Prime Minister Stephen Harper Dept: Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who is to table his budget on March 29, showed little patience for arguments that Central Canada is a special case, according to Globe and Mail. The underlying principle here is that provincial governments are not subordinate to the federal government, Mr. Charest said. The federal government is not the sole guardian of the common good. Visiting Toronto Monday, Quebec Premier Jean Charest joined his Ontario counterpart Dalton McGuinty in warning Ottawa not to balance its books by downloading costs onto cash-strapped provinces. He also offered a history lecture to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, saying that in times of strong majority government in Ottawa, the provinces can offer an effective check on federal power. Mr. Charest put Mr. Harper on notice that the majority his government enjoys does not extend beyond the House of Commons. He delivered that salvo in a speech on Monday to The Canadian Club of Toronto, where he quoted Canada s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, to argue that Mr. Harper is abandoning a long tradition of collaborating with the provinces. In a federal system of government, Mr. Charest said, the Prime Minister does not get to make unilateral decisions. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Tourist Visa Dept: WASHINGTON - By the time the suspect in an alleged bomb plot against the U.S. Capitol was arrested in a parking lot wearing what he thought was an explosive-laden suicide vest, he had been living illegally in the United States for 12 years. His tourist visa expired the same year he arrived from his native Morocco as a teenager in 1999, according to Winnipeg Free Press. The Obama administration doesn't consider deporting people whose only offence is overstaying a visa a priority. It has focused immigration enforcement efforts on people who have committed serious crimes or are considered a threat to public or national security and fILE - In this Sept. 24, 2011 file photo, Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich. speaks on Mackinac Island, Mich. By the time the suspect in a bomb plot against the U.S. Capitol was arrested in a parking lot wearing what he thought was an explosive-laden suicide vest, he had been living illegally in the United States for 12 years. His tourist visa expired the same year he arrived from his native Morocco as a teenager in 1999. AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File The criminal case against Amine El Khalifi, 29, of Alexandria, Virginia, has renewed the debate about how the U.S. government a decade after the terrorist attacks of 2001 routinely fails to track millions of foreign visitors who remain in the country longer than they are allowed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Europe Dept: BERLIN - Spaniards, Portuguese and others from countries hit hard by the debt crisis are flocking to learn German in hopes of getting jobs in Europe's biggest and strongest economy, according to data obtained by The Associated Press Tuesday, according to Winnipeg Free Press. The number of Spaniards seeking to learn German with their local branch of the Goethe Institute rose by a staggering 35 per cent in 2011, to 9,000 from 6,500 the year before. Neighboring Portugal saw a 20 per cent increase to 2,230 students and two men leave the Germany's culture and language promotion agency, the Goethe Institute, in Berlin Tuesday, March 6, 2012. New figures show a surge of interest in learning German in the countries hardest hit by Europe's economic woes as Spaniards, Italians and others look to Europe's biggest economy in search for jobs. The Goethe Institute, show that the number of Spaniards seeking to learn German in 2011 rose by 35 percent from 6,500 to about 9,000. The data, obtained by The Associated Press Monday, show that the number of those taking classes with the Goethe Institute Lisbon in Portugal rose 20 percent to 2,230. In Italy, the number was up by 14 percent, while in Greece it rose 10 percent. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber Figures from Germany's culture and language promotion agency, the Goethe Institute, show that people in southern Europe where unemployment is high, particularly among the young are clamouring to learn German. Other official data show immigration to Germany from Spain, Greece and Portugal is up sharply. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Giulio Giordani Dept: Some were Italian nationals or naturalized immigrants, and others were active members of a fascist club known as the Cir-colo Giulio Giordani, according to Vancouver Sun. Many others distanced them-selves from fascism as much as possible by joining the local Canadian-Italian War Vigilance Association, which publicly affirmed its allegiance to Canada and in the summer of 1940 Vancouver was a long way from Europe's bloodshed, but distance did little to prevent divisions among the local Italian-Canadian community, forced to choose sides in a war a world away. Of the 4,500 Italians living in Vancouver at the time, nearly 2,000 were deemed "enemy aliens" by the Canadian government. Forty-four Italian-Canadian men who were considered the most suspicious were rounded up in Vancouver and other parts of B.C. and interned in a camp in Kananaskis, Alta. "Enemy aliens" who weren't interned had to report to the RCMP on a monthly basis. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jean Chretien Dept: TORONTO - Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cash-strapped government will try to balance its books on the back of the provinces, the premiers of Ontario and Quebec said Monday, according to Winnipeg Free Press. The same thing happened in the 1990s under former prime minister Jean Chretien's Liberal government, but it's "nothing but a shell game," said Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and quebec Premier Jean Charest speaks at The Canadian Club of Toronto on Monday, March 25, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette The leaders of Canada's two most populous provinces say they fear more responsibilities will be downloaded to the provinces in the federal budget later this month. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi Dept: SAN FRANCISCO - Venezuelan actress Eliana Lopez has become a symbol in a domestic violence case that has cast a shadow across the career of her husband San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Nearly 200 prospective jurors were expected to file into a courtroom Monday in a trial that has attracted international attention and fILE - In this Jan. 26, 2012 file photo, Eliana Lopez, wife of San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, is led out of Superior Court in San Francisco. Jury selection is scheduled to get under way Monday, March 5, 2012, in the domestic violence trial of the embattled sheriff, who faces misdemeanor charges that he grabbed and bruised Lopez's arm in front of their toddler son on New Year s Eve. AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File Jury selection is getting under way in the domestic violence trial of the embattled Mirkarimi, who is charged with misdemeanour counts that he grabbed and bruised the arm of Lopez in front of their toddler son on New Year's Eve. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Springsteen Dept: Nearly three decades ago, Bruce Springsteen wrote with sadness about a man showing his young son a hometown ravaged by outside economic forces, a town the family was about to leave, according to Winnipeg Free Press. With economic injustice, Springsteen's powerful new disc has a subject he can sink his teeth into, and he matches it with music that has some of the same clenched fury and bruce Springsteen, "Wrecking Ball" Columbia He's not sad now. He's angry, mighty angry. On the new song, "Death to My Hometown," he wants to "send the robber barons straight to hell, the greedy thieves who came around and ate the flesh of everything they found, whose crimes have gone unpunished now, who walk the streets as free men now." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Birth Tourism Dept: But critics say closing the loophole will deter bona fide immigrants and harm the economy in the long run, according to CBC. We need to send the message that Canadian citizenship isn t just some kind of an access key to the Canadian welfare state by cynically misrepresenting yourself. It s about having an ongoing commitment and obligation to the country. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is considering changes to the Citizenship Act to deal with the problem of so-called birth tourism. Canadian Press The Harper government is considering changes to the citizenship rules to target so-called birth tourism where a foreign national comes to Canada to give birth so the baby can get Canadian citizenship. We don t want to encourage birth tourism or passport babies, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told the s Power and Politics in an interview. "This is, in many cases, being used to exploit Canada s generosity. The vast majority of legal immigrants are going to say this is taking Canada for granted. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rene Angelil Dept: The restaurant on St-Laurent Boulevard has been serving its old-fashioned style of smoked meat to generations of Montrealers, and it regularly draws long lineups of tourists eager to grab a seat in a place that looks untouched by the passing decades, according to CBC. Angelil nixed rumours he would be opening franchises, saying he was not interested in "diluting the brand." He said the new owners would make some necessary improvements, but he doesn't want to make the restaurant into something it isn t and it's official: the Montreal landmark Schwartz s Deli has been sold to the families of Celine Dion and well known restaurateur Paul Nakis and it is staying on the Main. "I have so many great memories of being there with the guys and with Celine and our families throughout the years. It s the most unique restaurant in the world, and we re thrilled to be a part of it," said Dion s husband, Rene Angelil, in a written statement. No "diluting the brand," Angelil says (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Edgar Rice Burroughs Dept: MOVIES, according to Vancouver Sun. Big picture: We've all been there. One minute you're on Earth, the next minute, you're transported to Mars and held captive by 12-foot barbarians - only to escape and find a beautiful princess in need of saving. B.C.'s Taylor Kitsch plays the titular role in Disney's big-budget, sci-fi spectacular, which is based on a story by Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs. "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows," but these days, a guide through the seemingly endless flurry of pop culture is just what we need. With that in mind, here is what's on the radar screen in TV, music and film for the coming week. Big release: John Carter Friday (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.