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.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Communiqué – Le Canada est l’hôte d’une importante réunion internationale sur l’éducation, la mémoire et la recherche au sujet de l’Holocauste
Le Canada, à titre de président de l’Alliance internationale pour la mémoire de l’Holocauste (AIMH), a l’honneur d’accueillir une conférence internationale d’envergure traitant d’importants dossiers sur l’éducation, la mémoire et la recherche à propos de l’Holocauste. […]En tant que chef de file pour l’éducation sur l’Holocauste et sa commémoration, le Canada a préparé un programme de classe mondiale pour faire progresser cette action globale. La réunion internationale, qui va durer cinq jours, commencera par une conférence universitaire organisée par le Centre for Jewish Studies, de l’Université de Toronto, les 6 et 7 octobre.
CBC – Secret Supreme Court Hearing Focuses on Security Certificate
The Supreme Court will be holding a secret, in camera hearing later this week. It’s a hearing so secret that the court will not even confirm where it is being held because of national security concerns. At the centre of the hearing is a little-used immigration tool called a security certificate, which allows suspects to be detained for years without charge on national security grounds. The certificates have been issued against six people in the past 15 years. […] Security certificates are a little-used mechanism under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, in which CSIS collects intelligence about a foreigner living in Canada who the agency alleges is a threat to national security. They cannot be used on Canadian citizens. The intelligence is passed along to the ministers of immigration and public safety, who can then co-sign a security certificate ordering the suspect’s deportation.
Toronto Star – Canada, U.S. to Share Personal Information of Immigrant Applicants
Ottawa and Washington are further aligning their border security by sharing personal information of immigration and refugee applicants to both countries. The plan, to be fully implemented next fall, is raising privacy concerns over the disclosure and retention of information, such as an applicant’s date of birth, travel document number and fingerprints. The information-sharing wouldn’t apply to Canadian and American citizens or permanent residents. […] The proposed regulations are expected to result in an increase in the number of refugee claimants identified as ineligible, a decrease in the volume of crime and a decrease in detention and removal costs of nationals of a third country by denying them entry to Canada, said Citizenship and Immigration Canada director Chris Gregory, who drafted the proposal.
Radio Canada – De jeunes élèves immigrants veulent des crédits pour leurs cours d’anglais langue seconde
Un groupe de jeunes immigrants demande au ministère de l’Éducation de la Colombie-Britannique de créditer les cours d’anglais langue seconde au même titre que le sont les cours de langue étrangère. Dans le système actuel, les élèves qui suivent un cours d’anglais langue seconde ne reçoivent pas de crédit pour ce cours. « Ce que nous voulons souligner, c’est que c’est une question d’égalité… une reconnaissance du travail de ces élèves pour acquérir une langue », explique Diego Cardona, 17 ans, membre du groupe Fresh Voices Youth Advisory Team, un groupe de jeunes immigrants et de réfugiés qui ont lancé une pétition en ligne.
CBC – Salvadoran Avoids Deportation in Langley Church
A Salvadoran refugee claimant who the Canadian government has marked for deportation is now seeking sanctuary in a Metro Vancouver church. Jose Figueroa has lived in Langley for 16 years and has three Canadian-born children with his wife. In 2010, however, the Immigration and Refugee board ruled that Figueroa must return to his native El Salvador because of his ties to former guerrilla group FMLN, who the federal government considers a terrorist organization. The FMLN fought a bloody civil war with that country’s right-wing militias in the 1980s, but is currently the ruling political party of El Salvador. Figueroa has admitted he was a student member of the FMLN but has denied participating in the paramilitary campaigns of the group.
Toronto Star – Women, Children Most Vulnerable to Refugee Health Cuts
[There was] a new study released Wednesday by the Toronto-based Wellesley Institute, which examined the impact of cuts Ottawa made to the federal health program for refugees in June 2012. Through online reporting by frontline health care providers across Canada, researchers documented cases of “negative and avoidable health outcomes” among refugees since the changes were implemented. […] The Centre for Research on Inner City Health, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Montreal Children’s Hospital and McGill University have also launched a similar effort. […]A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Chris Alexander called the report another attempt by special interest groups to make Canadian taxpayers pay for “gold-plated health care coverage” for illegal migrants and failed refugee claimants.
