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 – Saskatoon Woman From Myanmar Says More Attention Needed for Karen People Fleeing Violence
Kamwee Eh wants people to know about the suffering of her people. In February there was a military coup in Myanmar, also known as Burma. Since then, there has been increased violence and mass arrests. Rallies to raise awareness about the situation are planned for Saturday in Saskatoon and Regina. Kamwee Eh will be in participating. The 27-year-old’s family fled war-torn Myanmar and she spent most of her early childhood in a refugee camp in Thailand.
CBC News – Pandemic Cut Immigration to Manitoba in Half in 2020
Manitoba gained 8,628 immigrants in 2020, according to the provincial budget published Wednesday. That’s a 54-per-cent drop from 2019, when the province gained 18,921 immigrants. The drop is a direct result of “travel restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19,” as well as pandemic-related health and safety measures that “impacted processing times for immigration applications and temporary resident permits,” the budget stated.
Globe and Mail – COVID-19 Vaccines Will Be Given to Migrant Farm Workers Arriving at Pearson Airport
Ontario will start offering COVID-19 vaccines to migrant farm workers arriving at Toronto’s international airport through a pilot project this weekend, the Canadian Press has learned. A spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs says the pilot will begin early Saturday morning, offering shots to 200 workers arriving on a flight from Mexico. Officials from the ministries of Health and Agriculture, health-care practitioners and representatives from the Mexican consulate will be at Pearson International Airport to meet the group.
Le Devoir – Délais interminables et absence de suivi pour la réunification familiale
Les dossiers de réunification familiale impliquant des conjoints et conjointes à l’extérieur du pays doivent transiter par le bureau de Sydney, en Nouvelle-Écosse, où ils sont d’abord reçus à l’entrepôt, puis numérisés pour être analysés. En réponse à un ralentissement au centre de traitement de Sydney, le ministre de l’Immigration, Marco Mendicino, avait annoncé en septembre dernier une augmentation de 66 % du nombre de décideurs qui examinent les dossiers de réunification familiale et l’essai d’une nouvelle technologie permettant de numériser les demandes papier plus efficacement.
CBC News – Activist’s Deportation Case Adds to Increased Calls for Oversight Of Border Services
An Egyptian human rights activist is fighting to stay in Vancouver, saying the political affiliations that forced him to seek asylum in Canada are now being used to justify his deportation. In 2011, Abdelrahman Elmady joined other Egyptians in an uprising against the country’s then president, Hosni Mubarak, over issues of increased police brutality, high unemployment and the lack of political freedoms. Elmady says the political ties that make him a potential target, resulted in him being profiled by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
CTV News – After Immigrant from France Fails French Test, Quebec Says It May Tweak Rules for Tradespeople
Yohan Flaman, 39, said he was flabbergasted when he failed, in his first attempt at the immigration test, to prove proficiency in his own mother tongue. “Voila, I flunked, I flunked my test. It happens to everyone, to flunk a test,” he told CTV News. “But I’m sure that for those who aren’t French, it’s difficult, no?” He found certain questions “misleading,” he explained, suggesting the province might want to ease up a bit with the timed exam.
