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 – What Does the Future Hold for PNP on P.E.I.?
On Thursday the P.E.I. government will select up to 10 more names from among 500 potential applicants to its provincial nominee program. Those names will represent the last people to be invited to apply through the entrepreneur stream of the PNP. In addition to those selected Thursday, there are 400 clients already in the system whose applications are currently being vetted by either the province or Ottawa. Those applications should keep things chugging along for at least another 18 months, giving the province time to change its program without disrupting the flow of immigrants.
Global News – More than Half of Quebec Asylum Seekers Had Some Kind of ‘Legal Status’ in U.S. Before Crossing to Canada
In new numbers released this week by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in response to an order paper question from the Conservatives, a total of 15,935 or 65 per cent of the 24,657 people intercepted by police in Quebec between June 30, 2017, and June 3, 2018, held what the IRCC calls “legal status in the U.S. prior to their travels to Canada.” However, it is not clear how many of those actually held permanent residency status versus a soon-to-expire temporary protected status or even a travel visa.
Toronto Star – Refugee Board Releases Guide to Deal with Bad Lawyers, Consultants
“In the past, there were no formal procedures established at the board for dealing with allegations against former counsel,” said spokesperson Anna Pape. While some complaints about counsel raise legitimate concerns, others can be controversial because people may make them to try to delay proceedings or in the event of a negative decision. While critics welcome the guidelines and believe they can help ensure decision-makers take such complaints seriously, some said they are long overdue, coming four years after the Federal Court published similar protocol.
Toronto Star – Nearly Three-Quarters of Canadians Support Taking in Refugees, Poll Shows
Three out of four Canadians support taking in refugees — numbers that place Canada among the world’s most welcoming nations on the question of people fleeing violence and war — according to a new survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Center. The Pew survey of global attitudes on migration, released Wednesday, pegged Canadian support for refugees at 74 per cent, with 22 per cent opposed and 4 per cent of adult respondents saying they didn’t know or refused to say.
CBC News – Edmonton City Council Approves ‘Sanctuary City’ Status to Aid Undocumented Immigrants
The new policy recognizes that those with precarious immigration status may be reluctant to obtain services such as transit or recreation passes, or interact with bylaw officers, out of fear of deportation. Coun. Sarah Hamilton said the policy isn’t just for those with precarious immigration status, but also Edmonton’s homeless residents. She said she has worked with undocumented people which gave her a good sense of the struggle they face, whether it involves access to health care, employment or education.
National Post – Seek Compromise with U.S. on Cannabis at Border, Lawyers Urge Ottawa
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency sent tremors through the country’s burgeoning cannabis sector last week with word that legalization in Canada won’t change the fact that American laws treat marijuana as a banned substance, and industry insiders as drug traffickers. Lawyers with expertise in helping people cross the Canada-U.S. border say it should fall to Ottawa — not travellers— to help pave the way. Henry Chang, an immigration lawyer, says the two countries have consulted productively on immigration issues in the past and this time should be no different.
