John Wright: "A tsunami is heading towards you... and it's a good tsunami," John Wright, senior vice-president and managing director of Ipsos Public Affairs' public opinion polling division, said in an interview. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. "The West is where it's at... and Manitoba is part of that equation," he said. "You need more doctors in the north? Now you have an opportunity to attract them ." A wave of new immigrants is altering the political, economic and cultural dynamic in Canada, and Manitoba is one of the provinces that stands to benefit, according to two prominent Canadian pollsters. Wright said a growing number of skilled immigrants are moving to Canada because of its international reputation as a safe and desirable place to live. And when they look at where they want to settle in Canada, more and more of them are looking to go where there is a growing, vibrant economy, Wright said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

massive selection: First, you need a costume, and one of the best places to start is at The Party Bazaar at 1296 Station Street. The store has a massive selection of ghoulish attire ranging from your classic ghosts and vampires to the inevitable franchise fare of Transformers, Halo, Angry Birds etc, according to Huffington Post. Those fashioning a military theme this year should try Gorilla Surplus at 1458 East Broadway. It's filled with hardware ready to turn you into a cop, a SWAT team officer or even Maverick from "Top Gun." Halloween is creeping closer, and Vancouver has plenty of options to help you prepare for, and enjoy the year's spookiest night. The Dressew Supply fabric store at 337 West Hastings also offers costumes and accessories that have people lining out the door ever year. So does Spirit Halloween at 557 West Broadway, a seasonal store with a vast inventory of wigs, masks and decorations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

National Household Survey: For one thing, it shows that while Canada may increasingly be a nation that celebrates its diversity, the rich are not terribly reflective of that, according to CBC. Despite the homogeneity of this group, it is true that some of the one percenters are outliers they don't share the usual characteristics that tend to define membership in this group. Some don't even work at all. But they are a definite minority and The National Household Survey released this week provides an intriguing look into the ranks of the country's top income earners. In broad strokes, we know that the top one per cent tend to be middle-aged men who are married and live in a big city much like it was 50 years ago. They also tend to have a university degree and work in the areas you'd expect medicine, dentistry, law, engineering, business and finance, and management. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Maria Mourani: The federal wing of Quebecs sovereignty movement dumped Maria Mourani, a respected Montreal criminologist who was born to a Lebanese family in the Ivory Coast, after a one-two punch in which she denounced the proposal to ban public workers from wearing religious symbols, according to The Star. Then on Thursday, her fate was sealed following the publication in Montreals Le Devoir of an open letter in which she and 19 other current and former players in Quebecs sovereigntist movement denounced the PQ plan as discriminatory, ill-considered and a barrier to building new supporters for an eventual third run at independence and MONTREAL The day after Premier Pauline Marois invited Quebecers to debate her governments charter of values, the Bloc Qu b cois caucus dropped from five to four after one of its MPs spoke out against the controversial proposal. First, Mourani revealed in a Radio-Canada debate that the idea of a charter which she said was equivalent to ethnic nationalism has been causing the PQ to lose members, candidates and donors. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Minister Jason Kenney: The exhibit "Enemy Aliens, Prisoners of War: Canada's First World War Internment Operations 1914-1920" marks the thousands of Canadians who were taken prisoner by their own country during the First World War, according to Times Colonist. Federal Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney said the event is something he recalls with "sadness and some shame." BANFF, Alta. - A little-known dark period of Canadian history is now a permanent exhibit in Banff National Park. The 8,500 civilian prisoners, most of Ukrainian descent, were arrested and held in internment camps only because they were originally from Eastern Europe. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Maria Mourani: "Do people like myself who come from elsewhere, who integrate themselves into Quebec society, who become full-fledged citizens, do they have a place in the independence movement?" Maria Mourani told a news conference Friday, according to Huffington Post. She made it clear, however, she has serious reservations about the current state of the sovereigntist movement and MONTREAL - The Bloc Quebecois MP who was expelled from caucus for deriding Quebec's proposed charter of values is questioning her future in the independence movement. Mourani, who was born in Ivory Coast and is of Lebanese origin, admits she doesn't know the answer to that specific question. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

proselytization: Guess I m not alert to the subtleties of proselytization. I didnt even notice that these Muslim women were trying to convert us to Islam, according to The Chronicle Herald. What can I say about Pauline? In a world in which most politicians float trial balloons, she prefers to toss trial hand grenades. How else to explain her Charter of Quebec Values, which would forbid among other things a Muslim child-care worker from wearing a hijab at work and Last week, I spent a lot of time hanging around Montreal parks with my granddaughters, surrounded by hijab-wearing Grannies looking after swarms of kids. Thanks to Quebec Premier Pauline Marois, I now get it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jason Kenney: This comes just days after he said the federal government is ready to go to court over Quebecs proposed charter of values, according to The Star. On the same Twitter page, Kenney also applauds Montreal MP Maria Mourani, who was kicked out of the Bloc Quebecois caucus on Thursday for opposing the charter and OTTAWA Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney has posted a picture on Twitter showing him wearing a Sikh head scarf. The photo was apparently taken when Kenney visited the Golden Shrine temple in Amritsar, India in January. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: The prorogation gives Prime Minister Stephen Harper a chance to re-boot and map out his approach to the scheduled October 2015 election, according to Huffington Post. "He should stop hiding and recall Parliament now to face questions from the peoples representatives," Mulcair said in a statement issued while Johnston's prorogation signature was barely dry and OTTAWA - Gov. Gen. David Johnston formally prorogued Parliament on Friday, setting the stage for a new session to open with a speech from the throne on Oct. 16. NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, though, accused Harper of trying to duck opposition MPs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Santa Claus: Well, perhaps not Santa Claus. Or kids and teachers in nurseries either, according to CBC. Just before Christmas last year Santa Claus got his walking papers from a kindergarten in Montargis, 113 kilometres south of Paris. This year, in order to respect different beliefs and the values of the secular state, le P re No l wont be visiting the school, the principal wrote to parents. RELIGION IN QUEBEC How citizens of the two major cities identify themselves Christians and non-religious people make up largest groups: Statistics Canada Ah, secularism. The division of church and state, a rock of republican France, a motor of its revolution, enacted into law in 1905, a principle as unifying as motherhood, love of toddlers and Santa Claus. Despite what the Quebec premier may think as the province toys with a Charter of Values, secularism and its laws have led France into thickets of controversy. Charter of Quebec values on collision course with Constitution? Quebec's charter of values would be challenged, Kenney vows (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.