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.
CTV News – Refugee Claimants Forced to Turn to Welfare as Work Permits Stalled in Federal Bureaucracy
In 2017, Quebec experienced a wave of refugee claimants streaming across the border to apply for asylum in Canada. Many of those people are still waiting for their hearings with the Canadian government. They’ve been waiting so long their 2-year work permits are now expiring, and many people able and willing to find work on their own are out of a job and on public assistance. Three refugee organizations confirmed with CTV that this is becoming a significant issue for refugee claimants.
Toronto Star – Refugee and Peace by Chocolate Founder Tareq Hadhad Becomes Canadian Citizen in Halifax Ceremony
A Nova Scotia chocolate maker who came to Canada as a Syrian refugee has become a Canadian citizen. Tareq Hadhad, the founder of Peace by Chocolate in Antigonish, took part in a special citizenship ceremony Wednesday in Halifax. “It’s amazing,” he said after the ceremony at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Hadhad’s family had made chocolates in Syria for more than 20 years, but their factory was destroyed in a bombing that forced them to leave the country in 2012.
La Presse – Le Mexique viole les droits des migrants clandestins, selon Human Rights Watch
Le Mexique viole les droits humains des migrants clandestins qui passent sur son territoire pour demander l’asile aux États-Unis, a déclaré mardi l’organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) dans son rapport annuel. L’ONG affirme que les violations des droits de l’homme perpétrées par des membres des forces de sécurité mexicaines – y compris des abus contre les migrants – se sont poursuivies sous le gouvernement de gauche du président Andrés Manuel López Obrador, qui a pris ses fonctions en décembre 2018.
Thunder Bay is one of 11 Canadian communities taking part in the Rural and Northern Immigration pilot project, which aims to help those communities attract and retain skilled workers, who can fill jobs that employers are having difficulty filling locally. “We are just in the final stages of finalizing the community criteria details of our agreement with the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada),” she said, adding the program should be ready to accept applications in the coming weeks.
Opinion: Harry and Meghan Will Need a Good Immigration Lawyer if They Want to Stay in Canada
Richard Kurland, a Vancouver immigration lawyer, has been considering their case. If the royal couple wish to live in Canada, he says, Meghan would qualify for permanent resident status under the cultural activities component of the Self-Employed Persons Program. With Harry as the principal applicant, the path would become more difficult.
Toronto Star – Canadian Refugee Makes History as State Delegate at UNHCR Forum
With little fanfare, Canada made history at a recent United Nations conference in Geneva by having a refugee as part of its official delegation. While Mustafa Alio’s role as a state delegate had gone largely unnoticed, it marked a historic moment for the international community to — for the first time — have a refugee at the table among world leaders and diplomats who made high-level global policy decisions that dictate the fate of millions of displaced migrants seeking resettlement.
