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.
CTV News – Charity Calls on Government to Help Resettle 300 LGBTQ2+ Afghans Trying to Escape to Canada
A charity that rescues LGBTQ2S+ refugees facing violence and discrimination internationally is calling on the Canadian government to partner with them to facilitate a way out for the hundreds of Afghans who have reached out to them in desperation. Rainbow Railroad, a charity based in Toronto, called on the Canadian government earlier this week to help them create a streamlined process to bring LGBTQ2S+ refugees over from Afghanistan, where same-sex intimacy is illegal.
La Presse – Statut d’immigration précaire, santé précaire
Au Québec, environ 50 000 personnes n’ont pas accès à une couverture d’assurance maladie en raison de leur statut d’immigration précaire, selon une estimation de l’Institut universitaire SHERPA. Reconnaissant cette situation critique à la suite de l’adoption du projet de loi no 83, le ministre de la Santé et des Services sociaux, Christian Dubé, a mandaté un groupe de travail interministériel dirigé par la RAMQ afin d’identifier des pistes de solutions pour les femmes enceintes sans couverture de santé.
Toronto Star – Canada’s Asylum System Is Outdated, Says Authors of “Flight and Freedom”
“Many refugees, like myself, live perfectly ordinary lives, until their home becomes the mouth of a shark that they need to flee,” summarizes Ratna Omidvar on the book she co-authored with Dana Wagner in 2015, Flight and Freedom: Stories of Escape to Canada. Today, a member of the Senate of Canada, Omidvar had to flee Iran in 1981, a few years after the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty.
CBC News – Ukrainian Reception Centre in Winnipeg Part of ‘Robust Response’ Refugee Groups Hope to See More of in Future
Manitoba offered a glimpse inside its welcoming centre for Ukrainian refugees on Wednesday, which newcomer groups say is a sign of a well-resourced effort they hope becomes the standard for refugee settlement moving forward. Run by the province and with help from the federal government, the Ukrainian Refugee Reception Centre operates out of a Best Western hotel near the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport.
CBC News – Quebec Wants Roxham Road Closed. This Woman Who Made It Across Is Building a New Life
Five years later, Kate Onakpo can still remember the moment, standing at the edge of a short dirt path, when she gripped her daughter, then walked into Canada. “My life changed from there. My new journey for me and my child started from that minute,” Onakpo recalled recently. Like many asylum seekers, she entered Canada at Roxham Road, a well-travelled unofficial border crossing in Hemmingford, 50 kilometres south of Montreal.
Global News – Tangled in Canada’s Immigration Backlog? What You Can Do About the Delay
More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, wait times for immigration applications to come to Canada continue to be a concern, with many people stuck in limbo and growing impatient. There are currently more than two million immigration applications for citizenship, permanent residence and temporary residence in the inventory, according to the latest figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shared with Global News this month.
