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.
National Post — New immigrants less happy than longer-term Canadians, poll finds
A new poll from Angus Reid finds a majority of Canadians still consider themselves to be happy, but that number has been decreasing in recent years. What’s more, non-white and new Canadians seem to be faring the worst in the growing trend of unhappiness. The survey questioned more than 1,600 adult Canadians last summer, resulting in a margin of error of plus or minus two per cent, 19 times of out 20. It found that 61 per cent of Canadians identified themselves as “very happy” or “pretty happy” in their lives, with the over-55s leading the pack at 68 per cent.
CBC News — Hamilton community leaders denounce hate after anti-immigrant demonstration in city centre
Less than a week after anti-immigrant demonstrators stood in the heart of downtown Hamilton, community leaders called for solidarity and denounced what they say is a rise in hate against newcomers. Ongoing housing and health-care issues stem from decades of underinvestment, not from newcomers, “who are often just trying to rebuild their lives here in Hamilton,” Rashed Afif said at a news conference outside city hall on Thursday. But too many people are blaming immigrants, he said.
CBC News — Sorting facts from fiction on centres for asylum seekers
Facilities built to support and shelter migrants arriving in Ottawa continue to cause controversy, with councillors and residents sparring over whether the welcome and reception centres are appropriate. At protests over the past few months in Barrhaven, Kanata and Nepean, signs emblazoned with the slogan “No Tents” were in abundance. Plans for the centre bear little resemblance to the tent encampments springing up in major cities, however.
Radio-Canada — Classes de francisation : « Au MIFI, la qualité des études, c’est 30 %. Ici, c’est 100 % »
Des étudiants victimes des fermetures de classes de francisation implorent le gouvernement de rehausser le financement des centres de services scolaires dans le domaine de la francisation. Certains déplorent aussi la moindre qualité des cours de Francisation Québec comparativement à ceux offerts dans les écoles d’éducation aux adultes. Le ministre Jean-François Roberge a récemment vanté l’ouverture de nouvelles classes de francisation par son ministère. Or, d’anciens élèves de ces classes croient que le gouvernement devrait plutôt miser sur l’apprentissage dans les écoles des centres de services scolaires plutôt que dans les classes du ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI).
Le Devoir — Travailleurs étrangers temporaires: le resserrement des règles force les entreprises à s’adapter
Les mesures annoncées par Ottawa et Québec représentent un casse-tête pour les employeurs, selon des experts. La pénurie de main-d’oeuvre est moins importante actuellement qu’il y a deux ou trois ans, observe Brahim Boudarbat, professeur à l’École de relations industrielles de l’Université de Montréal. En 2022, le Québec recensait 255 000 postes vacants. Au deuxième trimestre de 2024, ce nombre a baissé de près de la moitié, pour être maintenant d’environ 139 400, d’après l’Institut de la statistique du Québec. Selon lui, les défis aujourd’hui sont surtout liés au manque de logements disponibles et à l’accès aux services publics.
The Globe and Mail — More than 10,000 foreign student acceptance letters may be fake, says top immigration official
More than 10,000 foreign student acceptance letters from Canadian colleges and universities have been flagged as potentially fraudulent this year, according to the top immigration official in charge of international students. Enhanced checks by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada have found scores of would-be foreign students who said they had a genuine place to study may have been attaching a fraudulent acceptance letter to their application to get into Canada. The tighter checks were introduced after a group of international students applying for permanent residence last year faced deportation because an unlicensed immigration consultant in India had submitted fake acceptance letters with their applications for study permits.
