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.
Toronto Star – Federal Visa, Health Screening Falls Short, Auditor General Says
The federal government may be letting in visitors and new residents from abroad who pose health or security risks to Canadians because its screening process has long-standing problems, the auditor general warns. Citizenship and Immigration Canada, along with the Canada Border Services Agency, have “not fully managed” the risks around health, safety and security concerns before issuing visas to foreign nationals, Ottawa’s watchdog warned in a report Tuesday. “Deficiencies still exist in the measures used to identify foreign nationals who may be inadmissible for health, safety or security concerns,” interim Auditor General John Wiersema said in his fall report.
South Asian Focus – Community Forums To Spread Awareness About New Visa Rules
The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) is holding community forums in Vancouver and Toronto to facilitate dialogue on Canadian immigration issues including family reunification wait times, marriage fraud, foreign degree accreditation and refugee system reform. The first of these events was held in Surrey, BC, over the weekend, at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara’s Seniors Centre. The next townhall-type meeting follows in Toronto this December. The meetings are open to the public.
Toronto Star – Afghan Interpreter’s Plight Pits Ministries Against Each Other
Sayed Shah Sharifi remains in Afghanistan but the case of the interpreter who wants to come to Canada has pitted two of the largest government departments against each other. Such an increasingly public battle is rare here, but it is a sign of the emotions that have been sparked by Sharifi’s plight. It is also a faceoff between two departments run by powerful ministers, two men who are on everyone’s short list of potential successors to Stephen Harper some day. Those in the defence department are no longer shy about saying that Sharifi is being punished because he went public with his story, chronicled by the Star’s Paul Watson.
Toronto Star – Steward: Mixed Marriages Are On The Rise In The West
An increasing number of children of immigrants are marrying outside their ethnic communities, particularly in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, and even more are expected to do so in the future. According to figures compiled by Statistics Canada from the 2006 Census, almost 4 per cent of couples in Canada were mixed marriages. In comparison, mixed marriages represented 3.1 per cent of all couples in 2001 and 2.6 per cent in 1991. Between 2001 and 2006, mixed unions grew at a rapid pace (33 per cent), more than five times the growth for all couples. While these national numbers may seem small, the rate of mixed marriages in the large cities is proportionally much higher.
London Free Press – International Day Of Tolerance A Time To Reassess Attitudes
I have the honour of serving in the role of citizenship judge and several times annually have the privilege of swearing in new Canadians. I see faces beaming with pride and families together at last in a new land. They often tell me of what their lives were like before they came here, why they left their homeland and often family. Most say they had come to Canada to find freedom. What must it be like to these newly minted citizens to encounter rejection and prejudice when they discover that not all Canadians are tolerant and are unprepared to make them welcome. There is a segment of our population that deplores our immigration policies and does not want to embrace anything to do with the inclusion of newcomers.
Caledon Citizen – Prosperous Peel: From Integration To Inclusion
Increasing civic participation was on the minds of many at a conference in Mississauga Monday. […] The event was funded by an Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI) Community Builders grant, which is designed to strengthen social inclusion and the ability of communities and organizations to welcome and serve Ontarians of diverse backgrounds, particularly newcomers. “Civic engagement is the foundation of our democracy and I am encouraged that so many of you have come together to explore ways to make our society more inclusive,” commented Citizenship and Immigration Minister Charles Sousa.
