IAN H. HENDERSON: The publicizing of the proposals in a late summer edition of the populist Journal de Montr al devoid of any attribution whatever has the distinct appearance of a very carefully floated political balloon. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. IAN H. HENDERSON The state cannot decide what is a religious symbol Alarming as the Quebec governments leaked proposals to ban religious symbols in public sector spaces appears, there is good reason to remain at least temporarily calm. Robert Joustra Quebecs Charter plan is not about symbols it threatens religion itself (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

religious symbols: Quebec Premier Pauline Marois has confirmed a bill is coming, but her government has not commented on a report that the province plans to ban the wearing of religious symbols or clothing by public-service workers. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Quebec confirms controversial minorities bill coming Federal Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney is weighing in with muted concern over Quebecs plans to legislate a new approach to minority accommodation. Peter Stockland Quebecs religious-symbols ban wont happen. But theres reason to be worried (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Justin Trudeaus: Trudeaus admission that he smoked a joint after becoming an MP has put the pot-smoking predilections of politicians if any under the microscope, according to Globe and Mail. Gary Mason: So Trudeau smoked pot. At least hes honest Liberal Leader Justin Trudeaus marijuana confession sparked some serious reefer madness on Parliament Hill. It now seems every parliamentarian is being asked if they ve ever fired up a joint. More Related to this Story (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Antonio Guterres: The grim milestone announced Friday by U.N. officials means as many Syrian children have been uprooted from their homes or families as the number of children who live in Wales, or in Boston and Los Angeles combined, said Antonio Guterres, the head of the Office for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, according to Times Colonist. Roughly half of all the nearly 2 million registered refugees from Syria are children and 740,000 of those are under the age of 11, according to the U.N. refugee and children's agencies and GENEVA - It's shaping up to be a lost generation: The number of child refugees fleeing Syria's violence has now topped the 1 million mark. "Can you imagine Wales without children? Can you imagine Boston and Los Angeles without children?" Guterres told reporters in Geneva. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Premier Pauline Marois: Re: Quebec to introduce law to restrict religious symbols in workplace Aug. 21 . Shocking as it may sound, this shouldn't come as a surprise. On the election trail last year in Quebec, Premier Pauline Marois said such measures are needed to preserve "our identity, our language, our institutions and our values." , according to Winnipeg Free Press. The Free Press welcomes letters from readers A turban-wearing boy practises soccer in Quebec. But who is "our"? Am I, an immigrant who came to Canada 13 years ago and who is now settled and raising a family with three kids, eligible to be termed as "our"? Or will Quebec leaders continue to consider me an alien? Send a Letter to the Editor (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Syrian children: GENEVA - The number of Syrian children forced to flee their devastated homeland reached 1 million on Friday, half of all the refugees driven abroad by a conflict that shows no sign of ending, the United Nations said. , according to Reuters. "If we just realize that last year around this time we had 70,000 Syrian refugee children and today we have reached 1 million, that tells us something about the escalation of this crisis and the problems facing children," said Yoka Brandt, deputy executive director of UNICEF. By Stephanie Nebehay Another two million Syrian minors are uprooted within their country where they are often attacked, recruited as fighters, and deprived of their education, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR and U.N. Children's Fund UNICEF said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Supreme Court: A group called Tribute to Liberty will receive up to $1.5 million from the federal government to build a memorial on the lawn between the Library and Archives building and the Supreme Court, according to CBC. It's expected the memorial will be finished late next year and A monument commemorating victims of communism will be erected near Parliament Hill. Conservative cabinet ministers Jason Kenney and Chris Alexander made the announcement Friday at the site of the planned memorial. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Antonio Guterres: The grim milestone announced Friday by UN officials means as many Syrian children have been uprooted from their homes or families as the number of children who live in Wales, or in Boston and Los Angeles combined, said Antonio Guterres, the head of the Office for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, according to CBC. Roughly half of all the nearly 2 million registered refugees from Syria are children and 740,000 of those are under the age of 11, according to the UN refugee and children's agencies and It's shaping up to be a lost generation: The number of child refugees fleeing Syria's violence has now topped the 1 million mark. "Can you imagine Wales without children? Can you imagine Boston and Los Angeles without children?" Guterres told reporters in Geneva. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Ontario Home Builders Association: The provincial agency has recommended a one per cent sales tax, a five-cent-a-litre gas tax, parking levies, and a 15 per cent increase in development charges to raise $2 billion annually for transportation infrastructure over the next 25 years, according to The Star. But the Ontario Home Builders Association, the Building Industry and Land Development Association and the Hamilton-Halton Home Builders Association say the scheme makes transit-oriented communities less affordable by imposing additional charges, levies and taxes on new home buyers and new businesses and Metrolinxs $50-billion Big Move public-transit expansion will unfairly add thousands of dollars to the price of a new home, property developers warn. It would boost rapid transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area GTHA from the current 500 kilometres of lines to 1,700 kilometres, and improve access so that 75 per cent of residents would be within two kilometres of a stop. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander: Former immigration minister Jason Kenney said last month Canada would accept as many as 1,300 Syrian refugees by the end of next year, including 200 "extremely vulnerable, urgent cases.", according to CBC. "That pledge remains," Alexander told reporters. "It's in response to a very urgent appeal from the UNHCR UN High Commissioner for Refugees and we've been very generous, as we always are in Canada, with regard to refugee appeals." Two-hundred Syrian refugees to be accepted by the federal government as "urgent" cases have yet to arrive in Canada. But Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said in Ottawa on Friday none of those initial 200 refugees have yet arrived in Canada. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander says the first of the Syrian refugees will be re-settled in Canada in the 'coming months.' Chris Wattie/Reuters (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.