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.
Courrier International : Grèce. Réfugiés : ce n’est plus un problème, c’est un crime
Le nombre de réfugiés qui traversent la Méditerranée a battu un nouveau record en octobre, atteignant 218 000 personnes pour ce mois, a annoncé le Haut Commissariat des Nations unies pour les réfugiés (HCR) ce 2 novembre. Et la Grèce, première étape sur la route vers l’Europe, trouve la situation ingérable depuis longtemps et de plus en plus insupportable. “De nouveaux cas de noyade de réfugiés poussent Alexis Tsipras à tirer l’alarme”, titre Kathimerini.
CBC – Syrian Refugees Wait to See if Trudeau Can Deliver on Promise
Al Khalil and her family are Christians and were sponsored by an Ottawa church when they applied to come to Canada. Her brother, Shadi Al Khalil, who has been in Canada since 2010, also helped with the family’s application. Shadi said he is in contact with many Syrians who are desperate to come to Canada and have faced long, frustrating wait times.
CBC – Royal Bank Scraps Size Limit on Newcomer Mortgages to Keep Up with Chinese Demand
The Royal Bank of Canada scrapped an internal limit on mortgage loan size for immigrants in the spring to tap into surging demand for financing on multi-million dollar houses by newcomers to Vancouver. […] RBC, Canada’s largest bank, removed its $1.25 million cap on loans to borrowers with no local credit history in May, said Christine Shisler, the bank’s Director of Multicultural Markets, who works with an immigrant clientele.
Inside Halton – Religious Groups in Halton Join Hands to Sponsor Syrian Refugees
Members of Maple Grove United Church and Shaarei Beth-El Synagogue in Oakville and Mississauga’s Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) mosque have found friendship in their goal of serving humanity. Together, the groups have launched a Syrian refugee sponsorship group called Abraham’s Children Together — an allusion to the fact that all three religions are Abrahamic, considering Abraham a prophet — which is hoping to bring in a family of seven from Jordan for a new life in Canada.
CBC – Welcome to Germany? Country at Odds Over Refugee Influx
As the number of asylum seekers in Germany continues to swell, what were at first quiet grumblings have now become angry public protestations. The Bavarian government has threatened legal action if Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government fails to act. A chorus of others has also chimed in. In a newspaper interview, Germany’s police union chief recommended building a border fence to stop the influx. Others rail about the security implications and the challenges of integrating so many Muslims. Germans find themselves increasingly at odds with each other, and are now in the throes of an uncomfortable conversation they cannot avoid.
The Globe and Mail – Lawyer in Niqab Case says Canada Must Confront Anti-Muslim Sentiment
If it was a very good election for the Liberals, it was a strangely eventful one for Mr. Waldman, even by his own busy standards. He represented Zunera Ishaq, a Pakistani immigrant who successfully fought a Conservative ban on wearing a niqab during the citizenship oath. The niqab became a major election issue. He also represented a Canadian-born convicted terrorist facing the loss of his citizenship; the government’s fight against terrorism was another big election issue. And he was a spokesman for a national refugee lawyers’ group on the Syrian refugee crisis – a third key issue – urging that the government speed up the process by emphasizing the reunification of families.
