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.
Cap Acadie – Sommet SANB-Alward: immigration, langues officielles et éducation au menu
L’immigration, les langues officielles et l’éducation sont au sommet des priorités dont la SANB souhaite discuter avec le premier ministre David Alward lors de leur rencontre bilatérale annuelle, mercredi. […] Malgré des avancées manifestes, les préoccupations et les besoins de la communauté acadienne restent nombreux, avance Mme Gaudet. La piètre performance de la province en matière d’immigration francophone notamment inquiète la SANB. Parmi les immigrants qui choisissent le Nouveau-Brunswick, seulement 12 % seraient francophones selon Mme Gaudet. Il y a loin du 33 % visé par Fredericton, qui est d’ailleurs insuffisant selon la présidente de la SANB. «Pour nous, le 33 % ne veut rien dire. On devrait augmenter considérablement cette cible dans un souci d’équité», affirme-t-elle sans hésitation.
Canoe – Loi C-31- Manifestation à Laval: la détention des immigrants est décriée
Environ 200 manifestants se sont rassemblés devant le Centre de détention de l’immigration de Laval, dimanche après-midi, pour contester le traitement réservé aux immigrants et la loi fédérale C-31, qui durcit les règles canadiennes d’immigration. «Pas de frontières, pas de barrières, pas de prisons», pouvait-on lire sur plusieurs pancartes et bannières près de l’entrée clôturée du centre de détention. Craie à la main, plusieurs manifestants dessinaient ou écrivaient des slogans sur l’asphalte du stationnement de l’établissement fédéral.
Coop Média de Montréal – Montrealers Tear Down Immigration Detention Centre Fence
On August 11, 2013, around 100 migrants and their supporters descended on the Laval immigration detention centre just outside of Montreal, to denounce the Canadian government’s practice of locking up and deporting non-status people. […] On any given day, 400 to 500 migrants are confined behind the walls of detention centres across the country. The past decade has witnessed a significant increase in the number of migrants detained, with 82,000 detained from 2004 to 2011 and an additional 13,000 detained since 2011. Following the implementation of mandatory detention policies through Bill C-31, all those entering by so-called `irregular means` may face up to one year in detention.
Canada.com – Gay Russians Seeking Refuge in Canada in Wake of Homophobic New Laws
While too soon to say whether a crackdown on homosexuals in Russia will result in a spike in refugee claims from that country, at least one Vancouver lawyer who deals exclusively with gay and lesbian asylum claimants is beginning to notice a difference. […] While too soon to say whether a crackdown on homosexuals in Russia will result in a spike in refugee claims from that country, at least one Vancouver lawyer who deals exclusively with gay and lesbian asylum claimants is beginning to notice a difference. […] Nicole Laviolette, a University of Ottawa law professor who specializes in refugee law and LGBT rights, said Russia was a “main producer” of refugee claims involving homosexuals in the early 1990s but that dropped off when the country appeared to soften its stance. “Now we see there’s a complete roll back on gay and lesbian rights,” she said.
Toronto Star – Immigration is About People, Not Economics
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is currently consulting the public on Canada’s future immigration plan. Very few Canadians know about this, and even fewer may participate. […]The backgrounder makes it abundantly clear that the government’s priority is to use immigration to support Canada’s economy. While there is nothing wrong with this objective, it is the short-sightedness and bias with which the government is approaching this goal that needs to be challenged. […] For Canada as a country to succeed, we need immigrants of all backgrounds and skills to come here to build a permanent home. For immigrants to succeed, they need to have a sense of belonging that only comes about when their entire families are integrated into Canadian society.
Since 1995, Canada has been the only country that requires refugees to pay for their pre-travel medical examinations. Repaying the cost of those exams plus travel documents and transportation is expected to begin after only one year in this country. Canada is also alone in charging interest on those loans after three years. The loans can be as high as $10,000 for every family member over the age of 18 with interest charged at a rate set annually by the federal Finance Department. It’s an extraordinary burden for people who come from a different culture, speak a different language, have little or no education, no skills and, definitely, no money.
