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 – Labour Shortage Expected From Temporary Foreign Worker Rules
The labour supply in rural P.E.I. is not big enough to meet the challenge of supplying new international markets, says the P.E.I. Seafood Processors Association. There are not enough local people to run the seafood plants on the Island, said executive director Dennis King, and new federal rules mean temporary foreign workers can only make up a maximum of 30 per cent of staff from fish plants. King is concerned that while new trade agreements, such as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the European Community, are opening up markets, the industry does not have the resources it needs. […] The P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association is also expressing concern, because if the processors can’t handle the fish, it will also be a lost opportunity for fishermen. Representatives of P.E.I.’s seafood processing, harvesting, and aquaculture sectors will attend the Fisheries’ Forum in Moncton this week, which is sponsored by the Maritime Seafood Coalition.
Radio-Canada – Main-d’œuvre : les transformateurs de homard préoccupés
Les propriétaires d’usine de transformation de homard des Maritimes se sont réunis mercredi à Moncton pour discuter de certains enjeux, dont la pénurie de main-d’œuvre et la réforme du programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires. Le nombre de travailleurs étrangers dans une entreprise canadienne ne peut dépasser 30 % de sa main-d’œuvre totale. À compter du 1er juillet 2016, le plafond descendra à 20 %, et en 2017 il diminuera encore à 10 %. Selon la Coalition pour les produits de la mer, cette réforme pourrait engendrer des pertes de 100 millions de dollars en valeur de production par année, causées par la réduction de la capacité de transformation. Nat Richard, directeur des affaires corporatives chez Pêcheries Westmorland, estime que ce changement force les transformateurs à mettre de côté certains produits et valeurs ajoutées. « On passe beaucoup plus de temps à s’arracher les cheveux de la tête, à voir comment on fait pour recruter du monde et garder du monde », se désole-t-il.
Chronicle Herald – Syria-Antagonish Group Aims to Raise $20,000 to Sponsor Family
In the last four years, 11 million Syrians have been displaced by the civil war ravaging their country and four million have registered with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “That’s four times the population of this province,” Tanya Felix said Tuesday. “It just got hard for a lot of us to sit back and say, ‘There’s nothing we can do.’” Felix, newcomer co-ordinator for the Antigonish Womens Resource Centre, is a member of Syria-Antigonish Families Embrace. The group is trying to raise $20,000 to sponsor a Syrian refugee family and bring them to Antigonish. The group was inspired by Lifeline Syria, which is working with community organizations to bring 1,000 refugees to Toronto. The plan, which is supported by Toronto Mayor John Tory, has ignited a national discussion about whether Canada is doing enough to help alleviate what the United Nations is calling the greatest refugee crisis since the Second World War. When 350,000 residents of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia were forced from their homes during the 1970s, Canada responded. Between 1979 and 1980, Canada took in 60,000 of the refugees.The current federal government has promised to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees to Canada over the next two years.
Toronto Star – Foreign Visitors to Canada to Face Electronic Screening
Millions of travellers will soon face another layer of red tape when they try to visit Canada. Starting Saturday, Ottawa will start accepting applications for electronic travel authorization (eTA) from people who wish to travel to Canada by air. Prospective travellers have until March 15 to submit their biographic, passport and other personal information through Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s website for pre-screening or face being denied entry when the border enforcement kicks in. The new measure — part of the harmonization with the United States’ travel security system — will apply to most air passengers, including all applicants for study and work permits, as well as those who come from countries that currently do not require a visa to come to Canada. “Providing the information required by these amendments will allow Canada to determine the admissibility of foreign nationals before they arrive at the border and whether their travel poses migration or security risks,” the immigration department says. […] Critics view the initiative as another attempt to block refugees from arriving on Canadian soil and raise concerns over the use of the data in storage.
BBC – Channel Tunnel: “2,000 Migrants” Tried to Enter
Some 2,000 migrants tried to enter the Channel Tunnel terminal in Calais on Monday night in an attempt to reach the UK, operator Eurotunnel has said. A number of people were injured, a spokesman for Eurotunnel said, without elaborating. Eurotunnel is facing a daily struggle with migrants who attempt to smuggle themselves into Britain, sometimes with fatal consequences. The latest incident caused serious delays to Eurotunnel train services. Passengers were held up for about an hour on the British side and 30 minutes on the French side on Tuesday, French news agency AFP reported. Meanwhile, the UK has agreed to provide an extra £7m ($10.9m) towards efforts to step up security at the Channel Tunnel railhead in Calais, Home Secretary Theresa May has announced. […] Eight migrants have died this summer trying to reach Britain through the Channel Tunnel. […] AFP says an official count at the beginning of July found that about 3,000 migrants – mainly from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan – were camping in Calais and trying to get across the Channel. […] Eurotunnel is seeking compensation from the British and French governments for disruption caused by illegal migrants.
Radio Canada International – Une Philippine paralysée évite la déportation du Canada
Maria Victoria Venancio, une femme originaire des Philippines qui était travailleuse étrangère temporaire dans un restaurant à Edmonton en Alberta, ne sera plus explusée du Canada comme initailement prévu. Frappée alors qu’elle se rendait au travail à vélo par un camion il y a trois ans, elle est devenue tétraplégique. Elle ne pouvait donc plus travailler. Son visa temporaire n’ayant alors pas été renouvelé. Elle n’avait plus accès aux soins de santé non plus. En février, le gouvernement fédéral a ordonné sa déportation. Mais Mme Venancio a plaidé sa cause auprès de la ministre de la Santé de l’Alberta Sarah Hoffman, et s’est fait dire qu’elle pouvait rester. Le ministre fédéral de l’Immigration, Chris Alexander, lui a accordé un permis de travail de deux ans, ce qui lui donne le statut légal pour rester au Canada.
