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.
BBC News – US House Votes to Block Obama Migrant Plan
The House of Representatives has voted to pass a bill that would effectively roll back President Obama’s recent immigration initiatives. The bill still needs to go to the Senate for approval and the White House has said the president will veto it. Mr. Obama announced in November that he would use his executive authorities to enact sweeping immigration changes. Republicans in the House say that the president’s actions overreach his authority and are unconstitutional. It is the Republican’s latest attempt to challenge the White House, after taking control of both chambers of Congress in November. […] Despite the fact that the president would likely veto the bill, this move carries significant weight because it signals the extent to which Republicans are willing to go in order to show their opposition to president Obama, who they think has overreached his authority. Even though the bill is unlikely to pass the Senate, Democrats may be worried that debate over the bill could scare away immigrants from signing up for Mr. Obama’s recent immigration programmes.
Asian Pacific Post – Billions of Dollars in Projects Depend on Asian Migrants
British Columbia will depend heavily on Asian workers and immigrants to help fix a looming shortage of skilled labour that could jeopardize billions of dollars worth of projects in the province over the next decade. Over one million total job openings are expected in B.C. to 2022, including 985,000 from economic activity already confirmed or planned, as well as up to 100,000 jobs from the expected LNG activity, concluded a newly released BC Labour outlook report. Given the predictions of labor shortages, B.C. last week introduced a new immigration stream under its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) called Express Entry British Columbia. This new stream will work in tandem with Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) new Express Entry application system, introduced on Jan. 1, 2015, allowing eligible applicants to receive priority processing of both their B.C. PNP application, and if nominated, their permanent residence application. […] Labour Market analysts and immigration experts expect Asian countries especially Philippines, India and China to provide the bulk of applications under the new system. The Philippines last year surpassed China and India as Canada’s top source country for new immigrants to Canada.
Metro News Canada – Canada May Be Better Haven than Israel for French Jews, says Rabbi
Canada may be a better answer than Israel as the safest of harbours in the event of a spiking Jewish exodus from France, a prominent American rabbi said Wednesday. Citing direct contact with potential Jewish émigrés who say they are reluctant to trade the uncertainties of France for the complications of Israel, Washington-based Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld is calling on both Canada and the U.S. to open immigration channels denied to an earlier generation of refugees at the onset of the Second World War. “The U.S. should open its doors. But so too should Canada — and French Canada, in particular, which is in many ways a more natural destination and a much more attractive option to many French Jews seeking safety.” […] Whatever the reason, Canada and the U.S. bear “the responsibility of history” to extend a welcome now, Herzfeld told the Toronto Star in an interview Wednesday as he readied for a trip to Israel for an annual mission that will include meetings with newly arrived French immigrants.
Global News – South Okanagan Group Aims to Create a Multicultural Region
South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services (SOICS) has been providing services to newcomers for more than 30 years. Its expertise is the reason why Citizenship and Immigration Canada has chosen it to be a key player in a new group called the Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) Council. The new group is comprised of elected officials, business people and other community stakeholders, who are all working together to help new immigrants settle and integrate into the region. “I think that without the strategy, we would actually not experience any growth. We would actually see a decline, potentially. So I think from both an economic and societal point of view, it is important to attract newcomers,” says Nora Hunt-Half, LIP Coordinator. The new council has been working on strategies on how to attract and keep immigrants in the region. The plan will be finalized in the spring.
CBC – Quebec to Launch Consultation on Immigration and Diversity
The provincial government is getting ready to launch a consultation later this month, asking Quebecers what they think about immigration, diversity and inclusion. The measure comes as the government prepares to overhaul its immigration policy. Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil says one of the biggest challenges that new Quebecers face is finding a job. “Integration into the workforce, recognition of professional competencies — that is always the number one issue and it is the number one issue that we want to address,” Weil told CBC in an exclusive interview. She also said it will be a priority for the province to recognize foreign credentials. […] Weil says if new immigrants can’t find work, they feel shut out and excluded from Quebec society. She says it’s critical employers also be involved in the discussions around the new immigration policy.
Radio-Canada – Les immigrants connaissent-ils assez le français?
Selon les chiffres du ministère québécois de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion, c’était en fait 46 % des immigrants admis au Québec en 2004 qui ne connaissaient pas le français. En 2013, le pourcentage d’immigrants qui ne maîtrisaient pas cette langue avait légèrement diminué, s’établissant à 43 %; une variation de trois points de pourcentage (soit 14,2 % qui disaient connaître seulement l’anglais et 28,5 % qui ne connaissaient ni le français ni l’anglais). Parmi les différentes catégories d’immigrants, ceux qui sont admis pour investir, occuper un emploi ou gérer une entreprise connaissent le mieux la langue officielle du Québec, dans une proportion de 70 %. Et de tous les immigrants, les réfugiés sont les plus nombreux à ne pas connaître le français, dans une proportion de près de 60 %. Selon la plus récente étude du Conseil supérieur de la langue française, de nombreux immigrants arrivent au Québec avec la fausse idée qu’ils n’ont pas besoin de connaître le français.
