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Today Nick Noorani will talk about what kind of summer jobs young Canadians can look for.
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2008
Saturday Jul 5, 2008 U.S. deserter wins refugee status battle
A Canadian court has sided for the first time with a military deserter who fled here seeking refugee...
Friday 04 July 2008 OTTAWA: OPPOSITION SUPPORTS U.S. DESERTERS
Rights advocates and opposition members have asked the Canadian government not to deport deserters from the U.S. military. The authorities could deport Corey Glass as early as July 10 despite a non-binding motion approved by the House of Commons last month which asks the government to accept deserters who have refused to serve in Irak as permanent residents. The Conservative government has said it doesn't intend to heed the resolution. About 200 American deserters are estimated to have fled to Canada to avoid the Iraq war. Several of them are about to be expelled and could end up facing courts-martial and jail. Some 50,000 deserters and conscientious objectors found refuge in Canada in the 1960s to avoid the Vietnam war. Many were granted the status of permanent residents or citizens. A rally to support Mr. Glass was planned for Thursday evening in Toronto.
Tuesday 01 July 2008 SAINT JOHN:NB GOVT. WANTS PERMANENT IMMIGRATION OFFICERS ABROAD
New Brunswick's minister for population growth, Greg Byrne, says he continues to push for all four Atlantic provinces to post permanent immigration officers abroad. Mr. Byrne first broached the idea at a joint meeting of the all four cabinets last January and will return to the subject when he meets his counterparts from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador this fall. None of the four provinces have dedicated immigration personnel overseas. Mr. Byrne notes that none of the four can afford to support such a presence financially on their own, but could possibly do so together and in partnership with the federal government. Some of the wealthier provinces do have immigration officers outside the country, Alberta having offices in Hong Kong and Quebec having staff in some Canadian embassies.
Monday Jun 30, 2008 Immigrants' sense of belonging to adopted country runs deep, poll shows
A new survey of immigrants living in Canada's three largest cities shows that they possess a powerful...
101 things that define Canada
1. Maple Leaf -- 2. Hockey
Monday Jun 30, 2008 Take the great Canadian biz quiz
We know school's out for the summer, but you might be up to taking one more test - especially since it's been a busy, busy...
Sunday 29 June 2008
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EXTRA SECURITY FOR THE ANTI-STRIPPER
The Globe fronts as The National, the Citizen, and La Presse go inside with a report from The Canadian Press that Immigration Minister Diane Finley is being threatened by gangs in response to Bill C-17, the so-called “anti-stripper” bill. Very little is confirmed in this story except that security appears to have tightened around Finley; high-level officials request to remain unnamed and the RCMP will not comment. Bill C-17 authorizes immigration officers to deny visas to foreign exotic dancers in an effort to crack down on sexual exploitation and human trafficking. A CBC News story puts the story in context by discussing previous Immigration Minister Judy Sgro’s resignation in mid-2004 amid accusations that she’d extended the visa of an exotic dancer who worked on her election campaign. The Globe speaks to Tim Lambrinos, executive director of the Adult Entertainment Association of Canada, who criticized the bill, saying that it would only perpetuate trafficking and exploitation and cause dancers to become apprehensive to report abuse. Despite his dissatisfaction, Lambrinos said his group would “never resort to” threats against the immigration minister.
Claire Ward is a Toronto-based MediaScout writer for Maisonneuve Magazine.
Sunday 29 June 2008 HALIFAX: PROVINCE'S REPUTATION FOR WELCOMING NEWCOMERS NEEDS POLISHING
The federal government has announced $10.3 million over three years to fund immigrant services in the Halifax area. The funding was announced on Friday by Peter MacKay, the minister of defence and the minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, who made the announcement on behalf of Immigration Minister Diane Finley. The money will be used for English language training, counselling and helping immigrants find work. Earlier this month, Nova Scotia's auditor general severely criticized a now defunct immigrant "mentorship" program aimed attracting foreign entrepreneurs. The program ended in fiasco when many participants claimed they had derived little benefit from it. A number were reimbursed for their investment. Mr. MacKay says it's important to rebuild the province's reputation as an attractive place for newcomers.
Friday Jun 27, 2008 Montreal immigrants less likely to praise multiculturalism policies, poll finds
A new survey of immigrants living in Canada's three largest cities shows strong overall support for ..
Wednesday Jun 25, 2008 For newcomers, an immersion in fun
Xueqin Wang learned about Quebec history in the French classes she took after immigrating from China...
Tuesday 24 June 2008 TORONTO: GOVT. GRANTS FUNDS FOR ETHIOPIAN NEWCOMERS
The federal government has announced more than $2.2 million for the Ethiopian Association of Greater Toronto to help it assist the arrival of 7,000 immigrants. The money will be used chiefly to offer language courses and to help with job-seeking. The Ethiopian Association of Greater Toronto represents about 50,000 newcomers in the area.
HALIFAX: PREMIER SUBPOENAED IN IMMIGRATION SCANDAL
A provincial legislative committee has subpoenaed Premier Rodney McDonald and eight of his cabinet ministers to force them to turn over about 1,000 documents connected to a defunct immigration program. The public accounts committee wants the papers remitted to the auditor general by July 23. The committee accused the government of hiding behind cabinet confidentiality. Auditor General Jacques Lapointe said in an interim report earlier in the month that his investigation of the failed entrepreneurship program was hampered by a lack of documentation. Under the program, immigrant entrepreneurs paid as much as $130,000 to undergo an internship with a Nova Scotia business. Many complained that the experience was pointless and some are to be reimbursed.
Saturday 21 June 2008 New immigration reforms put applications on hold
Newly passed immigration reforms, which the federal government said were aimed at reducing a staggering backlog of applications by would-be immigrants, are creating a new logjam.
Sunday 15 June 2008 Don't ask, don't tell
There are an estimated 80,000 illegal immigrants in Toronto, many of them parents of children who by provincial law are entitled to go to school. But too many children are still being denied access to Toronto public and Catholic schools because their parents don't know their children are entitled to an education, concludes a report by Toronto's Community Social Planning Council.
Sunday 15 June 2008 a class="t2" href=" http://www.thestar.com/article/443396" onmouseover="return overlib('click to story via .thestar.', LEFT);" onmouseout="return nd();" traget="_new">Preying on immigrants
After a three-month, cross-country investigation, a House of Commons committee has concluded what thousands of would-be immigrants already know: many are the victims of dishonest, unlicensed immigration consultants.
Saturday 14 June 2008 TORONTO: CHILDREN OF ILLEGALS WELCOME IN SCHOOLS
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says all students are welcome in the province's schools, regardless of their families' immigration status. Mr. McGuinty says that if the federal government decides that certain people should not be in Ontario, then it should act on that conviction, but that his government and school officials won't "start picking and choosing which kids are going to be allowed into the classroom." The premier didn't say whether schools should ask parents about their immigration status. On Wednesday, the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto issued a report urging the provincial government to adopt a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy to ensure that families can feel safe in sending the children to school. The Council interviewed 17 illegal immigrants, four of whom said they had been unable to enrol their children.
MONTREAL: FORMER PREMIER HAS DOUBTS ABOUT IMMIGRATION
Former Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau says he's concerned that the current Liberal government's policy to increase numbers of immigrants is misguided. The former leader of the separatist Parti Québécois told the Journal de Montréal newspaper that the largely French-speaking province is accepting more newcomers than it can integrate. The government has announced its intention to increase immigration levels from 40,000 to 55,000 in the next three years because Quebec needs more workers due to its low birthrate. Mr. Parizeau was premier in 1995 when a referendum on political sovereignty was narrowly defeated. In remarks on referendum night, he blamed the defeat on "money and the ethnic vote," and left politics the next day.
Friday 13 June 2008 HALIFAX: IMMIGRANT PROGRAM FLAWED
Nova Scotia's auditor general has criticized a program for immigrant entrepreneurs that the province government was forced to suspend in 2006. In a report delivered to the legislature on Wednesday, Jacques Lapointe states that the program did not adequately monitor employers selected to participate or do enough follow-up on the immigrants picked to do internships. The report also asserts that some of the companies involved in the program were unable to prove that the immigrant-investors obtained the jobs promised them. Under the program, a would-be immigrant entrepreneur paid as much as $130,000 of which a local employer received $100,000. The immigrant was paid a minimum salary of $20,000 while undergoing an internship. The fees were paid out of a trust fund. The program was administered by a private firm. But the government took over the program after some participants complained in July 2006 that they weren't deriving any benefit from it.
Wednesday 11 June 2008 HALIFAX: LEGISLATURE TO HEAR REPORT ON DEFUNCT IMMIGRATION PROGRAM
Nova Scotia Auditor General Jacques Lapointe will deliver a special report on a failed program for immigrant entrepreneurs to the legislature's public accounts committee on Wednesday. Under the program, a would-be immigrant entrepreneur paid as much as $100,000 to a local employer in two instalments and was paid a minimum salary of $20,000 while undergoing an internship. The fees were paid out of a trust fund. The program was administered by a private firm. But the government took over the program after some participants complained in July 2006 that they weren't deriving any benefit from it. After ending the program, the government offered some 600 participants who had paid their fees but hadn't been paired with an employer the option of a $100,000 refund, while those who had been were ineligible. It's unknown whether the auditor general will address the refund issue.
Tuesday 10 June 2008 In 2004, Strip clubs 'get creative'
...
foreign strippers got 423 work permits and extensions. By 2006, the number was down to 17.
Ottawa says that's because they're looking at each application one by one and visa officers abroad are under orders to screen out women they think might be victims of trafficking, don't meet health criteria or don't have a way home after their visas expire. Lambrinos says they're discriminating against the industry and acting as if a bill toughening the screening of foreign strippers is law.
A year ago, Immigration Minister Diane Finley announced changes to the immigration act to "prevent situations where temporary workers in Canada, including strippers, may be abused, exploited or possibly become victims of human trafficking." The changes still haven't made it through the system and there's some question about whether they need to if the new scrutiny is doing the same thing.
Up to 98 per cent of the women who apply overseas for visas get turned down, even after they pay their $150 to $500 application fee, Lambrinos said.
Tuesday 10 June 2008 OTTAWA: IMMIGRATION CHANGES PASS COMMONS
The House of Commons has voted to approve controversial changes to immigration law proposed by the Conservative government. The changes are contained in the budget implementation legislation and if the three opposition parties had joined to defeat the minority government on a measure of confidence, a summer election would have ensued. All three opposition parties are critical of the proposed changes but Liberal Party leader Stéphane Dion said his party doesn't want a summer election. The vote passed 121-90, with enough Liberal Members of Parliament absent from the House for the bill to pass. The legislation would allow the immigration minister to fast-track the applications of certain highly desirable categories of immigrants, such as doctors, correspondingly slowing down the processing of the others. The department would also be enabled to limit the number of applications to be considered each year. Critics complain that the changes place to much discretionary powers in the minister's hands.
UNDATED: IMMIGRATION BILL FOUND IN SYNC WITH PUBLIC OPINION
A public opinion survey, meanwhile, shows the immigration bill chimes with public opinion. The poll carried out by Nanos Research in Policy Options shows that while Canadians favour allowing skilled workers or family members into Canada, they are less enthusiastic when it comes to refugees. The pollster asked respondents which three factors are the most important in selecting newcomers. Sixty-eight-point-two per cent chose jobs skill, 58.8 per cent family reunification and only 40.1 per cent chose refugee status. The president of the polling firm, Nik Nanos, says the results show that Canadians' self-image as being hospitable to those fleeing persecution isn't entirely accurate. Respondents also were asked whether they favoured dual citizenship, a question to which 51.3 responded affirmatively.
Thursday 05 June 2008 CANADIANS WANT TARGETED IMMIGRATION POLICY
A public opinion survey shows that a majority of Canadians want a national immigration policy to select newcomers whose skills meet the needs of the country's workforce. The poll by the Nanos Research for Policy Options magazine 84.9 per cent of respondents felt that way. In addition, 72.6 viewed immigration as "important" or "somewhat important" for the country's future. More than 81 per cent of those asked felt that family reunification is as important as selecting immigrants with needed skills. The survey was conducted in reference to the controversial proposed changes to immigration law which the House of Commons is expected to approve on Thursday. The amended law would allow the immigration minister to fast-track the applications of desirable categories of immigrants, such as doctors. The minister would also be permitted not to process all applications.
Monday 26 May 2008 Will immigration plan fix backlog?
Critics see longer waits under proposed changes
Sunday 25 May 2008 MONTREAL: KEY PROPOSAL TO IMPROVE IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION REJECTED
Quebec Premier Jean Charest has rejected one of the 37 recommendation concerning "reasonable accommodations" for minorities. Mr. Charest's government spent $5 million to fund the Bouchard-Taylor commission which toured the province for one year to hold hearings on the questions. The two academics made public their report on Thursday. One of the recommendations was the removal of the crucifix that hangs above the chair of the speakers of the Quebec legislature, a suggestion which Mr. Charest rejected out of hand. The premier says the crucifix is part of a 350-year history of the largely French-speaking province that cannot be erased. Among the other recommendations are for judges, police officers and Crown prosecutors to be banned from wearing religious symbols. The report also recommends that efforts be made to settle immigrants outside of Montreal and to provide them with better language training.
Sunday 25 May 2008 VICTORIA: LAWMAKERS APOLOGIZE FOR 1914 IMMIGRATION INCIDENT
Legislators representing both parties in the British Columbia legislature voted in favour of an formal apology for would-be immigrants who arrived in Vancouver harbour aboard the Japanese ship Komagata Maru in 1914. City residents objected to the arrival of the 376 migrants from the East Indian region of Punjab and immigration officials refused to allow them to land. The vessel was stranded in the harbour for two months before sailing back to India. Earlier in the week, the prime minister, Mr. Harper, apologized for the incident and his government is reported planning to spend $2.5 million on a memorial.
Wednesday 21 May 2008
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MOVING THE GOALPOSTS ON IMMIGRATION
The Star, the Post, and the Citizen go inside with threats to stall or block the Conservative immigration bill in committee. “We’re going to throw everything we can at it,” says NDP MP Olivia Chow, who along with other opposition members of the immigration committee issued a critical report yesterday to the finance committee that is considering the bill. The new measures in Bill C-50 would allow the minister of citizenship and immigration to prioritize applications for permanent residency and remove the department’s obligation to consider all of them. This was promoted as a way to cut through the growing backlog of 925,000 applications, and is irresistible catnip for an opposition that is eager to paint the Tories as anti-immigrant. The government has attached the bill to the budget package (thus its presence in the finance committee), making its passage a confidence vote, and will not say how the minister will use these new powers to streamline things. Government members point out that the new provisions will only apply to applications made after February of this year; in response, the opposition says that the new rules will therefore do nothing to chip away at the existing mountain of unprocessed applications. The Post reports a government claim that $109 million in new funding will be devoted to easing the backlog, but it’s not clear from the article that the extra funds are included in this year’s budget.
Daniel Casey is a Montreal-based MediaScout writer for Maisonneuve Magazine.
Wednesday May 21, 2008 House committee recommends killing immigration bill
The House of Commons immigration committee has recommended killing a controversial government bill that...
Wednesday 21 May 2008 QUEBEC CITY: OPPOSITION LEADER WANTS REPORT ON IMMIGRANTS RELEASED
The leader of the official opposition l'Action Démocratique du Québec party, Mario Dumont, has demanded that the province's Liberal Party government release the results of a report on immigrants parts of which have been leaked to newspapers. The report to emerge from one year of public hearings across Quebec is to be officially published on Thursday and the government has refused to advance the release. Mr. Dumont says the excerpts of the report made public so far indicate that residents of the largely French-speaking province, who he says are already open to newcomers, are being expected to grovel before them. He also says he was right to raise an alarm about "reasonable accommodation" of immigrants.
Tuesday May 20, 2008 Montreal tough for well-educated immigrants
Well-educated recent immigrants to Canada appear to have more difficulty finding employment in Montreal...
Monday May 19, 2008 Canadian dream stops short
For newcomers to this country, it is the great Canadian dream.
Friday 16 May 2008 MONTREAL: JOB SITUATION FOR QUEBEC NEWCOMERS IMPROVES
Data released earlier in the week by Statistics Canada show that the unemployment rate for immigrants improved in 2007 compared with the previous year. StatsCan reports that the rate fell to 10.2 per cent from 2006. However, the former figure is almost twice as high as that for Canadian-born Quebecers. The data also shows that numbers of immigrants are increasing faster that their ability to find jobs.
Friday 16 May 2008 OTTAWA: MORE TO BE SPENT ON IMMIGRATION ADS
The immigration department says it will spend $2 million more on advertisements touting its proposed immigration law reforms. The department says the ads will be placed in both ethnic and mainstream media. One-point-one-million dollars has been spent in an initial campaign in which ads explaining the proposed legislation were placed almost exclusively in ethnic newspapers. The opposition in the House of Commons criticized the Conservatives for placing the ads before the legislation is even passed. The legislation has been tucked into a general bill to approve the budget, and if the three opposition parties in the House join to defeat it, the minority Conservative government would fall and an election ensue. Under the legislation, the immigration minister would have the power to fast-track the applications of favoured categories of immigrants, such as doctors. Applications left unprocessed at the end of the year would be returned. Critics of the plan consider it discriminatory.
Friday 09 May 2008 OTTAWA: GOVT. TOUTS IMMIGRATION CHANGES
The Conservative Party government intends to spend more than $1 million on advertisements to present changes to immigration law which it has proposed but are yet not approved by Parliament. The National Ethnic Press and Media Council says the ads have appeared in about 140 community newspapers so far. The immigration critic for the New Democratic Party, Member of Parliament Olivia Chow, says the ads are improper because the changes haven't been passed into law and are aimed at immigrant communities because the government fears the reaction of immigrants to the proposed amendments. A spokeswoman for the immigration department said the government is trying to counter false information about the proposals. Under the changes, the department would have the power to fast-track immigration applications from desired categories, such as doctors and skilled workers. The minister would have the power to cap numbers of applications from other categories. The amendments put forward by the minority government are tucked into the general budget implementation bill. If the three opposition parties in the House of Commons join to defeat the bill, the House would be dissolved and an election ensue.
Wednesday 07 May 2008
MISSING DEPORTEES AND CRUMBLING MORTAR
The National, the Globe and the Citizen lead, CTV News and the Star front, while the Post and La Presse go inside with the various findings of Auditor General Sheila Fraser’s latest report. Tabled in the House of Commons yesterday, Fraser’s findings are characterized by The National as being “relatively scandal-free” compared to the “sensational” audits of years past. Still, today’s sources find no shortage of government failings to highlight. Most outlets focus their attention on Fraser’s discovery that Canada’s border agency has lost track of roughly 41,000 deportees still in the country, due to insufficient monitoring practices. The report suggests that many of the missing exiles are failed refugee claimants, but John Ivison in the Post isn’t buying it. He writes: “At ports of entry across Canada, new signs should be erected: ‘Give us your terrorists, your hardened criminals and your human rights violators,’” positing the report as evidence not of an impotent border agency, but of overly soft immigration policies. An editorial in the Globe argues that, unless deportations are carried out more effectively, newcomers to the country, criminal or otherwise, will “believe—currently with good reason—that going underground is the easiest way to stay in Canada.”
Tuesday 06 May 2008 TORONTO: LANGUAGE TESTS FOR IMMIGRANTS REPORTED
The Toronto Star newspaper reports that the federal government plans to impose tests on prospective immigrants to prove that they know either English or French. According to the newspaper, the tests would be administered even to those who grew up speaking one of Canada's two official languages. Government officials told the newspaper that the tests are intended to make language assessments more transparent. But immigration lawyers predict that the examinations would increase delays precisely when the government wants to whittle down its huge backlog of immigration applications. Lawyer Alex Stojicevic says it would be "silly and embarrassing" for someone raised in the U.S. or England to be given an English test. Lawyers say the tests could work as a disincentive to immigrate to Canada.
Friday 02 May 2008 TORONTO: IMMIGRANTS' INCOME DIPS
The census results released on Thursday show that immigrants earned less in 2006 than they did in 1980, with men earning 63 cents for each dollar earned by a Canadian-born man or woman compared with 85 cents in 1980. The results also show that middle-class incomes in Canada have changed little over the past 25 years. Those with lower salaries, however, saw a drop in income, while high- income earners are making more. On average, Canadian workers are making $53 more today than they did in 1980. Canada's top earners receive 16.4 per cent more than in 1980. Low wage earners saw a 20 per cent decrease.
MONTREAL: GOVT. ARRANGES ENGLISH COURSES FOR NEWCOMERS
Le Devoir newspaper reports that the government of the largely French-speaking province of Quebec is arranging English language courses for immigrants to take account of the requirements of the job market in the Montreal area. The courses are given by agencies that help newcomers integrate and are intended for French-speaking immigrants who don't know English. One of the groups involved explained that most of the students are immigrants from northern Africa who must already know French to enrol. A second group stated that the knowledge of both of the country's official languages is a great help for an immigrant to find a job in Montreal
Wednesday 30 April 2008 OTTAWA: NOMINATIONS START FOR IMMIGRATION HONOUR
The department of citizenship and immigration has begun accepting nominations for the bi-annual Citation for Citizenship Awards that will be granted during Citizenship Week starting on Oct. 13. The award honours Canadians for outstanding contributions in assisting immigrants integrate into Canadian society. The awards will be presented to as many as 20 individuals across the country. Anyone may make a nomination and the winners will be evaluated by a selection panel comprising citizenship judges.
Saturday 26 April 2008 SASKATOON: SASKATCHEWAN LOOKING FOR MORE NEWCOMERS
Saskatchewan Labour Minister Rob Norris says the government of the western province is hoping to attract far more immigrants in the 2008-2009 fiscal year. The minister says the province needs 2,800 newcomers, up from last year's target of 1,500, a target which was exceeded by 200. The government has earmarked $5 million more for training and settlement support.
Friday 25 April 2008 OTTAWA: IMMIGRATION MINISTER THREATENED OVER STRIPPERS
The Canadian Press reports that Immigration Minister Diane Finley has received numerous threats as a result of legislation which she introduced to keep foreign strippers out of Canada. According to CP, security has been tightened around her and the threats have escalated in recent weeks. The RCMP has declined to discuss the situation. Bill C-17 would give immigration officers the authority to refuse entry to temporary workers, particularly strippers, who are deemed to be at risk of sexual exploitation. Criminals have in the past threatened civil servants over regulations involving strip club workers.
VANCOUVER: PEOPLE SMUGGLER TO SERVE TIME
A local man convicted of smuggling women into the country will spend the next 15 months in jail. A court sentenced 45-year-old Wai Chi Ng to nine months for having falsified immigration document and to an extra six months for three prostitution-related charges. One witness testified that she was brought from China to work as a waitress but Ng put her to work as a prostitute, an occupation at which she had worked seven days a week to repay him $11,000 a month. Ng was the first Canadian charged with human trafficking since the federal law forbidding it was introduced six years ago. The prosecution failed to prove, however, that the women working in his massage parlour were sex slaves.
Wednesday 23 April 2008 VANCOUVER: FOREIGN STUDENTS CAN OBTAIN WORK PERMITS MORE EASILY
Immigration Minister Diane Finley has announced measures to make it easier for foreign students who earn a postsecondary diplomat to obtain work permits, measures aimed at making Canada a more attractive place to study. Effective immediately, foreign students are permitted to apply for a permit for any type of job without the need for a job offer. The length of the permits has been expanded from one year or two to three. The minister explains that the government wants more foreign students to choose Canada and will do what's necessary to lure them. Statistics Canada reports that 67,673 foreign students studied in Canada last year, a four-per cent increase over 2006.
Tuesday 22 April 2008 TORONTO: PM DEFENDS IMMIGRATION CHANGES
The Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. Harper, has defended his government's proposed changes to immigration law. The prime minister acknowledges "political risks" in undertaking them but says his Conservative Party government is determined to push them through. Proposed legislation would fast-track the applications of desirable and needed categories of immigrants, such as doctors and skilled workers, while others would have to take their places in line. The government would also have the power to set limits on the numbers of applications processed. The stated purpose of the changes is both to hasten the arrival of applications who can alleviate critical labour shortages and to catch up a huge backlog. Mr. Harper says the changes are aimed at fixing a labour crisis that will affect the economy if no fixed soon. Critics of the changes have called them discriminatory. Mr. Harper spoke at an East Indian event in Toronto, which was also attended by Michael Ignatieff, the deputy Liberal Party leader. He expressed doubt the changes would have any effect on the applications backlog because the changes would affect only applications after March 1, leaving the 900,000 other unaffected.
Sunday 20 April 2008 OTTAWA: PRIME MINISTER DEFENDS NEW IMMIGRATION STRATEGY
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says that his government's proposed immigration reforms would avert a Canadian labour crisis. Commenting in Toronto at a gala of the Canada India Foundation, Mr. Harper said that the planned charges are the only way to get skilled workers into the country earlier. He warned that without changes, the labour force will stop growing within five years. Critics warn that the planned reforms would allow the government to choose immigrants, and put too much power in the hands of the immigration minister. The Canada India Foundation is a non-governmental organization created in 2007 to build support for stronger bilateral relations between Canada and India.
Saturday 19 April 2008 MONTREAL: IMMIGRANT CALLER REPORTED SCAMMED
La Presse newspaper reports that an immigrant caller to the federal government's telephone information number was cheated by the employee of a private company who answered the call. Documents which the newspaper obtained through Access to Information law show that the employee offered to help the caller personally with her immigration file. Several meetings ensued in the course of which the immigrant paid the employee sums of money. However, the woman learned that he had discussed her case and, indignant that details of her personal life had been divulged, demanded he return her documents and money. The caller then complained to her Member of Parliament, Environment Minister John Baird, after which the government reminded employees who answer the 1-800-O-CANADA information line that they must remain neutral in responding and may not give personal opinions.
Thursday 17 April 2008 TORONTO: IMMIGRANT ADVOCATES WARN LIBERALS OVER IMMIGRATION BILL
The Status Now immigrant lobby has warned the federal Liberal Party that it could lose immigrant votes if it doesn't vote against the changes to immigration law proposed by the governing Conservatives. A Status Now spokesman says that although the Liberals have expressed concern about the proposals, they've done little to stop them. Status Now defends the rights of illegal migrants. About 100 protesters staged a rally on Wednesday outside the office of Liberal Member of Parliament Bob Rae. The government has presented legislation that would give the immigration minister the power to prioritize certain categories of immigrant applicants, such as doctors and skilled workers. Quotas could be imposed, forcing many applicants to reapply for years on end. The stated purposes of the legislation is to bring to Canada the types of workers most economically needed and to reduce an application backlog which will reach 1.5 million by 2012. Critics consider the proposed changes discriminatory. The government has wrapped the immigration measures in the general budget bill. The bill is a question of confidence, meaning that a defeat for the minority would provoke a national election, something the Liberals have refused to do so far.
Monday Apr 14, 2008 French no boon for allophones: study
A new study reveals a large gap in employment levels between francophones andA allophones whose only ...six-year backlog of 800,000 persons waiting to get in the country,
Harper is playing truth or dare on the immigration bill
The Conservatives keep daring the Liberals to defeat them in the House. The Liberals keep threatening to do so, only to fold when push comes to shove in votes.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Conservatives survive vote on immigration bill
OTTAWA - The Harper government survived a potential election-triggering vote on its controversial immigration bill Wednesday after the Liberals voted with the government, but at least one Liberal MP is threatening to break ranks unless the party takes a stand soon against the bill.
OTTAWA: IMMIGRATION CHANGES DETAILED
The federal government has offered more details about its proposed changes to immigration law. The stated purpose of the changes is to allow faster processing of applications of certain categories of would-be newcomers, such as doctors or skilled workers. A senior immigration official explained on Wednesday that prospective immigrants who are not in high-priority categories may have to reapply year after year, with no guarantee of ever being accepted. Applications of those in preferred categories will be processed first and the immigration department will stop processing applications once the quotas for the various categories are met. Immigration Minister Diane Finley says that although some applicants will wait much longer, the country will get the newcomers it most needs much faster. New Democratic Party Member of Parliament Olivia Chow reacted by saying: "It's a lottery, and arbitrary and unpredictable."
OTTAWA: GOVT. SURVIVES CONFIDENCE VOTE OVER IMMIGRATION
In related news, the Conservative Party government has survived another confidence vote in the House of Commons. The score was 201-68, the Liberals voting against a motion brought by the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois voting with the NDP. The latter party presented its motion on the implementation of the budget because of the proposed changes to immigration law. The Liberals have denounced the legislation but for the time being don't want to bring down the minority government and provoke a national election.
Wednesday 09 April 2008 TORONTO: IMMIGRANT GROUPS COMPLAIN ABOUT PROPOSED CHANGES
Several immigrant groups have rejected the federal government's proposed changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in statements before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. Proposed legislation would give the immigration minister the power to fast-track certain types of immigrants while refusing even to consider others. The stated purpose of the changes would be to accelerate the applications of skilled workers who might otherwise apply elsewhere because of long waiting times. But a spokeswoman for the Status Now group told the committee that some long-established immigrant groups would shrink instead of grow and could eventually disappear from Canadian society. The spokeswoman also says she fears that because the Conservative government has included the changes in its overall budget bill which is a confidence issue, the opposition Liberal won't vote against them because the party doesn't want to provoke a national election. Status Now helps illegal migrants. A representative of the Canadian-Chinese National Council said the government should withdraw the amendments, publish a discussion and consult ethnic communities before proceeding.
OTTAWA: REFUGEE BOARD HEAD SAYS HE'S OVERWHELMED
The chairman of Canada's immigration and refugee board says the backlog of refugee claims in the country has reached record numbers. Brian Goodman blames the situation on the failure of the federal government to name enough people to the board to handle the overload. Mr. Goodman says the number of vacancies on the board has risen to 58 from 10. Meanwhile, the number of refugee claims waiting to be heard has more than doubled to 42,000. Mr. Goodman also says it now takes sixteen-and-a-half months to hear a refugee claim, compared with just under a year in 2006.
Monday Mar 31, 2008 Controversial immigration bill marks new Commons session
The Ontario feud and controversial changes to immigration policy are a few of the contentious issues...
Wednesday 02 April 2008 TORONTO: IMMIGRANTS REVERSE RESIDENCE TREND
A new study of immigrants to Toronto reports that they live increasingly in the suburbs rather than the inner city. The research by the University of Toronto's Centre for Urban and Community Studies calls the change a "dramatic reversal" of traditional settlement patterns. The researchers explain that in the case of poorer newcomers, lower-paying jobs have shifted from the city to the suburbs forcing the immigrants to follow them there. In addition, the gentrification of old downtown neighbourhoods where immigrants historically lived has driven up property values and lowered the supply of cheap housing. And the study explains that changes in the country's immigration policy have favoured higher-income immigrants, particular Chinese and East Indians, who can afford to buy houses, which they often do in the suburbs.
Sunday 30 March 2008 OTTAWA, MONTREAL: B.C.'S BUSINESS COMMUNITY LAUDS IMMIGRATION CHANGE
The west coast province of British Columbia is facing a huge labour shortage that immigrants could fill if they could arrive there. The province says it will have one million new jobs over the next five years because of the Winter Olympics and a building boom. But only about 650,000 students will graduate from high schools. It takes five years at present to process immigration applications. Philip Hochstein of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association says the province cannot wait five years which is why his group favours recent proposed changes to immigration law. The immigration minister would have the power to issue instructions to immigration officers about the types and number of immigration applications to process, a measure aimed at getting skilled workers to Canada faster. Immigrant groups and lawyers have condemned the change as unfair. But Mr. Hochstein says the government is moving in the right direction by focusing on the country's economic needs.
Sunday Mar 30, 2008 Matching immigrants with demand is sensible
...The reforms are intended to reduce the backlog of up to 900,000 cases awaiting ajudication, without reducing the actual flow of immigrants into Canada. In all 251,000 permanent immigrants came in last year. Some applicants have waited six years for a decision.
Every attempt to improve Canada's immigration system faces attacks from the immigration industry.
Thursday 27 March 2008 OTTAWA: PREMIER CRITICIZES IMMIGRATION CHANGES
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has attacked the Conservative Party federal government's proposed changes to immigration law as short-sighted. The premier says he's worried about proposed changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that are contained in the federal budget bill and will be subject to a confidence vote in the House of Commons this spring. The measures are aimed at enabling skilled workers to enter the country faster. But they would allow the immigration minister to reject entire groups of would-be newcomers by putting ceilings on how many applications of certain categories of newcomers would even be considered. Mr. McGuinty points out that his own ancestors were refugees from the great Irish potato famine of the 1840s who arrived poor, unskilled and unable to speak English. The premier says it would be a great mistake to exclude ambitious and hardworking immigrants just because they don't fall into a desired category. The immigration minister, Diane Finley, hasn't said how she would use the new powers or which classes of potential immigrants would be subject to application ceilings. Conservative Member of Parliament Pierre Poilievre responded that the planned reforms are intended to reduce wait times that are deterring skilled workers from immigrating.
Wednesday Mar 26, 2008a class="t2" href=" http://www.Wednesday-Night.com/immigration.asp" onmouseover="return overlib('click to story via montrealgazette', LEFT);" onmouseout="return nd();" traget="_new">
Immigration bill raked by opposition
The opposition is gearing up for a possible election-triggering showdown with the Harper government ...
Friday 21 March 2008 CALGARY: HIV IMMIGRANTS ACCEPTED
Sun Media reports that several thousand immigration applicants infected with HIV were accepted. The immigration department reports that of 2,567 would-be immigrants who tested positive for the disease only 126 were rejected. The department says that such applicants aren't generally considered a public health threat and that the cost of treating them over a five- to 10-year period isn't deemed excessive. Susan Cress, a spokesman for the AIDS Calgary clinic in Alberta says that Canada is receiving more immigrants from developing nations such as those of Africa where AIDS is endemic. However, Mrs. Cress says that in most cases those carrying the virus don't realize it until they reach Canada.
WINNIPEG: GOVT. CRACKS DOWN ON MIGRANT RECRUITING
Manitoba has become the first Canadian province to regulate recruiters who bring temporary foreign workers to Canada and the companies who utilize them. The new law to start regulate the recruiters forbids them to charge the workers fees. Last year, dozens of Chinese temporary workers at the Maple Leaf Foods plant in Brandon revealed that they had paid $11,500 to a recruitment firm that promised them jobs and work permits in Canada. The controversy highlighted a problem especially difficult in the province's construction industry. The new regulations also require companies who hire temporary foreign workers to have a good compliance record with employment standards and workplace safety rules.
Tuesday Mar 18, 2008
French classes for immigrants get makeover
Immigrants selected by Quebec will now be able to start studying French overseas before they arrive ...
Monday 17 March 2008
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THE GLOBE VS. THE STAR ON IMMIGRATION
The
Globe and the
Star duke it out today with conflicting editorials on the Conservative
government’s immigration reforms. As MediaScout reported last week,
the government is planning to significantly reduce the number of
immigration applications accepted and processed each year, in the name of
tackling a backlog of foreigners applying to enter Canada. The new rules
would give the immigration minister sweeping powers to pick and chose the
types of immigrants that are processed and to impose a cap on immigrants
“by category or otherwise.” This has led to fears that the
government will use its new power to favour “economic”
immigrants over others, such as those applying for family reunification.
According to the Globe, that’s just fine—Canada’s
immigration policy should serve its economic interests first and foremost,
the paper says. The Star counters that allowing the government to isolate
certain groups for expedited treatment will mean that other qualified
immigrants will be denied entry. They also worry that giving the
government the power to choose the immigrants it favours will exacerbate
the existing disparity in processing times based on country of origin.
Instead of granting sweeping powers to the immigration minister, argues
the Star’s editorial board, the government should hire more staff to
deal with the backlog. But the Globe dismisses the idea that the government
would use its power to discriminate. The paper agrees with the government
that the new rules would increase the overall number of immigrants, and
derides the Liberals’ opposition to the measures as pandering to
their ethnic support base. The immigration changes were introduced as an
amendment to the federal budget, making it a matter of confidence; the
Liberals have decided to let the budget pass and avoid an election,
meaning that the Globe may get its way.
Josh
Ginsberg is a Montreal-based MediaScout
writer for Maisonneuve Magazine.
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Saturday Mar 15, 2008 Chasing the Quebec dream
Three are from North Africa, one is from central Africa, one woman is from Haiti and the other is from Colombia.
...Since mid-January, the six have been part of a class of 17 immigrants enrolled in a special program in civil engineering at a Montreal CEGEP. They don't pay a thing; their course materials are given on loan and their tuition is completely subsidized by Emploi Québec, the government agency that referred them there.
Thursday 13 March 2008
WE WANT THE TALENTED, NOT THE NEEDY
The
Post leads with the federal government’s new immigration policy
aimed at curbing the enormous backlog of foreigners applying to enter
Canada. According to columnist John Ivison, Immigration Minister Diane
Finley will propose an amendment to the Immigration and Refugee Protection
Act later this week, which will call for a significant reduction in the
number of immigration applications accepted and processed each year. Under
the current act, the government must process every submitted application,
which has meant epic wait-times for applicants and an increase in the
backlog of prospective new Canadians from fifty thousand in 1993 to almost
nine hundred thousand today. Maurizio Bevilacqua, the Liberal immigration
critic, is quoted in the Post criticizing the amendment because it targets
skilled workers to the disadvantage of candidates looking to be reunited
with Canadian family members or applying on humanitarian grounds. As part
of the government’s recently outlined $22-million effort to rejig
the immigration system, the amendment is expected to be included in the
legislation to implement the federal budget, and will therefore be a
matter of confidence. MediaScout’s hat goes off to Ivison for
scooping the rest of the Big Seven on this one, and calling attention to
this significant shift in policy, which, at the very least, should not be
adopted surreptitiously.
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BBC
