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.
Global News – Canadians Are Concerned Refugees Pose a Terror Threat. Should They Be Worried?
Amid a string of terror attacks in the U.K., many Canadians say they are concerned about the threat of terrorists posing as refugees entering the country to cause violence, but does that fear have any basis in reality? An analysis by Global News of major terror attacks against Western countries from 2010 to 2017 suggests most suspects involved in the attacks were born in the country where the attack occurred.
Toronto Star – ‘Forgotten Refugees’ Say They’re Tired of Waiting for Their Cases to Be Heard
On Thursday, these “forgotten refugees” who have been waiting for an asylum hearing since 2012, held a silent protest in front of the Immigration and Refugee Board headquarters in Toronto, hoping to be heard by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government. It took courage for them to come forward, as many still have loved ones back home facing persecution while others fear repercussions by Canadian officials and the public for demanding rights and justice, said protest organizer David Mateo Camelo, a refugee claimant from Colombia.
Globe and Mail – El Salvadoran Asylum Seeker Takes Canada to Court over Refugee Law
An El Salvadoran woman and her two daughters are challenging a Canadian refugee law that bars their entry by land, the first time a court has heard a legal objection to the law with a real-life case at its center. The woman, whose lawyers have asked that she be identified only as E, was rebuffed under the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) when she arrived at the Canada-U.S. border early on Wednesday morning. The denial of her refugee claim set in motion a constitutional challenge months in the making that could strike down a Canadian law criticized as the motivating factor for thousands of asylum seekers crossing the border illegally.
Le Journal de Montréal – Plus d’immigrants se blessent au travail
Presque la moitié des accidentés du travail à Montréal sont des immigrants parce qu’ils occupent souvent des emplois « pénibles et dangereux », rapportent des chercheurs. « Moi je me dis : ‘‘qu’est-ce que je vais faire de ma vie ?’’
Metro News – Refugees’ B.C. Legal Aid Cuts Leave More Families to Fend for Selves
The Legal Services Society said its budget for immigration cases simply hasn’t kept pace with the global refugee crisis which it said in a June 26 statement “has resulted in a 145 per cent increase in refugee cases over the past three years.”
Global News – Inadmissible: Canada Rejects Hundreds of Immigrants Based on Incomplete Data, Global News Investigation Finds
The Benitez family and other who spoke with Global News say a section of Canada’s immigration act — created to ensure newcomers to the country do not cause “excessive demand” on publicly funded health and social service programs — could prevent them from becoming citizens. In 2017, Immigration Canada set the limit for “excessive demand” at $6,655, the average annual health and social service spending per Canadian in 2016. But information provided to Global News by the Conference Board of Canada, based on public accounts, suggests the government doesn’t account for up to $40 billion in annual social service spending by the provinces when assessing the limit for excessive demand, or roughly $1,105 a year per Canadian. This means the $6,655 limit for excessive demand set by the government should be at least $7,404 if all social service spending in Canada is accurately accounted for.
