international-aid event: But Bono, who will meet Trudeau this weekend at an international-aid event, said while he recognizes the UN recommended spending objective is a difficult goal -- he hopes the prime minister doesn't push it aside, according to CTV. The UN target challenges countries to dedicate at least 0.7 per cent of their gross national income to foreign aid. In an exclusive interview with The Canadian Press, the Irish rock star praised Canada for showing an openness to the world at a time when many countries have been retreating deeper into isolation. Canada, however, was well below that mark last year when it committed 0.28 per cent of its GNI to development assistance, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. "I would ask the prime minister not to let go of it and I think for Canada to have it as a kind of light ... have it as a kind of beacon of hope," Bono, a long-time crusader in the battle against AIDS and extreme poverty, said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles. "Not just for the people whose lives depend on those Canadian dollars, but actually for Canada itself to have that place in the world. "I think that a wonderful aspiration." Bono will appear alongside Trudeau, Microsoft Bill Gates and actress Danai Gurira at an event Saturday in Montreal, where the prime minister will also host a conference for the replenishment of the Global Fund. Trudeau has committed $785 million from Canada over two years to the Global Fund -- a 20-per-cent increase. "We're always looking for more," Bono said of Canada pledge, before adding he believes Canadians will give broad support to such a cause as long as they believe their money is well spent. "I think that Canadians are, in a way, quite unromantic in their idealism. It an international partnership focused on eradicating AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

leadership candidates: But the nascent leadership race is expected to dominate discussions in the corridors of the downtown Halifax hotel as candidates seek support from their colleagues and those who have yet to declare get closer to making up their minds, according to The Chronicle Herald. Quebec MP Denis Lebel, the deputy Conservative caucus leader, said that while some leadership candidates have been taking strong positions, no one should think the race to replace former prime minister Stephen Harper is tearing them apart. "Our caucus is united, very united," Lebel said Monday. The Tories will spend two days discussing how to tackle the Liberals once everyone returns to Parliament Hill on Sept. 19, when they will push Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his handling of the economy, national security, defence and other areas where the Conservatives have traditionally seen their strength. One of those positions is a proposal from the leadership campaign of Kellie Leitch, who wants to see the federal government screen potential immigrants and refugees for their views on what she is calling "Canadian values", such as the equality of men and women and tolerance for all religions, cultures and sexual orientations. Conservative MP Michael Chong went so far as to accuse Leitch of engaging in "dog-whistle politics." Even interim leader Rona Ambrose distanced herself from the idea, sparking a rebuke from Leitch. "I'm disappointed that an interim leader would engage themselves in the leadership race," Leitch told CTV "Question Period" on Sunday. The controversial idea woke up an otherwise sleepy contest earlier this month, prompting many of her rivals to denounce it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

kellie leitch: One of them is Kevin O'Leary, the celebrity businessman who was compared to Donald Trump when he started musing about joining the Conservative leadership race earlier this year, according to Hamilton Spectator. On Monday, O'Leary was highly critical of Kellie Leitch for proposing a Canadian values test for potential immigrants and refugees. "I'm writing her off," O'Leary said Monday in an interview with The Canadian Press. "That is totally un-Canadian. The decision by Mac Kay now makes it possible for others who were waiting for his choice to prepare in earnest for their own potential bids. That is not how we work. His brash style, self-professed love for making money and appearances on reality TV drew comparisons to the U.S. Republican presidential nominee when O'Leary started grabbing headlines earlier this year by trashing the economic record of Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley, then saying he would like to become a Conservative prime minister and run government like a business. I wouldn't be here if that kind of mandate existed," said O'Leary, who is of Lebanese-Irish origin. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

marriage registration: The Hamilton café owner was introduced to Zainab Jarboh — now stuck in the besieged city of Aleppo — by mutual friends, according to Hamilton Spectator. He says they married in neighbouring Turkey in December 2014, before he returned to Canada and applied to sponsor her in early 2015. Now, he worried his new wife will suffer the same fate, because of what his lawyer calls Canada "inhuman" immigration bureaucracy. In January, the Canadian visa post in Jordan rejected the application because Nahas, 44, and Jarboh, 28, were unable to produce their marriage registration and his first wife death certificate from Aleppo, which has been trapped in a pitched battle between Daesh militants and Syrian and Russian forces. "We just couldn't get the official papers from the government of Syria. I don't want to lose her." Nahas left his first wife and children for Canada in 2001 to open a business here, in an attempt to apply for immigration as a foreign investor. Zainab could have gone to Germany with her parents to join her brother there, but she decided to wait for the sponsorship back home," said Nahas. "Zainab is now by herself in Aleppo, moving from shelter to shelter. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

middle ground: The hope was to repeat that success and, in the process, bring the increasingly scattered sovereigntist forces back to the PQ. So convinced was Pauline Marois government that it had an electoral ace up its sleeve that it declined to reach out to the opposition parties for a consensus, according to The Chronicle Herald. When the other parties sought a middle ground with the government, the PQ doubled down on its civil service ban of religious garb instead. It was the sovereigntist party most ambitious identity-related project since the introduction in the late 1970s of the French-language charter, a legislative framework that to this day enjoys support right across the party lines in Quebec. The rest is history. Three years later, the PQ is still dealing with the fallout from the adventure. Marois made the charter and its coercive measures a centrepiece of her re-election platform and led the party back to opposition after only 18 months in power. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

presumptive front-runner: While the opportunity is exciting and the reward compelling, I feel it would be asking too much of them to jump back into politics right now and the heat of a leadership campaign with all that it entails, according to Globe and Mail. Mr. MacKay, who has two small children, three-year-old Kian and 11-month-old Valentina, with his wife, human-rights activist Nazanin Afshin-Jam. MacKay, the presumptive front-runner in the race, said he spent the summer contemplating his return to public life. MacKay, now a partner in the Toronto office of U.S.-based global law firm Baker & McKenzie. The decision to seek the leadership is an enormous one, that would have both personal and professional consequences for many people in my life, said Mr. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

state assets: The report says it has obtained images of officials' family members jet-setting and partying in five-star hotels, as well as documentation of their properties abroad, according to Metro News. Officials in South Sudan who earn modest salaries have been able to amass fortunes with help from arms dealers, bankers, lawyers and others abroad, it said."The key catalyst of South Sudan civil war has been competition for the grand prize — control over state assets and the country abundant natural resources — between rival kleptocratic networks led by President Kiir and Vice-President Machar," the report says."The leaders of South Sudan warring parties manipulate and exploit ethnic divisions in order to drum up support for a conflict that serves the interests only of the top leaders of these two kleptocratic networks and, ultimately, the international facilitators whose services the networks utilize and on which they rely."South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, plunged into conflict soon after Kiir fired Machar from his post as vice-president in 2013. South Sudan President Salva Kiir, former deputy Riek Machar and those close to both men have looted the country in accumulating wealth that includes mansions, luxury cars and stakes in a number of businesses abroad, according to the report by The Sentry. A peace deal reached a year ago under international pressure has been violated repeatedly by fighting, and Machar fled the country in recent weeks. The report says the country leaders, including some military generals, have much of their wealth in the form of high-end properties in neighbouring countries such as Uganda and Kenya. The report by The Sentry, which was co-founded by actor George Clooney, says that in 2015 it began "to follow the money that has been and continues to be amassed" by networks loyal to either Kiir or Machar. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

syrian war: Now, he worried his new wife will suffer the same fate, because of what his lawyer calls Canada inhuman immigration bureaucracy, according to Toronto Star. The Hamilton café owner was introduced to Zainab Jarboh — now stuck in the besieged city of Aleppo — by mutual friends. By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Mon., Sept. 12, 2016 Mohamed Ali Nahas lost his first wife and two teenage sons to the Syrian war. He says they married in neighbouring Turkey in December 2014, before he returned to Canada and applied to sponsor her in early 2015. We just couldn't get the official papers from the government of Syria. In January, the Canadian visa post in Jordan rejected the application because Nahas, 44, and Jarboh, 28, were unable to produce their marriage registration and his first wife death certificate from Aleppo, which has been trapped in a pitched battle between Daesh militants and Syrian and Russian forces. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

twitter announcement: Do you have a suggestion for the Royal Couple on where to go, and what to do, that isn't already on their itinerary Leave it in our comment box below, according to CTV. This will be the second tour of Canada for their Royal Highnesses, who last visited in 2011, but marks the first for their two young children. Kensington Palace confirmed on Monday that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be accompanied by Prince George, 3, and Princess Charlotte,1, on their upcoming tour of Canada. The tour will be the first official trip for Princess Charlotte. Despite the enthusiasm surrounding the Twitter announcement, a Canadian federal government official said at a briefing on Monday afternoon that the adorable royals only have two confirmed public appearances during the trip. Her brother travelled to Australia with their parents in 2014. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

kellie leitch: One of them is Kevin O'Leary, the celebrity businessman who was compared to Donald Trump when he started musing about joining the Conservative leadership race earlier this year, according to The Waterloo Record. On Monday, O'Leary was highly critical of Kellie Leitch for proposing a Canadian values test for potential immigrants and refugees. "I'm writing her off," O'Leary said Monday in an interview with The Canadian Press. "That is totally un-Canadian. The decision by Mac Kay now makes it possible for others who were waiting for his choice to prepare in earnest for their own potential bids. That is not how we work. His brash style, self-professed love for making money and appearances on reality TV drew comparisons to the U.S. Republican presidential nominee when O'Leary started grabbing headlines earlier this year by trashing the economic record of Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley, then saying he would like to become a Conservative prime minister and run government like a business. I wouldn't be here if that kind of mandate existed," said O'Leary, who is of Lebanese-Irish origin. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

leadership candidates: But the nascent leadership race is expected to dominate discussions in the corridors of the downtown Halifax hotel as candidates seek support from their colleagues and those who have yet to declare get closer to making up their minds, according to The Waterloo Record. Quebec MP Denis Lebel, the deputy Conservative caucus leader, said that while some leadership candidates have been taking strong positions, no one should think the race to replace former prime minister Stephen Harper is tearing them apart. "Our caucus is united, very united," Lebel said Monday. Related Stories A look at the federal Tories by... Peter Mac Kay will not seek Tory... The Tories will spend two days discussing how to tackle the Liberals once everyone returns to Parliament Hill on Sept. 19, when they will push Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his handling of the economy, national security, defence and other areas where the Conservatives have traditionally seen their strength. One of those positions is a proposal from the leadership campaign of Kellie Leitch, who wants to see the federal government screen potential immigrants and refugees for their views on what she is calling "Canadian values", such as the equality of men and women and tolerance for all religions, cultures and sexual orientations. Conservative MP Michael Chong went so far as to accuse Leitch of engaging in "dog-whistle politics." Even interim leader Rona Ambrose distanced herself from the idea, sparking a rebuke from Leitch. "I'm disappointed that an interim leader would engage themselves in the leadership race," Leitch told CTV "Question Period" on Sunday. The controversial idea woke up an otherwise sleepy contest earlier this month, prompting many of her rivals to denounce it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

live-out jobs: Torres joined other caregivers in Toronto on Sunday to discuss allegations of exploitation in the program, according to Guelph Mercury. The federal initiative allowed families to hire someone from another country to live with them and provide care for children, seniors and people with medical needs or disabilities. Kristina Torres, 28, came to Canada from the Philippines under a federal live-in caregiver program that she said has left her feeling "disposable" and less than human. After two years in the program, the caregiver could then apply to become a permanent resident. But people already employed through the live-in program would continue in that stream, and couldn't apply for so-called "live-out" jobs. The program was changed in 2014 so new applicants were no longer required to live in their employers' homes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

los angeles: The UN target challenges countries to dedicate at least 0.7 per cent of their gross national income to foreign aid, according to National Observer. Canada, however, was well below that mark last year when it committed 0.28 per cent of its GNI to development assistance, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development."I would ask the prime minister not to let go of it and I think for Canada to have it as a kind of light ... have it as a kind of beacon of hope," Bono, a long-time crusader in the battle against AIDS and extreme poverty, said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles."Not just for the people whose lives depend on those Canadian dollars, but actually for Canada itself to have that place in the world."I think that a wonderful aspiration."Bono will appear alongside Trudeau, Microsoft Bill Gates and actress Danai Gurira at an event Saturday in Montreal, where the prime minister will also host a conference for the replenishment of the Global Fund. But Bono, who will meet Trudeau this weekend at an international-aid event, said while he recognizes the UN recommended spending objective is a difficult goal — he hopes the prime minister doesn't push it aside. It an international partnership focused on eradicating AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. You know, they're sort of quite practical and pragmatic. Trudeau has committed $785 million from Canada over two years to the Global Fund — a 20-per-cent increase."We're always looking for more," Bono said of Canada pledge, before adding he believes Canadians will give broad support to such a cause as long as they believe their money is well spent."I think that Canadians are, in a way, quite unromantic in their idealism. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

prince george: Kensington Palace released full details of the family itinerary on Monday, including a long list of engagements in B.C. and Yukon, particularly for Prince William and his wife Kate, who are scheduled to go fishing and bear watching, according to Brandon Sun. The family will spend the first full day of their trip in Vancouver at a civic welcome before visiting the Downtown Eastside charity Sheway, which helps mothers fighting addiction. Princess Charlotte will be 16 months old when she and three-year-old Prince George begin a week-long trip starting Sept. 24 in Victoria, where they will be based."The fact that where they've chosen to take their daughter for the first time outside their humble abode, that pretty special," said Monique Goffinet Miller, chairwoman of the Victoria branch of the Monarchist League of Canada. The couple also plans to stop at the newly reopened Kitsilano coast guard station and at the Immigration Services Society of B.C., where they'll meet with staff and volunteers who help thousands of migrants moving to Canada each year."These are not things you'd generally see world leaders even doing," Goffinet Miller said, adding the couple itinerary speaks to their charitable and social justice efforts."They're a royal couple, born into the position and affluence of it, but they've chosen to do something with it that actually serves the people."In addition to trips to Bella Bella and the Great Bear Rainforest, the royal couple is also scheduled to spend a day in Kelowna before flying to Whitehorse on Sept. 27. Before leaving the islands of Haida Gwaii off the northern coast of B.C., the royals will travel in a traditional Haida canoe, open a hospital and experience some world-class fishing on the waters of Hecate Strait. The announcement of the itinerary came on the same day B.C. Premier Christy Clark announced the Great Bear Rainforest has been named as Canada commitment to the Queen Commonwealth Canopy, part of a network of forest conservation initiatives involving all 53 countries of the Commonwealth. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

daughter: Last March, Immigration Canada told her she didn't qualify for permanent residency status because her daughter has an intellectual disability and would be an excessive burden to the country health system, according to Metro News. I felt like I was dying. Now her hope of bringing them over to Canada is hanging in the air. I was so desperate I was crying, she said, remembering the time and effort she spent trying to make the family reunification possible. She was told her daughter health would cost government about $55,000 over five years. For me Canada is my promised land, she said, noting she didn't even know her 13-year-old daughter Precious Ann Margarett Danieles had that health condition. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

group oct: One Night Only: Live at the Registry is what McNaught calls "our most eclectic series," because of its variety of genres, according to Hamilton Spectator. It starts with guitarist Kevin Ramessar and his group Oct. 14 and 15. But I think we did top it." This year lineup includes several series: Classics at the Registry; One Night Only: Live at the Registry; Dance at the Registry; Folk Night; and Jazz at the Registry. Ramessar has been dividing his time, performing at both the Stratford Festival and on Broadway in "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical." McNaught said that despite the guitarist heavy schedule, he always makes time for a Registry concert. A highlight of the One Night Only series happens Nov. 25 when two jazz greats come together, Gene DiNovi formerly of the Benny Goodman Orchestra and Dave Young, Oscar Peterson long time bassist. He will be performing the music of Joni Mitchell. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

halifax neighbourhood: I spoke to her this week about her part in the Henri Beaudout adventure, according to The Chronicle Herald. Mahar, 81, feels like 60 , and still goes swimming on sunny days. Rose Marie Comeau Mahar, Halifax watercolour artist, is like that. In 1956, she was just a child, she said, when she crossed paths with four bearded young men who were building a raft. The Halifax neighbourhood where they were lashing the raft together, now an area of high-rise condos called King Wharf, was in those days a little cove, with just a little shipyard, recalled Mahar. Led by Beaudout, a French immigrant to Canada, the men intended to drift to Europe on the raft. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

josarie danieles: Six long years after arriving in Toronto, Danieles was shocked to learn she would be denied permanent residency because officials have deemed her older daughter to have intellectual retardation, according to Toronto Star. I felt like I dying when I was denied. Caregiver Josarie Danieles invested six years of her life in Canada and only recently learned from immigration that her daughter is medically inadmissible to Canada because of an "intellectual disability." By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Sun., Sept. 11, 2016 Josarie Danieles borrowed $6,000 to pay a recruitment agency to bring her to Canada under the live-in caregiver program, in hopes of clearing a path to immigration and a better future for the two daughters she left behind in the Philippines. I don't know where to go. We've made all these sacrifices with the assurance that there a pathway to permanent residency, Danieles told the Star, sobbing. I feel so hopeless. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

leadership candidates: We're not quite that bad in Canada, according to The Chronicle Herald. But there no election in sight and won't be for a while. That what happening in the U.S. presidential campaign, where a preening braggart has told so many lies that he now gets praise for telling lies that are somewhat less untruthful than the lies he told before. But there are leadership campaigns in the Conservative Party and NDP. And like any family fight, leadership contests can sometimes do damage that takes years to repair. The progressive conservatives, kept in the shade under Stephen Harper, will favour leadership candidates who might broaden the party base of support. In the Conservative Party, which will choose its new leader next May, tensions are emerging on the boundaries between progressive conservatives, social conservatives and the party endemic Trumpist fringe. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

municipality: Communities can expect an increase in arrivals to begin in mid-September, a federal government news release says, according to CTV. The refugees will be placed in communities throughout the country in the coming weeks as work to process them has continued over the summer. About 6,000 more government-supported refugees will be arriving by the end of December. In Chatham-Kent, the municipality was approved to become a "Welcoming Community" through a partnership settlement plan process. "Chatham-Kent will work with the local Resettlement Assistance Program service provider organizations in Windsor and London to help refugees resettling in their municipality. Privately sponsored refugees whose cases have been finalized will also be arriving. This provides access to community services and supports to help these newcomers adjust to life in Canada," the release says. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

referendums: Just as often, however, referendums seem to re-enforce deeply bitter divides, according to Toronto Star. When then-premier Jacques Parizeau famously conceded defeat in Quebec 1995 sovereignty referendum, he declared the Yes side had only lost due to money and the ethnic vote. By Jaime Watt Sun., Sept. 11, 2016 Referendums are often called to reach a consensus on a way forward. The referendum settled the question, but only in the near-term; sovereigntists continued to win a plurality of seats in Quebec for years afterward. The voters, they argued, didn't know what was best for them. When Britons voted by a narrow margin to leave the European Union, dozens of high-profile media and political figures lamented the ignorance of voters and argued that the referendum need not be binding after all. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

group oct: One Night Only: Live at the Registry is what McNaught calls "our most eclectic series," because of its variety of genres, according to The Waterloo Record. It starts with guitarist Kevin Ramessar and his group Oct. 14 and 15. But I think we did top it." This year lineup includes several series: Classics at the Registry; One Night Only: Live at the Registry; Dance at the Registry; Folk Night; and Jazz at the Registry. Ramessar has been dividing his time, performing at both the Stratford Festival and on Broadway in "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical." McNaught said that despite the guitarist heavy schedule, he always makes time for a Registry concert. A highlight of the One Night Only series happens Nov. 25 when two jazz greats come together, Gene DiNovi formerly of the Benny Goodman Orchestra and Dave Young, Oscar Peterson long time bassist. He will be performing the music of Joni Mitchell. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canada: The Conference Board of Canada study released this week found that, between 2010 and 2014, there was a small decline in the number of people coming into Canada under parts of the foreign worker program that require proving the employer couldn't find a Canadian, according to Huffington Post Canada. But from 2004 to 2014, there was a tripling in the number of workers who get permits that don't require seeking a Canadian for the job. The report also says the new free trade deals negotiated by Canada will further increase the number of foreign nationals hired without seeking a Canadian, if the agreements are ratified. More than 194,000 such permits were signed in 2014, roughly double the number of permits that require seeking a Canadian. Overall, 360,000 temporary work permits were signed in 2014, an increase of 64 per cent from a decade earlier, the Conference Board report said. Temporary foreign workers sort and grade cherries at the Jealous Fruits plant near Kelowna, B.C. in 2014. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

graham: OK, people, it official, according to Rabble. Environment Minister Shannon Phillips must've hit exactly the right note with her warm Alberta welcome to U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham back in late August 2015. Chip in to keep stories like these coming. Apparently Sen. The Wildrose spokesperson on the file, Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo MLA Tany Yao, also seemed to think Phillips owed it to Graham to be along to hold his hand during the visitor tarsands tourism. Graham, once a candidate for the Republican nomination for the presidency of the United States, not that anyone south of the Medicine Line ever took him very seriously, finds Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton so unappealing he'd like to move to Canada! Very alert readers will recall the huge brouhaha stirred up at the end of August 2015 by the Wildrose Opposition -- obligingly re-broadcast by all the little elves of the mainstream media -- about how Phillips had failed all Albertans by not being at the airport with a brass band, a bouquet of red roses, a bottle of Scotch and a red carpet to greet the South Carolina Senator when he got off his plane for a quickie tour of oilsands operations near Fort Mac. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

leitch: More importantly for Leitch, the poll shows that the idea is especially popular among Conservative supporters with 87 per cent backing the idea and just 8 per cent opposed compared to 57 per cent support among Liberals and 59 per cent for New Democrat voters, according to Metro News. That certain to be the reason that Leitch proposed the idea — and has stuck by it in the face of criticism, said Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research. Conservative MP Kellie Leitch, a candidate in her party leadership contest, has floated the idea of screening newcomers for their attitudes on intolerance toward other religions, cultures and sexual orientations and reluctance to embrace Canadian freedoms.A new Forum Research Inc. poll for Torstar News Service shows that Leitch may be tapping into an idea that Canadians favour with 67 per cent saying immigrants should indeed be screened for anti-Canadian values. If you're going after the base, this is like red meat for them. This is hitting the nail right on the head. They're going to love this, he said Friday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

values: I don't think she understands the nuance around these issues, according to Globe and Mail. You have to be very careful in the way you articulate questions about integration. She never said a word about this in Parliament, caucus or cabinet. Dr. She later said she is protecting Canadian values from people who believe that women are property and can be beaten or that gays and lesbians should be stoned. Leitch, a Conservative MP from Ontario, e-mailed a survey last week to supporters that included a question about whether the federal government should screen potential immigrants and refugees for anti-Canadian values. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.