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.
Thompson Citizen – Multicultural Centre Saved for Now
Just last month the Thompson Multicultural Centre was struggling to raise enough money to pay off back taxes, to keep the building. The committee had to raise $6,000 before April 22 to keep the building, and with the help of donations and volunteering at the Thompson Regional Community Centre (TRCC) concession, and a portion of those sales going to the centre, the money was able to be raised. President Peter Aarinola says it feels great to have saved the building. “Working together we have been able to retain the symbol of unity among various multicultural, multi-religious, multi-ethnic groups in Thompson. Losing that building might have meant killing the spirit of multiculturalism and the spirit of volunteerism among the aforementioned groups in our dynamic community. We can not lose that.” […] The board members of the multicultural centre are asking for the public’s input in how the centre can raise funds, and are asking for donations as well as volunteer hours.
New Canadian Media – Despite System’s Flaws, More International Students Coming to Ontario
A recent study titled International Students in the Ontario Postsecondary System and Beyond, which was funded by Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario and presented at the National Metropolis Conference in Vancouver, shows a significant increase of international students living in the province between 2000 and 2012. International Migration Research Centre (IMRC) researchers found an increase in students coming from Asia, Africa and the USA to study in Ontario, but more importantly found that over 50 per cent are opting to remain in Canada after completing their studies. One of the IMRC researchers, Dr. Margaret Walton-Roberts, says it’s important to evaluate the students’ experiences, and how they are impacting Canadian immigration, when looking at the study’s findings. […] Although many foreign students are entering into Ontario, there has been a significant decrease in female international students. According to IMRC, from 2008 to 2012 there was a decrease of eight per cent of females coming to Ontario for education.
New Canadian Media – B.C. and Manitoba Settlement Agencies Suffer Under New Control
Unlike Ontario and the Atlantic region, both B.C. and Manitoba used to have provincial control of their settlement services. For these provinces, the largest issue has been getting used to federal control. Settlement in the west coast metropolitan city of Vancouver – one of Canada’s top destinations for migrants with 45 per cent of its population being foreign-born – is no exception. When the federal government decided to strip control of settlement services from B.C. effective April 1, 2014, the biggest casualty was the freedom agencies had to serve a large array of newcomers. “Under federal funding, service can only be provided to permanent residents and government sponsored refugees,” explains Karen Larcombe, the executive director of South Vancouver Neighbourhood House (SVNH). “That leaves out naturalized immigrants (those with citizenship), temporary foreign workers, who we used to be able to serve, foreign students, etc.”
Global News – New Programs Rolling Out for Canadian Immigrants to Improve Employment Rates
In Sept. 2014, [Nick] Noorani chaired a panel with seven other experts to research the barriers newcomers face when they come to Canada. The panel delivered the results to the government in April 2015, showing that newcomers are getting lost in the complex processes of finding a job that matches their qualifications, or getting their credentials recognized. On April 13, the results of the panel were announced at the Canadian Immigration Summit in Ottawa. Minister of Employment and Social Development Pierre Poilievre earmarked over $7 million to fund two projects to help foreign trained doctors and engineers have their credentials processed within Canada in a more efficient way.[…] The 2015 federal budget, released on April 21, included $35 million over five years to make a Foreign Credential Recognition Loans pilot project permanent, but it’s not clear if there will be funding for pre-arrival pilot projects as well.
La Presse canadienne – Budget fédéral: des prêts pour les immigrants
Deux inquiétudes de longue date des nouveaux arrivants au Canada ont été abordées mardi lors du dévoilement du budget fédéral: comment vivre dans de meilleures conditions ici et comment mieux aider sa famille dans son pays d’origine? Le gouvernement a annoncé qu’un projet pilote lancé il y a trois ans afin d’aider les personnes formées à l’étranger à obtenir une équivalence au Canada grâce à un petit prêt deviendra un programme permanent pour aider les immigrants à obtenir de meilleurs emplois. Le nouveau budget a aussi pour objectif d’aider les immigrants à profiter de moyens plus fiables et sûrs d’envoyer une partie de leurs revenus à leur famille à l’étranger. Le programme de prêts avait vu le jour lors de la campagne électorale de 2011, quand les conservateurs avaient promis d’aider les travailleurs formés à l’étranger à trouver des emplois dans leur champ d’activité une fois arrivés au Canada. Ou, comme les conservateurs le disaient, pour s’assurer que des médecins ne deviennent pas chauffeurs de taxi une fois au Canada.
Radio-Canada – Amnistie demande à Ottawa d’accueillir plus de réfugiés
Amnistie internationale demande au Canada et aux autres pays occidentaux d’en faire davantage pour aider les réfugiés qui tentent de fuir leur pays en traversant la mer Méditerranée. Quelques jours après le naufrage d’un navire qui a fait plus de 800 morts au large de l’Italie, l’organisation a lancé une campagne afin de réclamer un renforcement des opérations de sauvetage en mer. « L’Europe doit urgemment faire une opération de sauvetage, c’est clair, avec des moyens beaucoup plus amplifiés que ceux actuels. […] Il faut offrir des alternatives avec des routes sécuritaires, ouvrir des frontières, permettre beaucoup plus de programmes d’acceptation des réfugiés. Donc des programmes de réinstallation au Canada comme en Europe », a déclaré la directrice générale d’Amnistie pour le Canada francophone, Béatrice Vaugrante, lors d’un rassemblement mardi devant une église du centre-ville de Montréal pour la défense des droits des réfugiés, syriens notamment. Amnistie internationale interpelle le Canada pour qu’il respecte son engagement d’accueillir 10 000 réfugiés syriens d’ici trois ans. Depuis 2011, 1300 réfugiés syriens ont obtenu la résidence permanente au Canada. L’ONG dévoilera mercredi un rapport détaillé sur la question.
