Denis Lebel: But what about the senior cabinet minister from Quebec?, according to Huffington Post. Denis Lebel, who is the Conservatives' Quebec lieutenant, was asked in an interview Tuesday what it was that upset his government about the religion plan and MONTREAL - The federal government might be talking about consulting lawyers and threatening a lawsuit over the Parti Quebecois' controversial charter of values. He says he's not too bothered by it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Denis Lebel: But what about the senior cabinet minister from Quebec?, according to CTV. Denis Lebel, who is the Conservatives' Quebec lieutenant, was asked in an interview Tuesday what it was that upset his government about the religion plan and MONTREAL -- The federal government might be talking about consulting lawyers and threatening a lawsuit over the Parti Quebecois' controversial charter of values. He says he's not too bothered by it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hunger strike: The 191 inmates, held in Toronto West Detention Centre before their transfer to Lindsay in August, staged a protest and held a brief hunger strike last Tuesday, claiming poor treatment at the new facility, located almost two hours from Toronto, according to The Star. We just want to be close to our families for visits and normal treatment from the jail, Kusi, a native from Liberia, told Tuesday through intermittent phone calls from Lindsay and Immigration detainees recently shuffled from Toronto to a Lindsay facility have vowed to continue a hunger strike until detention conditions improve. About 150 detainees resumed a hunger strike Monday, consuming only water and juices, said inmate Eric Kusi. At least four inmates have fallen sick due to low blood sugar and blood pressure, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Tarek Loubani: Johns humour and sense of absurdity along with his courage in combining art with political activism make him a truly unique individual. As most Canadians know, John was arrested with Dr. Tarek Loubani as they were in transit through Egypt on their way to Gaza. Tarek is a Palestinian refugee who arrived in Canada at the age of 10 and made good as a doctor. Instead of living the good life, he has devoted himself to serving others. Tarek spends his own money every year returning to Gaza to train emergency room personnel. John was along to film, according to The Star. There is an unprecedented consensus across the political spectrum, from Rob Ford to Naomi Klein, demanding their release. From all reports, Foreign Minister John Baird and his staff are working hard to assist them in jail and demand their release. More than 450,000 people have signed petitions . Hundreds of letters of support have been sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and to Egyptian authorities. Amnesty International has issued an alert. The Toronto International Film Festival and filmmakers Atom Egoyan and Sarah Polley took time out in the middle of the festival to raise the profile of the Free Tarek and John campaign to an international level. There are moving videos on YouTube, a tumblr site, a Facebook page , a website and mountains of postcards and I first met John Greyson, now in an Egyptian prison, in the 1990s when he called me to ask if I would like to play a red blood corpuscle in his brilliant AIDS musical comedy Zero Patience . The shoot was in the pool of a downtown community centre. When it became clear we would be in the pool for a few hours, I asked, John, can I wear my glasses? He put a finger to his chin, looked a little perplexed and said, I dont see why a red blood corpuscle cant wear glasses. Turning to one of his camera people, he asked, Do you? We all burst out laughing. Thursday is the 41st day that John and Tarek are in an Egyptian jail for no reason. It is also the 10th day of a hunger strike they began to protest their incarceration. Under Egypts odious emergency law, people can be held without charge for up to two years. No one should be arrested and incarcerated without cause but the extraordinary character and ability of these two men as well as the injustice of their incarceration has inspired the tremendous campaign waged for their release. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Annemarie Desloges: The diplomat was Annemarie Desloges, 29, who worked for Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Department at its embassy in Nairobi. She had worked as a public servant for the Canadian government since 2008 and was previously posted to Delhi, according to Reuters. The gunmen killed at least 39 people, including close relatives of Kenya's president and children, in an attack claimed by the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab and TORONTO - At least two Canadians, including a diplomat, were among those killed when gunmen stormed a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Saturday. "Acts of terror cannot be allowed to go unpunished. Canadian staff at our mission are offering Kenyan authorities every possible assistance to bring the perpetrators of this heinous attack to justice," Harper said in a statement. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

News Caf: This weeks programming at the News Caf is brought to you by one of the most cunning not to mention, well-read villains on the old Batman TV show "Bookworm." , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Its a story about a refugee from Nazi Europe who came to Canada as a teenager but returned to Germany to work as an actor, including a bit part as a Gestapo officer in The Great Escape . The News Caf MELISSA TAIT / ARCHIVES Photo Store The character portrayed by Roddy McDowall would no doubt be excited to see author Andrew Steinmetz, who will come by 237 McDermot Avenue at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to discuss his new book, The Great Escape . (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Alberta Serious Incident Response Team: Police say officers confronted a man with a gun Monday night and there was a shootout, according to Huffington Post. Justice department officials have assigned the government's Alberta Serious Incident Response Team to investigate the shooting. Also on HuffPost: Loading Slideshow Mounties Ambushed In Mayerthorpe MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - A man is in critical condition in hospital after being shot by a police officer in Medicine Hat, Alta. No one else was injured. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

holiday season: Coming off a slower-than-expected back-to-school season, analysts and stores are bracing for a tough holiday shopping period, which accounts for as much as 40 per cent of stores' annual revenue. Analysts study the holiday hiring figures from retailers for clues about overall employment trends and sales expectations for the holiday season. Stores typically begin to hire for the holidays in mid-September and ramp up hiring in mid-October. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Overall holiday hiring is expected to be relatively flat because of cautious consumer spending and uncertainty about the economic environment. Employer consulting firm Challenger, Gray Christmas Inc. estimates that overall seasonal hiring will not change significantly from last year's total, when hiring rose 14 per cent to 751,800 positions between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. NEW YORK, N.Y. - Toys R Us plans to hire 45,000 seasonal workers at its stores and distribution centres, the same number as last year, as it ramps up for the all-important holiday season. At Toys R Us, hiring begins this week and runs through December. About 15 per cent of the jobs in 2012 lead to full-time employment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Parti Quebecois: MONTREAL - The federal government might be talking about consulting lawyers and threatening a lawsuit over the Parti Quebecois' controversial charter of values. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. He says he's not too bothered by it. MP Denis Lebel answers a question during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb 5, 2013. The federal government might be talking about consulting lawyers and threatening a lawsuit over the Parti Quebecois' controversial charter of values. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick But what about the senior cabinet minister from Quebec? (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Northwestern Ontario: On the opposite side of the Trans-Canada Highway, a downtrodden young man, a filled plastic garbage bag slung over each shoulder, saunters past a long-idle train toward the swampy lowland of the Long Lake No. 58 First Nations reserve , according to Huffington Post. Two kilometres east is Longlac, the self-proclaimed Gateway to Northwestern Ontario and last stop for eastbound travellers 14 hours from Toronto in search of a coffee shop or motel ahead of a 200-kilometre stretch of uninhabited land and BETWEEN LONG LAKE No. 58 AND LONGLAC, Ont. Along this desolate stretch of Northern Ontario highway, an idyllic white chapel is perched on the point of a peninsula next to to a No Swimming sign wedged into the poisoned shoreline that juts into glistening Long Lake. There are no job opportunities where he is headed and no businesses, save for a single band-owned gas bar. Dilapidated box houses, many boarded and abandoned, line the three roads that form the reserve. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.