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.
Le Lezard – Le ministre Kenney presse les employeurs de se tourner vers les Canadiens, y compris les nouveaux arrivants, pour combler les pénuries de main-d’oeuvre qualifiée
Dans le discours liminaire qu’il a prononcé aujourd’hui au BC Business Summit, le ministre de l’Emploi et du Développement social et ministre du Multiculturalisme, l’honorable Jason Kenney, a mis au défi les employeurs de chercher des Canadiens et des nouveaux arrivants pour combler leurs pénuries de main-d’oeuvre qualifiée. Les néo-Canadiens et les néo-Canadiennes représentent une précieuse source de travailleurs qualifiés que les employeurs du Canada peuvent recruter. […] En 2007, notre gouvernement du Canada a mis sur pied le Bureau d’orientation relatif aux titres de compétences étrangers afin d’offrir aux travailleurs formés à l’étranger de l’information et des services pour l’évaluation des titres de compétences et de les aider ainsi à trouver rapidement un emploi dans leur domaine.
CNW Telbec – CIJA applaudit le rapport parlementaire sur les réfugiés juifs
Vendredi dernier, un rapport du Comité permanent des affaires étrangères et du développement international de la Chambre des communes sur la question des réfugiés juifs des pays arabes a été déposé au Parlement. Ce rapport conclut en recommandant que le gouvernement fédéral «reconnaisse officiellement l’expérience des réfugiés juifs qui ont été déplacés des pays du Moyen-Orient et de l’Afrique du Nord après 1948 » et « les parties directement engagées dans les négociations à tenir compte de toutes les populations de réfugiés dans le cadre de toute résolution juste et complète des conflits israélo-palestinien et israélo-arabe».
South China Morning Post – Vancouver Benefits from Influx of Mainland Chinese Migrants, Says Mayor
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson says a flood of mainland Chinese immigrants, tourists and investors is creating new economic development opportunities in the Canadian port city, not driving up property prices, as some city residents have complained. In Hong Kong yesterday to wrap up an eight-day China tour, Robertson said Vancouver’s property market had been attracting international investors long before the current rush of mainland Chinese buyers. […] Nonetheless, Robertson acknowledged that the number of mainland Chinese had been growing rapidly in recent years and now accounted for 10 per cent of the city’s 603,000 residents. The rise coincides with a decline in Hong Kong Chinese.
Digital Journal – Legal Aid Lawyers Call on Minister MacKay to Increase Federal Funding to Legal Aid
Today, as Attorney General Gerretsen meets in Whitehorse with the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of Canada, Peter MacKay, we call on the federal government to increase funding levels to Legal Aid Ontario to what they were in the past. Federal funding to Legal Aid Ontario has decreased from 50% to 20% over the last 20 years. […] Extremely low income eligibility leaves many without legal representation as they navigate the justice system; often people are left to represent themselves in criminal, family, civil/administrative and refugee matters – situations that require a lawyer to ensure peoples’ rights are fully protected. The potential effect of self-representation can be devastating, such as […] a refugee losing status.
CBC – Malta to Sell Citizenships for 650k Euros Apiece
Malta’s Parliament has voted to sell its citizenship for 650,000 euros ($915,590 Cdn), granting buyers a coveted passport that allows them into the 28-nation European Union. The plan approved Wednesday is expected to go into effect within a few weeks. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat predicts it will bring in 30 million euros ($42.3 million Cdn) annually and help ease the country’s deficit. […] As an EU member, Malta’s citizens can freely enter and reside in any of the 27 other members and they can stand as candidates for the European Parliament, among other privileges. In Brussels, European Union spokesman Michele Cercone noted that Malta and other members have full sovereignty to decide how and to whom they grant nationality.
Vancouver Sun – Cap on Immigration Applications Unfair to Workers: Labour Head
A decision to bar foreign retail and restaurant supervisors from applying to the much-vaunted Canadian Experience Class immigration stream is raising questions about whether the federal government’s handling of the temporary foreign worker program has allowed low-skilled workers to gain easy access to permanent residency. The federal government announced late last week that it was capping immigration applications to the Canadian Experience Class, a pathway that’s supposed to facilitate residency for international students and skilled foreign workers with jobs in Canada. The government said it would accept just 12,000 applications this year and that cooks, food and retail supervisors, administrative assistants and bookkeepers would no longer be eligible for the program.
