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.
Radio-Canada – Le Canada peut-il accepter 50 000 réfugiés fuyant la violence de l’État islamique?
Épreuve des faits – L’ancien premier ministre Jean Chrétien propose que le Canada accepte 50 000 réfugiés en provenance d’Irak et de Syrie. Est-ce possible d’accepter autant de réfugiés d’un seul coup? Vérification faite : non. Si les groupes d’appui aux réfugiés répondent d’une façon optimiste, les experts estiment que 50 000 réfugiés d’un seul coup, c’est beaucoup trop. Le Haut commissariat des Nations unies pour les réfugiés (UNHCR) a lancé un appel aux États afin qu’ils accueillent 100 000 ressortissants syriens en 2015 et 2016. Par le passé, lors de tels appels, le Canada a accepté 10 % du nombre total de réfugiés, ce qui donnerait, dans ce cas-ci, 10 000 personnes. Pour le moment, le Canada a accepté 1300 réfugiés syriens. Selon le chef du Parti libéral, Justin Trudeau, seulement 200 d’entre eux sont entrés au pays jusqu’à maintenant. Le gouvernement fédéral conteste ce chiffre, disant que 1100 autres demandeurs d’asile ont également été acceptés, mais qu’ils étaient déjà au Canada.
On September 20, 2014, protesters staged a rally in front of Laval Immigration Detention Centre, only thirty kilometres from McGill’s campus, in solidarity with the struggle of non-status migrants detained indefinitely in prisons across Canada. Our country has long treated non-status migrants abusively, but the action on September 20 was symbolic since it marked almost exactly a year since the largest migrant detainee strike in Canadian history. In Lindsay, a town in southeastern Ontario, hundreds of migrants who were being detained indefinitely were moved from a minimum security facility in Toronto to the Central East Correctional Centre (CECC), a maximum security private prison. Having only been in Lindsay a few weeks, on September 17, 2013, 191 migrants went refused to enter the cells, protesting initially against the reduced access to health and social services. In response the CECC administration put the strikers on lockdown, confining them to their cells for up to 18 hours a day. Several migrants went on hunger strike, and the scope of the strike widened to demand an end to the policy of indefinite detention.
Edmonton Journal – Immigration Backlogs Caused by Systemic Problems: May
Systemic problems plaguing Canada Immigration has created a backlog of immigrants, including delaying adoptions from the Democratic Republic of Congo by couples from across the country, including Alberta, Green party leader Elizabeth May says. May said 85 per cent of the complaints handled by her constituency office in British Columbia are immigration-related, and are difficult to resolve. […] May recently wrote to Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, joining a list of Opposition members who have asked him to intervene on behalf of adopted Congolese children who have been prevented from joining their Canadian families by a bureaucratic snag. In short, Congolese officials are demanding that Canada provide visas for the children to receive exit letters — at the same time Canadian officials are demanding exit letters from the Congolese government before they will grant the children visas.
CBC – Author to Share Newcomer Stories at Citizenship Event
Ponziano Aluma will be sure to ask one very important question the next time someone invites him out for lunch: “Am I buying, or are you buying?” In Aluma’s home country, Uganda, it is customary that the person who extends an invitation for lunch buys the meal. So, when he moved to Regina he was a bit confused when a new friend invited him for lunch at the College West Cafeteria at the University of Regina. “When I came to the till, I didn’t have money,” Aluma explained. “I had a tray full of food and I didn’t have any money to pay for it. It was so embarrassing.” Aluma writes about that experience and the experiences of other newcomers in his book, We’re Here, Now What? The stories of newcomers, from the fascinating to the humorous to the insightful, will be showcased Thursday night at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Regina during an event celebrating new citizens. Aluma will co-host the evening event with CBC Radio’s Sheila Coles, from The Morning Edition. The public is welcome to share a story or simply enjoy the event, which will feature stories of people from Burma, Uganda, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, the United States and Liberia.
Rabble – Domestic Violence Cases Spike After Immigration Law Amendment
The October 2012 amendment to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act was designed to deter immigration fraud; however, the proposed changes had earlier alarmed stakeholders who feared that these changes could compromise the safety of immigrant women. According to social service providers, those early fears may be proving prescient, as some report an increased caseload of violence against women. This is a chilling development when the Canadian Women’s Foundation website already cautions that every six days a Canadian woman is killed by her intimate partner. The amendment, termed conditional permanent residency, requires that sponsored spouses must cohabit in a legitimate relationship for two years before obtaining permanent residency. A caveat does provide assurance that in cases of proven abuse or neglect the victim would not be deported.
Toronto Star – 1,540 Filipinos Came After Typhoon, Ottawa Now Says
After a bewildering five-month delay, the federal government has responded to questions from the Star about special immigration measures enacted a year ago for victims of Typhoon Haiyan. “Approximately 1,540 Filipinos entered Canada as a result of the special measure . . . as of October 2014,” a Citizenship and Immigration spokesman said Thursday in an emailed statement. Another 269 applications were rejected and 519 cases are still being processed nearly one year after the typhoon decimated the Philippine city of Tacloban and neighbouring villages on Nov. 8, 2013. The aim of the fast-tracking program announced in the days after the disaster was to provide “immediate” relief to people in need, Minister Chris Alexander said at the time. […] After emailing the statement Thursday afternoon, the department could not immediately provide answers to follow-up questions. A number of things remain unclear, including how many of the 1,540 Filipinos who “entered Canada” through the special measures were typhoon victims and how many remain in Canada today.
