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.
Globe and Mail – B .C. Lawsuit Spurs Ottawa to Review Foreign Worker Program
Ottawa will review a controversial federal program that brings thousands of foreign workers to Canada every year, under pressure over a B.C. mining company’s plans to hire Chinese workers. At any given moment, there are 300,000 to 450,000 temporary foreign workers in Canada in fields as diverse as agriculture, the service industry and high technology. Some argue the system lets foreigners take jobs from Canadians, while others complain it leaves temporary workers open to abuse, including being underpaid in unsafe conditions. […] The review comes after B.C. labour groups filed a court action to block permits for Chinese workers to come to British Columbia to toil at a Chinese-backed coal project.
Toronto Star – Concordia University Students Want Probe of Foreign-Student Recruiters
Concordia University students have asked Canada’s international education industry to probe the use of recruitment agents after foreign students there complained of substandard conditions in their home-stay arrangements. Some students from mainland China said they arranged their accommodations in Canada through Peter Low, director of the Concordia China Student Recruitment Partner program, and were promised furnished rooms and meals. “Some of them don’t get enough food. Their access to hot water and use of kitchen are restricted, and they can’t have visitors,” Nadine Atallah, vice-president of Concordia’s Undergraduate Students’ Association, said at a protest in Montreal this week.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada News Release – Minister Kenney Addresses Regulators Conference on Need to Help Newcomers Succeed in Canadian Labour Market
The Government of Canada needs the cooperation of regulators to help trained newcomers find meaningful work in Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said today. […] “Our improvements will help immigrants position themselves to succeed in our economy,” said Minister Kenney. “We will continue to work with regulators to improve the process for assessing and recognizing newcomers’ qualifications for licensure in their professions soon after they arrive in Canada. Working together, we can speed up the integration of newcomers into the Canadian labour market.”
Citizenship and Immigration Canada News Release – CIC Wins Technology Award for the Come to Canada Wizard
The Come to Canada Wizard, which helps people determine if they are eligible to live, work or study in Canada, received a prominent technology award last night for Excellence in Public Service Delivery. This award, presented at the GTEC Distinction Awards Gala, recognizes outstanding achievements by individuals or teams developing and implementing innovative projects to improve client-facing service delivery, with a specific focus on citizens or businesses as clients of government.
LA Times – Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Illegal Immigration Hardliner, Reelected
Voters in Arizona’s Maricopa County have reelected Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the face of Arizona’s controversial immigration enforcement law. […] He was one of the state’s most vocal supporters of SB 1070, which requires law enforcement officers to check the papers of anyone they suspect is an illegal immigrant. […] “I would like to get together with the Latino community, but they scream at you and I just can’t sit down” with them, Arpaio told a local NBC affiliate in Arizona on Tuesday night.
Calgary Herald – Poland Carries Out Probe of Detention Centres for Illegal Immigrants Following Complaints
Poland’s Interior Ministry is working with human rights organizations to investigate allegations of mistreatment of illegal immigrants in detention centres, the ministry said Monday. A Georgian and an Iranian woman have complained to Polish media of prison-like conditions, intrusive searches, humiliating treatment by armed guards, inadequate medical care and lack of education for children. […] Ministry spokeswoman Malgorzata Wozniak told The Associated Press that officials and watchdog groups, including the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, will visit five centres where foreigners who entered EU member Poland illegally are being held pending a decision on whether they will be deported or allowed to stay.
