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.
CBC – Hundreds of Foreign Farm Workers Delayed from Entering Quebec
Some Quebec farmers are worried they won’t be able to find workers to plant their spring crops after hundreds of farm workers from Guatemala have been delayed from entering the country. According to FERME, an organization that recruits temporary foreign agricultural workers, more than 500 Guatemalans who were expected to arrive in Quebec are still waiting for their visas. […] Marie-Jeanne Vandoorne, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture Workers Alliance [said] About 70 per cent of the 10,000 foreign workers who come to Quebec every year are from Guatemala.
L’Express étudiant – Célébrons la diversité culturelle à l’Université d’Ottawa
Annuellement, l’Université d’Ottawa dédie une semaine pour célébrer les différentes origines des élèves. Cette année, la semaine du 4 au 7 février a marqué la énième semaine culturelle internationale. Les étudiants organisent eux-mêmes des kiosques où ils mettent en vedette leurs pays ancestraux. […] La première journée, la Roumanie, la Serbie, la Pologne et l’Afghanistan ont été présentés. À tour de rôle, l’Iran, Djibouti, les pays d’Afrique du Nord, la Colombie entre autres pays, ont été honorés. […] La participation à cet événement était énorme. D’autres élèves venus de différentes écoles et même plusieurs familles y ont assisté. Gardez un œil ouvert pour la semaine internationale l’année prochaine, ça vaut le coup d’y aller!
La Presse – É.-U.: régulariser les sans-papiers sera long et ardu
Les 11 millions de sans-papiers vivant aux États-Unis pourront demander une régularisation permanente au bout de dix ans si la réforme de l’immigration actuellement négociée par un groupe de sénateurs américains est mise en place, a annoncé dimanche l’un d’eux. Le projet de réforme, qui devrait être officiellement dévoilé en début de semaine après des mois de négociations en coulisse entre huit sénateurs démocrates et républicains, prévoit plusieurs étapes étalées sur plus d’une décennie. […] Avec cette demande, les clandestins obtiendraient un permis temporaire qui les autoriserait à travailler et voyager sans risque d’expulsion.
Globe and Mail – Time to Make Temporary Foreign Workers Permanent
As a nation of immigrants, we like to imagine that our families arrived and became citizens through a planned and orderly process. But for many of them, it didn’t work that way. They didn’t arrive thinking of themselves as immigrants at all but as temporary or seasonal workers. We’re a nation of temps who stuck around. This system of temporary status melding into permanence has worked very well as a means to create new Canadians. But it has recently fallen apart: The temporary, now here in greater numbers than ever, are finding themselves unable to become permanent.
CBC – Inaugural Conference on Diversity in Classroom Held in Edmonton
The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) is hosting its inaugural Inspiration into Action Conference at the Barnett House Auditorium in Edmonton this weekend. Over 100 teachers from across the province — including representatives from the public, separate and francophone school systems — will be attending the event, which is intended as a forum to discuss diversity, equity and human rights in the workplace and classroom. Information and training sessions will be held on such topics as cyber-bullying, support for sexual minorities, the learning needs of Aboriginal students, and supporting immigrant and refugee students.
Vancouver Sun – Farid Rohani Creatres Forum for Frank Multiculturalism Debate
Farid Rohani – businessman, member of the Baha’i faith, Iranian immigrant, chair of the Laurier Institution – has some strong views on multiculturalism, which might help Canadians get over their shyness about exploring the pros and cons of this policy. [… ] Rohani is not confident Canadian multicultural policies are leading to a truly coherent society. In line with Baha’i spiritual ideals, he hangs on to his belief in “unity in diversity.” But he challenges all Canadians to do more when it comes to inter-cultural integration. Last month Rohani organized a panel discussion on the B.C. Liberals’ “quick-win” ethnic strategy, which was designed to obtain votes by offering public apologies to Chinese and South Asian populations.
