Amna Qureshi: My name is Amna Qureshi and I am a recent graduate of the University of Ottawa law school. I learned last week that you plan to support the Parti Qu b cois proposed Charter of Values and that you defended similar ideas in a broadcast interview earlier this year. I write to you disappointed and confused because your views appear to contradict opinions you wrote while a Supreme Court Justice opinions that have inspired me as a student of law, as a hijab-wearing Muslim woman and as an advocate for social justice, according to The Star. During your reception we talked, posed for photos, laughed and hugged bonding over our experiences of living in small towns. The following day, in front of hundreds of peers, I was privileged to present you with a gift on behalf of the organizing committee as a token of appreciation for the work you have done for women and in the name of equality and The following is an open letter from recent law school graduate Amna Qureshi to retired Supreme Court Justice Claire L Heureux-Dub . I had the honour of meeting you last September during the 10th anniversary of your retirement from the Supreme Court of Canada. As part of my past role at U of O as Diversity Coordinating Co-Chair of the Womens Legal Mentorship Program, I was humbled to help plan this event. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rental property: They owed $100,000 when the business failed a few years ago and had to move in with relatives. A well-paying job has since allowed them to take on mortgages to buy a home and a rental property, but they owe nearly 4.5 times their projected $112,068 annual employment income and spend more than they earn, according to The Star. Things improved after their business failed and Alfred found a job with a union wage and pension plan. Having maintained a good credit rating, they were soon able to buy a small home of their own, then a larger home they estimate is worth about $549,000. As home prices rose, they borrowed more to pay half the cost of a rental property in partnership with a relative. They worked to fix it up before renting it out to students this fall, and now hope to buy one or two more properties and Alfredo and Theresa are risk-takers recovering from a business failure. Virtually everything is going to a monthly payment for the utilities and other debts with no room for savings or vacation funds, frets Alfredo, 47. Month in, month out, we spend more than we take in. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Parti Quebecois: MONTREAL - Hundreds marched through the streets of Montreal on Sunday to call for an "open Quebec" and, once again, denounce the Parti Quebecois government's proposed charter of values. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. The rally was organized by a group of young, multicultural Montrealers and brought together Muslims, Sikhs and Jews to protest against the ban on religious headwear in public institutions. A protester holds a sign asking that no one touch her freedoms during a protest in Montreal against the proposed charter of values by the Parti Quebecois, Sunday, September 29, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter McCabe The crowd may have been smaller than at an anti-charter rally that jammed the streets two weeks earlier, but it appeared to be more diverse. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum seekers: The latest disaster to strike refugees using Indonesia's southern coast to try to make the perilous crossing suggests Australia's tough new immigration rules may not be enough to deter asylum seekers. , according to Reuters. Indonesian police said there was a total of 80 people on the boat, of whom 25 were rescued. That leaves up to 33 people still missing. JAKARTA - More than 30 people were still missing two days after a boat carrying asylum seekers to Australia sank off the Indonesian coast, killing 22 people including seven children, Indonesian security officials said on Sunday. It will also cast a shadow over a visit to Jakarta on Monday by Australia's new conservative prime minister Tony Abbott, whose tough stance on immigration was at the heart of his election campaign. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Michael Wuitchik: Wuitchik, a psychologist-turned-writer, first visited Sierra Leone 13 years ago. He met the amputee at a refugee camp in Freetown, the West African countrys capital. A pretty woman, about 19 years old, she was missing an arm and a leg. This victim of rebel forces had also been raped multiple times. , according to Times Colonist. Her eyes were almost catatonic, he said, chatting in the living room of his 10 Mile Point home, which is decorated with African masks. What she had seen and experienced was ... almost beyond belief . One thing that spurred Victorias Michael Wuitchik to write his debut novel was meeting a young and beautiful amputee. Wuitchik, there on a relief mission, met the womans unblinking eyes. It is something he ll never forget. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Standard Poor: The TSX registered a small gain while New York lost ground last week as traders worried about the economic damage that would result if Congress fails to pass a funding bill to keep the U.S. government operating after Oct. 1, when its new fiscal year starts. Also, the U.S. borrowing limit needs to be raised before Oct. 17. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Along with the potential of a stalled an economy still recovering from the 2008 crash, indexes were hard hit then as traders worried about a possible default. And Standard Poor's ended up downgrading the U.S. credit rating before a political compromise was reached. TORONTO - Traders will be treading cautiously at the start of the trading week as a shutdown of the U.S. government looms in the absence of a budget deal between the White House and conservative Republicans, who see the impasse as a way of defunding Obamacare. The gridlock brought back memories of August 2011, when Democrats and Republicans locked horns over raising the debt limit. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: Harper, declined an invitation to address the UN General Assembly last week, sending Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to represent Canada there instead, according to CTV. "He had the opportunity to speak and address the world at the UN General Assembly and he refused to do it," Dewar said, adding that he has "no idea" why Harper declined again, given that he was in New York City at the time and Critics say Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to skip the opening of United Nations General Assembly for a second-straight year hurts Canada's international reputation, while his defenders say the absence is "absolutely normal." NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar told 's Question period that Harper is conducting "empty-chair diplomacy." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

streets of Montreal: The crowd may have been smaller than at an anti-charter rally that jammed the streets two weeks earlier, but it appeared to be more diverse, according to Times Colonist. The earlier protest didn't have the support of a major Jewish group because it took issue with the organizers and the march was held on a religious holiday and MONTREAL - Hundreds marched through the streets of Montreal on Sunday to call for an "open Quebec" and, once again, denounce the Parti Quebecois government's proposed charter of values. The rally was organized by a group of young, multicultural Montrealers and brought together Muslims, Sikhs and Jews to protest against the ban on religious headwear in public institutions. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Maja Graham: Canada and the Netherlands have been negotiating a bilateral agreement that would allow their citizens to apply to each other's programs for travellers considered to be a low security risk, records obtained under the Access to Information Act show, according to CTV. "Canada has had discussions with the Netherlands since 2010," Maja Graham, a border services agency spokeswoman, said in an emailed response to questions and OTTAWA -- Canadian and Dutch citizens would be able to visit each other's countries more easily under a plan to expand Canada's trusted traveller programs beyond North America. The initiative would be modelled on the current Nexus travellers program between Canada and the United States, the Canada Border Services Agency records say. Officials have been developing the regulatory, technological and fee-collection systems needed to implement an accord. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Darrell Dexter: NDP Premier Darrell Dexter focused on providing services to children with special needs at the Progress Centre for Early Intervention in Halifax's north end. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. "This funding means that... hopefully parents won't feel alone any more when their child first gets a diagnosis," said Dexter in a playground area as children swirled about. "There's going to be someone there who's going to be able to help them." HALIFAX - All three of Nova Scotia's major party leaders made announcements Sunday in the seat-rich Halifax area as the campaign for the Oct. 8 election approached its final stretch. Dexter promised a three-year, $6-million plan to cut waiting times for early intervention programs, as well as increasing salaries for those working in the programs to help with staff recruitment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.