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.
Huffington Post – Immigrant Training: Ontario, Feds Spending $57 Million on Programs to Give New Canadians a Leg Up in Job Market
Ontario is spending $35 million to give skilled immigrants a leg up to get the training they need to find work in their fields. The federal government is also kicking in $22 million to fund 70 existing and new projects that they say will help more than 11,000 immigrants. The so-called “bridge training” programs provide occupation-specific training, Canadian work experience and help to get the license immigrants need to work in their field. […] The programs are being offered in the Toronto area, York Region, Hamilton, Kitchener Waterloo, London, Niagara, Thunder Bay, North Bay, Kingston and Ottawa.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada – Countries Unite to Tackle Immigration Fraud
Canada, the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia are united in their efforts to warn prospective visitors and immigrants of the dangers of being misled by unscrupulous immigration agents, government representatives announced at a news conference today. Representatives from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the UK Border Agency and the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship also sent a clear message to crooked agents that they are working with other countries and with Indian authorities to combat immigration fraud.
Winnipeg Free Press – Health-Benefit Cut for Refugees Spurs Lawsuit
The Anglican diocese and a refugee sponsorship group in Winnipeg are taking the federal government to court over its plan to strip new refugees of medical benefits such as prescription medicine and prosthetics. […] That’s a breach of contract, said Tom Denton, executive director of Hospitality House Refugee Ministry. The diocese and church-funded Hospitality House have a contractual relationship with the federal government, as do other refugee sponsorship-agreement holders, Denton said. “One of the assumptions underlying the sponsorships is the interim federal health plan would be in place,” he said.
NY Daily News – President Obama’s Immigration Stance Could Pay Off in Key Swing States, Poll Suggests
President Obama basked in the warm embrace of a Latino leaders conference Friday — as a new poll shows that his new immigration policy could pay off in key swing states. […]Romney, who addressed the same conference the day before, has not said if he would overturn Obama’s executive action, but he slammed it as a “temporary measure” fueled by election-year politics. Romney’s staff touted his immigration plan, which would give green cards to illegal immigrants studying at American universities and help those serving in the military achieve citizenship.
ABS-CBN News – Philippines Asks Canada to Relax Hiring Rules
The Philippines has asked Canada to relax its rules on hiring Filipino workers, on expectations Canada will need to fill jobs that will be soon left vacant by its greying population. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario says he has asked Canada’s Minister for Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney to recognize academic degrees earned in the Philippines, during a meeting in Parliament Hill, Ottawa. Canada downgrades degrees from Philippine universities because of the differences in curricula.
The Independent – [British] Cabinet Split as Baroness Warsi Attacks “Racist” Curbs on Immigration
Baroness Warsi pleaded with cabinet colleagues to drop what she warned would be seen as a “racist” policy when they discussed curbs on migrants bringing family members to live with them in Britain. The row exploded when Theresa May, the Home Secretary, proposed that UK citizens earning less than £40,000 should not be allowed to bring in a foreign wife or husband, The Independent has learnt. Lady Warsi, the Conservative Party co-chairman and the first Muslim woman to sit in the Cabinet, warned that such a policy would amount to a “whites only” entry rule, with family members living in the Punjab having no chance of getting to this country.
