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.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada Notice – Canada Lifts the Visa Requirements for Visitors from Chile
Chilean citizens no longer require a visa to visit Canada. This means that Chilean visitors and businesspeople can now stay in Canada for up to six months visa-free, which is consistent with all other visa-exempt travellers. A recent visa policy review found that Chile meets Canada’s criteria for a visa exemption. This decision is based on a comprehensive assessment that evaluated a number of criteria. These include socio-economic indicators, migration trends, the integrity of travel documents, safety and security issues, border management, human rights, as well as bilateral relations. The visa exemption will further deepen Canada-Chile relations and lead to increased tourism, as well as increased trade and economic opportunities. In 2013, 10,500 Chilean citizens were issued a visa to visit Canada and approximately 31,000 Canadians visited Chile during the same period.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Avis – Le Canada lève l’obligation de visa pour les visiteurs en provenance du Chili
À compter de midi (HNE) aujourd’hui, les citoyens chiliens n’auront plus besoin d’un visa pour venir en visite au Canada. Cela signifie que les visiteurs et les gens d’affaires chiliens peuvent maintenant demeurer au Canada pendant un maximum de six mois sans visa, conformément à la politique à l’égard de tous les autres voyageurs dispensés de visa. Un examen récent de la politique en matière de visas a conclu que le Chili répondait aux critères du Canada pour la dispense de visa. Cette décision est basée sur une évaluation globale qui a analysé plusieurs critères, notamment des indicateurs socio-économiques, les tendances en matière de migration, l’intégrité des titres de voyage, la sécurité, la gestion des frontières, les droits de la personne et les relations bilatérales. La dispense de visa permettra d’approfondir les relations bilatérales avec le Chili et d’améliorer les possibilités touristiques, commerciales et économiques. En 2013, 10 500 citoyens chiliens ont reçu un visa pour visiter le Canada et environ 31 000 Canadiens ont visité le Chili. Les citoyens chiliens qui veulent travailler ou étudier au Canada devront toujours demander les permis appropriés, ce qui se fait facilement en ligne.
Radio-Canada – Une publicité pour briser les préjugés associés aux jeunes immigrants
Afin de sensibiliser la population de Québec à l’enjeu de l’immigration et pour briser les clichés parfois associés aux jeunes issus des communautés culturelles, une campagne publicitaire choc a été lancée au cours des derniers jours. Cette publicité radiophonique et télévisuelle a été développée en partenariat avec l’organisme Motivaction Jeunesse, qui vient en aide aux jeunes défavorisés. « C’est une publicité sociétale de lutte aux préjugés », lance Luc Richer, directeur général de Motivaction Jeunesse. Dans la publicité, on voit un jeune adolescent noir, le regard masqué par un capuchon, courir rapidement dans des ruelles et franchir des clôtures. À la toute fin, le téléspectateur se rend compte que le jeune tente de se dépasser et qu’il ne fait que s’entraîner avant d’aller jouer au hockey. Selon Gaby Leya, le jeune homme que l’on voit dans la publicité, la campagne vise à démontrer que les jeunes immigrants sont une richesse pour la société. La campagne illustre « un certain talent que les immigrants emmènent, parce que des fois, il y a des préjugés, puis on pense qu’une personne n’a pas assez de talents », regrette le jeune homme de 18 ans, qui est originaire de la République démocratique du Congo.
Al Jazeera English – Obama Unveils Sweeping Immigration Reform
President Barack Obama has ordered far-reaching changes to the US immigration system that will protect nearly 5 million people from deportation, testing the limits of his presidential powers and inviting a showdown with newly emboldened Republicans. In a speech on Thursday night, Obama announced plans to protect nearly 5 million immigrants living illegally in the United States from deportation by granting them work permits; millions more would remain in limbo. Obama said his executive actions were a “common-sense” plan consistent with what previous presidents of both parties had done. […] The president’s broadest decree was expected to apply to about 4.1 million parents who are living in the US illegally but whose children are US citizens or permanent residents. If the parents have been in the US for at least five years, they could apply for protection from deportation and then for work permits. Despite the sweeping scope of the president’s actions, more than half of the 11 million immigrants living in the US illegally will be granted no specific protections.
CBC – Should Mexico Still be Considered a “Safe Country”?
The recent disappearance of 43 college students in the Mexican state of Guerrero has sent thousands of protesters into the streets of Mexico City and other towns and cities, demanding an end to what is seen as collusion between corrupt local governments and drug cartels. Since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the country’s drug cartels on Dec. 11, 2006, there have been more than 100,000 deaths and more than 22,000 disappearances in Mexico. Yet in February last year, Canada added Mexico to an official list of “safe countries” whose citizens will be given less consideration when making refugee claims. Mexico was added to the list along with Norway, Japan, Israel (not counting the occupied territories), Iceland, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland. The only other Latin American country designated as safe is Chile. Not even Costa Rica, long considered a model of democracy and respect for human rights, is on the list.
Toronto Star – “Do Not Stop the Boats,” says UN Envoy on Migrants
The top UN envoy for migrants has this advice for European nations faced with boatloads of desperate refugees fleeing war-torn countries: Let the boats come. Jailing adult or child migrants in detention centres, stopping boats from landing and building sky-high walls along borders are not lasting solutions to the world’s migrant crisis, says François Crépeau, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants. Last year, 51.2 million people fled their homes due to war, persecution and human rights violations — the largest number since the Second World War. […] Crépeau, a McGill University law professor who was appointed the special rapporteur in 2011, said the voices of migrants are rarely heard because politicians refuse to tackle the humanitarian crisis. “Migrants don’t vote. They don’t have a voice in the political arena. That means there is no electoral incentive for politicians to do the right thing, none whatsoever,” said Crépeau, who will hold this special mandate for another three years.
