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 – English Conversation Program Helps Edmonton Newcomers Connect Online
Before the pandemic, the program — funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the City of Edmonton’s Family and Community Support Services — helped newcomers network, socialize and practise their English at Edmonton Public Library branches. Though there are fewer sessions running each week and not all of the volunteers were comfortable teaching online, program co-ordinator Janice Bardestani said the online meetings are more accessible for people with children and people who do not live near bus routes.
Toronto Star – Refugees Working in Healthcare Get a Leg Up
Praising the work of refugees in healthcare, Canada has allowed them to apply for permanent residency starting next week. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that they are accepting applications starting Dec. 14 and ending on New Year’s Eve. The pathway was opened last Aug. 14 when IRCC Minister Marco Mendicino said the decision was in appreciation of frontline workers’ hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
INFO Radio-Canada – Le gouvernement Legault veut favoriser l’immigration de certains anglophones
Gagner beaucoup d’argent, travailler dans le secteur de l’intelligence artificielle et ne pas parler français va permettre, pour certaines personnes, d’immigrer de manière permanente au Québec. Sans tambour ni trompette, le gouvernement de François Legault a inscrit ces critères dans un projet de règlement visant l’un des dossiers réservés à Québec : l’immigration économique et la sélection de ses immigrants.
CBC News – Canada Will Allow Stranded Farm Workers to Apply for Open Work Permits, Access Supports
The Canadian government will allow seasonal farm workers from Trinidad and Tobago who are stranded in Canada to apply for open work permits so they can access health care and employment insurance while they wait to go home. The Caribbean country’s borders have been closed since March because of COVID-19, and officials there are only allowing a small number of people to come back at a time because of limited space for them to quarantine.
Toronto Star – Stuck in Canada, Hundreds of Migrant Farm Workers Get Help From Federal Government
Hundreds of Trinidadian migrant workers have been issued open work permits to stay in Canada after they found themselves stuck here, unable to return home after the harvest season, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. At the eleventh hour on Tuesday, just before they ran out of legal status as their initial closed work permits expired, the Canadian immigration department issued a public policy to let the stranded workers apply for an open work permit.
ICI Ottawa-Gatineau – Séparation des familles à la frontière : le ministre Bill Blair confond deux enjeux
Au moins 182 enfants ont été séparés d’un parent détenu à des fins d’immigration à Laval l’année dernière par l’Agence des services frontaliers du Canada (ASFC). C’est ce qu’a révélé un reportage de Radio-Canada la semaine dernière. Le reportage présentait le cas de Jean, un demandeur d’asile qui a été séparé de ses 2 enfants, âgés de 4 ans et de 2 ans, à leur arrivée à la frontière canadienne.
