Syrian National Council: George Sabra, president of the Western-backed Syrian National Council, said he wants Canada to be a stronger international voice against Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to CTV. "We need to see real movement now to protect Syrian people --not only statements, we need action," Sabra said Saturday, prior to a town-hall style meeting in Montreal and MONTREAL -- The head of Syria's main opposition group is planning to press Canada for more help when he meets this week with Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird. The Syrian government's purported use of chemical weapons in recent days should give the international community an even greater sense of urgency, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: Officials in Baird's office said he had separate phone conversations on Sunday with US Secretary of State John Kerry and the Foreign Minister of the French Republic, Laurent Fabius. He spoke with British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Friday, according to Times Colonist. Prime Minister Stephen Harper also was pulling the diplomatic levers over the weekend, discussing the situation in Syria by phone on Saturday in separate conversations with British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande and MONTREAL - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and other western leaders applied more pressure on Syria on Sunday, with a call for Syrian authorities to allow the United Nations immediate and unfettered access to the site of last week's alleged chemical attack. The ministers "shared their outrage" about recent events in Syria, especially the purported use of chemical weapons, said an foreign affairs official in an email. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Barack Obama: In some cases, the current climate has been driven by factors outside the White House's control. But missteps by the president also are to blame, say foreign policy analysts, including some who worked for the Obama administration, according to Times Colonist. Rosa Brooks, a former Defence Department official who left the administration in 2011, said that while the shrinking U.S. leverage overseas predates the current president, "Obama has sometimes equated 'we have no leverage' with 'there's no point to really doing anything'." WASHINGTON - Nearly five years into his presidency, Barack Obama confronts a world far different from what he envisioned when he first took office. U.S. influence is declining in the Middle East as violence and instability rock Arab countries. An ambitious attempt to reset U.S. relations with Russia faltered and failed. Even in Obama-friendly Europe, there's deep skepticism about Washington's government surveillance programs. Among them: miscalculating the fallout from the Arab Spring uprisings, publicly setting unrealistic expectations for improved ties with Russia and a reactive decision-making process that can leave the White House appearing to veer from crisis to crisis without a broader strategy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Syrian National Council: George Sabra, president of the Syrian National Council, says the Syrian government's purported use of chemical weapons in recent days is another sign that a political solution isn't possible, according to Huffington Post. "When we think about Canada, we think about human rights," Sabra said Saturday before a town-hall style meeting in Montreal and MONTREAL - The head of Syrias main Western-backed opposition group is pressing the Canadian government to do more to end the conflict in his home country. He wants Canada to offer more humanitarian aid and be a stronger international voice against Syrian President Bashar Assad. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

debt: So whos got it worst? That depends on whether you look at debt the total amount a government owes or deficits the budget shortfall for this year , according to Huffington Post. Quebecs PQ government has been working to eliminate deficits altogether by next year, and the province is on track to add a relatively small $1.5 billion to its debt this year and Canadas provinces have been struggling to balance the books for years some of them for decades , and with the economic sluggishness of recent years, the challenges have only been growing. In terms of total debt, Quebec wins, with more than $21,000 owed for every man, woman and child in the province. Ontarios total debt is lower about $18,700 per person but in Ontario that number is growing very quickly. The province is on track to record a $9.8-billion deficit for fiscal year 2012-2013. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Alberta oil fields: To finance their goals, Patrick spends at least six months away from their Edmonton home, earning big money working as a consultant in the Alberta oil fields. Kathleen makes more than $100,000 a year working for the provincial government. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. FINANCIAL FACELIFT A retirement plan out of tune with changing circumstances Patrick and Kathleen want a mortgage-free home, a couple of children and time off work to pursue graduate degrees. FINANCIAL FACELIFT Young family eye bigger home, but wonder about long-term picture (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

final approach: I remember looking out over the city as the aircraft made its final approach to L.A.s airport. Below me stretched kilometre upon kilometre of concrete: buildings, roads, freeways, parking lots. Few trees and no green spaces relieved the sunbaked ugliness that extended from the mountains in the citys east to the Pacific Ocean. , according to Times Colonist. With so many people living in Los Angeles, the absolute number of already-crazy people living among them was going to be high. Back when Nature Boy worked at a big California museum, I flew down to visit on a semi-regular basis. No wonder, I thought at the time, crime rates were so high. No wonder crazy people were using drivers on Los Angeles freeways for target practice events which, by that time, were so commonplace, even the most reputable of the citys news organizations no longer reported them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Premier Darrell Dexter: Nova Scotia is the only province in Canada to see an increase in the number of farms since 2009, Premier Darrell Dexter said Friday, while announcing the government was topping up the provinces $600,000 FarmNEXT fund by another $400,000 for next year, according to The Chronicle Herald. Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth, where the two-day Meet Your Farmer at the Mall event is underway, was deliberately selected as the location to hold the announcement instead of a rural location and A provincial fund that helps aspiring farmers finance their ventures has been boosted up to $1 million for 2014. The premier said the injection of funds into FarmNEXT will allow the program to provide cash incentives to potentially assist more young people getting into agriculture. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: In front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., there is a plaque on a step to mark the spot where 50 years ago, on Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., only 34 years old, stood and gazed out at an enormous crowd of 250,000 people, black and white, who had gathered as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. The highlight of the day was King's eloquent I Have a Dream speech in which he articulated his hope and vision for equality in America. Martin Luther King, Jr. waves to throng from steps of Lincoln Memorial, Aug. 28, 1963 MUST CREDIT: COURTESY OF U.S. MARINES The peaceful demonstration marked a milestone in the U.S. civil rights movement and in King's difficult and dangerous journey that had taken him from his pulpit in Montgomery, Ala., to become the leader and symbol of the movement to end prejudice and discrimination against African-Americans in the southern U.S. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mark Ruge: They are Jehovah's Witnesses, and they are no longer just coming to a door near you. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. "We still do door-to-door, but downtown is where the people are." If you work or ride transit through downtown, you've seen them -- standing quietly and politely in pairs on the sidewalk, nodding pleasant hellos to passersby. "People are not at home more than ever before," says Mark Ruge, director of public information for Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada, explaining why members of the church are now standing on sidewalks downtown. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.