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 – Hamilton Man Who Fled Syria Fights Feds to Keep Wife in Canada
The Mountain resident and his three children are anxiously waiting on the fate of Wafaa Abdou, his wife of 12 years who is awaiting deportation in a Rexdale correctional facility. She is also the subject of an information picket in Hamilton at 4 p.m. outside the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) office on Bay Street North. The family fled Syria’s civil war nearly two years ago, starting a tangle with the federal government that Wilkie says exposes the heartlessness of Canada’s new immigration laws. When the family arrived in June 2011, Wilke was certain his Egyptian-born wife would be welcomed in Canada. Now the east-end native says he feels “powerless and guilty.”
Citizenship and Immigration Canada News Release – Minister Kenney Announces Citizenship Judge Appointment
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today that former Toronto Star columnist and Corriere Canadese editor Angelo Persichilli has been appointed citizenship judge for the Greater Toronto Area. […] He was Director of Communications to the Prime Minister from September 2011 to April 2012. Citizenship judges are responsible for making decisions on citizenship applications, presiding over citizenship ceremonies and administering the oath of citizenship to new citizens.
Winnipeg Free Press – Departments Ignore House of Commons Committee’s Request for Documents
Several departments are ignoring a House of Commons committee’s demand to turn over action plans after being scrutinized by the auditor general, a failure one MP calls contempt of Parliament. […] Citizenship and Immigration Canada says the rule applies only if the department is asked to testify at the committee. “An action plan relating to an OAG (Office of the Auditor General) report is normally tabled after the committee calls the department to appear as part of a study of that OAG report,” said departmental spokeswoman Tracie LeBlanc. “In this case, the … committee … has not yet chosen to study this OAG report, and thus has not called Citizenship and Immigration Canada to appear before the committee.”
Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés – Communiqué – Le CCR dénonce la baisse importante du nombre de réfugiés réinstallés au Canada
Le Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés a exprimé aujourd’hui sa profonde déception face à la diminution spectaculaire du nombre de réfugiés réinstallés au Canada en 2012. Contrairement à l’engagement pris récemment par le gouvernement d’augmenter le nombre de réfugiés réinstallés, l’an 2012 figure en avant-dernière position parmi les 30 dernières années. Rappelons qu’en décembre 2011, lors d’une réunion commémorant le 60e anniversaire de la Convention sur les réfugiés, à Genève, le ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration a annoncé : « Nous promettons d’augmenter de 20 % le nombre de réfugiés que nous réinstallons sur notre territoire. » En fait, le nombre de réfugiés réinstallés en 2012 a chuté de 26 % par rapport à 2011, et aux cibles annoncées pour 2012.
National Post – “Drafting Error” Gives 1,650 Failed Refugee Claimants Access to Appeal – and a New Law May be the Only Fix
The federal government has quietly conceded that it made a “drafting error” in its oft-criticized refugee legislation passed last June and it appears a new law may be the only way to fix it. A “note” posted on Citizenship and Immigration’s website just above an explanation about Canada’s new Refugee Appeal Division suggests the new provision, which allows certain failed asylum claimants to seek a second opinion, came into force four months before it was supposed to. Citizenship and Immigration estimates the “legislative error” means about 1,650 claimants who filed their application between Aug. 15 and Dec. 15 last year will now be able to access the Refugee Appeal Division if initially turned down.
Meadowlake Progress – Free Legal Advice Offered to Residents
Meadow Lake area residents who need legal help but cannot afford it will have somewhere to turn in the near future. The Pro Bono Law Society of Saskatchewan (PBLS) has announced the opening of a free legal clinic in Meadow Lake that will open to the public on March 1. Free legal services will be offered in Meadow Lake by one local lawyer as well as via video-conferencing with attorneys in other parts of the province. […] Frequent areas of help are in immigration, where PBLS lawyers often help individuals go through the refugee process, for example.
