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.
Montreal Gazette – Coronavirus: Anxiety Levels High Inside Laval’s Immigration Holding Centre
One detainee, eagerly awaiting deportation to the U.S., said social distancing is impossible in the facility. “It just takes one person and we’re all screwed,” the American said Thursday in a phone interview with the Montreal Gazette while discussing his fears of the coronavirus. The detainee said guards at the centre appear to be experiencing the same anxieties over having to work in such close proximity to others. According to the CBSA’s website, the centre can house up to 109 detainees.
Globe and Mail – Ottawa to Roll Out Foreign Aid as Part of the Fight Against COVID-19 Spread
The Canadian government will soon roll out millions in foreign aid spending to help combat the spread of COVID-19 abroad, particularly in refugee camps and developing countries, says International Development Minister Karina Gould. Last week, the government announced plans to pledge $50-million to the World Health Organization and other bilateral aid as a part of a larger $1-billion coronavirus response package.
Globe and Mail – Canadians in U.S. Scramble to Prepare for Travel Restrictions
The evolving travel restrictions have been a shock for Canadian tourists and snowbirds left scrambling to find a way home before the border is closed to non-essential travel, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said could come as early as Friday night. But it is quickly turning into a nightmare for the roughly 900,000 Canadians living full-time in the United States and for cross-border families who travel between the two countries on a regular basis.
La Presse – Travailleurs agricoles étrangers : l’UPA criant pour les récoltes en en appelle à Trudeau
Avec la fermeture des frontières, les travailleurs étrangers qui ont atterri mardi à Montréal sont vraisemblablement les derniers, à tout le moins pour quelques semaines, à être accueillis dans les fermes québécoises. Inquiète, l’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) a envoyé une lettre au premier ministre Trudeau pour lui demander de permettre à la main-d’œuvre issue d’autres pays de venir au Canada afin d’éviter que la saison des fruits et légumes ne soit compromise. Une crainte appréhendée par de nombreux agriculteurs.
ICI Alberta – Fermeture de la frontière : inquiétude chez la communauté immigrante
Pour la communauté immigrante en Alberta, dont certains proches vivent toujours à l’étranger, la fermeture partielle des frontières canadiennes pour endiguer la propagation du coronavirus soulève beaucoup de questionnements et d’inquiétude. À l’organisme Francophonie albertaine plurielle (FRAP), qui offre notamment des services aux nouveaux arrivants, le nombre d’appels a considérablement augmenté depuis l’annonce de la fermeture des frontières, indique son directeur par intérim, Cherif Diallo.
Global News – Trump Continues to Call Coronavirus ‘Chinese Virus’ in Spite of Hate Crime Risks
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he doesn’t think calling COVID-19 the “Chinese virus” — or the “kung-flu,” as one administration official reportedly called it — puts Asian Americans at risk of retaliation despite growing reports they are facing virus-related discrimination. Since coronavirus infections started appearing in the United States in January, Asian Americans have shared stories of minor aggression to blatant attacks from people blaming them for the pandemic, which has killed more than 130 people in the United States.
