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.
CityNews – Why has Canada’s program brought zero Gazans to safety?
When announced in December, it seemed like a new immigration program would allow Canadians with extended family in Gaza to finally bring them to safety. More than three months later, not a single person has arrived in the country.
Yara El Murr wrote about the Gaza immigration program for The Guardian. “Already many many lives were lost of relatives of Canadian’s who are waiting to bring their families here, so I cannot emphasize enough how urgent this issue is,” says El Murr.
Government of Canada – Minister Miller marks the International Day of La Francophonie
The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, issued the following statement:
“Today, we are proud to celebrate the International Day of La Francophonie. This day is an opportunity for all Canadians to celebrate the linguistic duality that is at the heart of our national identity, and to reflect on the importance of the French language that links us to so many communities around the world. It’s also an opportunity to highlight the importance of French-speaking newcomers who choose to settle in Canada, and who are essential to the economic, cultural and linguistic development of their new communities.
The Walrus – “You Close Roxham Road, People Are Just Going to Cross Somewhere Else”
Before Roxham Road became the last hope for asylum seekers looking to start a new life, before it became a political lightning rod for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, before it was both a logistical problem and bargaining chip for Quebec premier François Legault, it was nothing more than a dirt road between Hemmingford, Quebec, and Plattsburgh, New York—a small blip on the 8,891 kilometres of shared border between Canada and the US. Before 2017, most people hadn’t heard of Roxham Road.
CBC – Man allegedly ‘treated like an animal,’ drank toilet water at HMP while awaiting deportation
A man was held at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s for more than a year after serving his prison sentence, enduring “catastrophic” conditions while federal authorities sorted out his immigration status, documents show.
While at HMP, one of the country’s oldest prisons, Doudou Mpumudjie Kikewa was allegedly “treated like an animal,” deprived of water and forced to “drink from the toilet,” according to hearing transcripts from the Immigration and Refugee Board, a tribunal that makes decisions on immigration matters.
Le Devoir – Le Canada acceptera plus de réfugiés de Gaza
Le ministre fédéral de l’Immigration, Marc Miller, a annoncé lundi que le Canada permettrait à davantage de personnes coincées dans la bande de Gaza et qui ont des membres de leur famille élargie au Canada de demander un asile temporaire. Une « maigre consolation », admet-il. Le gouvernement a créé en janvier un programme de réunification familiale qui offre un asile temporaire aux parents, grands-parents, frères, soeurs et petits-enfants de citoyens canadiens et de résidents permanents au Canada.
La Presse – La part de bébés issus de l’immigration bondit au Québec
La proportion de bébés issus de l’immigration a bondi au Québec, passant de 15 % en 1998 à 26 % en 2021-2022. C’est ce que révèle, entre autres, le rapport de l’ISQ intitulé Le milieu de vie des bébés, le premier réalisé à partir de l’étude longitudinale Grandir au Québec. Parmi les bébés dont la mère est née à l’étranger, les mères d’environ 22,0 % d’entre eux sont nées en Afrique du Nord ou au Moyen-Orient, 24,7 % en Afrique subsaharienne, 16,4 % en Amérique du Sud, 12,7 % en Europe, 4,0 % en Europe de l’Est et 16,2 % dans un pays d’Asie.
