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.
Montreal Gazette – Silicon Valley Billboard Luring Entrepreneurs Cost Canada $16K
A massive billboard outside the San Francisco airport luring Silicon Valley’s best and brightest to Canada cost the federal government $16,000 US, Postmedia News has learned. Meant to coincide with a four-day trip last weekend by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney during which he plugged Canada’s new start-up visa for immigrant entrepreneurs, the government considers it money well spent. […] The four-metre by 14-metre billboard on Hwy. 101 connecting San Fransisco airport and Silicon Valley urges those struggling to obtain a foreign worker visa in the U.S. to “pivot to Canada” where they can benefit from the new start-up visa as well as “low taxes.”
National Post – Canada Drags its Feet in Offering Aid to Syrian Refugees
In Ottawa, the foreign affairs department’s contribution of $50 million to Syrian humanitarian relief is not relatively ungenerous. But while the number of Syrians applying for temporary-resident visa applications (visitors, students, work permits) has skyrocketed since the Baathist massacres began, the number of Syrians that Canada has allowed in has actually fallen. While Canada is arguably the most refugee-friendly country on Earth, another even more unseemly data set shows that Canada has now effectively closed its borders to Syrian refugees. […] Now, everyone is resigned to hoping that Kenney might yet be convinced to approve, among some other paltry things, an emergency refugee sponsorship program funded wholly by the Syrian émigré community.
Politics.hu – Hungary, Canada Resolve Roma Migrant Problem Without Imposing Visa Regime
Issues concerning Roma immigrants in Canada have been resolved thanks to steadfast dialogue, thereby bypassing any reintroduction of visas for Hungarian visitors, a foreign ministry official said on Thursday. In February, Canada’s immigration ministry reported that the number of Hungarian asylum-seekers had dropped to close on zero after the country introduced a more stringent evaluation system for immigrants. Zsolt Nemeth, foreign state secretary, on a three-day visit to Canada, told MTI by phone that he had voiced support for plans to sign a free-trade deal between the European Union, the United States and Canada in talks with Jason Kenney, the minister for immigration, Morris Rosenberg, the deputy foreign minister and parliamentary officials.
Un tout premier candidat issu de l’immigration brigue les suffrages à Granby. Rodolfo Patino, président de l’Association latino-américaine unie de la Haute-Yamaska (ALAUHY), se lance dans la course au siège du quartier 7. Il devient du même coup le tout premier candidat de l’«Équipe Bonin». La réflexion de Rodolfo Patino pour se lancer en politique municipale s’est activée à la suite de la publication du dossier «À quand un premier immigrant élu?», publié en décembre dernier par GranbyExpress.com. […] D’après les données de Solidarité ethnique régionale de la Yamaska, la communauté immigrante représenterait de 7% à 8% de la population granbyenne. En nombre absolu, ils seraient environ 5 000 individus en provenance de 118 pays.
Journal de Montréal – Ils fraudent près de 400 Chinois
Soupçonnés d’avoir fraudé près de 400 ressortissants chinois en les faisant payer pour de prétendus services en immigration, deux Montréalais comparaîtront jeudi sous neuf chefs d’accusation. Jean-Michel Labelle, 58 ans, et sa présumée complice, Ekatarina Mdivani, 48 ans, font notamment face à des accusations de fraude, de faux et d’emploi de documents contrefaits. Selon la Gendarmerie royale du Canada, les deux suspects auraient commis une fraude qui s’élève à 600 000 $. L’enquête, menée par les policiers de la Section Immigration et passeports de la GRC, a permis d’établir que Labelle et Mdivani auraient floué leurs victimes par l’intermédiaire d’un représentant envoyé en Chine.
Global News – Chinese, Indian Immigration to Canada Slowing, TD Says
As living standards rise across China and South Asia it appears fewer workers from those countries are seeking immigration to Canada. Instead, new sources such as the Philippines are emerging as feeder countries to Canada’s fast-growing population of foreign-born residents, according to a new study released Wednesday by TD Economics. Based on data collected in the 2011 federal National Household Survey, first-generation Canadians or those born outside the country number 6.8 million, or 21 per cent of the population – the highest share among G8 nations, the TD report said. However, the total share of those coming from China and India – two historically dominant sources of inflows of immigrants to Canada – slipped to 56.9 per cent from 60 per cent in the last census in 2006.
