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.
Toronto Star – Toronto Friends of Refugees: New Grassroots Group Gives Hope to Refugees
At their first meeting in late July, they decided to call themselves the Toronto Friends of Refugees and vowed to raise money to sponsor one refugee to Canada a year. “We can’t pay for it from our own pocket, but we can do crowd-funding like other social projects,” said Shahsiah, 32, whose parents fled Iran in 1985 and moved the family to Toronto a decade later via Germany. […] It costs $10,455 a year to support the living of a resettled refugee in Canada through Ottawa’s new blended visa office-referred program. Shahsiah’s group has been raising money one event at a time since mid-August. […] Part of the group’s mandate is to educate the public, especially youth, about refugee issues and let them know how to get involved.
La Tribune – Le vrai débat sur la laïcité débutera le 14 janvier
Certains aimeraient bien passer à autre chose, estimant que tout a déjà été dit sur le projet de charte des valeurs du gouvernement Marois, mais la réalité est tout autre: le débat ne fait que commencer. La consultation menée par le gouvernement autour du controversé projet de loi 60, déposé le 7 novembre et proclamant la neutralité religieuse de l’État, va débuter officiellement le mardi 14 janvier et devrait monopoliser l’actualité politique durant environ deux mois. Il reste à savoir si le défilé, jour après jour en commission parlementaire, de citoyens et d’organismes dans bien des cas déterminés à démolir, voire diaboliser, la charte forcera l’adhésion de la population au projet.
Leader-Post – Living the Dream: Immigrating to Canada Not an Easy Process
Despite having a degree in chartered accounting and more than a decade of on-the-job experience, Kaukab’s credentials are essentially meaningless in Canada until they’re assessed and recognized by a designated body — in this case, the International Qualifications Assessment Service. The process could take anywhere from four to six months. For other professions, like engineering or healthcare, the process can take years. In the meantime, Kaukab is supporting his wife and two kids with funds brought with him from Pakistan, and taking employment courses offered through the Regina Open Door Society (RODS). He estimates his funds will last another three months. When they run out, he’ll be forced to find what has come to be known as a “survival” job — a job taken on by an over-qualified immigrant to make ends meet until something better comes along. But Kaukab has heard first-hand from other immigrants how hard it can be to break out of those jobs. […] Despite Saskatchewan’s need for skilled workers — and skyrocketing immigration numbers in recent years — stories like Kaukab’s have become more and more commonplace.
Standart News – Canada: Tabloids Fuel Fears of Mass Exodus from Romania, Bulgaria – Report
The waves of the crusade against the Bulgarian and Romanian migrants who will be free to enter the United Kingdom in just 4 days has reached as far as Canada. Bulgarians and Romanians are portrayed as pickpockets who will steal British jobs. There are predictions they will beg, the unruly young ones will stir up riots, and some will even try to sell babies, The Vancouver Sun reports. For months, Britain’s tabloids have repeatedly warned of the horrors they believe will ensue after Jan. 1, when work restrictions will be lifted across the European Union for migrants from Romania and Bulgaria – two of the trading bloc’s newest members. […] How big exactly is the potential problem? Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007 and more than 100,000 migrants from the two countries already work in Britain, albeit under work restrictions that limit their access to jobs and state benefits like health care.
CNW Telbec – D’autres réformes au Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires
Le ministre de l’Emploi et du Développement social [EDSC] et ministre du Multiculturalisme Jason Kenney et le ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration du Canada Chris Alexander ont annoncé aujourd’hui d’autres modifications découlant de l’examen continu du Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires [PTET]. Pour plus d’informations sur le nouveau règlement, visitez www.rhdcc.gc.ca/fra/emplois/travailleurs_etrangers/avis/mod_reg.shtml. […] À compter du 31 décembre 2013, des modifications au Règlement sur l’immigration et la protection des réfugiés (RIPR) entrent en vigueur, et de nouvelles instructions ministérielles, formulées par le ministre d’EDSC, qui renforceront l’intégrité du PTET, entrent en application.
Globe and Mail – Are Immigrants Natural Conservatives? Think Again
North of the border, the notion that migrants – particularly South Asian and Chinese newcomers – will provide the Conservative Party with a natural base also has some proponents. The Conservatives have made no secret of their outreach efforts aimed at migrant communities, particularly in coveted suburban ridings in and around Toronto and Vancouver. The Conservative playbook for courting migrants has typically focused primarily on pocketbook issues (low taxes and small-business initiatives), and secondarily on social conservative messages or targeted stances on international issues. […] Today’s migrants are often people who voluntarily accept a decline in status and even income to move to Canada. Young professional immigrants who choose Canada are often seeking gains in quality of life more than standard of living. Focus group participants have told us they want to raise their children outside the hierarchies and pressures of their home countries.
