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.
CTV News – Despite Opposition, EU Forges Ahead with Quota Plan to Ease Migrant Pressure
The European Union forged ahead Wednesday with a plan to ease pressure on nations dealing with an influx of Mediterranean migrants by requiring other countries to share the burden, despite some strong opposition. The proposed system would set maximum refugee limits for each country in the EU based on population, employment levels and other factors. The exact details have not been hashed out, but the general idea is that once a country reaches its maximum, migrants seeking asylum there could be sent to other countries, which would have to take them in. […] Countries including Hungary, Slovakia and Estonia have already rejected the plan, meaning it is unlikely to pass without major caveats and concessions. But the EU’s executive commission sees it as key to forcing the 28 European Union countries to show solidarity with Italy, Greece and Malta, which have been overwhelmed this year by migrants fleeing war and poverty in places like Syria and Eritrea who arrive on their shores after dangerous trips across the Mediterranean.
La Presse – Ottawa veut accélérer le renvoi de criminels étrangers dangereux
Le gouvernement fédéral a présenté mardi un projet de loi visant à accélérer le renvoi dans leur pays de ressortissants étrangers qui ont commis des crimes graves au Canada. Le ministre de la Sécurité publique et de la Protection civile, Steven Blaney, a annoncé à Toronto que le projet de loi «sur le renvoi des criminels étrangers dangereux» avait été déposé mardi aux Communes. «Ce qu’on dit (aux ressortissants étrangers), c’est que si vous commettez un crime au Canada, vous ne serez pas admissibles à demeurer au pays et vous devrez retourner chez vous», a indiqué le ministre Blaney en conférence de presse. Le projet de loi permettra de transférer des criminels, sans leur consentement, dans leur pays d’origine pour purger leur peine imposée au Canada, pourvu que ce pays d’origine soit d’accord en vertu de traités, a expliqué le ministre. Les nouvelles dispositions empêcheraient aussi les criminels étrangers d’obtenir un pardon au Canada.
Journal de Montréal – Fin de la suspension des renvois pour les Haïtiens: Québec demande un sursis à Ottawa
Le sort de centaines d’Haïtiens inquiète Québec qui a demandé à Ottawa un sursis supplémentaire de trois mois pour leur permettre de régulariser leur statut. Pour Joubert Mondésir et sa famille, qui viennent d’envoyer leur dossier, le soulagement est palpable. «Mais plusieurs de mes amis n’auront sans doute pas le temps de finaliser leurs démarches», craint cependant le père de famille. Une inquiétude partagée par la ministre de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI), Kathleen Weil qui a demandé à Chris Alexander, ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration Canada (CIC) de repousser de trois mois la date limite d’envoi des demandes de résidence permanente, prévue normalement pour le 1er juin prochain. Cette demande s’ajoute à celle formulée par le maire de Montréal, Denis Coderre, le 22 avril dernier.
National Post – New Tory Legislation Will Force Deportations of Foreign Criminals and Strip Them of Refugee Protection
The federal government is proposing new legislation to “close the loopholes” that allow foreign criminals to remain in Canada even when convicted of serious crimes or deemed to be a danger to the public, Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety said Tuesday. The Removal of Serious Foreign Criminals Act will allow for the mandatory transfer of foreign criminals to their country of origin and strip refugee protection from those later deemed a danger to the public, among other changes. […] The government’s plans is to change several acts to make it easier and faster to remove non-Canadian criminals out of Canada, including some who have already been accorded refugee protection and permanent residency status, he said. It could allow Canada to negotiate treaties that allow the government to transfer criminals without their consent to serve their sentence in their home country, the government says. Currently, Canada cannot transfer a foreign inmate back to their home country without the inmate’s consent. […] The changes will also make foreign nationals and certain permanent residents convicted of serious crimes ineligible for a record suspension, what used to be known as a criminal pardon.
CBC – Toronto Lawyer Suspended for Five Months for Misconduct Involving Roma Refugees
Lawyer Viktor Hohots was handed a five-month suspension by the Law Society of Upper Canada on Monday after admitting he failed to adequately represent thousands of Roma refugee claimants between 2009 and 2013. The sentence prompted several advocates for the Roma to storm out of the meeting calling the sentence a “sham.” […] In a rare move, Leddy, Legal Aid Ontario and the Canadian Romani Alliance had sought intervenor status at the hearing to allow victim impact statements to be heard by the Law Society’s disciplinary panel. That application was rejected. […] Hohots took on more than 5,000 Roma refugee claimants between 2009 and 2013 – almost all Legal Aid cases. He failed to show up for hearings, submit or translate key documents as evidence and he mixed up clients’ stories – all of which undermined their accounts of persecution. Complaints about Hohots by Roma refugee claimants were first filed with the Law Society four years ago. Since then, all but one of those complainants have been deported and so were unable to testify at the hearing.
Medical News Today – Certain Immigrants and Refugees May Face Higher Risk of Psychotic Disorders
Research conducted in Ontario, Canada, has found that immigrants from Bermuda and the Caribbean and refugees from East Africa and South Asia are up to two times as likely to develop psychotic disorders in comparison with the general population. Additionally, the researchers found that immigrants from Northern Europe, Southern Europe and East Asia had around half the risk of developing psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder compared with the general population. […]For the study, the researchers analyzed data from Citizen and Immigration Canada and ICES, following a cohort of 4,284,694 residents of Ontario retrospectively from 1999 for 10 years. Each person followed was between 14 and 40 years of age. During this period, the researchers investigated whether the incidence of psychotic disorders varied between different migrant groups.[…] “The patterns we observe suggest that psychosocial factors associated with the migratory experience and integration into Canada may contribute to the risk of psychotic disorders,” states the senior author of the study, Dr. Paul Kurdyak. These factors include discrimination, adverse and stressful life events, economic hardship and a lack of education.
