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.
CBC News – 6 Ways to Support New Refugees to Canada
While coming to Canada means finding a safe haven for refugees, these particular newcomers still face the monumental tasks involved with starting over and wrapping their heads around a new way of life —all while processing recent trauma. Whether you want to raise funds or give of your time and skills, here’s how you can show allyship to refugees coming to Canada.
Chronicle Herald – New LGBTQ Canadians in Spotlight at Halifax Citizenship Ceremony
One of the themes of the ceremony was to mark Pride Month and to emphasize the importance of welcoming LGBTQ people to our country. Homosexuality is still illegal in many countries, the presiding citizenship Judge Joan Mahoney told the crowd who packed Paul O’Regan Hall in remarks before she swore in the new Canadians. While progress is still to be made in Canada on LGBTQ issues, in some places “there’s the real threat of discrimination, torture and even death,” the judge said.
Toronto Star – Canada’s Refugee Claim Acceptance Rate Falls Amid Record Backlog of Asylum Seekers
Despite a record backlog of asylum seekers, Canada accepted fewer refugee claims last year — the first decline under a streamlined determination system launched in 2012. Only 7,600 cases were accepted in 2018, down from 8,086 the year before, according to an annual report released by the Canadian Council for Refugees on Wednesday. The 4.5 per cent drop in the acceptance rate comes as the country grapples with a record 73,168 asylum claimants in the backlog — up from 43,250 at the end of 2017.
Pew Research Center – Canada Now Leads the World in Refugee Resettlement, Surpassing the U.S.
Canada resettled more refugees than the United States in 2018, the first time the U.S. did not lead the world on this measure since the adoption of the Refugee Act in 1980, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of new data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Canada resettled 28,000 refugees last year, similar to its total in 2017. Meanwhile, the U.S. resettled 23,000, down from 33,000 the previous year – and a recent high of 97,000 in 2016.
Radio-Canada – Info – Comment vont désormais être sélectionnés les immigrants au Québec ?
Avec l’adoption du projet de loi 9 sur l’immigration débute désormais un nouveau système dans la sélection des immigrants économiques au Québec. Comment ces nouveaux arrivants seront-ils choisis? Depuis le début de la semaine, un nouveau système d’immigration est officiellement en vigueur au Québec. Annoncé dans un premier temps par le précédent gouvernement libéral avant de voir son entrée en vigueur repoussée, le système Arrima est désormais « opérationnel », a certifié lundi le ministre de l’Immigration, Simon Jolin-Barrette.
Montreal Gazette – Bill 21 Challenged in Court by the Lawyer Who Faced Down Bill 62
The battle over Quebec’s religious symbols ban is underway. A legal challenge filed in Superior Court on Monday calls the bill a blatant attack on religious liberty and contrary to the rule of law. It argues that Bill 21 coerces people to abandon their deepest held convictions if they want to belong to Quebec society.
