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.
Your Ottawa Region – Lanark County Needs Immigrants to Prevent Economic Decline
“Always the question is when we talk about newcomers is… why is diversity so important?” said Chela Breckon, project manager of the Local Immigration Partnership for Lanark and Renfrew counties. […] “Two thirds of our Canadian population growth comes from immigration. Population growth corresponds to economic development.” In fact, this year alone, immigration will account for all of Canada’s labour force growth, and for all net population growth by 2031, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The ministry has also found that Canadian-born replacement rates are falling and that, soon, any population growth will come solely from immigration. “We know that less and less people are coming to Lanark County,” said Breckon. “Our recent newcomers are arriving to the major centres. They are not seeing those smaller centres as attractive.”
Courrier Laval – L’ACEF poursuivra son action auprès des nouveaux arrivants
Pour une 2e année consécutive, l’Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) a accordé sa confiance à l‘Association coopérative d’économie familiale (ACEF) de l’Île-Jésus en octroyant une aide de 43 000 $ permettant la poursuite du projet Mieux comprendre les services bancaires canadiens jusqu’en mars 2015. Le projet, initié l’année dernière, vise à sensibiliser les nouveaux arrivants au système bancaire canadien. «Pour notre première année, qui se termine fin mars, on aura rencontré entre 600 et 650 personnes, estime la directrice, Micheline Côté. Mais pour la période de 2013 à 2015, on espère rejoindre 2000 personnes en tout, car on n’aura pas à refaire la recherche, la documentation et toutes les démarches pour monter le projet.»
Globe and Mail – Foreign Workers Hired Over Qualified Canadians on B.C. Coal Project: Court Filing
Résumés of workers who applied for jobs at a B.C. coal project show there were qualified Canadian applicants for positions that went to foreign employees, says a recently filed court document. People who applied for the jobs included workers with extensive mining experience, the document says. It was filed January 31 by lawyers for two B.C. unions that are fighting plans by Vancouver-based HD Mining to hire 201 temporary foreign workers for its Murray River Coal project near Tumbler Ridge.
Yahoo News – Gay, Latino Groups Forge Immigration Alliance
As a gay Mexican immigrant living in the United States illegally, Alex Aldana acutely understands his double-minority status. Not only does he fear deportation, he can’t seek citizenship by marrying a partner because the federal government doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages. He and other gay activists are hoping the new immigration debate at the top of Washington’s agenda will change that, and they are betting on a newly forged but still fragile alliance between a pair of voting blocs considered critical to President Obama’s re-election: Latinos and the gay community. […] Groups such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Council de la Raza and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund — all of which endorsed same-sex unions last year — reiterated this week that married gays should be part of a reform plan that provides a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.
The Guardian – Romanian Protests in Revolutionary Square At Britain’s Immigration Threat
“The message is very simple: to face reality and draw conclusions based on facts.” Mariana Campeanu, Romanian minister for labour, was in no mood to mince her words last week. […] There are at most about 150,000 Romanians in the UK: 80,000 working in agriculture, 6,000 working as doctors or nurses and 5,000 as students. Most of the others are in construction or jobs requiring a high degree of education. A tiny, negligible number are without work. Could we not, Campeanu implored, recall how the Romanian construction workers helped to build the Olympic stadium, a “special achievement”? Could we not see the benefits of the Romanians who had come to the UK? Why would we want to continue to make it difficult for highly intelligent young men and women to make homes there, she wondered? “I don’t think it is normal that some restrictions are addressed only to Romanians and Bulgarians as long as we believe we are equal citizens in the EU,” she said.
Macleans – The Inside Story of Jason Kenney’s Campaign to Win Over Ethnic Votes
Building a trusting relationship between the government and immigrant communities has fast become Kenney’s priority. Six to 10 times per year, his team organizes “friendship days” on the Hill, where leaders from cultural communities—spiritual leaders, heads of community centres, presidents of ethnic chambers of commerce, etc.—can arrange to meet ministers of their choosing. […] Kenney notes the Conservatives won 24 of 25 suburban Toronto ridings: “Without the support of the ethnic communities, we could never have done that.” The Conservatives estimate that they captured 42 per cent of the country’s ethnic vote last election—more than 30 per cent of their total vote, and more than any other party. “I have no intention of stopping now.”
