Jason Kenney Dept: But the bizarre incident is more interesting in what it says about Prime Minister Stephen Harper s Conservative government its bully-boy approach to the federal bureaucracy, its indifference to reality and, in particular, its unrelenting attempts to redefine the way in which Canadians view their own country, according to The Star. But beyond that, Kenney s job is to help change the way in which Canadians look at politics, part of a long-term effort to make Harper-style Conservatism the country s dominant ideology and the strange case of Jason Kenney and the faked citizenship ceremony continues to intrigue. Many have criticized the role of Sun TV in broadcasting, as news, a hoked-up photo-op in which federal bureaucrats posed as new Canadians. That Kenney was at the centre is only appropriate. The immigration minister has served as point man in the government s effort to corral votes of so-called ethnics. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Conservative Government Dept: The order represents a reversal of policy for the Conservative government, which once insisted the Canadian Security Intelligence Service would discard information if there was any inkling it might be tainted, according to CBC. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews quietly told CSIS the government now expects the spy service to "make the protection of life and property its overriding priority" and may under exceptional circumstances share information based on intelligence that may have been derived from the use of torture. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has quietly reversed the Canadian government's policy on using intelligence derived from torture or mistreatment. Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press The federal government is defending itself after more information has come to light about its directions to Canada's spy agency to use information that may have been extracted through torture in cases where public safety is at stake. Opposition MPs seized on the news, saying it means the government is indirectly supporting torture. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Migrant Agricultural Workers Dept: Assessing the precise number of migrant farm workers in Canada is difficult, according to CBC. Workers can be hired under the federal Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program SAWP , which was established in 1966. Temporary foreign workers can also be hired under the agricultural stream of a federal immigration pilot project for occupations requiring lower levels of formal training and a flatbed truck and passenger van collided on Feb. 6 near the hamlet of Hampstead, Ont., killing 11 people most of them migrant agricultural workers from Peru and seriously injuring three others. Migrant workers have become an important source of labour for Canada's agricultural sector, and they're being recruited from a growing number of countries around the world. How many migrant farm workers are there in Canada? "Our problem is they're under two different programs, so it's hard to get an exact number," says Stan Raper, national co-ordinator of the Agricultural Workers Alliance. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Clato Mabior Dept: Lawyers for Clato Mabior will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada on Wednesday to argue that Canadian law criminalizes carriers of HIV the virus that causes AIDS and does not acknowledge variations in transmission levels, according to CBC. Mabior's convictions hinged on his failure to inform his sexual partners that he has HIV. Four of the convictions were later overturned on appeal and canada's top court is set to hear the case of two HIV-positive Canadians who did not disclose their medical condition to their sexual partners. Clato Mabior, seen in a police photo, has recently completed his prison sentence and is set to be deported to Sudan in mid-February. Winnipeg-based Mabior was sentenced to prison in 2008 for 14 years after he was found guilty of having unprotected sex with four females and protected sex with two others, including a 12-year-old girl. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Breast Cancer Dept: The thing that s nice about pregnancy is that in the end, you have a baby, she told the reporter, who concluded that his encounter with Ms. Romney in her million-dollar mansion resembled something like a trip to the Twilight Zone, according to Globe and Mail. Her stories of dealing with debilitating multiple sclerosis and her brush with breast cancer have moved crowds to tears, helping her and by extension, her husband connect with voters. In speeches and interviews she weaves stories about how she has used alternative therapies, such as reflexology and horseback riding, to heal. In Republican households Baron, her horse, has become something of a folk hero and instead, she chatted about dieting down to her college weight 117 pounds and how the couple had struggled as students, living off inherited stock investments. Asked to describe herself in three words, Ms. Romney foundered: Peaceful, loving and serene, she managed. At one point, she compared a political campaign to pregnancy. As Mr. Romney forges to the front in the Republican primaries, his wife is being heralded as one of his greatest assets, a humanizing force that counters his rigidity. She is the most visible of the Republican candidates wives. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rene Angelil Dept: Schwartz's Deli, celebrated for their savoury smoked meat on rye, is said to be in the final stages of being sold to an investor group which includes Celine Dion's husband Rene Angelil, according to CTV. The architect of the deal is said to be restaurateur Paul Nakis, who is involved in the Baton Rouge steakhouse chain and Montreal's Sir Winston Churchill Pub and montrealers are reeling from reports that a big-name consortium wants a bite at the city's most famous sandwich shop. Sources told the Montreal Gazette that a $10-million sale is imminent but thus far many of the rumoured investors have refused to confirm or deny the reports. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Black History Month Dept: Manitobans have an opportunity to gain more knowledge of their province s cultural diversity with the launch of Black History Month, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Christine Melnick said cultural diversity is a fundamental characteristic of Manitoba. Many groups are organizing events to help us remember the richness of the achievements of people of African descent in Manitoba and around the world. Mavis McLaren gives the opening remarks to guests attending the official opening of Black History Month in 2010 which kicked off at the Jamaican Association of Manitoba Cultural Centre. Many events are planned for this year. A planning committee has organized several events this year in collaboration with the Jamaican Association of Manitoba, the Council of Caribbean Organizations of Manitoba, the Congress of Black Women and the Afro-Caribbean Association of Manitoba. This year s theme is Moving Together With Peace and Love. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Unemployment And Underemployment Dept: Unemployment and underemployment among immigrants is worse than ever, the report says, but Ottawa could easily fix the problem, according to CTV. "As of yet, no major country has been able to stake this claim." OTTAWA The federal government could put the equivalent of 370,000 more people to work if it tweaked the immigration system to focus on the long-term needs of the job market, says a new report by Toronto-Dominion Bank. "We would gain a major competitive advantage if this country were recognized around the world as one where all migrants are successful in being able to practise their own trade and raise their standard of living," said chief economist Craig Alexander. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service Dept: OTTAWA - The federal government has directed Canada's spy agency to use information that may have been extracted through torture in cases where public safety is at stake, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has quietly told CSIS the government now expects the spy service to "make the protection of life and property its overriding priority." A CSIS logo from a keychain is shown. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO The order represents a reversal of policy for the Conservative government, which once insisted the Canadian Security Intelligence Service would discard information if there was any inkling it might be tainted. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service Dept: Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has quietly told CSIS the government now expects the spy service to "make the protection of life and property its overriding priority.", according to CTV. It drew swift condemnation from Amnesty International Canada, which said information obtained under torture "has no place in the justice system, full stop." The order represents a reversal of policy for the Conservative government, which once insisted the Canadian Security Intelligence Service would discard information if there was any inkling it might be tainted. A copy of the two-page December 2010 directive was obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.