Michael Zehaf-Bibeau: Re MPs Discuss Leaving Bullet Holes In House Oct. 30 : Are parliamentarians seriously considering leaving bullet holes because they might have historic value? Sensational, yes. Historic, no. Not repairing this damage would constitute a permanent legacy for Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, according to Globe and Mail. ........ and Bullets on the Hill Brian Dougall, Ottawa (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canadian governments: The new case shows how the Canadian governments approach to suspected extremists may be evolving rapidly since two soldiers were killed last week in attacks the government has called terrorism. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Hacked: The escalating arms race against cybercrime A 30-year-old assault-rifle collector from Pakistan has been arrested on allegations that he is a terrorist threat to Canada. The Ontario resident is in jail, charged under immigration laws that would allow him to be deported, just one year after he avoided prison on different charges. Conservatives weigh new powers for police after Ottawa shooting (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Robert Dziekanski: But a defence lawyer immediately attempted to cast doubt on the Crown star witness whose former spouse is related to one of the officers suggesting the passage of time has caused her to mix up key dates and events. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Robinson, 44, who has since left the force, is accused of lying at a public inquiry looking into Dziekanski death. A former officer perjury trial heard allegations Thursday that the four Mounties involved in Robert Dziekanski death gathered for a private meeting in the weeks before testifying at a public inquiry. Former corporal Benjamin Monty Robinson is one of four officers who confronted Dziekanski the night the Polish immigrant was stunned with a Taser and died at Vancouver airport in October 2007. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Philip Gaynor: Family members wept as Philip Gaynor, 71, was led away in handcuffs Wednesday following Ontario Court Justice Harvey Brownstones sentence of three years. He said Gaynors reprehensible and appalling actions went straight to the heart of the integrity of Canadas immigration system and potentially tarnished new Canadians perception of the judiciary, according to The Star. The papers were then given to citizenship applicants who went through Lis consulting business. The court heard that Gaynor had engaged in a social and later personal relationship with Li inappropriate given his position, said Brownstone and was paid in cash for the papers. It is unclear how many applicants benefitted from this arrangement and A retired citizenship judge has become the first in Canada to be imprisoned for breach of trust after illegally providing copies of citizenship exams. In my 20 years on the bench, I have never had the misfortune to deal with something like this, he said. While still a citizenship judge in February 2012, Gaynor began stealing exam papers and providing them to Scarborough immigration consultant Li Ling, 49, whom he had meet in 2007, and her assistant Mo Sui Zhun, 58. Brownstone said this continued even after Gaynors retirement in September 2012, lasting until about April 2013. Li and Mo were charged with possession of stolen property last year. The status of those charges is unclear. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

New Brunswick: Katherine d'Entremont says 33 per cent of immigrants to New Brunswick should be francophone. Radio-Canada New Brunswick Katherine d'Entremont issued a call for more French-speaking immigrants in April, saying more needs to be done to ensure 33 per cent of immigrants to the province are francophone. , according to CBC. "Immigration is crucial to the vitality, indeed the future, of official language minority communities," said Fraser. Commissioners of official languages are pushing the federal government and provincial governments in New Brunswick and Ontario to do more to increase immigration in francophone communities outside of Quebec. Graham Fraser, the federal language commissioner, Fran ois Boileau, the Ontario language commissioner and d'Entremont issued a news release on Thursday that called the francophone immigration situation "worrisome." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Retired Supreme Court of Canada justice John Major: Retired Supreme Court of Canada justice John Major, who led an inquiry into the 1985 Air India crash, said the and have broad powers that must be carefully assessed before Canadians can conclude whether more are needed, and cautioned against a rush to enact new powers that may be unjustified, according to The Star. Federal authorities cabinet ministers, top and senior officials in the past week have indicated several new laws are under active consideration, or have lobbied for others and Three judges who led separate inquiries into national security failures of Canadas agencies are warning Parliament not to rush to adopt new anti-terror laws without better oversight of agencies and a clear-eyed look at what powers they already have. Its a knee-jerk reaction because I think the government feels they need to do something and they have constituents, undoubtedly, and people like the press saying, What are you going to do about this? So the impetus is to act quickly, and sometimes not so wisely. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Philip Gaynor: Family members wept as Philip Gaynor, 71, was led away in handcuffs Wednesday following Ontario Court Justice Harvey Brownstones sentence of three years. He said Gaynors reprehensible and appalling actions went straight to the heart of the integrity of Canadas immigration system and potentially tarnished new Canadians perception of the judiciary, according to The Star. The papers were then given to citizenship applicants who went through Lis consulting business. The court heard that Gaynor had engaged in a social and later personal relationship with Li inappropriate given his position, said Brownstone and was paid in cash for the papers. It is unclear how many applicants benefitted from this arrangement and A retired citizenship judge has become the first in Canada to be imprisoned for breach of trust after illegally providing copies of citizenship exams. In my 20 years on the bench, I have never had the misfortune to deal with something like this, he said. While still a citizenship judge in February 2012, Gaynor began stealing exam papers and providing them to Scarborough immigration consultant Li Ling, 49, whom he had meet in 2007, and her assistant Mo Sui Zhun, 58. Brownstone said this continued even after Gaynors retirement in September 2012, lasting until about April 2013. Li and Mo were charged with possession of stolen property last year. The status of those charges is unclear. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canadian governments: The new case shows how the Canadian governments approach to suspected extremists may be evolving rapidly since two soldiers were killed last week in attacks the government has called terrorism. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Hacked: The escalating arms race against cybercrime A 30-year-old assault-rifle collector from Pakistan has been arrested on allegations that he is a terrorist threat to Canada. The Ontario resident is in jail, charged under immigration laws that would allow him to be deported, just one year after he avoided prison on different charges. Conservatives weigh new powers for police after Ottawa shooting (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Michael Zehaf-Bibeau: Re MPs Discuss Leaving Bullet Holes In House Oct. 30 : Are parliamentarians seriously considering leaving bullet holes because they might have historic value? Sensational, yes. Historic, no. Not repairing this damage would constitute a permanent legacy for Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, according to Globe and Mail. ........ and Bullets on the Hill Brian Dougall, Ottawa (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Federal Appeal Court: The long-running fight over the existing program is before the Federal Appeal Court on Thursday with the government arguing it needs more time to comply with last summer Federal Court decision that the current program is unconstitutional. , according to CBC. "The 2012 modifications to the interim federal health program potentially jeopardize the health, the safety and indeed the very lives, of these innocent and vulnerable children in a manner that shocks the conscience and outrages our standards of decency," she wrote. Immigration officials are working furiously to finalize contingency plans for refugee health care coverage in the event the government loses a court battle this week on how much coverage refugee claimants ought to receive. Refugee health-cuts ruling appealed by Ottawa Chris Alexander says he'll appeal ruling reversing cuts to refugee health care The federal government court case losing streak Federal cuts to refugee health care draw protests In her ruling, Justice Anne McTavish savaged the coverage system imposed by the Conservatives in 2012, saying it amounted to cruel and unusual treatment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Islamic State of Iraq: Staff at the Immigrant Settlement Integration Services agency in Halifax say the name has become a problem, because they share the acronym with the jihadist group The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. , according to CBC. She says the tipping point was the reaction of clients from Syria and Iraq, where the terrorist group is operating. An organization that helps new immigrants settle in Nova Scotia is changing its name to avoid being associated with a terrorist group. Director of operations for Nova Scotia, Gerry Mills, says they decided on a name change because staff were embarrassed to wear their name tags, and partners were unwilling to say their name at public events. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Lorne Waldman: Any delay in implementing a judge ruling that struck down the Harper government severe restrictions on health-care coverage for refugee claimants and their families would put lives at risk, a court heard Thursday. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. As a result, Waldman called on Judge Wyman Webb to reject a government request to stay the lower court decision pending disposition of its appeal. An ambulance drives up to a hospital on September 9, 2014 in Longueuill, Que. THE Ryan Remiorz The ruling, lawyer Lorne Waldman told the Federal Court of Appeal, amounted to a "stunning indictment" of a mean-sprinted government policy that provided no benefit to the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Chris Eby: This is an opportunity of a lifetime, Chris Eby said Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Tory named him chief of staff. Not to engage in hyperbole, but I feel like we are at a critical moment in the citys history, according to The Star. Hours later, Eby was pulled into a car after an event. Tory offered him the job. I think over the course of the campaign I won his Torys trust and confidence, says Eby and Mayor-elect John Torys most senior staff member is a former journalist and communications consultant who has jumped in and out of the media and political worlds. On the eve of Mondays election, Tory, his wife, Barbara Hackett, and his brother Michael interviewed Eby, who had spent the past seven months pulling 18-hour days at his day job and volunteering on Torys mayoral campaign. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Alfred Emerton Blake: Alfred Emerton Blake always used his middle name as his first, a tradition that was passed down to his eldest daughter and one of his granddaughters. He went by A.E., Emerton, Em, and sometimes, in his own words, the best-looking Blake. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Em was the fourth of seven children of immigrant parents, Agnes Frew of Darvel, Scotland, and Sydney Blake of London, England. A proud prairie boy, Em enlisted in the Canadian Army in May, 1940, and was sent to Scotland in November, 1941. His war service included being part of the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944. Three of his brothers and his only sister also served for Canada in the global conflict and Veteran, gardener, economist, smart aleck. Born on April 5, 1920, in Prince Albert, Sask.; died on May 8, 2014, in Vancouver, of cardiac problems, aged 94. Submit a Lives Lived column (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

legal system: Enter the community legal clinics, according to The Star. But rumours have been swirling for weeks that our community legal clinics are about to be consolidated into three big super-clinics. The underlying fear of such a consolidation is that, if access to the law is hard now, it will be much harder if we have far to travel to find it and The bedrock of the legal system is access to justice, but some of us live on shaky ground. I mean the poor, the poorly-educated, and those newcomers who may not grasp the nuances of our language or our laws; they are many, they have no power, they are easy to abuse, and lawyers are not cheap. There are more than a dozen general-service clinics scattered across the GTA. The legal staff in these shops do the hard work of fighting for those who are gouged by landlords or ignored by callous civil servants, and who have no money, and nowhere else to turn. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee claimants: Its completely mean-minded, NDP MP Craig Scott said. The government is basically trying to create a strong signal to the provinces to start cutting back on social assistance to refugee claimants, according to The Star. The measure could make it harder for refugee claimants to obtain social assistance, and would change the rules governing Ottawas financial transfer payments to the provinces that help pay for social programs. Under current legislation, provincial governments are barred from setting a minimum residency requirement before a refugee claimant can qualify for welfare and Opposition MPs are accusing the federal government of putting refugees at risk in what the NDP and Liberals say is a blatant political appeal to voters who harbour suspicions of newcomers. He was responding to a controversial measure buried in the 458-page omnibus budget implementation bill tabled last week by Prime Minister Stephen Harpers government. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

controversial aspect: The changes are shaping up to be the most controversial aspect of the governments second budget bill of the year, a large piece of omnibus legislation that affects a wide range of Canadian law. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Ottawa to blacklist employers that break provincial labour laws Provincial welfare changes in the Conservative governments latest budget bill are prompting fear that refugee claimants will lose access to social assistance and the cash-strapped groups that house and feed them may be unable to keep their doors open. Globe Editorial Harpers Ottawa is Omnibusted (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Military Canada: The troops withdrawal and base closing in the province of Helmand is one of the largest operations in the winding down of the international combat mission in Afghanistan, 13 years after the toppling of the radical, Islamist Taliban regime. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Military Canada needs a fighter jet that matches its missions A fleet of planes and helicopters airlifted the last U.S. and British forces from a key base in southern Afghanistan on Monday, a day after the international coalition closed the massive facility and handed it over to the Afghan military. Mark MacKinnon Changing posture on Middle East has hurt Brand Canada (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

foreign worker program: The move is the latest in a series of policy changes responding to allegations of abuse related to the foreign worker program. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Globe Editorial Why do we know so little about native joblessness and The Conservative government is beefing up its blacklist of Canadian employers with a plan to include not only businesses found to have broken temporary foreign worker program rules, but also provincial labour laws. Numbers of low-skilled temporary foreign workers rose despite push to curtail program (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Hazel McCallion: Bonnie Crombie rode her momentum in the final stretch of a closely contested race to replace the beloved Hazel McCallion and begin a new era for Canadas sixth-largest city, according to The Star. I ask that you please join me in recognizing Mayor Hazel McCallion and thank her for all that she has done for our city, said Crombie, flanked by her Polish immigrant mother, Veronica Sawarna, husband Brian, and their children, Alex, Jonathan and Natasha, on stage at her victory party at Mississauga Polish cultural centre and As one matriarch departed, a new one was crowned in Mississauga on Monday. The race was touted by many as the one to watch in Greater Toronto and Mississaugas first real mayoral race in 36 years. under McCallion, who always won in landslides, decided to retire at age 93. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

David Cooper Rob Ford: We gotta start working for November 2018, he told a roaring crowd at Woodbine Banquet Hall in Etobicoke, according to The Star. Despite his illness and recent chemotherapy treatments, Ford was visibly upbeat when he arrived, as Tom Pettys I Wont Back Down played in the background. Toronto Star / David Cooper Rob Ford and wife Renata on election night, Oct. 27, 2014 and Cancer-stricken Rob Ford was his old fighting self Monday night after reclaiming his former council seat, promising to protect taxpayers, keep tabs on mayor-elect John Tory , and a return of the Ford family to city politics in 2018. Ford, who said he was pumped up, praised his brother Doug, saying he did a phenomenal job after replacing him in the mayoral race. He also congratulated Tory, saying the first thing he wants to see him do is contract out garbage collection east of Yonge St. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Scarborough Rouge River: I would like to thank all the residents of Scarborough Rouge River. They have recognized my hard work and they love me, and I feel very honoured, Cho said, also thanking his campaign team, according to The Star. When there is a will there is a way, and I have good ideas how we can have revenue. I will discuss it more in detail with our new mayor, John Tory and Scarborough-Rouge River constituents have returned incumbent Raymond Cho to City Hall, lengthening his reign as one of the citys longest-serving councillors. With most polls reporting, Cho was beating challenger Neethan Shan handily. Cho said he wanted to use this term to focus on transit and congestion problems in the ward, and to build the Scarborough subway extension. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Robert Dziekanski: A former officer who was involved in Robert Dziekanski death colluded with his colleagues to lie about what happened first to homicide investigators and then again when the Mounties appeared before a public inquiry, a Crown prosecutor alleged Monday. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. The officers were forced to explain their actions at a public inquiry in 2009, and all four were later charged with perjury for their testimony. Benjamin Monty Robinson leaves B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster on July 20, 2012. THE Darryl Dyck Former corporal Benjamin Monty Robinson was among four officers who went to Vancouver airport the night Dziekanski was stunned with a Taser and died in October 2007. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

social assistance: Refugee access to social assistance would be limited under budget bill, Oct. 25, according to The Star. Now the Conservative government plans to extend its rancid policies by permitting provinces to refuse welfare support to families fleeing to Canada to escape war, systemic torture, rape and persecution and Re: Refugee access to social assistance would be limited under budget bill, Oct. 25 The Conservative governments attack on refugees is relentless despite a July, 2014 Federal Court of Canada ruling that the health cuts to refugee claimants represent cruel and unusual treatment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

participatory democracy: Most people look around the shop and have no stomach or imagination for the work, so every few years they pick up a hammer, bang in a nail on a ballot and go back to sleep. , according to Hamilton Spectator. He believes in "participatory" democracy, he says. Our democracy is a workshop full of tools, not always the most efficient, but there for us nonetheless and commended to our use by, among other things, the consequences of neglect. Others, not many, are like Ken Stone, covered in saw dust. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Layla Abdulrahim: The Bahrain native loved what she found and decided to make the city her permanent home. , according to Hamilton Spectator. The group was founded early this month with eight executive members. They work in different fields and attend different schools, but all share a passion for their adopted home. Layla Abdulrahim was about halfway through a business degree at McMaster before she ventured beyond the "bubble" around the university to explore the city. Abdulrahim, 24, is now one of the co-chairs of a new group called Global Hamilton Connect which is setting out to convince other international students and young newcomers to put down roots in Hamilton. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.