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.
Vice – Canada is Spending Millions Keeping Immigration Detainees in Jail
Demonstrators at a Family Day rally on February 16 gave speeches expressing solidarity with all inmates at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ontario, but they came specifically to demand the release of nearly 150 migrant men who have been detained in the medium to maximum security jail for months and even years at a time as the federal border agency tries and fails to deport them. Many of the Lindsay detainees are from Toronto and the surrounding area, and families travel hours to see them for 20-minute visits behind glass walls. While immigration detentions spanning months and years are not the norm, they appear to be increasingly common; according to a report by the End Immigration Detention Network, which sponsored the rally, the federal government released only 15 percent of the migrants jailed in 2013. […] CBSA says the average cost of detaining one migrant in Canada is $239 a day—overall, the agency spends $54 million annually to detain migrants for non-criminal immigration matters.
Reuters – U.S. Justice Department Asks for Stay to Allow Immigration Action
The U.S. Justice Department on Monday argued that halting President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration from taking effect threatens national security, in a request for an emergency stay to put on hold a Texas judge’s decision that temporarily blocked the actions. The Department of Homeland Security would sustain “irreparable harm” if a stay is not granted, the Justice Department argued in its request. The Obama administration is using a similar argument to push Congressional Republicans to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which they have threatened to shut down in order to block the immigration action. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen issued a court order last week to halt the immigration actions, which would grant temporary relief from deportation for 4.7 million people who are in the United States illegally. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the stalled immigration program would hold undocumented immigrants accountable for following the law and paying taxes rather than living in the shadows and effectively receiving amnesty for illegally crossing the border.
Globe and Mail – Video-Game Firms Press for Flexibility on Temporary Foreign Workers
A week after the federal government agreed to allow universities to be partly self-governing in how they comply with the temporary foreign worker program, the video-game industry is looking for similar flexibility when it recruits workers from abroad. The industry argues that restrictions aimed at employers of low-skilled temporary workers are hurting businesses like theirs that hire highly skilled talent, a position they’ll advocate Tuesday on Parliament Hill. So far, universities are the only group to have won any concessions. […] Entertainment software companies say that even though they work with universities and colleges to increase the number of game developers, their business still has unemployment rates under 3 per cent, and they must look abroad to find experienced workers with specialized skills. […] The industry is also concerned that the new Express Entry immigration system may make it harder to keep employees from offices abroad after their initial work permit expires. It’s an anxiety shared by many other businesses, from finance to mining, according to lawyers advising the firms.
Toronto Star – Former Refugees Face Losing Residency in Canada if They Return to Homeland
Ottawa has slowly — and quietly — stepped up efforts to strip permanent resident status from former refugees who were granted asylum in Canada and later returned to the country where they once faced persecution. Wielding new powers that came in with changes to immigration law in 2012, the federal government is now actively pursuing reopening asylum files under what’s known as a “cessation application” and forcing refugees whose circumstances have changed to leave Canada. The number of people who had their protection “ceased” in 2014 was almost five times the number in 2012 — rising from 24 to 116 — according to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), which is mandated to decide if the individuals are still refugees or not. An internal document obtained by the Canadian Council for Refugees under an access to information request showed the Conservative government has set an annual target of 875 applications to strip refugee status. Officials dispute that there’s a target.
La Presse – Hidjab et niqab: le gouvernement mène une «campagne de peur», dit l’opposition
L’opposition accuse le gouvernement Harper de mener une campagne de peur en refusant de dire clairement s’il considère que le port du hidjab devrait être autorisé lors de la prestation de serment de citoyenneté canadienne. Le Nouveau Parti démocratique (NPD) et le Parti libéral du Canada (PLC) reprochent au ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration, Chris Alexander, de laisser planer délibérément un doute à ce chapitre. L’ancien diplomate, qui a notamment servi en Afghanistan et au Pakistan, a semé la confusion en écrivant cette semaine sur Twitter que «niqab, hidjab, burqa, voile de mariage – ce qui recouvre le visage n’a aucune place» lors des cérémonies de citoyenneté. Or le hidjab ne dissimule pas le visage, contrairement au niqab ou à la burqa. La porte-parole néo-démocrate en matière de citoyenneté et d’immigration, Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, a profité d’une déclaration en Chambre vendredi matin pour critiquer le ministre Alexander. Que celui-ci «parte en guerre contre les femmes musulmanes qui se couvrent le visage, c’est déjà inacceptable, mais qu’il confonde hidjab, niqab et burka dans le seul but de tromper les gens et d’instaurer la peur, cela dépasse l’entendement», a-t-elle martelé.
National Post – Niqab Ban During Oath of Citizenship Escalating into a Full-Fledged Pre-Election Issue
The prime minister’s defence of the niqab ban — a ban that the federal court overturned earlier this month — is featured prominently on the Conservative party website. “In Canada, women are full and equal members of society. Including when they take the oath of citizenship,” reads text alongside an image of a woman’s raised hand. “That is why we are strongly opposed to anyone wearing a niqab … while taking the oath.” Stephen Harper’s citizenship and immigration minister, Chris Alexander, this week even suggested that wearing hijabs — headscarves that typically do not cover the face — could be problematic. “Niqab, hijab, burka, wedding veil — face coverings have no place in cit[izenship] oath-taking!” he tweeted. In an email to Conservative party supporters, Mr. Alexander wrote that new citizens “should recite the oath proudly, loudly and for everyone to see and hear.” He then seemed to use the terms niqab and hijab interchangeably, stating: “It’s why we filed a notice to appeal this week’s court decision allowing people to wear the hijab while taking the oath.” […] Mr. Alexander’s spokesman would not clarify on Friday if it was the minister’s position that hijabs that do not cover the face should also be banned from citizenship ceremonies.
