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.
Vancouver Sun – Immigrants Help Solve Oilpatch Labour Woes
The growing immigrant population is not only changing the face of Calgary, it’s also serving an increasingly vital part of helping oil and gas companies solve labour shortages, which are only expected to increase in the next 10 years. In 2010, Calgary’s immigrant population was estimated at 304,000 – almost 30 per cent of the total population, and the visible minority population is projected to reach 40 per cent by 2020, according to data from Statistics Canada based on the last census. Over half (52.7 per cent) of those immigrants were in the crucial working demographic of 25-44.
Winnipeg Free Press – Rejig for Business Immigrant Program
Manitoba will introduce new screening measures for business immigrants this fall in answer to criticisms its program is inefficient and fails to ensure newcomers hold up their end of the bargain. The changes to the Provincial Nominee Program for Business will be implemented once a backlog of applications under the current system is cleared up — likely by late fall. […] Manitoba will no longer require business applicants to visit the province before applying to locate here. A new online screening process will see prospective immigrants answer questions about their age, business experience, net worth, fluency in English or French and whether they have a support network here.
Edmonton Sun – Edmonton’s Growing Cultural Mosaic: From War to Opportunity
Visit any Canadian city and the cultural mosaic that we’re so proud of is obvious. From the variety of foods to music to language, Edmontonians are no strangers to the brilliant landscape of culture. Stay in one place in for long enough, however, and it becomes pretty clear that the mosaic is a dynamic one, shifting in all directions and never constant. According to Statistics Canada’s latest household survey, what many call the census, Edmonton has become a place where some come for economic prosperity, others come to escape the horrible realities of war and some still just come to be a part of the patchwork quilt of this Prairie locale. Of a total population of 795,670 Edmontonians, immigrants make up 205,445 of them — 26%. Added to that, more than 173,000 have at least one immigrant parent.
The Province – Nauru Becomes Second Pacific Nation to Agree to Settle Refugees Who Head to Australia by Boat
The tiny country of Nauru on Saturday became the second Pacific island nation to agree to settle refugees who attempt to reach Australia by boat, in a deal aimed at deterring asylum seekers that was quickly attacked by critics. Nauru signed the agreement two weeks after Papua New Guinea made a similar deal with the Australian government in return for foreign aid. […] The surge in asylum seeker boat arrivals in recent years is a major political issue that is hurting the governing centre-left Labor Party in opinion polls. […] Rights groups condemned the policy as an abrogation of Australia’s responsibilities as a signatory to the United Nations’ Refugee Convention.
Radio-Canada – Le PLQ dénonce les nouvelles règles d’immigration
Le Parti libéral du Québec (PLQ) estime que les nouvelles règles et procédures d’immigration québécoises privent le Québec d’une main-d’oeuvre qualifiée dont la province a besoin. Entrées en vigueur jeudi, ces nouvelles règles favorisent les candidats qui ont des formations répondant aux besoins du marché du travail et qui maîtrisent le français. Si la porte-parole libérale en matière d’Immigration, Filomena Rotiroti, est d’accord pour protéger le français, elle estime que les nouvelles règles sont trop strictes et pourraient avoir des conséquences néfastes sur notre économie, a-t-elle indiqué vendredi par voie de communiqué.
CanIndia – Majority of Immigrants Struggle with Financial Management in their First Year
A survey has indicated that a whopping 60 percent of newcomers lack confidence in their financial knowledge, especially about using credit, during their first year living in Canada, according to research by RBC Royal Bank. But confidence rises the longer new immigrants live in the country, up to 92 percent among newcomers who have lived in Canada between two and five years. […] Building a credit history in Canada is actually listed as one of the top challenges facing thousands of newcomers that settle here every year, with many feeling “overwhelmed” by it, according to RBC Royal Bank research. Almost one-fifth of newcomers (17 per cent), who have been in Canada less than a year, say they feel overwhelmed by all the talk about the need for credit history. That number more than doubles to 43 per cent among newer Canadians the longer they are in the country.
