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.
The Guardian (UK) – Smugglers Abandon Migrant Ship Off Italy in New Tactic to Force Rescue
A “ghost ship” carrying hundreds of migrants was abandoned on Friday by its crew of smugglers in dangerous seas off the coast of southern Italy, in a move that a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration said “takes the smuggling game to a whole new level”. The cargo ship Ezadeen, which set sail under a Sierra Leone flag from a Turkish port this week, was discovered drifting without a captain 40 nautical miles from the Italian coast. Italian coastguards were forced to intervene to prevent a disaster and possibly save the lives of the estimated 450 people on board, many of them thought to be Syrian refugees. […] The tactic shows that despite the cancellation last autumn of Operation Mare Nostrum – an Italian-run rescue scheme that European authorities feared was a prominent reason why migrants were risking all to reach Europe – smugglers are still finding ways to get close to the Italian shore and force coastguards to rescue their passengers.
Globe and Mail – Iranian Immigrant Investors Shut Out of Provincial Programs
Under programs in Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia, would-be immigrants are required to make minimum investments ranging from $200,000 to $800,000 once they have been accepted. However, they need a permit from the office of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to exempt them from the ban on transferring money from Iran to Canada. In December, a group of 54 applicants to Quebec sent a letter for Mr. Baird, warning that they would pursue legal action if they didn’t get permits by Jan. 4. “It is … hard to understand why no decision has been reached regarding these 54 demands, which represent a substantial investment in the Canadian economy,” the legal notice said. The letter alleges the delays are an abuse of power that Canadian courts have not allowed in the past. […] The delays in issuing permits to Iranian applicants to provincial immigrant-investor programs have withheld tens of millions of dollars in potential investment, according to Eiman Sadegh, a Montreal business immigration lawyer who knows of more than 100 cases in Quebec and more than 50 applicants to Manitoba and British Columbia.
CBC – More Skilled Immigrants Coming to Newfoundland and Labrador
Skilled immigrants are coming to Newfoundland and Labrador for work in much larger numbers, and the provincial government wants them to stay. The question is: can they be convinced? Seven years ago, the average number of skilled immigrants coming to this province was 450. That number has since doubled, with the number expected to top 1,000 this year. The provincial government is crediting an extra emphasis on recruitment. […] “People around the world are looking at Newfoundland and Labrador as a place to live, not only because of the job that they can avail of, and the good wages they can avail of, but also our culture,” said Advanced Education and Skills Minister Kevin O’Brien. […] Of immigrants sponsored through the Provincial Nominee Program, 54 per cent live in the St. John’s metropolitan area and 46 per cent live throughout the rest of the province. Some 80 per cent of immigrants in this province are nominated under the skilled worker category and 20 per cent are nominated under the international graduate category.
Radio Canada International – Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador : Des immigrants qualifiés en plus grand nombre
De plus en plus d’immigrants qualifiés choisissent Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador quand ils arrivent au Canada et le gouvernement provincial tente de les retenir. La grande question : peut-on les convaincre de rester? Il y a sept ans, ils n’étaient que 450 à choisir la plus jeune province canadienne. Depuis, ce nombre a doublé et l’on s’attend à ce qu’il dépasse le millier en 2015. Pourquoi? Le gouvernement de Saint John’s affirme avoir mis l’accent sur le recrutement d’immigrants qualifiés « Partout au monde, nous arrivons à dépeindre Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador comment étant une destination de choix, un endroit où il fait bon vivre, non seulement en raison de l’emploi et des bons salaires, mais aussi de la vie culturelle, » a déclaré le ministre de l’Éducation supérieure Kevin O’Brien. « De plus, nous offrons un environnement sécuritaire et ça, c’est très porteur. » Les immigrants s’installent dans la capitale en grande majorité. Monsieur O’Brien souligne également que Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador connaît un boum économique en ce moment, ce qui représenter aussi un élément de motivation pour les nouveaux arrivants.
Hamilton Spectator – Becoming a Canadian Citizen in 2015 is Going to be More Expensive
Resolving to become a Canadian citizen in 2015? It’s going to be more expensive. For the second time in a year, the Conservative government has hiked the fee it charges to make someone a citizen. The new price for processing citizenship documents has been set at $530 as of Jan. 1, up from the price set last February of $300. The government has been angling to increase fees for years, arguing would-be citizens should cover more of the cost of processing their applications. In an analysis of the new fees, the Citizenship and Immigration Department says the higher price will allow it to recoup almost all of the $555 it costs to process citizenship.
Calgary Herald – Oil Downturn Could Weaken Alberta’s Case for TFWs
Falling oil prices could make it more difficult for Alberta businesses to defend their use of temporary foreign workers in 2015, one labour expert says. And even the provincial government — which until now has argued strongly in favour of the TFW program as a short-term solution to Alberta’s labour woes — can be expected to “quietly shift away” from the issue if the value of crude remains depressed. Jason Foster — the co-ordinator for Athabasca University’s industrial relations program — said the Alberta government could wind up with a public relations problem if it tries during a period of economic uncertainty to go to bat for employers who want TFWs. […] While one might assume an economic slowdown would translate into fewer TFWs working in Canada, that hasn’t been the case historically. A study published by Foster in 2012 found that from late 2008 to early 2010 — a period of recession and rising unemployment — the TFW program didn’t slow significantly, it simply levelled off.
