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.
CTV News – Ombudsman to Review Sask. Immigration Nominee Changes that Upset People
Saskatchewan’s ombudsman plans to review how the province made changes to its immigrant nominee program. Kevin Fenwick has told the government he’ll review the transition to the new requirements and how it affected people that have approached his office. Saskatchewan announced in May that it was tightening its immigration rules after a request from Ottawa. Under new rules, someone can nominate only one family member at a time instead of nominating multiple relatives all at once and those nominees need to have a job offer.
The Globe and Mail – Reversal of Fortunes Sends Spaniards to Latin America
Spaniards are traditionally reluctant to emigrate and they are among the least likely in Europe to go abroad for work. But with the unemployment rate at 25 per cent, more Spaniards are ready to leave behind the comforts of home. […] Roughly 370,000 people emigrated from Spain in 2011, 10 times more than before the economy tanked in 2008. […] More than 9,000 went to Latin America, up from about 3,600 in 2006.
Toronto Sun – Foreign Workers Shouldn’t Get Jobs Canadians Can Do: Kenney
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Wednesday he wants to ensure the temporary foreign work program operates “on the basis of Canadians first” in light of concerns raised about permits granted to Chinese miners at a B.C. coal mine. […] Human Resources and Skills Development Canada is now investigating why the work permits were granted to about 200 mine workers at HD Mining International Ltd., located west of Grand Prairie, Alta. Employers who wish to hire temporary foreign workers must apply for a “labour market opinion” from Service Canada that assesses “the impact the foreign worker would have on Canada’s labour market.”
Winnipeg Free Press – Sentence No Comfort to Bilked Immigrant
A four-and-a-half-year prison sentence handed to a Winnipegger who bilked poor foreigners out of hundreds of thousands of dollars is no comfort, says one of his victims. […] Bradley Jacobson, a former immigration consultant, was sentenced in Winnipeg Monday for making fraudulent job offers to people overseas. Pandey, a Nepalese-Canadian, was helping friends in Nepal look for work in Canada. The southern Ontario man checked out Jacobson’s offer of jobs in the oil industry and his credentials. The Winnipeg businessman seemed legitimate, was listed as a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council and had been interviewed by media and won a business award, Pandey said.
Hamilton Spectator – Survey Suggests Canadian Hearts Hardening Toward Immigrants
The latest results of the Citizenship and Immigration tracking survey — conducted every year since 1996 to gauge public opinion on immigration — suggest that national attitudes toward both the number and the value of Canadian immigrants are shifting. The 2012 survey, obtained under access to information laws, found the number of Canadian respondents who said they felt immigration was having a positive effect on the economy was 56 per cent — a decline of 10 percentage points from the 2010 survey. The number of respondents who said they believe immigration has a positive impact on Canadian culture came in at 40 per cent, a decline of between 16 to 18 per cent from 2010 levels.
Montreal Gazette – Most Sri Lankan Tamil Migrants from MV Sun Sea Await Decision on Refugee Claims
More than two years after a boatload of hundreds of asylum-seeking Sri Lankan Tamils arrived on the West Coast — sparking a vow by the Harper government to crack down on what it called immigration “queue jumpers” — the vast majority of the migrants remain in Canada waiting for decision on their refugee claims. Two have been removed from the country. […] According to Toews’ update, 20 refugee claims have since been approved and 35 have been rejected. Another 23 individuals were excluded from the refugee determination process because the Immigration and Refugee Board found them inadmissible for reasons of national security or because of their involvement in the smuggling operation.
