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.
Star Phoenix – Federal Government “Mean Spirited” Toward Refugees, Expert Says
Canada’s federal leaders have “descended into the gutter when they talk about refugees,” says Amnesty International secretary general Alex Neve. Both Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and his predecessor Jason Kenney “have embraced, with great passion, the term ‘bogus refugees,’ ” Neve said Tuesday in Saskatoon. The term, which is “peppered throughout the speeches, and comes up in media interviews all the time … as if it was a category,” is an “ugly, hate-filled, discriminatory and unfounded term” used to create support for the federal government’s initiatives and to undermine Canadians’ long-held support for the rights and needs of refugees, Neve said. Inflammatory language is just one aspect of the “miserly, mean-spirited and punitive” attitude the federal government has shown towards refugees at a time when the Syrian crisis has created the largest mass displacement of people in a generation, Neve said.
CBC – John Williamson Faces Heavy Criticism After “Whities” Comment
Conservative MP John Williamson is facing heavy criticism after comments he made about the Temporary Foreign Worker program over the weekend where he referred to “whities” and “brown people.” Williamson told delegates at a conference in Ottawa that it makes no sense to pay “whities” to stay home while companies bring in “brown people” as temporary foreign workers. By Saturday, the New Brunswick Southwest MP had apologized “unreservedly” on Twitter for his “offensive and inappropriate language.” […] The MP said in a statement that the comments are the biggest mistake of his political career. The comments were resonating in his riding on Monday. Esthela Pyett, the president of the New Brunswick Filipino Association, said she was “hurt” by Williamson’s comments. Pyett said the MP has helped many Filipino residents in the riding, but he clearly chose the wrong words at the conference. “I think that’s what he meant by the browns are coming here to work and they really work hard. And at the same time they pay taxes,” she said. “Not all temporary foreign workers are brown, by the way.”
CTV News – Younger Immigrants at Greater Risk of Developing IBD: Study
Young immigrants to Canada are at greater risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease — including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — according to the findings of a new Canadian study released Tuesday. Researchers at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) say that children who immigrate to Canada appear to take on the same risk level that Canadian children face. And the younger the age of the children when they arrive to Canada, the greater their risk of developing IBD. IBD is a painful and debilitating condition that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. The researchers compared health administration data and immigration data to establish Canadian incidence rates of IBD between 1994 and 2010. They then compared rates of IBD among immigrants to Canada and their children with rates among non-immigrants. Researchers found that the younger an immigrant was at the time of his or her arrival in Canada, the greater the risk for developing IBD. […] The findings establish a correlation between early exposure to the Canadian environment in immigrants and the risk of developing IBD, the researchers said.
Globe and Mail – Tories Worried About Base Finding Out How Much They Spend Helping Immigrants
A briefing note for a Conservative MP suggests the government is worried about how spending on immigration programs is going over with its base. The House of Commons immigration committee is currently studying how government-funded settlement services can better help the economic integration of immigrants. A note which appears to have been prepared for Costas Menegakis, the parliamentary secretary for immigration, says the party’s base will learn as a result that the government spends close to $1-billion a year on those efforts. […] And while the study only began last month and the committee has only just started hearing from witnesses, the briefing note also lays out five recommendations for the eventual report. A copy of the note was obtained by The Canadian Press. Menegakis’ office declined to comment specifically on the note’s contents. […]The Conservatives credit much of their electoral success in recent years to the inroads the party has made among new Canadians. They’ve also massively overhauled the immigration system which they’ve said is partially motivated by concerns raised from within the newcomer community.
Radio-Canada – Montréal a perdu 15 000 résidents en 2013-2014
Montréal sort encore perdante des migrations entre les régions du Québec en 2013-2014, mais ses pertes se sont atténuées, selon l’Institut de la statistique du Québec. Dans son plus récent bilan sociodémographique publié mardi, l’Institut révèle en effet que Montréal a accueilli 38 600 personnes en 2013-2014, mais que 53 600 personnes ont quitté la région. Il s’agit donc d’un bilan négatif de l’ordre de 15 000 individus pour Montréal. Il s’agit toutefois d’une diminution de ses pertes pour une quatrième année consécutive, note l’ISQ. D’ailleurs […] grâce à d’autres facteurs, la population de Montréal est plutôt en croissance, souligne en entrevue Martine St-Amour, démographe à l’Institut. « […] Depuis plusieurs années, Montréal est déficitaire dans ses échanges migratoires avec les autres régions administratives du Québec. Par contre, la population de Montréal continue d’augmenter, parce que les pertes migratoires internes sont compensées d’une part par l’immigration internationale et, d’autre part, par un accroissement naturel positif […] », explique Mme St-Amour.
L’Express Toronto – Immigration francophone: Des suivis essentiels
Des besoins criants en termes d’appui au recrutement d’immigrants francophones, d’investissements pour des services d’établissement en français, d’appui à la promotion des communautés francophones à l’étranger: voilà ce qui ressort de la 9e Journée de réflexion sur l’immigration francophone, qui avait lieu le 2 mars à Ottawa. Plus de 130 chercheurs, intervenants communautaires et représentants gouvernementaux ont participé à cet évènement coordonné par la FCFA, le lobby francophone hors Québec, et une centaine d’autres, partout au pays, ont suivi les discussions en webdiffusion. La FCFA est d’avis que les discussions ont généré beaucoup de matériel pour orienter les politiques et les programmes en appui à l’immigration francophone. […] Le panel sur l’initiative Entrée Express, lancée par Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada le 1er janvier, a clairement fait ressortir à quel point il est essentiel de créer des mesures incitatives pour que les employeurs soient intéressés à recruter des travailleurs francophones à l’étranger.
