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.
CBC – Why Thousands of New Canadians Must Wait Longer to Vote
Many former immigrants and refugees who have been in Canada for years are learning they will have to wait even longer before they can ever cast a ballot in a federal election. Recent changes to the Citizenship Act mean temporary foreign workers, refugees and international students need to be a permanent resident for four years instead of three before they can apply for the citizenship that will allow them to vote. Tamara Segura, who came to Canada from Cuba in 2010, will not be able to vote until at least 2017. “Being able to vote is a big deal to me, I come from a country where a vote is mandatory but we just have one party — so I have never really voted in my life,” said Segura. […] Many new Canadians like Segura are immigrants and refugees from countries where they couldn’t vote at all, so they’re keen to take part in this fall’s federal election. Segura feels because she works and lives in Canada and pays taxes, she should have a say in who forms the government.
CTV News – Should Canadian Refugee Loans be Changed to Grants?
Each year, since 2006, roughly 7,000 government-assisted refugees arrive in Canada. These people are selected based on their hardships — survivors who are often victims of trauma or torture. Canada’s response to the Middle East refugee crisis has been in the spotlight as the Oct. 19 election nears. Canadian groups that help refugees have been lobbying Ottawa to have the government loans changed to grants, arguing that loans present an additional financial burden for refugees who have nothing. “This is a severe hardship for our clients,” said Rita Chahal, the executive director of Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council. “They are having to take money from their food budget, from their housing budget, and often forced into low-paying survival jobs just to make the loan payment.” Canada is one of three countries to offer refugee loans, a program that has been in place since 1951. Australia and the U.S. offer similar loans but unlike Canada, they don’t charge interest. Despite a push by some groups to change the refugee loan program, however, Ottawa has defended the repayment structure. “Loan repayments go back into the fund to help finance new loans for other immigrants and refugees in need,” said a statement from Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Globe and Mail – Prime Minister’s Office Ordered Halt to Refugee Processing
The Prime Minister’s Office directed Canadian immigration officials to stop processing one of the most vulnerable classes of Syrian refugees this spring and declared that all UN-referred refugees would require approval from the Prime Minister, a decision that halted a critical aspect of Canada’s response to a global crisis. The Globe and Mail has learned that the Prime Minister intervened in a file normally handled by the Citizenship and Immigration department in the months before dramatic images of a dead toddler brought the refugee crisis to the fore. The processing stop, which was not disclosed to the public, was in place for at least several weeks. It is unclear when it was lifted. At the same time, an audit was ordered of all Syrian refugees referred by the United Nations in 2014 and 2015. The Prime Minister’s Office asked Citizenship and Immigration for the files of some Syrian refugees so they could be vetted by the PMO – potentially placing political staff with little training in refugee matters in the middle of an already complex process. PMO staff could have also had access to files that are considered protected, because they contain personal information, including a refugee’s health history and narrative of escape, raising questions about the privacy and security of that information and the basis on which it was being reviewed.
The Hamilton Spectator – Prime Minister’s Staff Vetted Refugee Applications, Report Says. Harper Denies It.
The Globe and Mail reported Thursday that the Prime Minister’s Office intervened in the processing of Syrian refugees and declared that all applicants referred by the United Nations would require Harper’s approval. The file is normally handled by Citizenship and Immigration officials. But staff in Stephen Harper’s office got personally involved in vetting applications, the newspaper reported. Later Thursday, Harper denied the charge that his office was directly involved in the selection of refugees who would be admitted to Canada. “Political staff are never involved in approving refugee applications. Such decisions are made by officials in the department of citizenship and immigration,” Harper said at the start of a speech to a Vancouver-area audience. The newspaper also reported that the intake of Syrian refugees was paused as the government did an audit of the initial batch of refugees accepted into the country. Harper confirmed his office asked for an audit to confirm the government’s goals were being met. “Our government has adopted a generous approach to the admission of refugees while ensuring the selection of the most vulnerable people and keeping our country safe and secure,” Harper said.
The New York Times – Syrian Asylum Claims in Canada Slowed by Stephen Harper’s Office
The office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper slowed the handling of refugee claims from Syrians by intervening in the review process, the government confirmed on Thursday. The unusual move, which revived the handling of refugee claims as an issue in Canada’s current election campaign, was reported by the Globe and Mail, a Toronto newspaper. It was unclear why Mr. Harper’s office took the step against Syrians in particular. But Chris Alexander, the minister of citizenship and immigration, described it as a security audit. […]During a campaign stop in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mr. Harper offered little detail about the review, which occurred in June for an unspecified period. The national election is scheduled for Oct. 19. “Political staff are never involved in approving refugee applications,” Mr. Harper said after echoing Mr. Alexander’s comments about security.
The Guardian – Canada PM’s Office Ordered Delay on Syrian Refugee Claims Processing
The office of Canada’s prime minister Stephen Harper told immigration officials to stop processing asylum claims by a group of Syrian refugees, the country’s citizenship and immigration minister said on Thursday. In a written statement, Chris Alexander confirmed a report in the Globe and Mail newspaper that Harper’s office had earlier this year told immigration officials to stop processing claims of Syrians referred by the United Nations, declaring they would need the prime minister’s approval to enter Canada. Alexander said that the processing of the first batch of Syrian government-assisted refugees had been temporarily halted so a security audit could be carried out. The minister said that the move was designed to “ensure the integrity of our refugee referral system”. […] Although the statement did not give further details, Harper has repeatedly said refugees need to be screened to prevent potential militants entering Canada disguised as refugees. Harper came under pressure last month to let in more refugees when it emerged that relatives of a Syrian toddler whose drowned body washed up on a Turkish beach had wanted to emigrate to Canada.
