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.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada – Minister Kenney Criticizes Durban Commemorative Event In New York
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney today condemned events to mark the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action (DDPA), often referred to as Durban III. “Today, the United Nations – an organization built on a foundation of peace and unity – will commemorate an event that was used as a platform to single out and demonize Israel. And it will be used to spread anti-Semitic views on a global scale,” Minister Kenney told a conference objecting to the events at the UN. Titled The Perils of Global Intolerance: The United Nations and Durban III, the conference was jointly presented by The Hudson Institute and Touro College Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust. “Canada is clearly committed to the fight against racial injustice, but we do not support an agenda that has been usurped by some to promote racism rather than combat it.”
Northern Ontario Business Awards – Entrepreneurial Community Award Of The Year
New immigrants arriving in North Bay often found their stay in the city to be short-lived. “They were staying, three months, or six months, and then off to Toronto they would go,” said Don Curry, executive director of the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre. “The spouse who didn’t have a job was not getting connected to the city nor developing networks. It was a revolving door and an issue that had to be addressed.” The centre, which opened in 2008, helps newcomers and immigrants feel at home, and possibly stay longer in the city, by offering a variety of services such as the community integration programs. More than 100 people a year have come to the centre to take advantage of its services and programs. In addition to settlement services, it is home to the North Bay Newcomer Network, the city’s Local Immigration Partnership project funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Globe and Mail – On Immigration, Canada Could Learn From World Capitals
Ratna Omidvar thinks Canadian cities could be doing more to welcome skilled and entrepreneurial immigrants. As president of Maytree, a Toronto-based foundation that seeks to reduce poverty and inequality, Ms. Omidvar knows how important these newcomers are to urban economies. Through its DiverseCity project, Maytree is working to propel more members of the Greater Toronto Area’s visible minority population into leadership roles. But the GTA has some catching up to do, says Ms. Omidvar, who is also co-chair of DiverseCity Community Resource Society. In a 2009 report, Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute in Management & Technology found that visible monitories accounted for just 14 per cent of the region’s leadership positions, even though they made up 49.5 per cent of its population.
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants – Anti-Poverty Groups Release Provincial Racial Justice Report Card
In preparation for the upcoming provincial election, members of racialized communities will release the Racial Justice Report Card for Ontario at a press conference on Wednesday, September 21, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at 110 Eglinton Avenue West, 2nd Floor, Toronto, Ontario. The Report Card is compiled by the Colour of Poverty Campaign – Colour of Change Network (COP-COC) with inputs from or research by a number of community based organizations working in different sectors including anti-racism work, health, education, housing, legal services, and child care. COP-COC will release its final grades for the three main political parties based on their record during their most current term of office and their proposed election platforms. The grades will reflect the parties’ stated as well as actual commitment to promoting racial justice and equity in Ontario.
Globe and Mail – Jason Kenney Heads To New York To Condemn Those Who Condemn Israel
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is heading to New York to join with other pro-Israel luminaries in protesting Durban III, a UN-sponsored conference on racism Thursday that’s gained notoriety as a platform for anti-Semitism. Mr. Kenney will join Nobel laureate Eli Wiesel and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in speaking out against Durban III, the United Nations meeting that commemorates the anniversary of the 2001 Durban conference on racism.
London Free Press – Cap Immigrant Numbers, Group Says
Canada should cap the number of newcomers to this country. The call comes from the Centre for Immigration Policy Reform, a non-governmental organization. “Since immigration was raised to levels of a quarter of a million and more in the late 1980s, there has been a continued deterioration in the performance of new immigrants in the Canadian labour market which, given the recent recession and current sluggish state of the economy, is likely to worsen,” said Patrick Grady, CIPR Board member. “With immigrants paying fewer taxes, other taxpayers must pay for the social benefits they receive. “These costs now amount to between $16 and $23 billion annually.” The group also wants a shift in focus from humanitarian and family class immigrants to economic immigrants with road-ready work skills.
