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.
Once in Canada, refugees will need food, housing, education and health care. They will require translators, language training, social assistance, employment counselling. Some will have survived persecution, trauma, violence and might require mental-health support. As Amnesty International Canada has warned, without financial resources any commitments and good intentions “will all be an illusion.”
In Canada, despite the objective lack of connection, politicians began sounding off “security concerns” related to incoming Syrian refugees. […] Contrary to the influx of migrants crossing into Europe over the past months, Canada is resettling pre-screened refugees who have been approved for permanent residency by a Canadian visa officer abroad. The process is thorough and involves international and national law enforcement agencies.
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/11/18/Canada-Can-Meet-Syrian-Refugee-Commitments/
Quebec’s immigration minister is reminding mayors who have concerns about incoming Syrian refugees to pay attention to the tone of their comments. Kathleen Weil was reacting to comments made by Quebec City’s mayor, Régis Labeaume. On Tuesday, he said he would prefer to welcome families and orphans because they are “less frightening to people than frustrated 20-year-old men.”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/kathleen-weil-regis-labeaume-refugees-1.3325597
The premier’s comments Monday regarding the federal government’s plan for refugees has incited a backlash across the province. On Tuesday, about 60 people gathered in front of the Legislative Building to protest a letter Premier Brad Wall sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking that he “suspend” the plan to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of the year.
http://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/premier-brad-walls-refugee-comments-spark-protest
A respected authority on immigration and refugees says Canada and the United Nations have the operational know-how and security safeguards to safely vet 25,000 Syrians for rapid resettlement. […] “I hate answering that question at this point,” said Peter Showler, former chair of the Immigration and Refugee Board and former director of the Refugee Forum at the University of Ottawa.
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/canada-can-vet-refugees-quickly-and-safely-expert-says
The heads of Canada’s police and spy agencies are backing the Trudeau government’s plans to safely screen and bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year. A number of municipal and provincial politicians have called on the government to take longer to conduct security checks on the asylum seekers, but RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson and CSIS director Michel Coulombe insist the government’s plans are feasible.