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.
La Presse – Difficile intégration des minorités
Les minorités visibles et audibles qui immigrent dans la région ont de la difficulté à développer leurs réseaux sociaux. Contrairement aux Français et aux Belges francophones, ils sont désavantagés à leur arrivée au Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. Ces conclusions sont issues du mémoire Les stratégies de développement du capital social chez les personnes immigrantes au Lac-Saint-Jean, présenté par Judith Camier, organisatrice communautaire pour le CSSS Domaine-du-Roy.
Le Devoir – La CSDM est invitée à ouvrir ses écoles aux enfants sans-papiers
Une trentaine de personnes ont manifesté mercredi soir devant les bureaux de la Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM) pour rappeler que les portes de l’école sont fermées aux enfants sans-papiers. Le fils d’Alvaro a dix-sept ans. Le père, inquiet, ne peut donner son vrai prénom : lui et sa famille tentent depuis six ans, sans succès, de régulariser leur situation. Difficile d’estimer combien de jeunes se retrouvent dans la même situation. Selon le collectif Éducation sans frontières, de 30 000 à 40 000 personnes sans-papiers vivraient dans la métropole, dont de nombreuses familles. Invisibles, la plupart vivent dans la peur d’être retracées par l’immigration si leurs enfants fréquentent l’école, dit la porte-parole du collectif Romina Hernandez.
Toronto Star – YYZ is Our Living Museum of Canadian Immigration
The airport, like public transit, is where Toronto’s motto, “Diversity our Strength,” can be seen in action. […] Pier 21 in Halifax is a museum to Canada’s immigrant past but as the country’s busiest airport serving the GTA — the whole region doesn’t get enough credit for bulking up the city’s famous motto — Toronto Pearson International Airport is a living monument to Canada’s multicultural mix. Few arrive in Canada by boat these days; only the airport matters. Flights are expensive, but some people spend years saving for the big trip back to the old country or to fly in a relative, so the economic range of people who travel these runways shouldn’t be underestimated.
Toronto Star – Toronto Declared “Sanctuary City” to Non-Status Migrants
Toronto has made history by affirming itself as a “sanctuary city,” the first Canadian city with a formal policy allowing undocumented migrants to access services regardless of immigration status. On Thursday, City Council passed the motion by a vote of 37 to 3 that also requires training all city staff and managers to ensure Toronto’s estimated 200,000 non-status residents can access its services without fear of being turned over to border enforcement officers for detention and deportation. […] Council’s vote was significant at a time when the undocumented population is expected to surge in 2015, when many legal but temporary foreign workers will see their four-year work permits expire under a new federal law and potentially move “underground.” […] The new city policy will not address barriers faced by non-status residents for services under the provincial or federal jurisdictions such as housing, income security, welfare and labour protection.
Toronto Star – Jason Kenney Attracts “Bieber-Like” Following in Ethnic Communities
During a jam-packed itinerary stretching across the GTA on a recent Saturday, Kenney was mobbed by excited shoppers at the Pacific Mall in Markham, grabbed on Toronto streets by supporters for impromptu photos, cheered by hundreds at a Tibetan New Year celebration and showered with confetti at a gala dinner. For Kenney it’s all in a day’s work. As point man for the Conservative Party with Canada’s ethnic community and as minister of immigration and multiculturalism, he has worked assiduously to gain support for both himself and the party. He has succeeded — with some in the Chinese community describing Kenney as ‘the Justin Bieber of Canadian politics. […] Kenney’s popularity, and the popularity of his party, didn’t come easy. The ethnic and immigrant vote has traditionally been the stronghold of the Liberal Party and to a lesser degree the NDP.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Communiqué — Le Canada délivre un nombre record de visas de visiteur en 2012
Le Canada a délivré un nombre record de visas de visiteur en 2012, soit près de un million de visas, ont annoncé aujourd’hui Jason Kenney, ministre de la Citoyenneté, de l’Immigration et du Multiculturalisme, et Maxime Bernier, ministre d’État aux Petites entreprises et au Tourisme. « Le gouvernement est déterminé à attirer un nombre croissant de visiteurs au Canada dans le cadre de son plan visant à assurer la croissance de l’économie canadienne et à créer des emplois », a déclaré le ministre Kenney. Le nombre de visas délivrés en 2012 représente une augmentation de près de 40 % depuis 2004.
