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.
The rate at which refugee claims are accepted by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board varies widely depending on who hears the case, according to Sean Rehaag, an associate professor at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto, who specializes in immigration and refugee law and human rights. He found a wide variability in acceptance rates, from as low as a quarter of cases heard to a high of 96 per cent. Some of that variability in deciding cases is due to the fact that different board members can specialize in different regions of the world.
CBC News – Anti-immigration Banner Put Up, Taken Down Outside Montreal’s Olympic Stadium
Officials at the Montreal’s Olympic Stadium have notified police about an anti-immigration banner posted outside the building, where hundreds of asylum seekers are currently being temporarily housed.
Far-right group Atalante Québec is mounting a public campaign against what it calls “illegal migrants,” posting banners in Quebec City and Montreal to get their point across. It was spotted by security guards and taken down Monday morning, said spokesperson Cédric Essiminy.
Radio-Canada – Des banderoles anti-immigration déployées à Montréal
D’autres banderoles anti-immigration ont fait surface, cette fois à Montréal, où bon nombre de demandeurs d’asile sont hébergés de manière temporaire. Les banderoles ont été accrochées tard dimanche ou tôt lundi, notamment au stade olympique de Montréal, qui abrite plusieurs […].
BBC News – Canada Seeks to ‘Aggressively’ Dispel Asylum System Myths
On Monday, federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale warned that “people should not think that border-hopping is a desirable or productive thing to do”. Canadian diplomatic staff in the US have been trying to “aggressively dispel the myths” about coming to Canada circulating south of the border, including that residency is guaranteed, said Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen. Federal Liberal MP Emmanuel Dubourg, who is of Haitian origin and speaks Creole, has been tasked with engaging extensively with Haitian media in American cities like Miami and New York.
CBC News – Edmonton Could Become a ‘Sanctuary City’ for Undocumented Immigrants
At a meeting of council’s community and public services committee Monday, councillors heard that many undocumented workers in Edmonton are scared to talk to government workers out of fear it could lead to their deportation. Considering these individuals need to access government services, councillors voted Monday to bring forward a draft “Access without Fear” policy. Similar policies have been implemented by city councils in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Globe and Mail – Survey Finds ‘Dramatic Shift’ in Canadian Perception of U.S. Approach to Human Rights
For the first time in 13 years, Canadians think they have more in common with Britain and Germany’s approach to human rights than that of the United States, a new survey suggests. Forty-four per cent of Canadian respondents said Canada most closely aligns with Britain on human rights, followed by Germany at 25 per cent and the U.S. at 16 per cent. The finding is the latest in a 13-year tracking of Canadian and American perceptions of the bi-national relationship by Nanos Research and the State University of New York at Buffalo.
