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.
Express Toronto – Nouveau point de services de la passerelle à Scarborough
Depuis le 2 septembre, les immigrants ont un nouvel endroit à Scarbourough où ils peuvent se rendre pour les aider à organiser leur nouvelle vie au Canada, un point de services de La Passerelle I.D.É. (intégration et développement économique) ouvert en partenariat avec les Catholic Crosscultural Services (CCS). «Les services disponibles pour les nouveaux arrivants vont de l’évaluation de leurs besoins, au counseling, en passant par l’aiguillage vers les services de formation professionnelle et d’aide juridique, entre autres», indique Roberto Jovel, gestionnaire principal à La Passerelle, lors de l’inauguration officielle du comptoir d’accueil «Accès Immigrants Francophones» mardi dernier, au 55 Town Centre Court.
Radio-Canada – Nouvelle structure nationale sur l’immigration francophone
La Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne a annoncé mardi la formation d’une Table nationale de concertation communautaire en immigration francophone. Cette structure pilotera les efforts des communautés de langue française dans l’ensemble du pays, à l’exception du Québec, afin d’attirer, recruter, accueillir et intégrer des nouveaux arrivants. La FCFA demande au nouvel organisme d’identifier les enjeux et les priorités en matière de francophonie. La Table nationale de concertation devra aussi arrimer les actions à divers niveaux et dresser un portrait clair de ce que vivent les immigrants francophones d’un bout à l’autre du pays. Elle assurera aussi le lien entre les communautés francophones et Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada.
Globe and Mail – Migrant Ship Survivors Held in Egyptian Prisons
More than 100 refugees from Syria, including a large number of children, are being held by Egyptian police in fetid conditions after surviving the sinking of their Italy-bound boat off the coast of Alexandria last week. The sinking was one of several recent tragedies in the Mediterranean involving migrants trying to reach Italy’s southern coast from North Africa. With the mounting death toll – including an Oct. 3 shipwreck that killed 364 refugees – Italy announced Monday it would deploy air and sea forces to manage the growing influx of asylum-seekers originally from violence-plagued countries, including Syria, Libya, Somalia and Eritrea. Italy wants the European Union to take action to prevent more fatalities in what Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta has called the “sea of death.”
Toronto Star – Website, App Launched to Help Young Immigrants Become Citizens
A national website and mobile app will be launched Tuesday to help young immigrants learn about the importance of getting their Canadian citizenships in light of tightening government rules. The website and its accompanying Android/iPhone app explain the benefits of becoming a citizen and the application process as well as providing preparation materials for the citizenship test. More important, there is a section that aims to dispel myths and misinformation about becoming a Canadian citizen, such as having to give up one’s citizenship and passport from the home country, and how getting charged or convicted with a crime will affect a person’s immigrant status.
Yahoo News – B.C. Construction Industry Goes on Recruiting Trip to Ireland to Avoid a “Crisis”
Depending on who you talk to, Canada – the West especially – is either suffering from a crisis-level shortage of skilled workers or businesses are gaming the system to import lower-paid labour while leaving unemployed Canadians in the cold. The B.C. Construction Association thinks it’s that first thing. It’s heading to Ireland this month to recruit 600 people to help fill vacancies in the province’s building boom, The Canadian Press reports. […] The B.C. government is sending along two people from its provincial nominee program, which facilitates immigration to Canada. “Our staff will be providing seminars on working, living and investing in B.C., and will provide important on-the-ground expertise and advice on immigration matters,” Skills Training Minister Shirley Bond told CP in an email.
The President of the European Parliament wants to see the focus shifted: the EU should discourage people from embarking on routes of irregular immigration– by opening more legal immigration channels. […] “Currently, the EU only has only one real legal way of immigration, and that’s the Blue Card,” confirmed Ska Keller, the group’s spokeswoman for migration policy, “and that’s only for highly qualified people.” The Blue Card, inspired by the US’ Green Card system and with a reference to the EU’s blue color in the flag, however, has received much criticism since it was formally adopted in the EU as a directive in 2009: it’s up to every member state to decide the application criteria itself. And some countries have still not transposed the rules of the directive into national law – even though the deadline was two years ago.
