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.
National Post – Sri Lankan’s Prospects for Staying in Canada Promising After Supreme Court Redefines who is a Terrorist
The unsteady sand of who is considered a terrorist in Canada has once again shifted in favour of a Tamil woman living in Toronto, whose politician husband was assassinated in Sri Lanka while attending Christmas Eve mass in 2005. Weeks after Joseph Pararajasingham, a member of parliament in Sri Lanka, was shot dead, Canada granted residency to his widow, Sugunanayake Joseph, who was injured in the attack, to protect her safety. Bill Graham, Canada’s former foreign affairs minister, praised her husband at a memorial service as a “man of peace.” In 2011, however, the Immigration and Refugee Board concluded that Ms. Joseph was a member of a terrorist group and should be deported because of her ties to her husband, who had ties to the Tamil Tigers. Now, a judge has ruled that this summer’s Supreme Court of Canada decision — starkly redefining how Canada defines membership in a terrorist organization — means the 76-year-old widow would likely no longer qualify for that dark designation, suggesting a reprieve from deportation may be the best option.
Globe and Mail – Foreign Worker Admissions Spike in 2013
Canada ramped up its admissions of temporary foreign workers through the first half of this year even as the government was promising to clamp down to ensure Canadians get first crack at available jobs. The number of temporary foreign workers admitted from January to June rose nearly 5 per cent compared to the same period in 2012 and nearly 20 per cent over 2011, according to preliminary estimates from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Slightly more than 125,000 temporary foreign workers entered Canada through the end of June, compared to 119,000 in 2012 and 100,000 to 105,000 from 2008 to 2011, a period affected by the 2008 recession.
CBC – UN Urged to Aid Man “In Limbo” in Ontario Immigration Jail
Supporters of a man who has been locked up for seven years in southern Ontario are taking his case to the United Nations. Michael Mvogo has been in limbo since he was taken into custody in 2006 by the Canada Border Services Agency and held in immigration detention. He had originally come to Canada in 2005, then been arrested by police for possession of a small amount of cocaine. After he pleaded guilty and served his one-day sentence, he was slated for deportation. […] “It’s been far too long and we demand that he be released,” Macdonald Scott, Mvogo’s immigration consultant, said Wednesday. […] Scott and Mvogo’s supporters filed a petition Wednesday to a working group of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, hoping for some kind of resolution from the international organization. They say under international law, immigration detentions are supposed to be limited to 90 days, in most cases. But those rules are effectively voluntary.
Radio Canada – Ottawa courtise les immigrants échaudés par la Charte des valeurs québécoises
Pendant que le débat sur la Charte des valeurs fait rage au Québec, la Ville d’Ottawa et l’Ontario courtisent les immigrants. La capitale nationale vient de se doter d’une stratégie en matière d’immigration qu’elle a présentée lundi. Cette nouvelle politique vise trois objectifs, soit d’attirer les immigrants, de les retenir et de les intégrer. Ottawa veut ainsi offrir aux immigrants le soutien nécessaire pour développer chez eux un sentiment d’appartenance. Pour le maire Jim Watson, la Charte des valeurs québécoises pourrait aider l’économie locale. « Si un immigrant avait le choix entre les deux et que l’Assemblée nationale adoptait cette Charte, je pense que ça va nous aider en Ontario et dans les autres provinces », soutient-il.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Communiqué — Planifier pour réussir – Le Canada d’abord
Le ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration, Chris Alexander, a annoncé aujourd’hui un plan d’immigration qui stimulera la croissance économique en 2014 et permettra au Canada de se positionner pour réussir dans les années à venir. […]Après avoir déposé le Rapport annuel au Parlement sur l’immigration, Chris Alexander a expliqué que le Canada entendait accueillir de 240 000 à 265 000 nouveaux résidents permanents en 2014 et qu’il envisageait d’admettre un nombre record d’immigrants dans le cadre de la catégorie de l’expérience canadienne (CEC) et du Programme des candidats des provinces. L’immigration économique devrait passer à 63 % en 2014. Les 37 % restants seront constitués d’immigrants de la catégorie du regroupement familial, de réfugiés et d’autres personnes admises dans le cadre de programmes humanitaires.
Toronto Star – Ottawa`s 2014 Immigration Plan Focuses on Economic Class
In tabling his annual report to the Parliament Monday, Immigration Minister Chris Alexander also announced that Ottawa will admit between 240,000 and 265,000 permanent residents to Canada in 2014, the same level as this year. […] While economic immigrants — those selected for their occupational skills, entrepreneurship and investment — will account for 63 per cent of the admissions, 26.1 per cent or 68,000 spots will be allotted to the family class. The remaining 10.9 per cent or 28,400 spaces will be for refugees and others with humanitarian needs. Admission quotas for individual programs will be available in the coming days, but Alexander said the government will expand the targets for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). About 15,000 permanent residents — up from 10,000 in 2013 — are expected under the CEC program, which allows those with at least one year of work experience in Canada to apply. The PNP program, which lets provincial governments and employers recommend fitting candidates, is expected to draw as many as 47,000 permanent residents in 2014, up from 41,000 people.
