Immigration Minister Jason Kenney: I absolutely agree with Immigration Minister Jason Kenney about monitoring ethnic media and spending funds to keep an eye on the social issues broadcast through those media, according to Times Colonist. Ethnic radio and television stations bring these issues forward and broadcast them to make the members of ethnic communities aware of them. If the immigration minister does not monitor these issues, they will continue to escalate and will implicate not only the Canadian citizens but other foreign nationals as well and Re: "Kenney: Ethnic media monitoring a valuable window," Nov. 17. Immigrants bring a lot of value and qualities to the Canadian life, but there are elements that misuse the newly found freedom in Canada and manipulate the laws to their advantage. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Penny Ballem: But routine criminal records checks on all employees aren't in the cards as the city works to keep organized crime out while complying with human rights legislation that bars employers from discriminating without justification against someone based on a past criminal record, according to CTV. He was hired as a seasonal trash collector in Vancouver in May, but city manager Penny Ballem said staff did not do a criminal record check at the time, noting the city is a huge employer and sanitation workers have no contact with children or vulnerable adults and VANCOUVER -- The City of Vancouver is reviewing its hiring practices in an effort to make it more difficult for organized crime to get a toe-hold into city operations after news that a member of the Hells Angels was hired as a garbage collector. Court records show Ronald Lising has been convicted of drugs, weapons and assault offences, and in 2005 he was nabbed during a massive investigation that saw police raid Hells Angels clubhouses in Kelowna and Vancouver. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Parti Quebecois: QUEBEC - The media of English Canada are to blame for pathetic, unfair coverage of the Parti Quebecois' controversial minorities plan, according to prominent Pequistes. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. The complaints about the Anglo fourth estate came amid a furor over an impending plan by the PQ government to restrict public employees' right to wear religious clothing. Former Quebec premier Bernard Landry speaks in Quebec City, Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Landry is very angry with the unfair treatment he believes his party is getting from English-Canadian media these days.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot A former premier called the coverage pitiful. And a current cabinet minister took to Twitter to condemn it Tuesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

The Canadian Press: A former premier called the coverage pitiful. And a current cabinet minister took to Twitter to condemn it Tuesday, according to Huffington Post. In an interview with The Canadian Press, ex-premier Bernard Landry said he can't accept some of the complaints directed at the Quebecois and QUEBEC - The media of English Canada are to blame for pathetic, unfair coverage of the Parti Quebecois' controversial minorities plan, according to prominent Pequistes. The complaints about the Anglo fourth estate came amid a furor over an impending plan by the PQ government to restrict public employees' right to wear religious clothing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

international students: The federal government and the union representing diplomats and immigration officers abroad the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers have been locked in a contract negotiation battle for months. As part of escalating job action measures, diplomats at key visa application centres abroad have scaled back some of their services, including processing visas required for international students studying at Canadian universities and colleges, according to CBC. Asa Kachan, the registrar for Dalhousie University in Halifax, said at least 200 international students are affected by the backlog in visa processing and that has put the university in limbo as they wait to see who shows up for class in September and Universities in Nova Scotia say they are scrambling to deal with a possible shortfall of international students because a strike by foreign service officers is delaying some visa applications. Citizenship and Immigration Canada officials said processing times are within a two-month standard, but university administrators say some students have already decided to go elsewhere. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Coalition Avenir Quebec: For Premier Pauline Marois Parti Quebecois government, the as-yet-undefined proposal to limit the use of religious headgear in publicly-funded settings appears to have the makings of a political winner, according to The Star. The third-party Coalition Avenir Quebec has signaled that it would support some version of a ban, which means that Maroiss minority government could get a bill through the provinces National Assembly and Federal reaction to Quebecs proposed ban on religious symbols speaks volumes. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau is firmly but politely opposed. Tom Mulcairs New Democrats hope the whole issue will miraculously go away. Prime Minister Stephen Harpers Conservatives are vigorously trying to say nothing. Polling show that 57 per cent of Quebecers and 65 per cent of francophone Quebecers agree with the idea. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

international students: It seems logical to expect that at least some post-secondary institutions in the province could feel the pinch if a work slowdown by disgruntled diplomats and immigration officers abroad continues to stall foreign student study visa applications, according to The Chronicle Herald. Last year, international students represented roughly Nova Scotia universities used to having international students shore up their finances may notice a decline in that revenue source this semester. Steve Proctor, who speaks on behalf of Saint Marys University, says most of the international students have arrived on campus in Halifax for the schools Teaching English as a Second Language program, but the number of international students signed up for some of the degree programs is down quite a bit, specifically because of the foreign service officer strike at key embassies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

John Birch Society: A Dallaire aide said Monday that the retired Canadian Forces general was "embarrassed" and "really unhappy" to have been accidentally mixed up with a southern Ontario group called the Fatima Centre, which is organizing a conference next month in Niagara Falls, Ont, according to CBC. Other speakers scheduled for the conference include the president of the U.S.-based John Birch Society, a right-wing American group that campaigns against the U.S. Federal Reserve, says the UN is trying to control "all human activity" and claims Nelson Mandela is "carrying forward a communist program of terrorism and genocide." Senator Rom o Dallaire has pulled out of a speaking engagement organized by a fringe Catholic group accused of anti-Semitism, but his name is still being promoted alongside those of anti-abortionists, conspiracy theorists and former U.S. presidential candidate Ron Paul. The Fatima Centre is a Catholic organization whose publications include references to "the duty incumbent upon Catholics of... opposing Jewish Naturalism" and to "Satan's plans against the Church," which include "the granting of full citizenship to the Jews." The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit that lists organizations it deems to be hate groups, says the Fatima Centre is part of a movement that is "perhaps the single largest group of hard-core anti-Semites in North America." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

chemical weapons: According to a statement about the conversation released Tuesday afternoon by Harpers spokesperson, both leaders agreed that the use of chemical weapons is an outrage, according to CTV. The conversation occurred as world leaders appeared to be readying for a military intervention in Syria, particularly in response to reports of chemical weapon attacks against civilians in a Damascus suburb on Aug. 21 and Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed during a telephone conversation Tuesday that a firm response to the use of chemical weapons against civilians in Syria is required. Both leaders noted efforts by the Syrian regime to delay the work of the UN chemical inspection team, suggesting the regime is attempting to obscure evidence of its actions. Both leaders agreed that significant use of chemical weapons merits a firm response from the international community in an effective and timely manner. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Royal Bank: Royal Bank says its housing affordability index reversed course in the second quarter of this year in two of the three categories it measures bungalows and two-storey homes after generally improving over the past year. Real Estate Mapping average home prices across Canada Where housing costs have gone up, down or stalled, according to CBC. The quarterly increase was not spectacular 0.3 points to 42.7 per cent on a detached bungalow and 0.4 points to 48.4 per cent on a standard two-storey home. The index on a condo was unchanged at 27.9 per cent and Home ownership has become less affordable for the average Canadian, but that hasn't stopped many from jumping into what may already be an overpriced market, suggests a new report from the Royal Bank. That means that on average, Canadians were paying more of the pre-tax income to service their homes compared to the first quarter of the year, although the index is still down from a year ago. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.