half measures: Joe Crowley in the working-class New York district stretching from the Bronx to Queens is likely to propel her avowedly left-wing platform into the Democratic mainstream as the 2018 midterm elections heat up, according to National Observer. Half measures will not work, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said about Obama's climate policies from 2008. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's stunning primary victory over powerful U.S. Rep. The time for slow and incremental efforts has long past. Ocasio-Cortez outlined plans to transition the United States to a 100 per cent renewable energy system by 2035. But her detailed proposals to deal with climate change could prove among the most influential at a time when the Democrats have failed to rally around any policy that could feasibly reduce greenhouse gas emissions dramatically enough to make a difference. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

elizabeth oakley: She attended school, married, and worked in Canada, according to CTV. When she decided to take a trip last November, she thought applying for a new passport would be easy. It's like I'm being held hostage in my own country, and I'm frustrated because there is nothing I can do, Elizabeth Oakley said to CTV News Channel on Wednesday Oakley was born in the U.S. and moved to Canada when she was 10 years old. She had already held two other Canadian passports in her adult life. After sending in her application with her proof of citizenship, Oakley received a letter from the government. Regulations had changed and you had to prove your citizenship to get your passport, said Oakley. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

year: However, this year we were disturbed to see that the festival has decided to partner with the Government of Israel, whose Embassy in Canada is a sponsor, according to Rabble. It has been even advertised as a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Jewish state. The festival brings exceptional artists and musicians from around the world to an appreciative audience, and celebrates music that has its roots in struggle and resistance. Because of the unhappy circumstances surrounding that event 70 years ago, which led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and even more in light of Israel's grievous wounding of over 7,000 Palestinians in the last two months, we feel that we have to take a pass on this year's event. On the contrary, it disappoints us greatly because we know that the line-up includes many impressive Jewish-Israeli musicians whom we might have wanted to see and hear had they been invited as individuals rather than as part of an effort to promote the State of Israel. Our decision is in no way motivated by anti-Semitism. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

family: What's a little education before a little celebration Then head down the street to the Halifax Seaport Farmer's Market for more music and family fun Canada-style, according to The Chronicle Herald. Is it music you're after The Tattoo is in town and it's ready to prove why it's an international must-see. Pop into Pier 21 to learn about where we and maybe several of your family members came from. Join their Canada Day party on the Common and maybe sneak in a show. Take your time and pace yourself for a 5K or quarter-marathon. Looking for a way to make room to party Pop over to Dartmouth for a little race day weekend action. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

harder-right package: The depth of GOP opposition was an embarrassing showing for Trump and a rebuff of House leaders, who'd postponed the vote twice and proposed changes in hopes of driving up the tally for a measure that seemed doomed from the start, according to Toronto Star. Follow the Toronto Star on social media The roll call seemed to empower GOP conservatives on the fraught issue. The bill was killed 301-121, with nearly half of Republicans opposing the measure. Last week a harder-right package was defeated but 193 Republicans voted for it, 72 more than Wednesday's total. We need to start securing the border and not reward bad behaviour, and that's what this bill did, said Rep. Another 112 Republicans voted no. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigrant children: The first lady's office offered no details about this week's planned trip, which was first reported by CNN. She may tour a migrant processing detention centre, which was slated to be part of her visit last week, according to Toronto Star. That leg of the trip was cancelled because of flood conditions, her office said. Trump last week made an unannounced trip to McAllen, Tex., where she visited a shelter for immigrant children, as her husband's zero-tolerance policy of separating the children of immigrants entering the country illegally was roiling the country. Last week, Trump spent time being briefed by the people running a Texas shelter and meeting some of the children being housed there. The trip, which was described a humanitarian one, was overshadowed by the controversy over a jacket the first lady wore while boarding her plane at Joint Base Andrews. MANDEL NGAN / AFP/GETTY IMAGES On Thursday, Trump spent time being briefed by the people running the Upbring New Hope Children's Shelter in McAllen and meeting some of the more than 50 children being housed there. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

palestinian civilians: Ignoring how Israel has been killing large numbers of Palestinian civilians -- 124 to 0 in the latest round in Gaza -- the premier-elect added in a subsequent tweet Blatantly racist or anti-Semitic ideology should never be permitted on the grounds of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, or anywhere else in our province, according to Rabble. Ford's move isn't surprising since he's previously campaigned against Palestinian solidarity activism. After the recent Al Quds Jerusalem Day protest brought over 500 people out in Toronto, Ford tweeted, our government will take action to ensure that events like Al Quds Day, which calls for the killing of an entire civilian population in Israel, are no longer part of the landscape in Ontario. During his stint on city council Ford sought to defund Toronto's Pride Parade because Queers Against Israeli Apartheid was allowed to march alongside hundreds of other groups. If they want to march in the parade, then we won't fund them, said the councillor. We don't support hate groups, that's our view. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

research group: The Toronto East Detention Centre is among several jails where immigration detainees are held, according to Toronto Star. In cases where children are involved, families are held in federal holding centres instead of jails. The lack of independent national and international oversight bodies significantly contributes to the culture of secrecy surrounding the Canadian immigration detention system, said a report by the Geneva-based Global Detention Project, an international research group that promotes the human rights of migrants in detention. Gary Yokoyama / The Hamilton Spectator File Photo There remain critical gaps in public information, including concerning which prisons are in use at any given time for immigration-related reasons. As of last November, the report said at least 16 people have died in immigration detention while in the custody of the Canada Border Services Agency since 2000. Immigration detention in Canada has been in the spotlight over the last two years with a series of deaths of migrants held in facilities for immigration violations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

san diego: In his order, U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw, an appointee of President George W. Bush, said all families must be reunited within 30 days, and children under 5 must be reunited with their parents within 14 days, according to The Chronicle Herald. He also issued a nationwide injunction against further family separations, unless the parent is deemed unfit or doesn't want to be with the child. The hard deadline set Tuesday night by a U.S. District Judge in San Diego touched off a flurry of activity at facilities already coping with the aftermath of President Donald Trump's order to end the separation of families at the border. Asked about the injunction, Trump offered no complaint, saying, We believe the families should be together also so there's not a lot to fight. The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement is taking an average of 57 days to place children in its care with adult sponsors far longer than the time now allotted by the judge. But it remained unclear Wednesday how the administration would meet that deadline, given the amount of red tape and confusion that has hung over the reunification process. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

victory: That's because South Korea entered the match with a slim chance to advance but couldn't get it done, according to CTV. Since we won, everything went as planned, South Korea coach Shin Tae-yong said. Even in victory, the South Koreas struggled to compose themselves following a 2-0 win that knocked the defending champion Germans out of the tournament. We looked at their strategies for the past four days. I told my players we would have opportunities, that they would need the victory more than us. We looked at Germany's formation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

travel policy: Critics argue that judges should only evaluate the text of Trump's orders, according to Vancouver Courier. Chief Justice John Roberts said Tuesday the Supreme Court may look behind the face of the proclamation barring travellers from five countries with overwhelmingly Muslim populations, though he adopted a relatively easy standard for the administration to justify its travel policy. The remarks have been used to argue the ban was motivated by religious prejudice.article continues below Trending Stories Owners of fire-damaged Shaughnessy home facing charges under city's heritage bylaw Hector Bremner says Yes' to new Vancouver party Green Party goes above and beyond, selecting candidates for council, school and park board Will he or won't he The Ryan Reynolds watch is on at the Rio Theatre Trump a prolific Twitter user has also had his words turned against him in lawsuits over decisions to separate families at the border, end legal protections for young immigrants and revoke temporary status for people from particular countries. Allowing consideration of the president's statements is good news for plaintiffs in other immigration lawsuits against the administration, said Niels Frenzen, an immigration expert at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. That would have started to close the door in considering this outside evidence. They could have said it's improper to consider any statements made on the campaign trail, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

john tory: And the city has gone to what I would very genuinely describe as heroic efforts to help, according to National Observer. But Toronto has reached its limits, Tory said. John Tory asked for financial and housing assistance, saying he detailed his requests in an urgent letter sent to Ottawa this week. ; We've been seeing an increasing number of refugees and asylum seekers looking for somewhere to live temporarily within our shelter system while they get settled, he said. We need help, he said. According to a report from the city manager, the number of refugees and asylum claimants using the shelter system went from 459 in 2016 accounting for 11.2 per cent of the total system to 3,209 as of June 20, 2018 45.8 per cent of the system. We just don't have the resources to do it alone. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

san diego: He also issued a nationwide injunction against further family separations, unless the parent is deemed unfit or doesn't want to be with the child, according to Vancouver Courier. Asked about the injunction, Trump offered no complaint, saying, We believe the families should be together also so there's not a lot to fight. The hard deadline set Tuesday night by a U.S. District Judge in San Diego touched off a flurry of activity at facilities already coping with the aftermath of President Donald Trump's order to end the separation of families at the border.article continues below Trending Stories Owners of fire-damaged Shaughnessy home facing charges under city's heritage bylaw Hector Bremner says Yes' to new Vancouver party Green Party goes above and beyond, selecting candidates for council, school and park board Will he or won't he The Ryan Reynolds watch is on at the Rio Theatre In his order, U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw, an appointee of President George W. Bush, said all families must be reunited within 30 days, and children under 5 must be reunited with their parents within 14 days. But it remained unclear Wednesday how the administration would meet that deadline, given the amount of red tape and confusion that has hung over the reunification process. Last night's court decision makes it even more imperative that Congress finally act to give federal law enforcement the ability to simultaneously enforce the law and keep families together, the department said in a statement. The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement is taking an average of 57 days to place children in its care with adult sponsors far longer than the time now allotted by the judge.HHS, which is in charge of the separated children, referred questions Wednesday to the Justice Department, which in turn said it was up to Congress to deal with the border situation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

thierno soumar: Expand Nadine McNulty with Thierno Soumar Who are you Nadine McNulty founder . What's the name of your organization Batuki Music Society, according to NOW Magazine. Tell us about Batuki Music Society's signature events. See all of the profiles here. Since 2008, Batuki Music Society has presented over 250 concerts in Toronto featuring local, national and international artists. This year's festival will take place from August 10-12 at the Harbourfront Centre. Our organization launched the inaugural Habari Africa Festival at Harbourfront Centre in 2014, a multi-disciplinary music and arts festival that displays the rich and diverse cultures of Africa. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vancouver party: The depth of GOP opposition was an embarrassing showing for Trump and a rebuff of House leaders, who'd postponed the vote twice and proposed changes in hopes of driving up the tally for a measure that seemed doomed from the start.article continues below Trending Stories Owners of fire-damaged Shaughnessy home facing charges under city's heritage bylaw Hector Bremner says Yes' to new Vancouver party Green Party goes above and beyond, selecting candidates for council, school and park board Will he or won't he The Ryan Reynolds watch is on at the Rio Theatre The roll call seemed to empower GOP conservatives on the fraught issue, according to Vancouver Courier. Last week a harder-right package was defeated but 193 Republicans voted for it, 72 more than Wednesday's total. The bill was killed 301-121, with nearly half of Republicans opposing the measure. In Wednesday's vote, 112 Republicans voted no, including many of the party's most conservative members. Roger Williams, R-Texas. We need to start securing the border and not reward bad behaviour, and that's what this bill did, said Rep. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gop negotiators: GOP leaders set out to pass the sweeping immigration measure on their own, without Democratic input, after some members agitated for action, according to The Chronicle Herald. Now they are facing almost certain defeat, stung by their own divisions and President Donald Trump's wavering support. Instead, lawmakers are expected to turn toward a narrow bill to prevent immigrant family separations in hopes of addressing that issue before leaving town for the Fourth of July recess. It remained unclear late Tuesday what the final version of the immigration legislation would contain. But it was not expected to be included. GOP negotiators had been working over the weekend on an amendment to tack on provisions to draw more support. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

arms-length agency: It was conducted by Neil Yeates, a former deputy minister of the Immigration Department, according to CTV. It found a long history of problems in managing spikes in asylum claims and backlogs -- and the current influx of irregular migrants is no exception. The review released Tuesday is the result of a year-long analysis of the arms-length agency, which manages asylum claims and appeals. Yeates recommended fundamental changes to the way the board operates, including a new management structure that would bring it under the authority of the minister of Immigration, managed by either a new refugee protection agency or an asylum system management board. In the absence of clear direction, decisions are made within parts of the refugee and asylum system with no due regard for impacts on other aspects of the system. A key observation arising out of consultations ... is that the efficiency of the asylum system in Canada has suffered as a result of the lack of active, coherent and accountable management across the entire continuum of its activities, the report said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

city staff: Mayor John Tory says continuing to house hundreds of refugee claimants beyond August would require closing multiple community centres and cancelling public programs a step the city is not prepared to take, according to Toronto Star. Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO What's needed is proper housing and proper supports, something the city cannot provide on its own, the letter states. In the letter, obtained by the Star on Monday, Tory states that Toronto welcomes all newcomers but we need the appropriate support and leadership of both Ontario and Canada, and that the city scrambling to find emergency shelter for each new wave of arrivals is not sustainable. Council will consider a report from city staff at a meeting that begins Tuesday. But those spaces are available only until the beginning of August. The pressing problem saw the city begin to house refugee claimants in college dormitories starting in May. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee board: Once again it is dealing with a surge in claims that it is ill-equipped to manage, running the risk of creating a large backlog that, if not tackled promptly, may take years to bring to final resolution, says the 147-page report, written by retired deputy immigration minister Neil Yeates and released Tuesday, according to Toronto Star. Asylum seekers sort out their luggage at a processing centre after crossing the border into Canada from the United States last August near Que. The refugee determination system is at a crossroads. An independent review of the Immigration and Refugee Board has called for changes in the way asylum claims are handled. The board currently operates at arms-length from the government. Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS The review of the Immigration and Refugee Board IRB which handles asylum claims and appeals, was called for in the 2017 budget. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

housing assistance: We've been seeing an increasing number of refugees and asylum seekers looking for somewhere to live temporarily within our shelter system while they get settled, he said, according to The Chronicle Herald. And the city has gone to what I would very genuinely describe as heroic efforts to help. John Tory asked for financial and housing assistance, saying he detailed his requests in an urgent letter sent to Ottawa this week. But Toronto has reached its limits, Tory said. We just don't have the resources to do it alone. We need help, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

los angeles-based: More than 2,000 children in all have been separated from their parents and placed in government-contracted shelters in recent weeks under a now-abandoned Trump administration policy toward families caught illegally crossing the border, according to CTV. Public Counsel demanded that the parents be released and immediately reunited with their children. The court action was brought by the Los Angeles-based pro bono law firm Public Counsel on behalf of three Central American mothers whose children were taken from them by U.S. authorities in May. These parents are terrified for their children and want nothing more than to ensure the scarring that this experience has already caused does not continue to inflict irreparable harm, Judy London, a Public Counsel attorney, said in a statement. Amid an international outcry over the children's treatment, U.S. President Donald Trump last week announced an end to the practice of separating immigrant families. The Justice Department declined to comment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

r-wis .,: It would focus on the issue that has grabbed public attention in recent days the Trump administration's separation of migrant children from their parents when families are caught crossing the border without authorization, according to CTV. If that doesn't succeed, then we'll cross that bridge, Ryan told reporters about his preference to focus on trying to pass the broader bill. Underscoring the legislation's weak prospects in his GOP-run chamber, Ryan, R-Wis., declined to answer questions Tuesday about a separate, narrow measure Republicans are privately discussing. But the last thing I want to do is undercut a vote on what is a great consensus bill. They have blasted that provision as amnesty, and the emerging, narrower bill would give them a chance to show they are addressing family separation without risking the wrath of hard-right voters. Many conservatives are preparing to vote against the wider ranging bill because it would provide a chance for citizenship for many immigrants who arrived illegally in the U.S. as children. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

technology employers: Jobs in B.C.'s technology and creative industries are better paid than elsewhere in Canada, according to data released Tuesday, according to Toronto Star. Jennifer Gauthier / For Star Metro Vancouver That's welcome news to technology employers, who say they haven't been able to find enough high-skilled employees in Vancouver where the unemployment rate is lower than 5 per cent. The government announced Tuesday that B.C.'s provincial nominee program for technology will go on until June 2019, a year longer than initially planned. Experts have cautioned that competition for tech talent in Vancouver is likely only to become more fierce with Amazon injecting 3,000 more technology jobs into the market. Article Continued Below It's been very successful in the sense that the industry's really embraced it, Ralston said in an interview with Star Metro Tuesday. But the province wants Vancouver's technology hub to keep growing and bringing good-paying jobs and foreign direct investment in the province. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

july recess: Now they are facing almost certain defeat, stung by their own divisions and President Donald Trump's wavering support, according to Vancouver Courier. It remained unclear late Tuesday what the final version of the immigration legislation would contain. Instead, lawmakers are expected to turn toward a narrow bill to prevent immigrant family separations in hopes of addressing that issue before leaving town for the Fourth of July recess.article continues below Trending Stories Owners of fire-damaged Shaughnessy home facing charges under city's heritage bylaw No hormones, no plastic straws and now no meat A&W goes beyond' burgers Vancouver changes pot shop regulations ahead of legalization Hearts flutter as Ryan Reynolds offers video tribute to Rio TheatreGOP leaders set out to pass the sweeping immigration measure on their own, without Democratic input, after some members agitated for action. GOP negotiators had been working over the weekend on an amendment to tack on provisions to draw more support. The broader bill includes trade-offs, including a multi-year path to citizenship for young immigrants who have been living in the U.S. illegally since childhood and 25 billion for Trump's border wall. But it was not expected to be included. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

burgers sanchez: If children are younger than 5, they must be reunified within the next 14 days.article continues below Trending Stories Eight CN Rail freight cars derail in Metro Vancouver, closing busy rail bridge City of Vancouver hosts Candidate 101' classes for political newbies Hearts flutter as Ryan Reynolds offers video tribute to Rio Theatre No hormones, no plastic straws and now no meat A&W goes beyond' burgers Sanchez said his non-profit has located many of the parents who have been arrested for trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border so if the opportunity arose they could move quickly to reunite the families, according to Vancouver Courier. We're ready today, said Sanchez, who had been fearful of a long, drawn out process. Juan Sanchez of the non-profit Southwest Key Programs made the comments hours before a judge in California ordered U.S. border authorities to bring separated families together within 30 days of a late Tuesday ruling. Sanchez earlier said parents' cases would likely have to first make their way through the legal system. He said there appeared to be a lack of urgency on behalf of the government, and worried that the process could take months. Only then could the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement give the go-ahead to put families back together. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

observer interview: I think part of it is having seen the slow rise of populism in Europe since the beginning of 2000 in places like Austria, in Italy with Berlusconi and this sort of feeling people weren't taking it seriously enough as a phenomenon, he said in a National Observer interview in Montreal. ; Mounk counts himself as one of only a few political scientists who started studying the challenges faced by democracies in the West several years before a surge of interest in populism prompted by Trump's election to the U.S. presidency and the referendum to withdraw the United Kingdom from the European Union, according to National Observer. Now some people are scrambling to move in that space, he said. Research found deeply concerning trends citizens in several Western European & North American democracies were more cynical and distrustful about their political system and more willing to support for authoritarian alternatives via clogouj However, as populist ideas gained ground in several European countries in the early 2000's, Mounk, a Harvard political scientist born and raised in Germany, started to doubt the theory. The end of democracy Mounk wanted to understand this consensus around liberal democracy. He mentioned that many scholars assumed the Soviet Union would remain stable. Was it declining and if so, why And could it lead to the end of liberal democracy as a political regime Mounk had studied history and examined examples of political regimes that seemed stable for decades or even centuries but that had become increasingly brutal and eventually collapsed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.