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 – Canada Struggling to Meet Refugee Target Number for 2021
Canada is nowhere near to meeting its goal of welcoming 81,000 refugees by the end of 2021, according to numbers obtained by CBC News. Figures provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) show the department was about halfway to its refugee intake target on Oct. 31. As of that date, Canada had welcomed more than 7,800 government-assisted refugees, well below the federal government’s target of 12,500.
Toronto Star – Immigration System Under the Lens in Precedent-Setting Racial Profiling Case
A group of migrant farm workers has brought forward a racial discrimination case to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, with far-reaching implications for Canada’s temporary foreign worker program and immigration system. At a virtual hearing on Monday, the lawyer representing 54 farm workers – all either from Jamaica or Trinidad – argued his clients were racially profiled by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) during an investigation in October of 2013 in Bayham, Ont.
Global News – Asylum Seekers Can Use Quebec’s Roxham Road Crossing as Pandemic Ban Lifted
An unofficial border crossing in rural Quebec that was used by asylum seekers to enter Canada has reopened after being closed for much of the pandemic. The crossing at Roxham Road, on the Canada-U.S. border south of Montreal, is where thousands have crossed into the country to make a claim for refugee status. The federal government ordered the crossing shut in March 2020 as the pandemic closed the U.S.-Canada border, but as of Sunday the order has been lifted.
London Free Press – ‘Humiliated’: At Hearing, Migrant Worker Recalls OPP’s DNA Sweep
A migrant farm worker who was among the dozens approached to give their DNA as police investigated a local sexual assault felt he couldn’t say no, he told a human rights tribunal hearing Monday. Logan Leon, a native of Jamaica, is the lead applicant in a class action lawsuit made by 54 migrant workers against the province, and he testified during Day One of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario hearing over the controversial 2013 DNA sweep by Ontario Provincial Police in rural Elgin County, southeast of London.
CBC News – How Newcomers Could Boost Nova Scotia’s Struggling Hospitality Sector
Nova Scotia is making it easier for businesses looking to hire newcomers in the hospitality sector. The Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration has expanded its list of high-demand jobs to allow people to fast-track their immigration. The list of occupations include food-counter attendants, kitchen helpers, related support workers, food and beverage services and light-duty cleaners.
Radio-Canada – Le chemin Roxham est de nouveau ouvert aux demandeurs d’asile
Depuis dimanche matin, les migrants en provenance des États-Unis peuvent à nouveau déposer une demande d’asile en passant par une entrée irrégulière comme le chemin Roxham. Situé à la frontière canado-américaine, à Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, le chemin Roxham est fermé depuis la fin mars 2020 pour des raisons sanitaires. Or, Ottawa a modifié samedi son décret visant la réduction du risque d’exposition à la COVID-19 au Canada.
