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 – Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification on Track to Cut Backlog in Half
Citizenship and Immigration Canada will re-open the Parent and Grandparent (PGP) program for new applications on January 2, 2014, by which time the backlog and wait times in the program are expected to have been cut in half. […] Phase II of the Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification will provide even faster processing times, reduce the backlog further, prevent future backlogs, ensure that families have the financial means to support those they sponsor, and protect the interests of taxpayers.
CBC – Don’t Bring Parents Here for Welfare, Kenney Says
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced new criteria for sponsoring parents and grandparents to come to Canada today that are aimed at ensuring elderly immigrants don’t end up on welfare or in social housing. The changes are part of “phase 2” of the government’s overhaul of the family reunification category of immigration. New applications for the program have been on hold since 2011 in order to cut down on a massive backlog that resulted in wait times of eight years.
National Post – Toronto’s Burgeoning Ethnic Press Caters to a New Wave of Immigrants Looking for News from “Back Home”
Thomas Saras started the ethnic press council in 1985 with six papers. The council has grown to 650 titles, including 185 ethnic newspapers in greater Toronto. (Possibly my favourite is Road, a truckers’ paper, “The first and only publication in North America that covers transportation in English and Russian.”) “Mississauga has 25 papers printed in Pakistani, Afghani, Urdu, Bengali and Punjabi,” says Mr. Saras, sitting in his cluttered office at City Hall, festooned with photos showing him with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other political figures, such as Mike Harris, David Peterson and Mel Lastman. While some cultural groups in Canada have largely switched to English-language publications, newer waves of immigrants want news from back home.
Gnet – Tunisie / Ambassade du Canada : Ouverture d’un centre pour les visas
Le gouvernement du Canada a annoncé aujourd’hui l’ouverture d’un nouveau centre de réception des demandes de visa (CRDV) à Tunis afin de faciliter le processus de présentation des demandes d’admission au Canada et de le rendre plus pratique. Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada (CIC) élargit son réseau de CRDV dans le monde entier afin d’offrir un soutien administratif précieux aux demandeurs avant, pendant et après l’évaluation de leur demande de résidence temporaire par un agent d’immigration de CIC.
La Presse – Immigration : les multiples visages de la région [d’Ottawa-Gatineau]
Une personne sur cinq est née à l’étranger dans la région d’Ottawa-Gatineau. C’est un des éléments qu’ont révélé les données de l’Enquête nationale auprès des ménages (ENM) de 2011 publiées hier par Statistique Canada hier. Selon l’ENM, les immigrants forment 19,4% de la population de la région de la capitale nationale, ce qui la classe au cinquième rang au Canada. Seules les régions métropolitaines de Toronto (48,6%), Vancouver (40,%), Calgary (26,2%) et Montréal (22,6%) la devancent au palmarès national. La région d’Ottawa-Gatineau accueille en moyenne autant d’immigrants que la moyenne nationale, soit environ 20%. Au total, l’enquête fait état de la présence de 235000 immigrants des deux côtés de la rivière des Outaouais. Les immigrants sont deux fois plus nombreux à Ottawa qu’à Gatineau. Ainsi, en 2011, on chiffre à 22,6% leur présence dans la capitale, contre 9,9% sur la rive québécoise.
Winnipeg Free Press – Newcomers are Growing Manitoba
After a decade of aggressive immigration, Manitoba still cannot quite match the national population growth; its western counterparts have outstripped efforts here. Census numbers released Wednesday show, however, the NDP government’s pursuit of newcomers — migrating primarily from Asia, overwhelmingly from the Philippines — kept Manitoba growing, topping 1.2 million people in 2011. In fact, the population growth in the last five years, at 5.2 per cent, doubled growth between 2001 and 2006.
