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.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada News Release – Find a Citizenship Ceremony Near You with New Interactive Map
A new online interactive map will help Canadians and permanent residents more easily find citizenship and reaffirmation ceremonies being held on Canada Day in their area, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today. “At over 33 citizenship ceremonies on Canada Day, we will welcome new citizens and reflect on the many freedoms, rights and responsibilities that we share,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. “This is also an ideal time for all Canadians to reaffirm their citizenship as a sign of how much this country means to us.”
Toronto Star – Roma Refugees Should Be Welcomed, Not Rebuffed
If there are bogus refugees in Canada, the Roma aren’t likely to be among them. The latest evidence comes from a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund. It states that the Roma are at great and growing risk in the European countries of their birth. Their rights are being systematically violated through deliberate neglect and persecution. They aren’t being killed outright, but extreme poverty, social marginalization and countless other forms of discrimination condemn many to a slow death. Writing in the online journal Open Democracy, Bernard Rorke, a respected researcher and advocate, states that the de facto segregation of the Roma “amounts to a wilful and malicious squandering of Roma communities’ most precious assets — the intellectual capacities of future generations.” The children, victims of xenophobia and deprived of care and education, are most at risk.
Globe and Mail – Stephen Lewis Explains Why New Jewish Group is Challenging Ottawa
Members of Canada’s Jewish community are challenging the federal government’s treatment of refugee claimants by lobbying for the repeal of laws that discourage asylum seekers from certain countries. A new group, called the Jewish Refugee Action Network, was recently launched in Toronto. […] JRAN is aimed at undoing a law that fast-tracks the applications from prospective refugees who come from a country the federal Immigration Minister has designated as safe and another law that strips refugees from those countries of the right to free health care.
La Presse – Obama vante les bénéfices économiques de la réforme de l’immigration
Le président américain Barack Obama a vanté samedi les bénéfices économiques potentiels de la réforme de l’immigration actuellement débattue au Congrès. «Un rapport du bureau du Budget au Congrès a clairement montré que ce projet de loi bipartisan et de bon sens aiderait la classe moyenne à faire croître notre économie et à réduire les déficits, en assurant que chaque travailleur en Amérique soit soumis aux mêmes règles et paie des impôts comme tout le monde», a fait valoir M. Obama dans son discours hebdomadaire diffusé sur internet et les radios.
Medicine Hat News – Saamis Immigration Toasts 25 Years, New Location
A rich mix of ethnically diverse people filled the offices of Saamis Immigration on Friday to celebrate its new premises and its 25th anniversary. This region owes a debt of gratitude to all the immigrants who helped to make it what it is today, said Ald. Phil Turnbull representing the City. He also thanked the organization for its hard work helping immigrants settle in. Dr. Richard Northcott, chair of the Saamis Immigration board, said we are in fact all immigrants and there is often cultural diversity within families now. “This is what makes Canada a great nation,” said Northcott.
More than 6,000 refugees arrive in this province every year, with some of them fleeing their home country on their own and others being privately sponsored. About half of them are Government Assisted Refugees (GARs). Almost 100 GARs arrived in this province during the first three months of this year alone, with 50 per cent of them children under 18. In B.C., the bulk of the GARs are settling in Coquitlam (30 per cent) and Surrey (29 per cent), with the rest going to Burnaby (11 per cent), North Vancouver (10 per cent), and New Westminster (nine per cent). So far this year, GARs have come from Iran (49 per cent), Iraq (24 per cent), Congo (11 per cent), Syria (eight per cent), and Ethiopia (four per cent).
