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.
Les affaires – Ottawa ne craint pas que la Roumanie fasse dérailler l’accord de libre-échange
Le gouvernement du Canada ne craint pas de voir la Roumanie faire dérailler l’accord de libre-échange qu’il vient de conclure avec l’Union européenne. Le ministre des Affaires étrangères de la Roumanie, Titus Corlartean, a déclaré cette semaine que son pays pourrait refuser de signer l’accord si le Canada ne lève pas l’obligation de visa pour les Roumains. L’entente de principe conclue vendredi dernier doit obtenir l’aval des 28 pays membres de l’Union européenne pour entrer en vigueur. De passage à Montréal jeudi pour vanter les mérites de cet accord, le ministre fédéral du Commerce international, Ed Fast, s’est dit persuadé de voir cette question résolue
Toronto Star – Benhmuda Family Can Return to Canada – If They Pay $6,000 it Cost to Deport Them
The painful saga of the Benhmuda family has taken a turn for the worse. In 2008, the Mississauga family of six lost a bid for refugee status and was deported to Libya. Upon arrival at the airport, Adel Benhmuda, the father in the family, was imprisoned and tortured. They eventually fled to Malta and lived in a shipping container in a refugee camp. In January this year — after a Federal Court slammed Canadian immigration officials for treating the Benhmuda case unfairly — the federal government agreed to let them back into Canada on humanitarian grounds. On Wednesday, however, Canadian officials suddenly set a condition for their return — the Benhmudas must pay $6,000 for the price it cost the government to deport them to Libya in 2008.
Inside Costa Rica – More Central Americans Seeking Refuge from Gangs, Organized Crime in US, Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico
Gang violence and organized crime has taken over political instability as the main cause for Central Americans’ seeking refuge in other countries. “[Since 2009], we have noticed a growing trend in the number of people from the Northern Tier of Central America requesting refugee status in Mexico, Canada and the United States,” said Fernando Protti, regional representative of the United Nations High Commissioner’s Office for Refugees (UNHCR) for Central America, Cuba and Mexico. The largest number of refuge applications in the region last year came from Salvadorans (1,620), Guatemalans (1,320) and Hondurans (765), according to UNHCR. […] Of the 3,705 applications from Central America’s Northern Tier in 2012, the majority were sent to the United States (65%), followed by Canada (17%), Costa Rica (6%) and Mexico (5%).
The Guardian – Obama Calls on Congress to Pass Immigration Reform by Year`s End
President Obama called on Congress Thursday to finish work on an immigration overhaul by the end of the year, a lofty goal that will be difficult to meet given the staunch opposition of many House Republicans. While immigration remains one of Obama’s top second term priorities, the issue has been overshadowed for months, most recently by the 16-day partial government shutdown. The president’s shift to a greater focus on immigration came as the White House was seeking to shift the conversation away from the deeply problematic rollout of Obama’s health care law.
Sault This Week – ADSB Drop-In Family Literacy Centres an Aid to Newcomers
As the city’s population diversifies, so do school services. Parents, or caregivers, and children can drop into any of four Parenting and Family Literacy Centres in Algoma District School Board’s jurisdiction to build skills in language and numbers, says a report following the board’s meeting this week. […] “Many of the families who visit regularly are newcomers to Canada,” the board report says. Many families are from Pakistan, Nepal and India. Mother tongues cover the distance from Mandarin to Spanish. The program “provide opportunities for children to build oral language skills by listening, speaking and preschool reading and writing in English or their home language,” the report says. “By welcoming a student’s home language, schools facilitate the flow of knowledge, ideas and cultures between home and school. Encouraging ongoing development of first languages eases the social and emotional transition that occurs when children begin school.”
Radio Canada International – Immigrant de souche, le manifeste artistique de Carolina Echeverria
Artiste engagée, Carolina Echeverria répond, à sa manière, à la Charte des valeurs québécoises. Elle présente dès le 24 octobre, Immigrant de souche, une exposition participative pendant laquelle seront créées, avec l’aide des visiteurs, deux installations. Les noms des œuvres en disent long sur la cause qui lui tient à cœur : la Charte des valeurs des immigrants et la Robe de l’immigrante. L’idée de l’artiste est simple : elle utilise son art comme langage visuel au service de la société. Dans ce cas-ci, elle veut ouvrir le dialogue sur la place de l’immigrant dans le Québec actuel en s’inspirant de son expérience et de celle d’autres nouveaux Canadiens et Canadiennes.
