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.
Bay Today – City Receives Funding to Recruit Immigrants
Five years ago the City of North Bay, through the support of the Government of Ontario’s Municipal Immigration Information Online (MIIO) Program, launched an online immigration portal. This online resource was created to provide easy access to local information for prospective newcomers in order to help them succeed in their new home. The portal continues to be the leading recruitment support tool in North Bay’s on-going recruitment efforts. This year, the Municipal Immigration Information Online (MIIO) Program will provide the City of North Bay with $16,500 in new funding towards updating the portal’s content. […] This project has been made possible through the strong partnership between the City of North Bay and the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre with support of the North Bay Newcomer Network and their numerous dedicated volunteers.
Globe and Mail – Refugee Claims Hit “Historic Low” as Ottawa’s Policy Faces Fresh Criticism
The number of people claiming refugee status in Canada reached what Ottawa calls a “historic low” in 2013 after it brought in changes to speed up the program by deterring applicants from safer countries. The changes remain unpopular with refugee advocates who say valid claims are being brushed aside. Waiting times to hear asylum cases plummeted in 2013, from 20 months to two, and the average time needed to deport a failed claimant is now four months, not four years, Mr. Alexander announced Wednesday. Canada has also cut its case backlog by two-thirds and deported 10,000 failed claimants in the past year. He estimated the changes have saved about $600-million, a figure his critics doubt.
CBC – The Political Steamroller That is Quebec’s Charter of Values
Almost every day there has been a new drama created by the Parti Quebecois’ proposed charter of values. Last week, as formal public hearings began into the secularization project, it was the Pineault-Caron family, from the Saguenay town of Sacré-Coeur, who stole the show. Their testimony about the upsetting sights and sounds of Islam they suffered during their travels in Morocco and Turkey – and their conclusion that it is “unthinkable” to allow people in such “disguises” to roam around in public in Quebec – became something of a YouTube sensation, registering close to 300,000 hits. This week, Quebec’s Liberal party was the political casualty. Five months late to the debate, it was preparing to unveil its official position on the charter – OK to leave the crucifix in the legislature, but no face-covering garments like niqabs in the public service – when veteran Liberal Fatima Houda-Pépin left to sit as an independent. […] A Léger poll on Monday found that that 60 per cent of Quebecers back the secular charter, and support for it among the crucial French-speaking voters has risen to 69 per cent.
CBC – Chris Alexander Scolds Ontario Over Health Care to Refugees
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander publicly scolded the Ontario government today for defying the federal government’s decision to reduce the level of health care available to refugee claimants. Ontario introduced a new program, effective Jan. 1, that will provide refugee claimants with access to primary care and urgent hospital services as well as medication coverage regardless of their refugee status, following cuts to a federal program that administers temporary health-care benefits to refugee claimants. […] The immigration minister said Ontario was compromising the integrity of the system by putting “bogus” asylum seekers and “failed” refugee claimants ahead of Canadians who are seeking health-care services and refugees who are in need of real protection. “This decision is irresponsible as it makes Canada, and Ontario in particular, a magnet for bogus asylum seekers.” Alexander said he raised the issue directly with Ontario’s Health Minister Deb Matthews when he met with her last month.
La Presse – Soins de santé aux réfugiés: Ottawa met en garde les provinces
Le ministre fédéral de l’Immigration a qualifié mercredi de «scandaleuse et d’irresponsable» la décision de l’Ontario qui, comme le Québec, a choisi d’offrir des soins de santé aux demandeurs d’asile après qu’Ottawa leur eut coupé les vivres. Le message envoyé par Chris Alexander au gouvernement ontarien semble être valable pour les autres provinces qui ont fait de même. «Cela fait du Canada, et plus spécifiquement de l’Ontario, un aimant pour les faux demandeurs d’asile», a-t-il lancé. «C’est injuste pour les contribuables», a ajouté le ministre Alexander, ajoutant que des Canadiens âgés «attendent derrière eux» pendant ce temps.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Communiqué – Le nouveau système d’octroi de l’asile du Canada est un succès
Le ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration du Canada, Chris Alexander, a annoncé aujourd’hui que le nombre de nouvelles demandes d’asile provenant de pays sûrs a atteint des niveaux historiquement bas au cours de l’année qui a suivi la mise en œuvre des réformes globales au système d’octroi de l’asile du Canada; […]. Le nombre de demandes d’asile en provenance de pays qui produisaient historiquement des nombres élevés de demandes non fondées a chuté de 87 pour 100. La baisse du nombre total des demandes d’asile a déjà donné lieu à des économies plus élevées que prévu, soit plus de 600 millions de dollars pour les contribuables canadiens […] On estime que l’on réalisera des économies globales de plus de 1,6 milliard de dollars sur cinq ans.
