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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.
Canada’s ban on direct flights from India – announced April 22 as India experienced a massive surge of COVID-19 cases, and extended again this month – has meant international students have had to plot complex travel itineraries, shoulder the cost of an extended journey, and deal with the uncertainty that comes with obtaining a COVID-19 test in a third country.
People fear for their lives every time there’s a knock at the door, loved ones are here one day and dead the next, the constant threat of violence. These themes have become a part of Winnipegger Mushtaqu Rahman’s day since the Taliban took over Afghanistan. “Honestly, every day I get 100 calls coming from back home. ‘Please help us, they’re going to kill my son. Please help us, they’re going to do this,’” said Rahman, who arrived in Winnipeg as a government-assisted refugee in 2004.
https://www.thestar.com/winnipeg/2021/08/28/local-afghans-swamped-with-pleas-for-help.html
The Liberal government could have evacuated many more Afghans from the troubled region had it streamlined its cumbersome bureaucratic process and maintained a stronger military and diplomatic presence, former top Canadian military commanders and experts say. While the Canadian government was able to evacuate more than 3,700 people from Kabul, the number should have been “a hell of a lot more,” said retired major-general David Fraser, who commanded more than 2,000 NATO coalition troops during Operation Medusa in the Afghan province of Kandahar in 2006.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/afghanistan-canada-taliban-evacuation-1.6155596
La cheffe du Parti vert, Annamie Paul, a vivement condamné, de manière voilée et en anglais seulement, la loi québécoise sur la laïcité à sa sortie d’une mosquée, vendredi, à Toronto. Mme Paul n’a pas nommé la loi 21, mais a déclaré que « toute loi qui dit qu’une femme devrait avoir honte de son choix de porter un hidjab et qu’il y a n’importe quel emploi qu’elle ne peut occuper et qu’elle ne devrait pas occuper parce qu’elle porte un hidjab est tout simplement mauvaise (wrong).
Les demandeurs d’asile résidents du Québec ont accès à un permis de travail, à des services médicaux et même à l’assistance sociale. Mais depuis trois ans, Québec leur refuse l’accès à des places en garderie subventionnée. Des voix s’élèvent pour corriger la situation. L’accès aux CPE et aux garderies subventionnées pour les demandeurs d’asile n’a jamais été clairement inscrit dans une loi ou un règlement.
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1819765/garderie-enfants-demandeurs-asile-quebec
The Canadian government announced Friday it secured 500 seats on a U.S. flight for Afghan refugees trying to leave the Taliban-run country. Speaking at an official update, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino told reporters Canada is continuing to work with allies to get citizens and refugees out, despite its military evacuation operation ending. As part of Canada’s efforts to accelerate evacuations, Mendicino said the government will also bring in a “temporary public policy” measure to waive fees for immigration documents for Afghans.
https://globalnews.ca/news/8146218/canada-500-seats-u-s-flight-kabul-afghanistan-taliban-explosion/