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.
Lobster processing in the region could drop by as much as 25 per cent this year and lead to quotas for fishermen if the industry can’t find enough employees, due to changes to the temporary foreign worker program, says a member of the newly-formed Maritime Seafood Coalition. Nat Richard, of Westmorland Fisheries in Cap-Pelé, says nearly half of the employees at his plant are usually temporary foreign workers. But under the new rules, they can’t make up more than one-third of his staff this year, 20 per cent next year and 10 per cent in 2017. Richard said the industry has been fighting labour shortages for years and the changes will make the situation worse. That’s why seafood processors and fishermen’s associations from across the region have formed the coalition to lobby the federal government.
Durham Region – Durham Gardening Workshop Helps Newcomers to Canada Grow Together
Durham’s Community Connections program offers a variety of group activities to help newcomers integrate into Canadian culture. Recently, the Ajax-based organization hosted “Gardening in a New Land,” an interactive workshop held at the Whitby Public Library on April 14 for those who are new to Canada and interested in planting a garden this summer. […] The Community Connections program is funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and is open to immigrants who are permanent residents, conventional refugees, or live-in caregivers. About 20 people attended the gardening workshop where they learned the basics of starting and growing a backyard garden, the best times to plant, water, and cut their gardens, how to grow herbs and vegetables on a small scale, and where to find gardening resources in Durham. David Middleton, an Ajax resident and CDCD volunteer who led the workshop, said the idea to add a gardening component to newcomers’ services sprouted a few years ago.
Toronto Star – New Canadians a Better Credit Risk: Report
New Canadians are a better credit risk than the general population, even though banks still tend to view immigrant investors more cautiously due to a lack of financial background information, says a new Equifax Canada study. “There is a common misconception that providing credit to new immigrants is a risky move for financial institutions, but the fact is that immigrants have a 20 per cent lower delinquency (rate on credit cards) than the national average of the general population,” explains Regina Malina, senior director of decision insights at Equifax Canada. In her latest report, she says lenders often approach new Canadians with caution, and wind up presenting these customers with a limited product selection for credit due to a lack of insight into their credit history and risk score. […] For instance, finance firms usually offer them a “starter” credit card with a low limit.
Toronto Star – Court Dismisses Ottawa’s Attempt to Crush Discrimination Case
Ottawa has suffered a setback in its attempt to strike down a lawsuit that claims its new immigration program targeting skilled trades workers discriminates against people from non-English speaking countries. This week, the Federal Court of Canada dismissed a motion by the federal government to crush the claims by more than 150 migrant construction workers alleging that the Federal Skilled Trades Program welcomes only English-speaking candidates when it comes to letting them stay on permanently. The ruling opens the door for the class action lawsuit to proceed in court. […] The workers from Italy, Portugal and Poland have been employed in Canada on work permits for at least two years. But under the program introduced in 2013, they must pass a language proficiency test to qualify for permanent resident status. The claimants said their applications were returned to them and never considered by immigration officials because they failed the mandatory language test and no test results were submitted with the applications.
Radio Canada International – La réforme du programme des travailleurs étrangers inquiète plusieurs entreprises
Ce nouveau programme fédéral risque de bouleverser la vie de nombreuses entreprises partout au pays puisqu’il limitera à 10 % le nombre de travailleurs étrangers temporaires, au salaire peu élevé, pour les entreprises de plus de 10 employés, parce qu’il réduira aussi la durée de certains permis de travail de quatre à deux ans et haussera les frais administratifs pour chaque travailleur embauché. Plusieurs autres exigences du gouvernement suscitent des craintes, particulièrement dans les entreprises québécoises qui évoluent dans des secteurs où la main-d’œuvre locale se fait rare, surtout en région. Les employeurs concernés par cette réforme disent ne pas avoir le choix de faire appel à des travailleurs étrangers, étant en manque de ressources spécialisées. Ils sont donc inquiets et craignent de devenir moins compétitifs et de perdre des marchés. Le plan de transition exige que les entreprises démontrent les efforts qu’elles mettent en œuvre pour favoriser l’emploi de Canadiens.
La Presse – Travailleurs étrangers: Québec se heurte à la résolution d’Ottawa
Le gouvernement fédéral a refusé les demandes d’assouplissements pour faciliter l’embauche de travailleurs étrangers temporaires au Québec, ont annoncé jeudi deux ministres québécois. La ministre de l’Immigration, Kathleen Weil, a expliqué que ses demandes se sont heurtées à la résolution du ministre fédéral de l’Emploi, Pierre Poilièvre, qui a maintenu ses réformes du programme de travailleurs étrangers temporaires (PTET). «Malgré des échanges ces derniers jours, dans les dernières heures, le gouvernement fédéral demeure fermé à toute modification de la réforme qui tiendrait compte de la réalité du marché du travail québécois», a-t-elle dit aux journalistes. Ces réformes entrent en vigueur ce jeudi, malgré les protestations du gouvernement québécois, qui avait dénoncé, il y a 10 jours, l’intransigeance et l’unilatéralisme d’Ottawa dans ce dossier. Mme Weil avait alors réclamé une rencontre d’urgence avec M. Poilièvre, mais jeudi, la ministre est apparue devant les journalistes pour expliquer que ses demandes sont restées vaines.
