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.
CBC News – Afghan Refugees Want Canada to Bring More Family and Friends to Join Them
Monday is Nowruz, the Persian new year. The popular festival celebrated throughout Iran and Central Asia is usually marked by a public holiday, with families gathering to prepare festive dishes and welcome the spring. The Taliban, however, cancelled the public holiday, saying it does not carry any significance in Islam. CBC spoke with recent newcomers, and with Afghan nationals hoping to be allowed to come to Canada before the next Nowruz.
La Presse – Des sans-papiers passent une nuit dehors pour presser Ottawa
Passer toute une nuit dans le froid et la neige directement devant le Complexe Guy-Favreau, à Montréal, voilà ce que des organismes qui réclament un statut régularisé pour tous les sans-papiers du Canada ont décidé de faire cette fin de semaine pour presser le gouvernement fédéral à agir rapidement dans ce dossier. Menés par Solidarité sans frontières, ces groupes ont choisi de braver les intempéries de cette nuit particulièrement froide de mars pour illustrer à quel point certaines personnes sans statut doivent vivre dans des situations difficiles au quotidien.
La Presse – Seulement 1,6% de Noirs dans les rangs
Les Forces armées canadiennes (FAC) ne reflètent pas la diversité du pays – et la proportion de Noirs l’illustre bien, démontrent des statistiques obtenues par La Presse. À peine 1,6 % des membres de la Force régulière et de la Première réserve s’identifient comme Noirs, soit presque trois fois moins que dans la population en général (4,3 %). La Force régulière compte 1,5 % de Noirs et la Première réserve en recense 1,9 %.
BBC News – Why Asylum Seekers Are Choosing Canada in Record Numbers
Last year, nearly 40,000 migrants crossed into Canada at an unofficial border at the end of a remote rural road in upstate New York – a record number – to seek asylum. Many are driven by the belief that the country is more welcoming than the US. Migrants who spoke to the BBC in Quebec said they increasingly view the US as not a viable country for refuge, where asylum claims can often take years before they are heard, and where they feel they are not welcomed.
CBC News – Canada to Accept More Syrian, Turkish Residents After Devastating February Earthquake
The federal government will make it easier for temporary residents from Turkey and Syria to extend their stay in Canada and will prioritize the visa applications of people from these two countries, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said Saturday. More than 50,000 people were killed and millions were displaced after the 7.8-magnitude quake and several powerful aftershocks hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on Feb. 6.
Toronto Star – ‘State of Shock’: As Canada Ramps Up Immigration, Unsuspecting Newcomers Are Running into Inflation Shock from Soaring Prices
Many newcomers come to Canada dreaming of a better life, but lately they have found themselves pummelled by the highest inflation rate in four decades, unable to afford adequate housing, food and basic necessities. And as the federal government responds to historic labour shortages by ramping up immigration, newcomers are arriving only to find mostly low-skill, low-paying jobs available to them.
