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 Critic Kevin Lamoreux Supports Lost Canadians Cause
“The Liberal Party will change this — I’ll attempt to get Minister Jason Kenney to talk about the (Lost Canadians) problem,” said Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, hearing about the struggle of the “Lost Canadians”, people born to a Canadian parent who were stripped of citizenship due to archaic citizenship laws. “If there’s even one Lost Canadian, that’s one person too many,” he said. The Deputy House Leader and Critic for Citizenship and Immigration was in Vancouver at the Canadian Legion on Commercial Drive to meet and greet constituents. He listened intently to the story of Jackie Scott, the daughter of a Canadian war veteran who grew up all her life in the country and learned that she had been excluded from citizenship because her parents were unmarried at the time of her birth.
The Muslim community in the London area is composed largely of immigrants, both early and recent. Like other immigrant communities, it has its share of family problems. Of particular concern has been family violence, mainly by males against other family members. In no way common, such conflict is nevertheless of great concern. It has alerted us to the need for intervention strategies that are both culturally responsive and effective.
Startup Visa Canada Aims To Upgrade Immigration Policy
On the heels of the Startup Visa Act awaiting presentation to Congress in the United States comes the launch of Startup Visa Canada, which aims to upgrade this country’s immigration program by making it easier for prospective entrepreneurs with Canadian investors to launch science and technology companies. The movement has three principles behind it: Boris Wertz, an investor and co-founder of GrowLab; Danny Robinson, an entrepreneur, investor and member of the B.C. Innovation Council; and the Canadian Venture Capital Association (CVCA). “We are already falling behind countries like Chile, Singapore and Britain, who have already upgraded their programs,” Mr. Wertz says, “but I believe we can learn from their programs and make ours better.”
Calgary Wildrose Member Withdraws From Nomination Race, Calls Party “Anti-Immigration”
A woman who was seeking the Wildrose nomination in Calgary McCall has withdrawn from the race, saying the party is anti-immigration and doesn’t want new Canadians as members. Deepshikha Brar said she made a mistake when she left the Progressive Conservative party to join Wildrose Alliance last year and intends to return to the Tory fold. She says she grew concerned that the Wildrose supports disbanding the Alberta Human Rights Commission and it also is not in favour of recognizing foreign credentials of new Canadians.
Two criminal cases on Prince Edward Island in the last week illustrate the difficulty of sentencing immigrants, who will likely pay the additional penalty of being deported if they have a criminal record, some lawyers say. Yetunde Oluwo, 20, walked into a Charlottetown courtroom on Monday with the possibility of being sentenced to jail time, which would have meant a quick exit from Canada.
A US Muslim civil liberties group has called for a federal investigation and Senate hearings into a report alleging that the CIA helped the New York Police Department (NYPD) in spying on minority communities. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it suspects the joint CIA-police intelligence gathering described in an Associated Press (AP) report violates the US Constitution, and the US Privacy Act of 1974, which bans the intelligence agency from spying on Americans.
