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.
Sarnia Observer – Connecting Sarnia-Lambton Immigrant and Newcomer Youth to Sports and Recreation Opportunities
An innovative made-in-Lambton program is helping connect local immigrant and newcomer youth with the county’s range of sports and recreational activities. Under the new immigrant youth engagement project – believed to be the first of its kind in Ontario – recent Sarnia-Lambton immigrants and newcomers can receive financial subsidies to help them try out everything from taekwondo through to music lessons. “Sports are universal to a large degree and they can bring people together,” said Aruba Mahmud, leader of the immigrant youth engagement project. Eligible children can each receive up to $100 if they or a sibling, who is already participating in the program, were born in a different country, or they’re been in Sarnia less than five years. But the county-run program – funded by the Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade – is about much more than financial subsidies. In addition to immigrants and newcomers learning about Canadian past times, Sarnia-Lambton coaches and gym teachers are also receiving their own education. Mahmud has recently led three diversity workshops, teaching coaches and teachers how to properly approach immigrant youth who may need uniform accommodations for religious purposes.
CTV News – EU Migration Plans Criticized by UN Chief, Member Countries
European Union plans to destroy the boats of smugglers bringing desperate migrants across the Mediterranean and share the refugee burden more evenly came under fresh fire Wednesday from within and outside the EU. In an effort to help manage more than 80,000 people who have landed on European shores so far this year, mostly in Italy and Greece, the EU’s executive Commission is proposing to relocate thousands of refugees to other member countries and wants to launch a security operation in the Mediterranean to eliminate the trafficking operations. On a visit to EU’s headquarters, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed doubts about the boat destruction plan and said “the priority should be given to life-saving and strengthening search and rescue.” Ban was also cool toward any EU security operation that would hunt down smugglers in Libyan territorial waters, describing the idea as “limited.” “We need to address all of this in a comprehensive way,” he told reporters. The EU is seeking legal backing for the security operation in the form of a UN Security Council resolution. It would also require the support of Libya.
Global News – Case of Deaf Teenager Denied Immigration to Canada Discussed in House of Commons
The story of Karen Talosig–a Filipina woman working in B.C. who was recently told by Citizenship and Immigration Canada that her daughter was “medically inadmissible” because she’s deaf–has made it all the way to Ottawa. Talosig came to Canada seven years ago in search of a better life and to support her daughter back in the Philippines. She has been trying for five years to bring daughter Jazmine to B.C., but Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) notified her recently that the teenager is considered “medically inadmissible” because she is deaf. The ruling led to a heated exchange in the House of Commons Tuesday. […] Talosig has appealed to Immigration Minister Chris Alexander. As it stands, if Jazmine is refused, Karen will be forced to leave Canada in August. A petition has been set up to ask Alexander to reverse his decision.
Toronto Star – Canada Slips Out of Top-Five Countries in Integrating Immigrants
Canada has dropped out of the top five nations when it comes to integrating immigrants, due to policy changes by Ottawa that restrict family reunification and citizenship. According to the latest world ranking by a Brussels-based think tank, Canada has slipped from third to sixth place among 38 developed countries in providing migrants access to equal rights, support and opportunity. Although Canada is still considered a welcoming country for newcomers, amid a global tide of anti-immigrant and anti-terror actions, the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) says Canada’s shift to the right raises questions about its traditions of inclusion. “It is a cause of concern, one that we need to watch,” said Thomas Huddleston of the Migration Policy Group, lead author of the European Union-funded, peer-reviewed index. Canada’s 2015 MIPEX profile will be released in Toronto on Wednesday. “With Canada rolling back on some provisions from family reunification and citizenship, it is going to have an impact on immigrant integration. Other countries will follow Canada.”
La Presse – Près de 3500 sans-papiers risquent d’être renvoyés du Canada
Néél Eigene se souvient du jour où il a quitté Haïti : le 11 juin 2007. Huit ans plus tard, l’agriculteur craint d’y être renvoyé de force, alors que le Canada lèvera le 1er juin la suspension temporaire des renvois vers la Perle des Antilles ainsi que vers le Zimbabwe. « Je n’ai plus rien là-bas », a dit hier à La Presse l’agriculteur dans la cinquantaine, qui participait à un rassemblement devant les bureaux de Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada, au centre-ville de Montréal. Le Comité d’action des personnes sans statut demande à Ottawa une « mesure immédiate, globale et collective » de régularisation des quelque 3200 Haïtiens et 300 Zimbabwéens concernés, sauf pour ceux qui seraient accusés de crime, explique son porte-parole, Serge Bouchereau. Le ministre de l’Immigration, Chris Alexander, n’a pas commenté cette demande, mais son porte-parole, Kevin Ménard, a indiqué dans un échange de courriels avec La Presse que « le Canada possède l’un des systèmes d’immigration les plus justes et généreux au monde ». Le gouvernement canadien avait instauré en 2004 une suspension temporaire des renvois vers Haïti et en 2002 vers le Zimbabwe.
BBC News – US Court Backs Hold on Obama Immigration Action
A US court has backed a temporary hold on President Barack Obama’s plans to shield almost five million illegal immigrants from deportation. The hold was imposed after 26 states launched a legal challenge against the executive action, alleging it was unconstitutional. An appeals court has now denied a government request to overturn it. The White House said the action was essential to fix a “broken immigration system”. Under the plans, announced last year, people who entered the US illegally as children and parents of children who are US citizens would be offered temporary protection from deportation. Aside from arguing President Obama acted outside his authority, the states say the move forces them to invest more in law enforcement, health care and education. The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling keeps the plans on hold while the states’ legal challenge proceeds. It is not clear yet whether the Obama administration will appeal.
