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.
Winnipeg Free Press – Labour Groups Say Foreign Worker Changes Attack Canadian Wages
Labour groups are stepping up their attack on changes to regulations for temporary foreign workers, saying the adjustments will reduce wages for Canadians, make it tougher for union shops to bid for work and allow companies to cut training of local employees. […]On Wednesday, the federal government said it would speed up approval times for companies to get skilled workers into Canada if local labour can’t be found. It also promised better protections for such workers once they’re in the country.
Winnipeg Free Press – Rollbacks for Refugee Hopefuls Ripped
A government plan to roll back extended health-care benefits for asylum claimants in a bid to save money and deter bogus applicants is grossly unfair to the thousands of legitimate refugees who desperately need the help, opposition MPs said Wednesday. The comments were made after the government unveiled plans to cut off supplementary services like pharmaceutical care, dentistry, vision care and access to free assistive devices for claimants. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney argued Canadians don’t get government-funded eye and dental care and neither should refugees.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada – Reform of the Interim Federal Health Program Ensures Fairness, Protects Public Health and Safety
A federal program that provides health-care benefits to protected persons, refugee claimants and others is being reformed to ensure fairness for Canadian taxpayers while emphasizing the need to protect public health and safety, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today. […]The current IFHP provides basic health-care coverage, similar to what is provided through a provincial or territorial health insurance plan, as well as coverage for supplemental health-care services, including pharmaceutical care, dentistry, vision care and mobility assistive devices. Most Canadians, however, do not have access to government-funded supplemental health care.
Globe and Mail – US High Court Appears to Back Arizona’s Crackdown on Immigration
Conservative justices who hold a majority on the U.S. Supreme Court appeared to endorse Arizona’s immigration crackdown on Wednesday, rejecting the Obama administration stance that the federal government has sole power over those who illegally enter the United States. […]Two years ago, Arizona became the first of half a dozen U.S. states to pass laws aimed at driving illegal immigrants out, including requiring police to check the immigration status of anyone detained and suspected of being in the country illegally.
Toronto Star – Ottawa to Cut Health Care for Some Refugees
Ottawa will strip thousands of refugees of health-care coverage starting in July unless their conditions pose a threat to public health. […] Currently, all refugees are covered by the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP), which provides basic health coverage, sometimes with supplementary services such as pharmaceutical care, dentistry, vision care and devices such as walkers and wheelchairs, if required. […] The plan announced Wednesday stipulates that rejected claimants and refugees from designated countries won’t be eligible for health care unless their conditions put the public at risk. All refugees will also be stripped of supplemental health coverage.
Globe and Mail – Alberta Praises New Foreign-Worker Rules
Canadian companies that want to bring in highly skilled foreign workers temporarily will be able to do so faster and pay them less under new federal immigration rules aimed at addressing the country’s persistent labour shortages. In areas of the country that are booming economically – particularly Alberta – companies are complaining about the lack of skilled workers, a problem that Ottawa has identified as one of Canada’s biggest policy challenges. Of 190,000 temporary foreign workers who entered Canada last year, 25,500 went to Alberta.
