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.
Globe and Mail – Power to Inspect TFW Employers Without a Warrant Hasn’t Been Used
The Conservative government’s clampdown on the temporary foreign worker program promised a “massive” increase in inspections – including the power to search work sites without a warrant – but documents show this now year-old inspection power has never been used. The reason: It hasn’t been necessary, according to the Employment Minister. The power to conduct inspections without a warrant was heavily promoted by the Conservative government as an example of how Ottawa was getting tough on employers in response to several high-profile cases of abuse. […] Essentially, the government argues that simply having the inspection power on the books has been effective at encouraging employers to hand over documents showing they are complying with their obligations. And Ottawa would apply the new powers only if employers refused to co-operate. […] The department said Wednesday that it does visit work sites – including the McDonald’s restaurants that attracted controversy last year – but that the new powers were not invoked because employers are willingly co-operating. A franchise owner operating three McDonald’s locations in Victoria was suspended from the program last year over allegations of breaking its rules.
Calgary Herald – Critics Demand More Transparency Around New Temporary Foreign Worker Measures
Only a “small fraction” of temporary foreign workers in Alberta will qualify for an extended stay in Canada as a result of one-time bridging measures quietly rolled out this week, the federal government says. But critics charge that a lack of clarity is causing heightened anxiety among the thousands of vulnerable workers seeking a lifeline in advance of a looming April 1 deadline to leave the country. […] But while the new measures have been praised by business groups, others are calling for more information about the number of permits that will be offered and what type of workers will receive them. “It’s a solution that appears like it will benefit some people, but it’s not clear whom. And the fact that they’re not publicizing it, I would say, is really problematic,” said Vance Langford, an immigration lawyer with Field Law’s Calgary office. “I believe they (government) have a duty to inform people about changes to policy — what it is, what it means, who it affects, and who needs to make other plans.”
La Tribune – Financement inadéquat pour les nouveaux arrivants
La Ville de Sherbrooke a mis en évidence les défis qui attendent les personnes immigrantes et les communautés d’accueil, mardi, en présentant un mémoire lors de la commission parlementaire vers une nouvelle politique québécoise en matière d’immigration, de diversité et d’inclusion. À Québec, la conseillère Annie Godbout a fait valoir que les villes accueillant une forte proportion de réfugiés ne bénéficient pas du financement nécessaire pour faciliter la vie de ces nouveaux arrivants. « Lorsque collectivement nous faisons le choix de répondre à des situations humanitaires, il faut être conséquent et assurer les financements adéquats », a déclaré Mme Godbout. En Estrie, 53 % des personnes immigrantes accueillies sont des personnes réfugiées, une spécificité de la région. « Sherbrooke est une des villes au Québec qui accueille le plus grand nombre de personnes dans les catégories réfugié et parrainé par rapport au total d’immigrants reçus. Un immigrant économique aura réussi son intégration […] dans un délai raisonnable pour le ministère [de l’Immigration]. Par contre, la personne réfugiée, dont le parcours est atypique, nécessite des conditions préalables », lit-on dans le mémoire qui a été déposé.
CBC – Some Temporary Foreign Workers in Alberta to Get Reprieve
Some temporary foreign workers in Alberta are getting more time to become permanent residents as they face a deadline for leaving the country. The transitional measure will offer a reprieve to some employees in Alberta working in the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program as they wait for their permanent residence applications to be processed, Employment Minister Jason Kenney said in a letter to Conservative MPs obtained by CBC News. The federal government introduced new rules last June barring employers from hiring low-wage temporary foreign workers in regions where the unemployment rate is above six per cent, and requiring employers to cap the number of foreign workers they hire at 10 per cent by 2016. April 1 is the deadline for workers under the program who have been in the province since 2011 or earlier to leave the country in accordance with the new Labour Market Impact Assessment criteria. […] Additionally, Citizenship and Immigration Canada is providing a one-year bridging work permit to temporary foreign workers who are subject to the four-year cumulative duration limit.
National Post – Permits Extended for Alberta’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program not Exemptions, Kenney Says
Federal Employment Minister Jason Kenney says Ottawa is willing to extend to other provinces the measures it has given Alberta for some of its temporary foreign workers. In a letter to Conservative MPs last week, Kenney says the federal government is giving a one-time exemption to temporary foreign workers in Alberta from being counted under the cap on low-wage workers, provided they meet strict criteria. […] The letter says this should provide some relief to employers who have TFWs that have already applied for immigration and are in the queue waiting for their applications to be assessed. The Alberta Federation of Labour says the Conservative government has caved in to pressure from low-wage employers who want to hold on to “exploitable” temporary foreign workers for a longer period of time. […] But Kenney said that the measures are not exemptions to the TFW program. “So this is a little tweak to assist people who are in most cases probably going to get permanent residency anyway. It just allows them to stay in Canada until that decision is made,” Kenney said to reporters after Question Period Tuesday.
CBC – Cape Breton University to Come Up With Immigration Strategy
Cape Breton University has set up a new immigration task force to come up with a strategy to encourage more people to come to Cape Breton. International students currently make up 30 per cent of the student body at CBU. Keith Brown, vice president of international and aboriginal affairs, said it’s a natural fit for the university to act on the recommendations of the One Nova Scotia Coalition. The coalition called for an increase in immigration targets for Nova Scotia, following recommendations made in the Ivany report. […] CBU is surveying more than 200 international students to find out why they chose to come to Cape Breton, and what barriers they faced. Brown said the university will do the leg work, but it will be up to the province to run the programs. […] The task force includes representatives from Cape Breton’s municipal governments, the Nova Scotia Community College, first nations communities and business organizations. […] Brown said the first order of business will be to make sure everyone understands that immigration is a federal responsibility, and there’s an agreement with NS about what it can and can’t do when it comes to immigration.
