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.
The Tyee – Pacific Man Denied Climate Refugee Status; Canada Still Bracing for Influx
A New Zealand judge this week denied a Pacific islander’s attempt to become the world’s first climate refugee. Yet the case may be “the first raindrop of [a] coming storm”, observers think, that could have major implications for Canada. Ioane Teitiota’s legal fight to stay in New Zealand after his visa expired has been closely followed across the planet. Why? Because his lawyers argued Teitiota’s low-lying home in the tiny nation of Kiribati is being swallowed by rising seas. His claim was found “novel” but “unconvincing” by a high court judge, who argued that millions of people across the globe face similar circumstances, and accepting Teitiota’s claim would require major changes to international law.
CBC – Refugee Claimants Arriving in Nova Scotia Sent to Jail
The executive director of the Halifax Refugee Clinic says it’s time Nova Scotia stopped sending refugee claimants to the largest provincial prison while their paperwork is being processed. Julie Chamagne says refugees are at risk when placed in the Burnside jail. […] She said they also have limited access to make phone calls to their families overseas. The issue was also flagged this week by Nova Scotia’s Ombudsman, who cited security and translation issues in his latest report. There are four people in detention on immigration warrants.
Radio Canada International – Se préparer au test de citoyenneté canadienne
Quelle a été la dernière province à se joindre au Canada?Qui fut le premier chef d’un gouvernement responsable au Canada en 1849?Le Canada a trois territoires et combien de provinces? Ces quelques questions, et de nombreuses autres, pourraient se retrouver dans l’examen que vous aurez à passer si vous vous préparez à obtenir votre citoyenneté canadienne. Le test permet d’évaluer le degré de compréhension des valeurs et de l’identité canadiennes auprès des candidats à la citoyenneté. Les questions posées sont basées sur le contenu d’un guide d’étude: Découvrir le Canada, publié par Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada qui se concentre sur l’histoire, l’identité et les valeurs du Canada.
The Windsor Star – Frustrated with Republican Inaction on Immigration, Advocates Pressure Obama to Act
Advocates for immigration reform are demanding that President Barack Obama use his powers as chief executive to stop deportations or provide some relief to many of the 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Pro-immigrant groups are frustrated with the failure of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to tackle immigration, But Obama insists that the nation’s laws limit his ability to act unilaterally, even though his administration acted on its own last year to suspend deportations of some immigrants brought illegally into the country as children and more recently decided some relatives of U.S. service members living here illegally could remain. […] House Republican leaders have rejected the Democratic-controlled Senate’s comprehensive immigration bill, which passed on a bipartisan vote in June. The far-reaching measure would provide new visa and workplace enforcement programs and billions of dollars for border security, along with a path to citizenship for millions.
The Globe and Mail – Manitoba Town’s First Liquor Store Brews Discontent in Mennonite Country
In Winkler, Man., a largely Mennonite city of 11,000 at the heart of a deeply religious region, a 6,000-square-foot retailer of spirits – the very first in the community’s more than a century of existence – is opening Wednesday. The development has deeply affected the close-knit town as it attempts to balance the effects of rapid growth – it had a population increase of 17.2 per cent between 2006 and 2011 – with its more conservative, religious roots. […] It picked up the pace in the late nineties, when Manitoba became one of the first provinces to aggressively take advantage of a Canadian program aimed at attracting immigrants to areas other than Toronto and Vancouver. Many newcomers chose Winkler, an hour’s drive southwest of Winnipeg, drawn by its rich business climate and small-town feel.
The Province – US to Allow Some Immigrants Who Stayed in US Longer Than Allowed to Get Legal Status
Some immigrants who have stayed in the United States longer than they were allowed can soon apply to keep living in the U.S. under another immigration policy change quietly authorized by the Obama administration. According to a Nov. 14 policy memorandum from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, some immigrants from 37 Visa Waiver Program countries who are immediate relatives of U.S. citizens may be allowed to stay. People from visa waiver countries don’t have to get a visa before coming to the U.S., but they can only stay for up to 90 days. The program covers mostly European countries.
