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 – Seniors in Vancouver’s Chinatown Manage Fear, Insecurity as Anti-Asian Racism Persists
Vancouver police have said anti-Asian hate crimes increased 717 per cent during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. And a survey released this week by the Angus Reid Institute suggests more than half of Asian Canadians have suffered discrimination in the past year. What the statistics don’t show, however, are the many unreported assaults on Asian seniors and the impact they’ve had on their feelings of safety, security and independence.
Toronto Star – Meet the Afghan Canadian Artist Who Created This Year’s World Refugee Day Emoji
Growing up, Hangama Amiri was always on the move with her family, searching for peace and security. And the UNHCR was always part of the young Afghan refugee’s journey. So, when the United Nations refugee agency invited her to design the 2021 World Refugee Day emoji for Twitter, she says, she just jumped at the opportunity as a way to give back to the organization that has helped her family all along, including bringing them to their new home in Canada in 2005.
Toronto Star – Refugee Group Hopes to Push Canada to Ban Goods from Xinjiang
Last November, Canadians in Support of Refugees in Dire Need (CSRDN) said it asked the Canada Border Services Agency to use existing legislation to ban items made in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region but was told the agency didn’t have the authority to enforce the act by region. “We’re calling their bluff,” said David Kilgour, a former MP and member of CSRDN. The organization, which helps settle refugees in Canada, filed an application in federal court in Winnipeg in February. Last week Ottawa asked for a 10-day extension to respond.
Global News – Advocates Call for Stronger Migrant Workers Rights Amid Deaths on the Job in Canada
According to Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, there hasn’t been a national assessment on the number of migrant workers who have died on the job in Canada. However, in the shadow of the pandemic, these deaths and the rights of migrants have found their way to public discussions. Hussan said in 2021 alone, there have been at least 10 migrant workers who died of various causes on farms.
La Presse – Des groupes réclament plus de droits pour les travailleurs étrangers
Les groupes de défense des migrants exigent davantage de protection pour les travailleurs migrants. Selon eux, la seule façon pour ces travailleurs d’obtenir tous leurs droits est de leur donner le statut de résident permanent. Le directeur général de la Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, Syed Hussan, déplore qu’il n’existe pas de données nationales sur le nombre de travailleurs migrants tués lors d’un accident de travail. Selon lui, au moins 10 ouvriers agricoles sont morts de causes variées sur des fermes en 2021.
CBC News – ‘It’s About Time’ to Update Citizenship Guide, Assembly of First Nations Alberta Chief Says
Assembly of First Nations Alberta regional chief Marlene Poitras hopes newcomers to Canada will learn more about Indigenous history and culture once the federal government updates its citizenship guide. The 68-page document, Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, prepares newcomers for the citizenship test. It has not been updated since 2012. In its 93rd call to action, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called for revising the guide and citizenship test to “reflect a more inclusive history,” including material about treaties and residential schools.
