Native Mexico Dept: MEXICO CITY - Demian Bichir learned an important lesson when he left his native Mexico to launch a U.S. acting career and ended up working in a Mexican restaurant in New York: How to live the invisible life of an illegal immigrant with dignity, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Like Galindo, Bichir came to the U.S. illegally. The U.S. amnesty program in 1986 put him on the road to a Green Card. The character he plays is not so lucky, trying to climb the rungs from day worker to owner of a gardening business while keeping his American-born teenage son from street gangs and in this photo taken on Feb. 16, 2012, Mexican actor Demian Bichir poses for a portrait in Mexico City, Mexico. Bichir learned an important lesson when he left his native Mexico to launch a U.S. acting career and ended up working in a Mexican restaurant in New York: How to live the invisible life of an illegal immigrant with dignity. It's a subtle quality he brings to his Oscar-nominated role of Los Angeles gardener Carlos Galindo in the movie "A Better Life." AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills It's a subtle quality he brings to his Oscar-nominated role of Los Angeles gardener Carlos Galindo in the movie "A Better Life." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canada Dept: It happened to me only once in a couple of decades of observing Canada s immigration policy. And it took me only seconds to spot the guy. The file had bogus written all over it. Indeed, that was exactly the case: The refugee claimant s name was Mehmet Bogus and when I happened to come across the file, I said out loud, So, this is that Bogus Refugee I hear people talking about all the time, according to The Star. As many readers are aware, Kenney and the Conservative government are pushing for even more changes to Canada s refugee-determination system. As Kenney presents it, the changes will help to protect Canada from bogus refugees by declaring that some countries simply don t produce refugees who need Canada s protection and apart from Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, there can t be many people out there who are capable of spotting one of those bogus refugees at a glance. No joke, the guy s name was Bogus. What s not funny is that, increasingly, the person responsible for our immigration program and its refugee-determination system can toss around the word bogus with abandon. Furthermore, an elected politician is proposing to give himself dramatic new powers to intervene directly in our refugee-determination process. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Howard Shore Dept: This year the consulate extended invitations to 18 nominees, ranging from Hollywood insider Howard Shore to NFB animator Patrick Doyon. Consul General David Fransen hosted the reception Thursday in the garden of the Los Angeles consulate. Canadian composer Howard Shore, shown at the 2012 Golden Globes, is nominated for an Academy Award for best score for Hugo. Associated Press, according to CBC. The sole Canadian performer in the running is Christopher Plummer, the veteran of stage and screen who has his second Oscar nomination for best supporting actor with Beginners. In the offbeat comedy, Plummer plays a widower who comes out to his son after the death of his wife and it s an annual Oscar custom than Canadians nominated for the awards gather at the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles for a lunch to honour their achievement. The big Canadian hope for Sunday s Academy Awards is Monsieur Lazhar , the charming story of an Algerian immigrant who steps in to teach a middle-school class struggling with the death of a beloved teacher. The nominee for best foreign-language film was directed by Quebec's Philippe Falardeau, who shares the nomination with producers Luc Dery and Kim McCraw. It s not Dery s first brush with the Oscars he also produced Incendies , which was nominated for best foreign language film last year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mario Alexander Demello Dept: A judge has fined Mario Alexander Demello and the company he heads, Target 55 Investments Ltd., $9,000 for failing to file income tax returns, according to The Chronicle Herald. The business did nothing and I didn t have any money to do the returns. A Halifax businessman says he didn t file income taxes for several years because his software company wasn t making enough money to pay a bookkeeper. I ran out of money and I couldn t even pay a bookkeeper to do my books, Demello said Thursday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Provincial Nominee Programs Dept: Elizabeth Mills, executive director in the provincial Office of Immigration, said Nova Scotia had fared well in attracting people through the federal skilled worker program, but she added Wednesday that the numbers have declined in the last couple of years, according to The Chronicle Herald. Mills said provincial nominee programs grew over the last decade, reducing room for federal skilled workers to get into Canada. Some have been waiting for four years or more, she said and the province has offered to help Ottawa ease the backlog in immigration applications in hopes that some of those people will settle here. That is a result of limits Ottawa put on the number of immigrants into the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Committee On The Elimination Of Racial Discrimination Dept: Members on the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, all human-rights experts from around the world, questioned why headway has not been made in resolving the disparities between First Nations communities and the rest of the country, according to Winnipeg Free Press. The treatment of natives jumped back onto the federal political agenda after the Red Cross delivered humanitarian aid to the First Nations community of Attawapiskat in northern Ontario late last year and cANADA'S international reputation came under fire in Geneva on Wednesday as a UN expert panel delivered scathing criticisms of the government's treatment of First Nations and recent changes to the country's immigration system. "This problem should not continue the same way as it has in the past," said Noureddine Amir, vice-chairman of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. "How long will this be ongoing?" (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jason Kenney Dept: Whichever it is, he has a credibility problem and we have a trust problem, according to The Star. Kenney hailed the New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois for proposing affordable safeguards for rejected refugee claimants. We found very reasonable compromises, he said, calling it a win-win example of parliamentary collaboration and either Immigration Minister Jason Kenney misled the public two years ago or he s misleading us now. In 2010, he introduced the Balanced Refugee Reform Act after extensive consultations with refugee groups, human rights activists and immigration lawyers, and fruitful negotiations with the opposition parties. The legislation streamlined the refugee system without sacrificing Canada s tradition of fairness. It was widely praised by his colleagues and critics. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Brandon School Division Dept: It began in the late 1990s when plans were being made for Maple Leaf Foods to construct a new pork processing facility in Brandon. Concerns were raised about the impact the plant might have, among them was the fear the Brandon School Division finances could be adversely impacted, according to Winnipeg Free Press. "I was there when the promises were made," Brandon West Conservative MLA Reg Helwer says. "People were concerned about any additional costs the school division would face because of Maple Leaf. Both Filmon and Doer promised that the province would cover those costs." BRANDON -- This is a story of a broken promise that is costing Brandon millions. In response, both then-premier Gary Filmon and future premier Gary Doer promised the government of Manitoba would protect the school division from any adverse financial impacts resulting from Maple Leaf locating in Brandon. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Dirty Tricks Campaign Dept: OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper insists the Conservative party had nothing to do with a dirty tricks campaign aimed at discouraging opposition supporters from voting in last spring's election, according to Winnipeg Free Press. They say the latest revelations are more proof that the Conservatives have systematically cheated and subverted the democratic process in order to win elections and liberal MP John McCallum gestures during a news conference in Ottawa on Thursday. But given his party's history of illegal or questionable campaign tactics, New Democrats and Liberals aren't buying it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Gillard Dept: Following Kevin Rudd s resignation yesterday, I have formed this view that we need a leadership ballot in order to settle this question once and for all, Ms. Gillard told reporters, keeping composed and trying to contrast Mr. Rudd as a chaotic leader, according to Globe and Mail. Ms. Gillard said she expected Mr. Rudd to stand for the leadership, though he had yet to declare whether he would contest and the Gillard-Rudd rivalry has been brewing since she replaced him as prime minister in a late-night coup in 2010. It burst into the open on Wednesday when Mr. Rudd quit as foreign minister while on a trip to Washington, saying he could no longer work with Ms. Gillard and that she could not win the next election, due next year. For far too long, we have seen squabbling within the Labor Party. Australians are rightly sick of this, and they want it brought to an end, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.