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.
Calgary Herald – On the Streets of Athens, Racist Attacks on the Rise and Growing More Violent
Rights groups warn of an explosion in racist violence over the past year, with a notable surge since national elections in May and June that saw dramatic gains by the far-right Golden Dawn party. The severity of the attacks has increased too, they say. […] As Greece’s financial crisis drags on for a third year, living standards for the average Greek have plummeted. A quarter of the labour force is out of work, with more than 50 per cent of young people unemployed. An increasing number of Greeks can’t afford basic necessities and healthcare.
Globe and Mail – Transcript: Prime Minister Stephen Harper on International Trade, Politics and Immigration
“We are shifting the country away from yes, a large-scale, pro-immigration policy but a large-scale … passive pro-immigration policy. An immigration policy that essentially operated on receiving applications and processing them in order. And when we took office that had left us with, in every single stream, backlogs of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of applications that we had been obliged by previous policy to literally process in order without any regard to what the country’s actual immigration priorities were. So what we are trying to do in key categories, especially economic categories, is shift to an activist policy where we define what the immigration needs are that we want, where we actually go out and try and recruit immigrants and to the extent that we receive applications we try and prioritize them to the country’s objectives.”
Globe and Mail – Canada Needs to Get Competitive to Attract Skilled Immigrants: Harper
Stephen Harper believes a global demographic shift is under way, one that will force developed nations such as Canada into a furious competition for talented immigrants in the years ahead. In some of his most expansive comments on the topic, the Prime Minister outlined the rationale behind his government’s fundamental overhaul of the country’s system for choosing immigrants – changes that some critics view as short-sighted and based purely on economic aims. […] Mr. Harper says Canada must increase its efforts to recruit skilled immigrants because industrialized countries are turning to foreigners to make up for a shortfall in population growth and the fiscal pressures of supporting aging societies.
Winnipeg Free Press – Ottawa’s Actions Worry Labour Group
A Manitoba labour group is raising its eyebrows at news that the federal government is putting the temporary foreign worker program under the microscope after complaints about one B.C. mine. All the problems in the temporary foreign worker program are systemic,” said Diwa Marcelino, program co-ordinator for Migrante Manitoba, which advocates for Filipino foreign workers. Problems with the program are the federal government’s creation, he said. “The problems are built into the system, like the 15 per cent reduction in wages,” he said.
Hamilton Spectator – Harper Pressed to Address Canadian Labour Issues in Manila
Harper arrived in Manila on Friday night after a six-day tour to India. It’s the first visit by a Canadian prime minister in 15 years. […] The Philippines is now the largest source of immigrants to Canada and Tagalog the fastest-growing language in the country. Many Filipinos enter Canada for low-skilled jobs, sometimes through the temporary foreign worker program or the live-in caregiver program. There have been complaints about abusive employers, labour standards ignored, and the lack of a monitoring system to assist workers.
Globe and Mail – B .C. Lawsuit Spurs Ottawa to Review Foreign Worker Program
Ottawa will review a controversial federal program that brings thousands of foreign workers to Canada every year, under pressure over a B.C. mining company’s plans to hire Chinese workers. At any given moment, there are 300,000 to 450,000 temporary foreign workers in Canada in fields as diverse as agriculture, the service industry and high technology. Some argue the system lets foreigners take jobs from Canadians, while others complain it leaves temporary workers open to abuse, including being underpaid in unsafe conditions. […] The review comes after B.C. labour groups filed a court action to block permits for Chinese workers to come to British Columbia to toil at a Chinese-backed coal project.
