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.
First-Generation Students Blaze Trail That Sets Example For Siblings
Their future areas of study differ, but Muhammad Cheema and Zayan Rafeek share a common connection beyond friendship: each is a trailblazer within their families in the pursuit of higher learning. Both bound for Toronto’s Ryerson University in the fall, the pair will be among a distinct group of newcomers welcomed into the frosh fold, among the first in their families to make the leap to college or university. The post-secondary experience in many families can be traced through generations, and in some instances, there are time-honoured traditions. Some may opt to follow the path of older relatives or siblings who attended the same alma mater, or perhaps pursue a similar area of study.
Harper Prepared To Act As Syrian-Canadians Report Threats From Assad Regime
Canadian authorities would be prepared to act on allegations that Syrian immigrants to Canada have been threatened by the Assad regime, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday. While he was personally unaware of the accusations, Harper said Canada would not tolerate that kind of thing. “We certainly would be prepared to look into them and to ensure that the Syrian government is not undertaking any such actions in this country,” Harper said. Some Syrian immigrants to Canada say people associated with the regime of President Bashar Assad have warned them against speaking out against his government.
Australia To Post YouTube Film To Curb People Smuggling
The video will show arrivals at Australia’s offshore detention centre on Christmas Island being expelled and boarding aircraft. Canberra recently signed a deal with Malaysia to accept 800 boatpeople intercepted in Australia. Asylum seekers remain a politically sensitive issue in Australia. Australia currently has more than 6,000 asylum seekers in detention, originating from countries including Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
With a low birth rate, Canada will need immigrants to help drive economic growth. But does our system reward the immigrants most likely to create that growth? We want skilled workers, or so goes the mantra. But the set of skills most likely to create jobs – entrepreneurship, or that intangible mix of creativity, personal drive and business acumen – gets short shrift in our immigration system.
Farmers across the country are rallying to fight a Republican-sponsored bill that would force them and all other employers to verify the legal immigration status of their workers, a move some say could imperil not only future harvests but also the agricultural community’s traditional support for conservative candidates. The bill was proposed by Representative Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. It would require farmers — who have long relied on a labor force of immigrants, a majority here without legal documents — to check all new hires through E-Verify, a federal database run by the Department of Homeland Security devised to ferret out illegal immigrants.
Emotions are running high in Forest Lawn where a group with ties to known white supremacists seems intent on recruiting like-minded people through a poster campaign. The black-and-white posters, with statements like “Immigration costs Canadian taxpayers $23 billion annually” coupled with statistics purporting to reflect Canadian immigration and unemployment, have been glued to bus stations, light standards and telephone poles throughout the southeast neighbourhood. At the bottom, the words “Does this seem right to you?” are followed by “If not, contact.”
