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.
Journal of Commerce – Concerns Raised Over New Immigration Task Force
A new British Columbia government task force created to review immigration programs and increase the number of skilled workers entering the province is lacking input from organized labour, says a local construction union leader. “We’ve laid out an ambitious plan to create jobs in the B.C. Jobs Plan and we will need skilled immigrants to help fill more than one million job openings expected over the next decade,” said Premier Christy Clark.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada – The International Visa Application Network Reaches West Africa
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney today announced the expansion of the international visa application centre (VAC) network into West Africa. The six new VACs that are scheduled to open on December 16 will be located in Nigeria (Lagos), Mali (Bamako), Niger (Niamey), Cote d’Ivoire (Abidjan), Senegal (Dakar) and Cameroon (Yaounde). With these openings, there will now be VACs in 41 countries around the world.
Globe and Mail – Is the Banning of Veils at Citizenship Oath Ceremonies Really Necessary?
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has announced that, beginning immediately, veiled Muslim women will have to remove their facial veils when they take their citizenship oath, to make sure the oath can be heard. He’s right that the oath needs to be taken, and heard to be taken. But then, anyone who has been to a citizenship ceremony lately knows that many oath-takers can’t be heard, and that the whole effort is more like a symbolic court or show-court than an actual one.
London Free Press – Foreign-Trained Workers Expand Canada’s Options
Could there be any greater asset when trying to compete in the global marketplace than having an abundance of global experience and talent right in our own back yard? The London Chamber of Commerce, and many chambers across Ontario, feel strongly that the foreign-trained professionals and skilled immigrants we have in our communities are indeed the kind of assets we will need to grow our economy and expand our connections to a wider array of business opportunities around the world.
National Post – Jason Kenney on Banning Niqabs During Citizenship Ceremony
All we ask of people is to fulfill the requirements of citizenship and to swear an oath before one’s fellow citizens that one will be loyal to our traditions that go back centuries. This common pledge is the bedrock on which Canadian society rests. That is why starting today, my department will require that all those taking the oath do so openly. From today, all persons will be required to show their face when swearing the oath.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada – Improving the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program
Canada is proposing changes to the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program that would help to reduce backlogs and improve processing times, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today. “These proposed changes would result in faster processing times, thereby improving the efficiency of the PSR Program,” said Minister Kenney. As part of Canada’s Refugee Resettlement Program, private sponsors, Groups of Five (G5s) who are five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and Community Sponsors (CSs), which are organizations that have not signed formal agreements with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), may submit applications to sponsor refugees from abroad.
