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.
Leader-Post – Trading on Our Immigration Success
There are a number of fascinating and easy comparisons between the immigration debates in the United States and Canada, most of which make Canadians feel proud. Yet, there are areas where the U.S., despite its ambiguous embrace of immigration, actually does much better than Canada. One area, which is of critical importance to Saskatchewan, is the degree to which immigrants facilitate increased trade and investment with their country of origin. Research in the U.S. has shown that a 10-per-cent increase in immigrants from a given country increases U.S. imports from, and exports to, that country by 8.3 per cent and 4.7 per cent, respectively. When this research was repeated for Canada, the results were about half, with imports rising by 3.3 per cent and exports by only 1.3 per cent.
Courrier Ahuntsic – Apprivoiser le froid à Ahuntsic
À Ahuntsic, des immigrants sont aussi confrontés aux rudes conditions de l’hiver d’ici. Saïd est arrivé, de son Algérie natale avec sa famille depuis une peu plus de trois ans. Il réside à Ahuntsic depuis deux ans et il reconnait qu’il a dû apprendre à affronter très vite le froid. « On ne s’habitue pas au froid, on s’habitue à la manière de le combattre », tient-il à préciser. Dès son arrivée, il a comme beaucoup de nouveaux arrivants, suivi des ateliers d’immigration Québec.
Toronto Star – Newcomers Skate to Integrate at Harbourfront Rink
Learning to skate is a ritual, some would say a sacred duty, for new Canadians in one of the world’s most diverse cities. […] Outdoor programs such as skating are so popular among newcomers that the YMCA, which has numerous youth and family services, wondered what they contribute to successful settlement in Canada. The Y has launched a research project and in November did a baseline survey of participants and will follow up again in February. “The expectation is that winter can be very cold and very boring if they don’t know what is available in the community,” says Iryna Trusevich, who works with newcomer youth. In fact, once they get out in the brisk air, the reverse is true. “They love to skate and they love winter.” More importantly, she says, sports and other outdoor activities unite people.
Canada.com – Immigration Minister Chris Alexander Promises Lower Wait Times, Fewer Backlogs in 2014
From newly elected MP to cabinet minister in two short years, Chris Alexander says it’s been both challenging and humbling to take on the immigration portfolio long-held by one of the Prime Minister’s closest confidants. […] If Kenney’s job during the five years he served as minister was to transform Canada’s immigration system into one that’s more attuned to labour market needs and more selective of refugees, Alexander’s role will be to try to improve overall service delivery. While he will table an important citizenship bill in the coming months, his main focus will be to bring down backlogs and wait times in the various economic immigration streams in anticipation of the government’s expression of interest system set to launch Jan. 1, 2015.
Toronto Star – Ottawa Fails to Deliver “Just-in-Time” Immigration
Five years after Ottawa launched a “just-in-time” immigration system, applicants to the federal skilled workers program face backlogs and long processing times. In 2008, the Conservative government made the controversial move to wipe out hundreds of thousands of skilled immigration applications in a budget bill. It then brought in “ministerial instructions” to limit eligibility criteria to specific occupations and cap the annual intake of applications. […] While critics are not surprised or impressed, with Ottawa’s plan to roll out the new “Expression of Interest” (EOI) system in 2015 to create a pool of skilled candidates for employers’ pick, many fear the government will again try to get rid of the new backlog with yet another bill.
Radio-Canada – Une classe d’accueil où les nouveaux arrivants apprennent à vivre en français
La deuxième commission scolaire en importance au Québec est aussi celle qui compte proportionnellement le plus grand nombre de classes d’accueil. Près du tiers de la clientèle de la Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys est née ailleurs, et on y parle plus de 160 langues. Depuis septembre, un groupe d’enfants de 10 à 12 ans apprend le français à l’école primaire Saint-Louis de Pointe-Claire, dans l’ouest de l’île de Montréal. Cette école offre 4 des 150 classes d’accueil que compte la Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys. Provenant de Syrie et d’Égypte, plusieurs des enfants qu’accueille l’École Saint-Louis sont arrivés de l’étranger quelques semaines seulement avant la rentrée scolaire
