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.
Toronto Star – Hungary Copes with Wave of Migrants
More than 100,000 migrants have reached Hungary so far this year, nearly all of them entering through its southern border with Serbia, the Hungarian foreign minister said Friday. Peter Szijjarto said that both Hungary and Serbia are facing “unprecedented immigration pressure” and that more migrants are coming to the European Union on the land route across the Balkans than by crossing the Mediterranean. “This means that this year in the European Union, the highest number of illegal immigrants has arrived in Hungary,” Szijjarto said after reopening a border crossing with his Serbian counterpart, Ivica Dadic, near the Hungarian village of Roszke and Horgos in Serbia. Hungary says it will finish building a four-meter-high fence on the border between the two countries by Aug. 31 to try to stem the flow of migrants. Serbia has been strongly opposed to the fence, but Dadic acknowledged that the migrant flow needs to be controlled.
The Local – Danish Companies: Drop Anti-Refugee Ads
A number of major companies based in Denmark have decided to publicly voice their resentment at the Venstre government’s plans to place anti-refugee advertisements in foreign newspapers, arguing that it will damage Denmark’s reputation abroad. Communications director at Grundfos, Kim Nøhr Skibsted, told Jyllands-Posten that the ads will send a clear signal that Denmark is a “closed country” and make it more difficult for businesses to recruit workers from abroad as well as making other markets less keen on buying Danish products. “The government is going ahead with full-page advertisements where we tell people that we would rather not see them. That won’t make us any richer, just poorer. So we at Grundfos recommend calling off this initiative,” Skibsted told Jyllands-Posten. […]The Venstre government has come under considerable criticism – even from within its own party – following Integration Minister Inger Støjberg’s announcement last week that the government plans to run anti-refugee ads in foreign newspapers. The minister said last week that she was prepared to run advertisements in foreign newspapers that will contain information aimed at deterring refugees from coming to Denmark.
New Canadian Media – Newcomers Scarce at National Campsites
With over 45 national parks and park reserves, as well as attendance levels of 13.5 million people in the last year, it’s safe to say that Canadians love the outdoors. But not all Canadians it seems. Visitor surveys show that new Canadians, from varied cultural backgrounds, are barely present in national parks. The numbers aren’t any better when it comes to the quintessential outdoor activity, camping. […] A 2011 Ontario Parks campground survey found that people born in India made up less than one per cent of campers even though 2.6 per cent of Ontario residents were born there. Similarly, people born in China and Hong Kong constituted more than three per cent of the province’s population, but less than one per cent of campground users. This is an issue for Parks Canada, especially since visible minorities make up 20 per cent of Canada’s population and by 2030, one in three Canadian workers will have been born in another country. This is why Ontario Parks came up with the Learn to Camp program in 2011, which intended to teach first-time campers the basics.
Yahoo News – Austria Admits Flaws in Handling Refugees, Pledges Action
Austria pledged on Friday to improve appalling conditions at its refugee centers and admitted its current laws were insufficient to meet what Chancellor Werner Faymann described as “Europe’s biggest challenge”. Thousands of people from countries like Afghanistan or Syria have fled through the Balkans to Austria, pushing the number of asylum requests to 28,300 in the first six months of this year – more than the total for all of 2014. More than 2,000 refugees at an asylum processing center in Traiskirchen, south of Vienna, have been left homeless for weeks, braving heat of around 40 degrees Celsius and rainstorms wrapped in blankets on the grass and in the street. Of the nine federal states in this Alpine country of 8.5 million people, only Vienna and neighboring Lower Austria had achieved the quota set by the government, he said. To correct this, the chancellor announced a new draft law that would effectively enable the government to force reluctant local communities to meet their quotas for hosting refugees. He said the law, which aims at providing accommodation for 80,000 to 160,000 migrants, should be ready this autumn.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada (CIC) – Communiqué – Augmentation de la limite de financement d’évènements multiculturels à 25 000 $
Le ministre du Multiculturalisme, Jason Kenney, a annoncé aujourd’hui que les organisateurs d’événements multiculturels au Canada peuvent maintenant obtenir jusqu’à 25 000 $ par l’intermédiaire d’Inter-Action. Les demandeurs qui répondent aux critères du programme Inter-Action verront la somme maximale pouvant être allouée pour chaque événement qualifié passer de 15 000 $ à 25 000 $. Cette hausse permettra aux demandeurs d’organiser des événements plus efficaces qui toucheront un plus vaste public.
Radio-Canada – Les marins canadiens dénoncent l’attribution de permis à des marins étrangers
Le syndicat international des marins canadiens (SIU) s’insurge contre l’émission de visas de travail pour les membres d’équipage d’un pétrolier à pavillon grec qui transporte temporairement de la marchandise entre des ports canadiens. Le Minerva Maya, qui est présentement amarré à Montréal, a été affrété pour faire du cabotage en eaux canadiennes. La pratique est autorisée en vertu d’une licence accordée par le ministère fédéral de la Sécurité Publique et de la Protection civile lorsque le nombre de navires immatriculés au Canada est insuffisant pour répondre au volume de trafic Le SIU indique toutefois que les équipages étrangers sont généralement rapatriés aux frais des armateurs pour que des marins canadiens prennent le relais.
