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.
Ottawa Citizen – The Stealing of Our Collective Memory
[There has been a closure of] federal libraries, a development that had been quietly underway for many months and that will seriously impede research and undermine our understanding of Canada’s history. Among the other libraries closed to date are those of the Immigration and Refugee Board, Transport Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada, the Public Service Commission, the National Capital Commission, Citizenship and Immigration Canada […] Michael Molloy, Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, cites an example of a unique document slated for oblivion. He is researching the development of Canada’s refugee policy in the critical period between 1969, when Canada signed the UN Refugee Convention, and 1978, when a revised Immigration Act was implemented. According to Molloy, developments in refugee policy at the Cabinet level can be tracked online, but the critical decisions made by the cabinet were communicated to immigration officials in an “Operations Memorandum” inserted in an immigration officer’s instruction manual.
CBC – Typhoon Haiyan Victim Tests Canada’s Commitment to Help
A single mother who lost 10 family members in Typhoon Haiyan is testing the Canadian government’s commitment to fast-tracking immigration applications from Filipinos affected by the storm. Nenita Yap lost her mother, her sister and eight nieces and nephews when the largest typhoon ever recorded devastated the Philippines last November. […] Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced in mid-November it would prioritize “the processing of applications already in progress on request from Filipinos who are significantly and personally affected by Typhoon Haiyan.” […]The problem, however, is that Yap came to Canada under the Temporary Foreign Workers program. The government has only opened its doors to relatives of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Although Yap has applied for permanent residency, her paperwork has yet to be approved.
Globe and Mail – Scale Back Aid for Dual Citizens, Bureaucrats Advise Ottawa
The Conservative government is being advised by senior bureaucrats to consider limiting consular assistance for Canadians with dual citizenship who travel on a foreign passport or those who live outside the country for a long period of time. The recommendation on the degree of aid extended to Canadians in distress around the globe is contained in briefing books for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and International Trade Minister Ed Fast. […] Foreign Affairs suggests that the government impose conditions on Canadians living abroad so they have to qualify before receiving consular assistance abroad.
Le Devoir – Drainville: l’interdiction des signes religieux n’est pas négociable
Il n’est pas question que le gouvernement recule sur son projet d’interdire aux employés de l’État de porter des signes religieux, a réaffirmé le ministre responsable des Institutions démocratiques, Bernard Drainville, d’entrée de jeu, en lançant mardi matin la consultation menée sur la charte des valeurs de laïcité, définie dans le projet de loi 60. Cette interdiction des signes religieux constitue un volet essentiel et incontournable du projet de loi, a soutenu M. Drainville dans ses remarques …
The Vancouver Sun – [Australian] Stand Over Asylum Seekers Strains Ties with Indonesia
A few years have passed since the arrival of the migrant ship MV Sun Sea on the west coast and resulting substantial changes to Canada’s refugee laws. But as Australia – one of the countries that inspired the new, tougher Canadian regulations – is currently seeing, tighter restrictions on would-be refugees can cause serious foreign relations strife, in addition to exorbitant costs and dubious effectiveness in curtailing the number of migrants making desperate attempts. […] According to a recent report from the Sydney Morning Herald, a leaked video showed Australian naval forces boarding a migrant ship (carrying Sudanese and Somali asylum seekers) in waters near Darwin and towing the boat forcibly back to Indonesia. The move has sparked outrage in Jakarta, which accused Canberra of harbouring “extreme attitude” in its response to boat migrants. Jakarta is also concerned that Australia’s actions in Indonesian waters were a violation of the southeast Asian nation’s sovereignty.
The Guardian – EU Must Open Doors to Avoid Syrian Refugee Catastrophe, Says UN
The crisis posed by millions of refugees from Syria’s civil war flooding into neighbouring countries is becoming a humanitarian and political catastrophe that can only be eased if Europe opens its doors, the UN and European commission have warned. More than 2.1 million refugees have been registered by the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) in Syria’s four neighbouring states; hundreds of thousands more are known to be living outside Syria’s borders without access to aid. […] The UNHCR, European commission and British Refugee Council have urged EU leaders to acknowledge the exceptional crisis posed by the Syrian civil war and accept the temporary settlement of Syrian refugees inside their borders – relaxing “fortress” policies designed to keep migrants out of Europe.
