Allos Dept: Saint-Laurent is one of the most polyglot ridings in Quebec - 51 per cent allophone, 16.5 per cent anglophone, and 32 per cent francophone, according to the 2006 census. At least 13 different languages have 1,000 or more speakers in the riding, according to Montreal Gazette. That's happening here, and this time extra salt is being rubbed into the wound. Fournier, hoping to make a comeback to the National Assembly, was the minister who rammed the Liberals' rigged demerger bill down the throat of suburbanites across the province in 2004 and the candidate himself, and the party he supports, both richly deserve to be repudiated by allophone and anglophone voters there. During the Charest years, non-francophones have become all too accustomed to abuse from the Liberals. We are the party's most loyal supporters, but anglophone and allophone representation in the cabinet has dwindled to two inexperienced ministers, one of them just demoted. Liberal safe seats, made safe by anglos and allos, are routinely bestowed from on high upon francophone "star" candidates from elsewhere. As reported in the news.
@t loyal supporters, anglos

Jail Sentences Dept: Kenney made the comment after a meeting on illegal migration issues with ministers from France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Greece and Belgium, according to Vancouver Sun. "So I think the government and Parliament need to look at ways that we can send clear messages about how to dis-incentivize those who exploit desperate migrants." Parliament needs to consider minimum jail sentences for people-smugglers in order to send a message following the recent landing of 492 Tamils on Canada's West Coast, Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said here Monday. "Some media have pointed out that while there are very stiff maximum penalties for facilitating people smuggling in our criminal law, up to life imprisonment, there are no minimum penalties," Kenney told Postmedia News when asked about legislation when Parliament resumes Sept. 20. As reported in the news.
@t life imprisonment, immigration minister

Leadership Program Dept: I'd like to clarify the criteria for the Minerva Foundation's Women Leading the Way program. This is an advanced leadership program intended for mid-career women with seven to 10 years Canadian work experience and some leadership experience. It's open to all women, Canadian-born and immigrant, according to Vancouver Sun. To see the criteria for all of these programs, visit theminervafoundation. com/programs or call 604-683-7635, ext. 221 and re: What's so exciting about women leading the way? Sept. 2 Newcomers and recent immigrants will not be eligible for this advanced program but may be eligible for the foundation's other leadership programs -- e.g. Learning to Lead, Follow a Leader and Minerva Helping Women Work. As reported in the news.
@t leadership programs, leadership experience

Edited Version Dept: Even though he is fictional, I find him one of the most acute observers of the city’s political scene. An edited version of our conversation follows:, according to Globe And Mail. Interesting? You call yourself a writer? This has been like one of those operas you see down the street at the Four Seasons. One guy drops out when his lover calls him a cheater. Another guy gets his police mug shot splashed on the front page over an old drug bust. The guy everyone expects to walk away with the thing – a former deputy premier no less – is stumbling so badly that he cusses out a rival’s volunteer in public. And, hey, the real cat fight is just beginning and some would say his insights are rendered dubious by the fact that he does not exist. Leo, this has been a long and interesting campaign. What do you make of it? As reported in the news.
@t real cat, rsquo

Chateauguay Dept: The riding was left vacant after former public security minister Jacques Dupuis left it this summer after 12 years, according to CTV. "I'm not taking anything for granted," said Fournier, adding that while those issues loom large, it's issues like housing and education his voters tell him they care about and monday is the second day of advanced polling before next Monday's by-election in the Liberal stronghold of St. Laurent, where Justice Minister Jean Marc Fournier is running in hopes of winning it again for the Liberals. Fournier, who served in the Chateauguay riding for 13 years, is the front-runner in the Sept. 13 by-election, but Fournier's campaign coincides with some difficult issues for the Liberals' image, including allegations of corruption, slumping poll numbers and the Bastarache commission. As reported in the news.
@t poll numbers, bastarache

Gun Control Laws Dept: Of course, every immigrant’s motivations are intensely personal. However, extensive research by Susan Hardwick, a professor at the University of Oregon, shows that the over-arching inspiration for moving north of the border is an idealistic one, according to Globe And Mail. In British Columbia, for example, Prof. Hardwick found that most recent arrivals from the U.S. reported their primary reason for leaving was the idea that Canada is a safe refuge for liberal thinkers and idealists and these invisible immigrants – there are one million, more than at any time since the Vietnam War – are a unique group. According to a leading American geographer, they come to Canada not for economic opportunities, but for the country’s set of values. Americans are attracted by their view of Canada’s more liberal culture. That includes support for a universal public health-care system, positive attitudes toward gays and lesbians, gun control laws and multiculturalism. As reported in the news.
@t susan hardwick, liberal thinkers

Sri Lankan Dept: Public Safety Minister Vic Toews is expected to take a list of choices before cabinet next week, according to The Star. The commitment to moving forward comes as the Tories attempt to regain control of the national agenda before heading into what could be a combative fall session and oTTAWA The Conservatives are whittling down their legal options to go after rogue boats filled with migrants trying to get to Canada. The government has been floating the idea of new laws since the August arrival of a boat packed with Sri Lankan migrants. As reported in the news.
@t legal options, national agenda

Canadian Politician Dept: The film, Travelling Light: A Journey with Ujjal Dosanjh, will premiere in New Delhi on Thursday during a visit by Mr. Dosanjh to his native country. Filmmaker Meera Dewan said the 46-minute production was inspired by the Canadian politician’s willingness to stand against extremism in his own community of Sikhs. “What struck me about him when I lived briefly in Vancouver is his courage,” Ms. Dewan said. “His has been the lone voice of sanity, speaking up against Sikh violence still brewing there.”, according to Globe And Mail. Many disagree with Mr. Dosanjh. In 1985, a man smashed his head with an iron bar after he criticized the notion of an independent Sikh homeland. He received death threats earlier this year after giving an interview to The in which he lamented the “politically correct” regime of multiculturalism that allows radicalism to fester in Canada’s immigrant groups and the rejection of violence as a political tool has been a key feature of Mr. Dosanjh’s career, which included stints as premier of British Columbia and federal health minister, and is a central idea in a new documentary about his life. Mr. Dosanjh acknowledges that “there was a time when I was younger that I did believe violence could bring about lasting political change.” In fact, after immigrating to Canada during his student years, he hung around for a time with Marxist-Leninists. But it was their espousal of violence that ultimately led him to take a different path. As reported in the news.
@t ujjal dosanjh, premier of british columbia

Immigration Consultants Dept: In an interview with The , Mr. Kenney said he will also ask Indian officials to consider whether they may need a bill similar to one introduced in Parliament this June – the Cracking Down on Crooked Consultants Act – which would make it a crime for a person who is not a lawyer, notary or member of a recognized association of immigration consultants to accept a fee for providing immigration advice, according to Globe And Mail. “There’s a pretty sophisticated industry that produces these kinds of documents.’’ Immigration Minister Jason Kenney will spend three days this week in India, where he will ask officials to focus more law-enforcement resources and share more information with Canada on “immigration fraudsters’’ who often charge applicants thousands of dollars and use fake documents to bolster their cases. “In Chandigarh, in our consulate there, we have a wall of shame’ with some examples of the thousands of fraudulent documents that are generated by this industry – fake marriage certificates, death certificates, travel itineraries, banking statements, you name it,” Mr. Kenney said. As reported in the news.
@t globe and mail, immigration advice

Oral Hygiene Dept: On Sunday, Maryam Amin, the division head of pediatric dentistry, took her mobile clinic to the Millwoods Sri Guru Singh Sabha Society to give free exams to preschool-aged kids of South Asian descent. While the youngsters were in the chair the researcher interviewed parents to better understand how social influences and cultural beliefs affect oral hygiene practices, according to CTV. Following the exam parents were given information on local dentists and health benefits and a University of Alberta professor in the faculty of medicine and dentistry is taking an innovative approach to improve the quality of early childhood health in immigrant communities. The purpose of the project is to improve the quality of oral health for children and to eliminate barriers immigrant families may perceive. As reported in the news.
@t pediatric dentistry, hygiene practices