Premier Pauline Marois: The message? Whoever we may be Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jews we wont be denied our constitutionally protected religious identities because Premier Pauline Marois and her Parti Qu b cois need a wedge issue to carry into the next election. The pushback to Bill 60, put before the National Assembly this week , has begun, according to The Star. As drafted, Bill 60 is even harsher than advertised. It prohibits judges, police, bureaucrats, teachers, doctors, nurses and others on the public payroll from wearing conspicuous religious gear such as Muslim head scarves, Sikh turbans, large crosses and Jewish kippas while on the job. But it also extends to private sector workers on contract to government. It takes aim at Muslim, Jewish and other dietary practices, even in daycare centres. And it offers fewer opt-out provisions than expected and Has it come to this? Municipal employees in upscale Hampstead, in Montreal, have never been known to wear their religious beliefs on their sleeves. But Mayor William Steinberg tells the Montreal Gazette that some want to start sporting banned religious symbols if Bill 60, Quebecs odious charter of state secularism, becomes law. Marois has split Quebecers with her cynically divisive gambit to enshrine secularism in government affairs, managing to alienate even fellow nationalists. Past PQ premiers Jacques Parizeau and Lucien Bouchard, both iconic figures, have denounced it as a small-minded attack on minorities. And Fran oise David of the Qu bec Solidaire party is disgusted. As a sovereigntist I think this is a sad day, because people are being told, Our sovereignty project, well, its not an inclusive project , she says. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

welfare system: Manitoba's $440-million welfare system is undermined by the province's intractable housing shortage, by paltry payouts, especially for disabled people, and by some belligerent welfare clients who demand Cadillac service. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. STABLE ASSISTANCE Many people on social assistance are forced to stretch their meagre allowances as far as possible in order to eat and pay the rent. Photo Store That's the picture painted by four front-line caseworkers who spoke this week to the Free Press about the pitfalls of the welfare system. The four workers -- two from Winnipeg, two from rural Manitoba -- handle a total of 860 cases and have more than 30 years of combined experience with income assistance. They agreed to talk to the Free Press on condition of anonymity because they are barred from speaking to the media about their work. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

KEN GIGLIOTTI: On the banks, according to Winnipeg Free Press and The third and current St. Norbert church was built in 1937. The historic parish teems with history. KEN GIGLIOTTI / Photo Store of the Red (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Denise Filiatrault: Bertrand, at 88 years old, and another member of the group Denise Filiatrault, at 82, are influential public personalities viewed as pioneers of Quebec feminism. An open letter published by the group in mid-October called on Quebecers to defend against the resurgence of religion as a threat to gender equality. The group sees allowing public servants to wear religious symbols as turning back the clock on gender progress and threatening the provinces return to the control of men and the church. They have galvanized fresh support for the charter with thousands attending a Janettes rally in Montreal last Saturday, and collecting over 39,000 signatures for a petition in favour of the charter online, according to The Star. Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab are also objects of derision. Filiatrault, on air earlier this month, called Muslim women who say the hijab is their choice crazy and clowns, insisting they have no choice and are forced into wearing the hijab by their families though she later apologized for some of her comments . Bertrand compares women choosing to wear the hijab with herself as a young girl, attending church because she was indoctrinated and too simple to know any better and Women who say they wear the hijab voluntarily are lying, according to Quebecs latest pro-charter of values feminist movement. The Janettes, named for founder Janette Bertrand, are a group of 21 prominent Quebec women in support of the Quebec values charter who see religious women as na ve at best and totally dominated at worst. Of all the ostentatious religious symbols however, it is the hijab that raises the most ire among Janettes. Though hundreds of women have now taken to the streets and spoken out saying they choose the hijab voluntarily, as an act of faith and part of their identities, the Janettes refuse to acknowledge this view altogether saying they simply dont believe them. Contrary to feminist movements that seek to empower womens voices, the Janettes have made every effort to silence the women at the centre of their so-called emancipation project. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

unemployment rate: According to Statistics Canadas monthly labour force survey, the regions unemployment rate dropped to 5.0 per cent last month, a slight improvement over the 5.3 per cent in September and 5.6 recorded in October 2012. , according to Times Colonist. Those numbers are pretty consistent with what I had expected. We had a tremendous year in tourism, the high-tech sector remains incredibly strong and we are back to seeing a very high number of building permits being issued, the kind of levels we saw in 2008-09, said Bruce Carter, chief executive of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. The numbers bode well for our economy. A strong tourism season that spilled into the fall and continued improvement in the construction sector meant Greater Victoria knocked a few points off its unemployment rate in October. The national number cruncher noted both the construction and the accommodation and foodservices sectors added 3,300 jobs each over the past 12 months. In all, there were 184,400 people from a labour pool of 194,100 employed in Victoria last month. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

interest rates: OTTAWA - Canada's economy eked out just enough new jobs to keep the unemployment at a five-year low but it was the U.S. labour performance that caught the eye of the market and revived talk of higher interest rates. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. That kept the national jobless rate at 6.9 per cent for the second consecutive month, the lowest since the start of the 2008-09 recession. Construction workers are pictured in Montreal on July 2, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz Related Items Articles Fewer full-time jobs, more part-time: StatsCan The 13,200 employment gain in Canada last month was almost dead on economists' expectations, with Quebec gaining most of the numbers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Adel Benhmuda: Immigration Minister Chris Alexander has waived the $6,800 fee his department was demanding before allowing the former Mississauga family to return. Most of the fee $6,000 was to cover the costs of deporting the family to Libya in 2008. Upon arrival at the Tripoli airport, Benhmuda was imprisoned and tortured, according to The Star. More at thestar.com: Timeline Adel Benhmuda and his family can return to Canada without paying the costs of a deportation that resulted in his torture, the federal government has decided. The demand for payment, revealed by , was seen by supporters of the family as adding outrageous insult to injury. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government shutdown: Employers added a surprisingly strong 204,000 jobs in October despite the 16-day government shutdown, the Labor Department said Friday. And they did a lot more hiring in August and September than previously thought, according to 660 News. Unemployment rose to 7.3 per cent from 7.2 per cent in September. But that was probably because furloughed federal workers were temporarily counted as unemployed and WASHINGTON The U.S. economy may be sturdier than many had assumed. Not only that, but activity at service companies and factories accelerated last month. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jason Kenney: OTTAWA Employment minister Jason Kenney is in for a hot reception when he sits down today with his provincial and territorial counterparts, according to The Chronicle Herald. They re particularly unhappy about Kenneys plan to shave $300-million from the Labour Market Agreement that the Harper government brought in six years ago and The provinces are coming to the Toronto meeting well-armed with complaints. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Doug Porter: The 13,200 employment gain in Canada last month was almost dead on economists' expectations, with Quebec gaining most of the numbers, according to CTV. "That's the very good news here, that the drop below seven per cent wasn't a fluke " said Doug Porter, chief economist with the Bank of Montreal. "The bottom line is there is still some underlying improvement in the job market." OTTAWA -- Canada's economy eked out just enough new jobs to keep the unemployment at a five-year low but it was the U.S. labour performance that caught the eye of the market and revived talk of higher interest rates. That kept the national jobless rate at 6.9 per cent for the second consecutive month, the lowest since the start of the 2008-09 recession. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.