combat cynicism: The contest is open only to constituents in Skeena-Bulkley Valley, according to Vancouver Courier. But Cullen hopes the idea will catch on with other MPs, who'll run their own contests and eventually give Canadians across the country the chance to become lawmakers. He'll take the winner to parliamentary legal beagles to write up as draft legislation over the summer and introduce it as a private member's bill in the fall. I just think the wisdom of the crowd is untapped, said Cullen, who also sees the contest as a fun way to try to combat cynicism about politics. My thinking is, you can't just use the platitudes 'We want you involved, we care what you say' we actually have to trust voters, beyond just their vote once every four years, to have real influence over what we do. It's very difficult, particularly to get young people, but people in general, involved. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

interest rates: New headwinds are arriving for some U.S. companies, including Campbell's in the form of higher costs for steel and aluminum due to changes in U.S. trade policy, according to Vancouver Courier. Rising rates Savers sigh in relief, borrowers bewareNEW YORK AP There's a good side and a bad side to rising interest rates. Denise Morrison, who has been has been CEO since 2011, is being replaced immediately. Money market rates have crept higher, and you can get rewarded with higher interest payments for buying newly issued bonds. Conservative revolt over immigration sinks House farm billWASHINGTON AP In an embarrassment for House GOP leaders, conservatives on Friday scuttled a bill that combines stricter work and job training requirements for food stamp recipients with a renewal of farm subsidies popular. But borrowing for a house, a car or other purchases will cost you more. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

arrivals: If these daily arrivals continue, as we expect them to, to some degree or another, we will be in a position within the next seven days, where we will need to open an emergency reception centre, Tory told a news conference Friday, according to Toronto Star. Asylum seekers sort out their luggage at a processing centre after crossing the border into Canada from the United States near St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., last August. We could not, cannot and should not be doing this alone. The number of refugees seeking shelter in Toronto is expected to grow this year. At the current rate of arrivals, the city expects refugees will make up 54 per cent of the spaces by November. Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS As of Thursday, there were 2,683 refugee claimants in the Toronto shelter system, accounting for 41 per cent of the shelter population. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

chris morrissey: Chris Morrissey, founder of Rainbow Refugee, said finding housing in Vancouver for newly arrived queer and trans refugees is very difficult, according to Toronto Star. But thanks to her quick thinking, she has managed to reserve a few apartments in a soon-to-be-built affordable housing building at this lot on the corner of Burrard Street and Davie Street in Vancouver's Gay Village. Last week representatives from Rainbow Refugee met with staff from City Hall, and other LGBTQ support organizations, where the groups confirmed that Rainbow Refugee would be given a few units to house LGBTQ refugees in a new affordable housing complex that will be built at the corner of Burrard and Davie Street in Vancouver's Gay Village. Jennifer Gauthier/for Star Metro Sharalyn Jordan, board chair of Rainbow Refugee, said finding housing for LGBTQ refugees in Vancouver is the most difficult part of the group's work. Jordan, who is a professor at Simon Fraser University and involved with LGBTQ resettlement work across the country, said she believes this is the first time anyone in Canada has secured affordable rental units specifically reserved for privately-sponsored queer and trans refugees. Finding housing, it's our biggest headache, absolutely the hardest thing to organize, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

documents: The assurance over documentation was a key commitment made during meetings Hussen held with top government officials in Nigeria, the minister said in a briefing with reporters about the trip, according to CTV. I got assurances about co-operation between Canada and Nigeria on irregular migration, both in terms of helping us with the deterrence message to the Nigerian public, but also in getting travel documents, passports for people who are in the removals queue, Hussen said. Hussen travelled to the African nation this week as part of the Liberal government's efforts to stop asylum seekers from crossing into Canada from the United States between legal checkpoints. Travel documents for Nigerian nationals who are set to be removed from Canada, but who lack travel documents. One of the difficulties in dealing with the border crossers is obtaining proper documentation so they can be removed from Canada and returned to their country of origin once their asylum claims have been rejected, a process that can sometimes take years. Most of the people entering Canada from the U.S. between regular border crossings this spring have been from Nigeria, with the majority carrying valid U.S. travel visas. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lots: Read about them here, according to Vancouver Observer. Deadpool 2 3 stars Book Club 2 4Pope Francis A Man of His Word 3Kusama Infinity 4Disobedience 3 Venus 3Show Dogs 1 DEADPOOL 2 The good news is that it's just as joke- and wise-crack filled as the mammoth hit of two years ago, but it doesn't feel as puerile. Meanwhile there's lots that's new this week, and lots of variety. Maybe that's because we're used to it, we know what to expect and it doesn't surprise as much. Don't worry though, that's all secondary. Maybe it's because there's a little more substance this time, yearning for a sense of belonging for instance, and more from an actual love story. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

daughter yulia: Britain has accused Russia of poisoning the pair with a military-grade nerve agent, a claim Moscow denies, according to CTV. The poisoning has sparked a Cold War-style diplomatic crisis between Russia and the West, including the expulsion of hundreds of diplomats from both sides. Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious in the English city of Salisbury on March 4, and spent weeks in critical condition. Salisbury District Hospital said Friday that all three people hospitalized in the attack -- the Skripals and a police officer who came to their assistance -- had now been released. This is an important stage in his recovery, which will now take place away from the hospital. We have been able to discharge Sergei Skripal, said Lorna Wilkinson, director of nursing at the hospital. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee claimants: Tory said 10 new refugee claimants are added to Toronto's shelter system each day, and 334 additional refugee claimants have arrived since he last appealed for help on April 26, according to CTV. At the current rate of arrivals, Tory said Toronto projects that refugees will represent more than 50 per cent of the city's shelter residents by November. The federal and Ontario governments should take action to relieve the growing pressure refugee claimants are putting on the city's shelter system, John Tory said Friday, as he asked for support with the issue. Toronto is a city built by immigrants -- many who came from around the world as refugees, Tory said. But the responsibility for that outcome now lies with our provincial and federal partners. We want refugees to be as big a success story for Canada as have been prior generations of refugees, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

wedding saturday: The Most Rev, according to The Chronicle Herald. Michael Bruce Curry also plans to join a march on the White House next week that rejects U.S. President Donald Trump's America first stance as theological heresy. He condemned last year's white supremacist rally in Charlottesville as fascist and he has outspokenly stood up for gay rights. The 65-year-old leader of the Episcopal Church was hand-picked by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to deliver a sermon at their wedding Saturday even though the couple had not met him at the time. He can be relaxed and jocular at the pulpit, peppering his sermons with jokes and personal anecdotes, but also fiery as he delivers more serious messages. The bride and groom haven't said why they chose Curry, but he's known as an engaging, impassioned speaker who preaches openness and tolerance. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

documents: I got assurances about co-operation between Canada and Nigeria on irregular migration, both in terms of helping us with the deterrence message to the Nigerian public, but also in getting travel documents, passports for people who are in the removals queue, Hussen said, according to Vancouver Courier. Travel documents for Nigerian nationals who are set to be removed from Canada, but who lack travel documents. Hussen travelled to the African nation this week as part of the Liberal government's efforts to stop asylum seekers from crossing into Canada from the United States between legal checkpoints.article continues below Trending Stories Richmond says it's prepared for projected rising river levels 56 million grant may make waiting for train in Coquitlam a thing of the past Silver lining for stranded Kiwi couple left with nothing after their car was stolen Interiors, done from outside the box The assurance over documentation was a key commitment made during meetings Hussen held with top government officials in Nigeria, the minister said in a briefing with reporters about the trip. Most of the people entering Canada from the U.S. between regular border crossings this spring have been from Nigeria, with the majority carrying valid U.S. travel visas. The goal of meetings with his direct counterpart in the Nigerian government, as well as that country's foreign affairs minister, diplomatic officials from the United States and civil society groups in Lagos and the Nigerian capital, Abuja, was to get the message across that Nigerians can't simply walk into Canada and expect to stay, said Hussen. One of the difficulties in dealing with the border crossers is obtaining proper documentation so they can be removed from Canada and returned to their country of origin once their asylum claims have been rejected, a process that can sometimes take years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

john tory: At the current rate of arrivals, Tory said Toronto projects that refugees will represent more than 50 per cent of the city's shelter residents by November, according to Vancouver Courier. Toronto is a city built by immigrants many who came from around the world as refugees, Tory said. The federal and Ontario governments should take action to relieve the growing pressure refugee claimants are putting on the city's shelter system, John Tory said Friday, as he asked for support with the issue.article continues below Trending Stories Richmond says it's prepared for projected rising river levels 56 million grant may make waiting for train in Coquitlam a thing of the past Silver lining for stranded Kiwi couple left with nothing after their car was stolen Interiors, done from outside the box Tory said 10 new refugee claimants are added to Toronto's shelter system each day, and 334 additional refugee claimants have arrived since he last appealed for help on April 26. We want refugees to be as big a success story for Canada as have been prior generations of refugees, he said. Tory said he's looking for a number of things from Ottawa and the province, including co-ordination and leadership to help with the immediate placement of new arrivals outside of the city's shelter system. But the responsibility for that outcome now lies with our provincial and federal partners. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

spending: The answer he eventually got from other people over the years was that Japan is a small country without a lot of natural resources, one that had to massively invest in its people through technology spending and education.article continues below Trending Stories Richmond says it's prepared for projected rising river levels 56 million grant may make waiting for train in Coquitlam a thing of the past Silver lining for stranded Kiwi couple left with nothing after their car was stolen Interiors, done from outside the box I remember being really pissed off, Trudeau said Friday at an innovation and sustainability conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to Vancouver Courier. Wait, wait, wait, we have all these advantages and because we have all these advantages we can't be smart and innovative too Trudeau said Canada now relies heavily on technology and innovation in harvesting its natural resources, but he added it has also learned that resource development alone cannot drive the country's economy. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remembers asking his father why the stereo and other gadgets he had as a boy were made in Japan not in Canada. The question-and-answer session with MIT professor Danielle Wood was the final event of Trudeau's three-day trip to the United States, where he focused largely on selling Canada as a solid place to invest. Trudeau's trip came at a tense stage of those talks between Canada, the United States and Mexico. The Bank of Canada warned earlier this week investor confidence has been hit by concerns about the progress on negotiating a new North American Free Trade Agreement. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian residency: I'm not sure whether urge in this context means nudge, firmly suggest, or send a strongly worded letter, but I do know opportunistic vote-pandering when I see it, according to National Observer. Under the proposed immigration plan, immigrants to Quebec would receive a temporary three-year permit, referred to as a certificat d'accompagnement transitoire CAT and be tested on certain criteria such as knowledge of the French language before they can apply for Canadian residency. Less than five months before Quebec's provincial elections, and just a few months after mulling over the idea of a Quebec values test and language quiz for immigrants, the CAQ's controversial orientation document spelling out its plans to force newcomers to assimilate was leaked to the public. ; The paper says that if brought into power in October, the party won't expel immigrants if they fail to successfully integrate it will simply flag them and urge Canada to do it on Quebec's behalf. New arrivals who don't pass the test within four years would not receive a Quebec selection certificate, authorization to apply and would be flagged at the federal level for possible relocation or expulsion. They become a person without status and it's up to the federal government to decide what to do with that person. If the person does not want to learn French, they will not have their selection certificate, so they will never be a citizen, party leader Fran ois Legault told Radio-Canada earlier this week. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

g democracy: Not that the countries are dissimilar; both have roughly the same population, both are trying to build economies on petroleum resources, and both tried to temper their capitalist economies with socialist programs on the periphery of a vast capitalist empire, according to Rabble. But that is where the comparisons end. It was just by virtue of some such grace, or just dumb luck, that I find myself a citizen of Canada and not Venezuela. Canada prides itself a peaceable G7 democracy negotiating its way through the 21st century in the company of like-minded nations. My family roots are in a small European country stunted by fascism well into 1970s. Venezuela, for the sin of redistributing its full petroleum wealth as social welfare programs rather than accepting a percentage of it as corporate royalties, and though also a democracy, is treated as an international pariah subject to denigration and economic sanctions. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gang members: MS-13, these are animals coming onto our country, Trump said, repeating his language from Wednesday, according to CTV. He added When the MS-13 comes in, when the other gang members come into our country, I refer to them as animals. Answering a reporter's question during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump said his comment a day earlier had clearly been directed at members of the MS-13 gang. And guess what I always will. Trump was speaking at a roundtable with local California officials when he responded to a comment that had referenced MS-13. Trump has been under fire for comments he made Wednesday while railing against California for its so-called sanctuary immigration policies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

laws: It was hardly the first time the president has spoken in ugly and racially fraught terms about immigrants, but it underscored his lingering rage about immigration the animating issue of his campaign and his tenure so far and his frustration that he has not been able to do more to seal the nation's borders, according to Toronto Star. Donald Trump used a White House session to vent his anger at the nation's immigration laws, calling them the dumbest laws on immigration in the world. Trump's incendiary comments came during a discussion with state and local leaders on California's sanctuary laws, which strictly limit communication between local law enforcement and federal immigration officers, and which the Trump administration is suing to invalidate. Olivier Douliery / Tribune News Services Trump used the session to vent his anger at the nation's immigration laws, calling them the dumbest laws on immigration in the world. Read more Analysis Daniel Dale Donald Trump made 80 false claims in the last three weeks Article Continued Below Trudeau uses NYU graduation speech to criticize growth in identity politics You wouldn't believe how bad these people are, he said. He exhorted his administration to do much better in keeping out undesirable people, including members of transnational gangs like MS-13. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration partnership: Sydney area residents were invited Wednesday to share their thoughts on what exactly is needed to retain newcomers, according to The Chronicle Herald. Cape Breton Local Immigration Partnership is leading the project as it looks to create an immigration strategy for the island. And for the negatives language barriers, lack of employment and limited resources and services. The federal initiative was launched last summer and is funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. I hope to hear what the community's insights are in terms of how we welcome and include new folks and where we need to do more work, said Pedley. Kailea Pedley, partnership co-ordinator, said statistics show that only one in 50 people identify as being an immigrant in Cape Breton. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration tribunal: Last year, an immigration tribunal dismissed the federal government's request to revoke Yang Wang's permanent resident status, according to Toronto Star. The government subsequently appealed the decision and lost. In upholding a lower tribunal's decision, the Immigration Appeal Division concluded that Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and his officials have failed to establish Yang Wang was a member of the Chinese Ministry of State Security MSS or Taiwan's Military Intelligence Bureau MIB to render him inadmissible to Canada. Allan Woods / Toronto Star file photo While the 40-year-old Toronto man had admitted to providing information for both intelligence agencies, the appeal tribunal said the information including details about the activities of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice banned in China was obtained through open source research and personal knowledge. He was not evasive or obfuscatory. The respondent was a responsive witness. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

members: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general, second right, listens during a meeting at the White House on Thursday, according to Toronto Star. Trump says he would continue to use the term animals to refer to violent gang members in spite of a sharp rebuke from Democratic leaders. Answering a reporter's question during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump said his comment a day earlier had clearly been directed at members of the MS-13 gang. GETTY IMAGES MS-13, these are animals coming onto our country, Trump said, repeating his language from Wednesday. And guess what I always will. He added When the MS-13 comes in, when the other gang members come into our country, I refer to them as animals. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

media pundits: But a lingering question has lurked in the background Could a right-wing populist in Trump's mould succeed nationally in Canada The candidacy of Doug Ford for premier of Ontario appears to represent in the eyes of many Canadians their very own Trump moment, according to The Chronicle Herald. Ford has been accused of being a vulgar, self-interested, dangerous populist by both media pundits and political opponents alike. Trump's nativist, misogynistic, xenophobic rhetoric leading up to his election, and the turbulence that has characterized his administration since, have served as the perfect opportunity for Canadians to reassert themselves as a progressive beacon of human rights, tolerance and diversity in the world. Ford is the brother of the late Rob Ford, the equally populist onetime mayor of Toronto who infamously struggled with substance abuse issues. Implicit in these comparisons is the idea that Ford, like Conservatives Kellie Leitch and Kevin O'Leary before him, is merely mimicking Trump's divisive style of politics in an effort to stir up the same type of populist resentment that swept across the United States in 2016 and propelled him to the Oval Office. Ford's style and rhetoric have drawn direct comparisons to the 45th American president as he's been branded a Northern tinpot Trump. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ordeal others: Some people have the misfortune of being born in the wrong place, ensuring that their lives are one constant ordeal, according to The Chronicle Herald. Others, like Canadians, through no virtue of our own, carry a passport that ensures, comparatively speaking, an existence of safety and ease. But that's long enough for the old sinking feeling that engulfs any Canadian who has travelled throughout the developing world to reappear That we are so privileged, so f ing lucky. And yet we so often take it for granted, said the humanitarian and human rights activist. At least Cakmak does, having seen what she has seen. So of course you feel quilty. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

staff shortages: The measure could mean staff shortages causing delays at major airports like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, as well as land ports like Windsor and Niagara Falls, said Jean-Pierre Fortin, national president of the Customs and Immigration Union, according to CTV. Security issues could also be an issue, Fortin warned. The Canada Border Services Agency has sent memos across the country advising that agents from other regions will be in Quebec May 28-Sept. 16 to help deal with the influx of refugee claimants crossing the Canada-U.S. border at unofficial entry points. The impact will be that there may be enough resources at Lacolle Quebec but they will create other points of pressure across Canada, he said. The influx of refugee claimants has been an ongoing pressure point in Quebec for the last few months, with more people coming across non-official entry points along the border the RCMP intercepted 7,612 refugee claimants between January and April of this year. The end result will be that wait times will increase and security will go down. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nolore: We had a few speeches, according to National Observer. We mingled. There were about 10 of us, children excluded. We left. What were they there to do Were we really a threat to anyone The left and the right are not policed equally, writes NoLore. As we were walking away, I realized that two police cruisers full of cops were monitoring us nearly as many officers as the 10 of us at our little rally. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gordon warnecke: Rating NNNVenus is about transwoman who is transitioning, but the central thrust of the story is not a physical transformation, according to NOW Magazine. Refreshingly, Montreal writer/director Eisha Majara's charming dramedy shifts the emotional legwork largely to the characters around her lead, creating a film in which the world must come to grips with the trans person not the other way around. Opens Friday May 18 . See listing. That's not to say there isn't adversity. At the same time, she rekindles a romance with a closeted boyfriend Pierre-Yves Cardinal while coming out to her Indian immigrant parents Zena Darawalla and My Beautiful Laundrette's Gordon Warnecke . It's pure soap opera and Majara wastes no time introducing the long-lost son in Venus's opening scenes. Sid Debargo Sanyal is embarking on a transition when she finds out she has a preteen son named Ralph Jamie Mayers with a high-school ex Amber Goldfarb she hasn't spoken to in years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sentence: His sentence expires June 8 but he was given a royal pardon on Wednesday and freed from custody after last week's stunning electoral victory by his alliance led by former foe Mahathir Mohamad, according to Vancouver Courier. Anwar said poor Malays will benefit more from merit-based policies that are transparent. In an interview with The Associated Press, the prime minister-in-waiting also said he plans to run in a byelection this year to become a member of Parliament but that he isn't in a rush to take over the top job.article continues below Trending StoriesYVR Airport opens its first self-serve baggage drop system Richmond says it's prepared for projected rising river levels Panel to ponder three options for arterial road and overpass through False Creek Flats Vancouver's Aboriginal relations manager resigns to run Ian Campbell's mayoral campaign Anwar, 70, was convicted of sodomy in 2015 in a case he said was politically motivated. He said the New Economic Policy, instituted in 1971 following bloody riots fueled by Malay discontent with the relative affluence of ethnic minority Chinese, has been abused to enrich the elites. It is also blamed for a racial divide between Malays, who account for two-thirds of Malaysia's 31 million people, and minority Chinese and Indians who have long complained about government discrimination. The program, which gives preference to Malays in government contracts, business, jobs, education and housing, is credited with lifting millions of Malays out of poverty and creating an urban Malay middle class. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trade agreement: During a speech at the New York University commencement at Yankee Stadium, the prime minister spoke at length on the merits of diversity and the risks of aggressive nationalism, according to National Observer. Looming over everything is the North American Free Trade Agreement and the expected failure of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to meet an artificial deadline today, set to try and seal a new deal before the Mexican federal elections this summer or U.S. congressional elections in the fall throw new curveballs at the process. Trudeau will spend the second morning of his three-day U.S. tour his 16th visit to the United States as prime minister participating in what is billed as an armchair discussion on economics and international trade at the Economic Club of New York. ; The trip is mainly focused on trade and drumming up investment for Canada, although Trudeau veered off that course Wednesday morning. Coupled with ongoing struggles to get the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion built, Canada's ability to compete on the world stage and confidence in its ability to attract investment are currently flagged as questionable. Most of those he met with publicly agreed. In a series of meetings with a lengthy list of international investment executives and U.S. CEOs Wednesday, Trudeau time and again tried to counter those fears, pushing Canada as a great place to do business. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.