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 Globe and Mail – German Turks Let Down by Coalition Deal on Dual Citizenship
Angela Merkel’s conservatives broke a party taboo on Wednesday in allowing Germans of foreign origin dual citizenship as part of a coalition deal with the Social Democrats, but Turks living in Germany said the planned reform did not go far enough. The conservatives have long opposed allowing people born in Germany to hold both German citizenship and that of another non-European Union country and it proved one of the most contentious issues in the talks on forming a new government. […] The current rules had forced children of immigrants from most non-EU countries to choose at the age of 23 between German citizenship or that of their parents’ country of origin. Young people born in Germany will now no longer face this choice, but their parents will often still be barred from a dual identity.
Toronto Star – Ottawa Uses Refugee Programs for Political Goals, Critics Say
The federal government is taking greater control over which refugees are accepted into Canada, and is targeting those from certain countries for political expediency, critics say. Last year, Ottawa began limiting how many applications Canadian sponsors such as church groups and community organizations can submit. […] At the same time as the cap was being introduced, the federal government also moved towards a “targeted selection” approach by allocating the majority of resettlement spots to refugees from specific countries such as Iraq, Bhutan, Eritrea, Congo, Colombia and Turkey. Critics say there are no clear guidelines how targeted refugee populations are selected, and worry the Conservative government is trying to use Canada’s refugee resettlement program for political expediency, instead of helping people in need.
Express Toronto – Un au TFT : Immigration et identité, des accidents de parcours
Un. C’est le titre du nouveau spectacle que propose le Théâtre français de Toronto sur les planches du Berkeley Street Theatre du 27 novembre au 1er décembre prochains. Un titre court, mais lourd de sens pour Mani Soleymanlou, l’auteur, metteur en scène et interprète de cette pièce déjà présentée, en anglais et en français, à Montréal, New York et Paris. […] Un regard en arrière qui lui permet de confronter son histoire d’immigré – qu’il présente comme un exil et une déchirure – et de proposer une réponse aux questions: que veut dire «être quelque chose» et «venir de quelque part»? Qu’est-ce qui fait de nous ce que nous sommes? […]
La Presse – Accueil de réfugiés: le Canada critiqué par des experts d’Harvard
Le Canada viole ses obligations en vertu de lois internationales et domestiques en matière d’accueil de réfugiés. Une étude dévoilée par l’École de droit de l’Université Harvard que La Presse Canadienne a pu consulter ajoute que de plus en plus, le Canada ferme ses portes aux demandeurs d’asile, ayant créé une tendance alarmante depuis quelques années. La directrice du Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic, Deborah Anker, signale que pendant plusieurs décennies, le Canada a joui d’une excellente réputation pour accueillir et protéger les réfugiés, ses politiques ayant même servi de modèle à plusieurs autres pays. Les portes du Canada se sont toutefois fermées depuis quelques années, de déplorer l’étude, qui ajoute que la contrebande de personnes a fortement augmenté à sa frontière avec les États-Unis.
Journal de Montréal – Immigration aux frontières : des failles et faiblesses, selon le vérificateur général
Le vérificateur général du Canada a constaté de nombreuses failles dans les contrôles pour prévenir l’entrée illégale au pays, fait-il savoir dans son rapport annuel rendu public mardi, à Ottawa. L’analyse d’un échantillon de 306 voyageurs arrivés au Canada par avion entre le 1er et le 30 septembre 2012 a permis de déterminer qu’aucune information préalable sur 17 personnes n’avait été fournie par les compagnies d’aviation à l’Agence des services frontaliers du Canada (ASFC). Le vérificateur général a aussi constaté le peu d’amélioration dans les suivis des avis de surveillance liés à l’immigration depuis 2007.
Toronto Star – From There to Here: Sudanese Engineer Recalls Rocky Moments as New Immigrant
More than 240,000 immigrants will arrive in Canada this year, many of them making the GTA their home. […] To explore that experience, the Star is publishing an occasional series in the words of newcomers, both recent and more established. Faris El-Haj came to Canada with his family in 1998 from the United Arab Emirates when he was 15. His father, a Sudanese economist, worked there for the Arab Monetary Fund. His parents decided to move to Canada so their four children could get a better education and build a better life. His father never found appropriate work here, El-Haj said, and continued to work abroad. El-Haj, now 29 with a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a job at General Electric, is happy his parents moved the family to Canada. But there were some rocky moments. El-Haj spoke to the Star about his experience.
