A national alliance dedicated to providing an evidence base for newcomer settlement & integration and the promotion of welcoming communities in 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.
L’examen de l’article 19 de ce projet de loi – qui vient modifier le préambule de la loi 62 en vigueur présentement – apporte des changements majeurs qui sont relativement passés sous le radar dans le débat public jusqu’à maintenant. Leurs conséquences potentielles devraient pourtant susciter de vives inquiétudes.
Quebec Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette refused on Wednesday to conduct a gender-based study on the bill, which was requested by the City of Montreal earlier this week. Bill 21 applies equally to women, men, Christians, Muslims, Jews and Sikhs, according to Jolin-Barrette. Hélène David, Liberal critic for secularism and former minister responsible for the Status of Women, called it voluntary blindness. In Quebec, at least 80 per cent of teachers are women.
https://globalnews.ca/news/5280458/quebec-religious-symbols-bill-21/
Federal statistics show the Mounties apprehended 3,944 irregular migrants between official border crossings through the first four months of this year, a 48 per cent drop compared to the 7,612 crossers detained over the same period in 2018. Despite the drop, polling data suggests Canadians are increasingly concerned about immigration levels in Canada due in large part to the influx of irregular migrants.
Quebec court Judge Dennis Galiatsatos sentenced 40 year-old Owolabi Adejojo in March, calling his behaviour “despicable.” The assaults took place in February 2018, one month after Adejojo entered Canada from the U.S. and filed a refugee claim. A few months before that, Adejojo was accused of attacking two men with a beer bottle in Baltimore. It’s not clear how Adejojo was able to get into Canada, why authorities didn’t seem to be aware of his assault charges in the U.S., or how he ended up in the psychiatric ward.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/canada-us-asylum-seeker-sexual-assault-1.5135265
A new study says the population of the three Maritime provinces is growing at its fastest pace in decades, thanks mainly to immigration and a reduced outflow to Alberta. However, the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council says the population of economically challenged Newfoundland and Labrador has declined slightly after seven years of growth. The turnaround in the Maritimes follows three decades of steady decline. Prince Edward Island, which has been boasting about its red-hot economy, reported the fastest growth at two per cent year-over-year.
Fifty community groups have joined forces to try and stop the construction of a new refugee detention centre in Laval. The centre would hold migrants who can’t prove their identity and are deemed a danger to the public — but critics argue it amounts to the cruel treatment of vulnerable people. The modern, 8,000 square-metre facility would have a play centre for children, and plenty of trees. “It’s not really a solution,” said Mostafa Henaway of the Immigrant Workers’ Centre.