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak opposed the initiative, saying, “The funding would be better spent helping more Ontario students to get post-secondary education.” This attitude reflects a widespread misunderstanding of the benefits that foreign students bring. It’s one of the reasons why Canada is behind the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Russia, Germany and Japan (in that order) when it comes to share of the international student market. But even our eighth-place standing means the 95,000 foreign students in Canada in 2010 contributed about $8 billion to our economy. […] Our record is particularly disappointing when it comes to attracting students from China, by far the largest source of international students. They represented about 20% of all post-secondary students in 2012. Nearly a third of them went to the U.S. Only 3.8% came to Canada.
Toronto Star – Couples in Limbo Demand Audit of Spousal Sponsorship Program
Canadians caught up in Ottawa’s backlog in processing in-country spousal sponsorships are calling for an audit of the troubled program. Processing times have tripled recently. Thousands of Canadians are now having to wait more than two years to acquire permanent resident status for their foreign spouses already living in Canada. That means living in limbo for the foreign partner, including not being allowed to take a job or access health care coverage. A national online group called Canada Inland Spousal Sponsorship Petitioners says Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) must immediately establish “service delivery standards,” as recommended by the Office of the Auditor General in a scathing report in 2010. […] Canadians have the option to sponsor a foreign wife or husband either from abroad or within Canada; many prefer to do it here, so they don’t have to be apart during the processing. A spousal sponsorship is a two-stage process: the sponsor has to be assessed and approved before the foreign spouse can be screened for medical clearance, background checks and other verification. Currently, inland applicants must wait 17 months — up from six months in 2013 — for stage one, and eight months longer for stage two.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Communiqué – Le ministre Alexander termine son voyage en Inde au Vibrant Gujarat
Le ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration du Canada, Chris Alexander, a terminé un voyage en Inde bien rempli et couronné de succès, au cours duquel d’importants progrès ont été réalisés dans les relations entre les deux pays. Le ministre Alexander a dirigé la plus grande délégation canadienne jamais vue au Sommet Vibrant Gujurat, où il a pu promouvoir les nombreuses possibilités d’investissement dans les secteurs du transport, des ressources naturelles et de l’énergie, de même que la force des établissements d’enseignement postsecondaires canadiens et les avantages du nouveau système canadien Entrée express. Dans une série de rencontres et de discours, le ministre Alexander a fait valoir que l’innovation et les occasions constituent les pierres angulaires de l’expansion des liens entre le Canada et l’Inde. Lors d’une rencontre, le ministre Alexander et le premier ministre Narendra Modi ont convenu d’explorer de nouvelles façons de collaborer à la promotion de la sécurité et à la lutte contre le terrorisme.
South Asian Observer – Immigration Minister Chris Alexander Meets PM Modi
The Citizenship and Immigration Minister was heading a delegation to the Vibrant Gujarat Conference, a biennial summit hosted by the Government of Gujarat in India, where the Government of Canada highlighted the strong ties between Canada and India. More Indians will be encouraged to look to Canada for trade, investment and business opportunities. […] More than 1.1 million people living in Canada can trace their heritage back to India and in 2013, more than 33,000 Indian citizens became permanent residents in Canada. […] “The Government of Canada is proud to participate in the seventh Vibrant Gujarat Summit. This summit allows us to further strengthen ties between Canada and India by highlighting business opportunities, sharing experiences and trading ideas,” said Alexander. “Our government’s top priority remains the economy. I am proud to be part of this delegation that allows us to highlight the strong trade relationship that exists between Canada and India, which helps promote job creation and economic growth,” he added.
