member bill: The Quebec MP and former public safety minister said he would re-introduce his 2011 private member bill that called for voters to uncover their faces before casting their ballots, according to CTV. He said he would amend the bill to include those swearing the citizenship oath and to include federal public servants. We have and we need to protect and preserve the equality of women and men, and we live in a free and democratic society," Blaney said on the lawn of Parliament Hill in Monday. The niqab became a hot topic ahead of the last federal election when the then-Conservative government went to court to argue it could force women to remove their niqabs before taking the citizenship oath. In an interview with Don Martin, host of CTV Power Play, Blaney compared women who wear the niqab to Quebec women in the 1970s who needed their husbands' permission to have a caesarean section. One of the Liberals' first acts after assuming government was to end that court fight. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

policy announcement: The former public safety minister says he would bring back a new face-covering law as a way of stemming what he calls the "slow and steady erosion" of Canadian values, according to Hamilton Spectator. Under the proposed rules, all federal officials — regardless of whether they offer services on the front lines — would be forbidden from having their face covered when dealing with the public. "The entire public service, whether in direct contact with the population, must reflect Canadian society," he said. In his first policy announcement since revealing his leadership bid on the weekend, Blaney said Monday it time for a discussion on Canadian identity. A Blaney-led government wouldn't hesitate to use the notwithstanding clause to stop the Supreme Court of Canada from striking down the measure. "We must ensure that these new Canadians we welcome understand how we live," Blaney said. "We do not want our country to become like the country they left." He says the discussion has been going on for years in Quebec, which he lauded for playing a leading role in dealing with the challenge. The previous Parti Québécois government introduced its controversial secularism charter in 2013, but it was never implemented following the PQ election loss in 2014. Public hearings are underway in the province on Bill 62, the Liberal government attempt to legislate on religious accommodation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

public-private partnerships: It would reserve profitable public infrastructure for the private sector, but have governments alone foot the bill for those schemes — such as environmental remediation and First Nations projects — that are destined to lose money, according to The Chronicle Herald. It would have the government set up a new agency to convince foreign investors that Canada is open for business. The scheme, worked out by Finance Minister Bill Morneau hand-picked advisory panel, relies on privatization, deregulation, public-private partnerships and user fees. The jargon is modern. By and large, however, the message is old: Canada is in danger of lagging. The report, released last week, talks several times about creating a flywheel of institutional capital participation — whatever that means. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee: Maybe they're above Pakistani migrant labourers that mingle within the flowing stream of refugees from Syria and Iraq, all struggling upstream to get into the calmer waters of Europe - but that is another story, according to Vancouver Observer. Afghan refugees are in a terrible bind. While much attention is given to the world refugee crisis, Afghans appear to be treated as being the lowest on the pecking order in Greek refugee camps. They're often not able to legally access help since not considered "real" refugees. But western governments have poured billions of dollars and guns into Afghanistan, and so to recognize them as refugees would appear to be an admission that it remains a failed state. And yet they are deserving of protection nonetheless since the reality of their persecution at the hand of Taliban fanatics is comparable to what experienced by Syrians. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trans issues: In the real world, it still not that unusual for discussion of trans* issues to devolve into a "balanced" debate between pro- and anti-trans* academics over whether they exist at all, without any context like actual trans* people being present to discuss their lived experience of, well, existing, according to Rabble. In the real world, there are real problems about who gets to speak, and how widely they can be heard, and the marginalized are often not given much voice to matters that affect -- and are specifically about -- them. That the first thought that crosses my mind in the case of University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson, who declares in a series of You Tube videos that he will not honour trans* peoples' chosen pronouns, and opposes trans* human rights protections, all in the name of combating "political correctness." Of course, that would be an ideal world. In fact, the established and prolific voices in today media are more often quick to reject attempts to "inflict" change, or energetically create a lopsided portrait. Rather, it is something that is dependent upon access to favourable platforms, and is usually pre-emptively muddied by characteristic value judgments made about the speaker class, gender, race, etc. Speech is not a truly universal and equitable thing in the first place. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

memphis grizzlies: Udrih is entering his 13th NBA season, according to Brandon Sun. He has averaged 8.5 points and 3.4 assists in his career. Detroit made the moves Monday, two days before opening the season at Toronto. He played for the Heat and Memphis Grizzlies last season, averaging 4.7 points and 2.6 assists. McCallum has averaged six points a game over three seasons with the Kings, Spurs and Grizzlies. The 6-foot-4 native of Slovenia was drafted in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs in 2004 and also played for Sacramento, Orlando and New York. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

minority studies: The mother supports what she says is the child wish to identify and dress as a girl, but the father does not and blames the mother for the child gender confusion, according to Brandon Sun. Last year, a judge ruled the child could only wear girls clothes in private. The case involves a couple in Medicine Hat fighting over custody of the five-year-old. A second judge later upheld the decision.A third judge recently removed the restriction and said the child can choose what clothes to wear."These kinds of decisions shouldn't be happening, particularly when our human rights legislation has changed," Kris Wells with the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University of Alberta said Monday."Some of these attitudes need to be challenged and corrected."Wells has been helping the mother and said she doesn't want the family identified. Wells said he hopes Alberta Justice will look at the case and support the judiciary in becoming more knowledgeable and inclusive about gender issues. He said the case makes it clear that the "next frontier" of awareness and education for the courts is gender identity, particularly involving young children. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

policy announcement: The former public safety minister says he would bring back a new face-covering law as a way of stemming what he calls the "slow and steady erosion" of Canadian values, according to The Waterloo Record. Under the proposed rules, all federal officials — regardless of whether they offer services on the front lines — would be forbidden from having their face covered when dealing with the public. "The entire public service, whether in direct contact with the population, must reflect Canadian society," he said. In his first policy announcement since revealing his leadership bid on the weekend, Blaney said Monday it time for a discussion on Canadian identity. A Blaney-led government wouldn't hesitate to use the notwithstanding clause to stop the Supreme Court of Canada from striking down the measure. "We must ensure that these new Canadians we welcome understand how we live," Blaney said. "We do not want our country to become like the country they left." He says the discussion has been going on for years in Quebec, which he lauded for playing a leading role in dealing with the challenge. The previous Parti Québécois government introduced its controversial secularism charter in 2013, but it was never implemented following the PQ election loss in 2014. Public hearings are underway in the province on Bill 62, the Liberal government attempt to legislate on religious accommodation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rape culture: On October 24 at 6 pm, they'll hold a protest outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower at the corner of Bay and Adelaide, according to NOW Magazine. Pussy Grabs Back Toronto was inspired by similar protests outside Trump towers in the U.S., as well as the hashtag #Pussy Grabs Back on social media, which has been used to rally against rape culture and send messages of support to survivors of sexual violence. An unofficial Toronto chapter was formed last week by several members of the band Rhythms of Resistance. Ahead of the final presidential debate on October 19, approximately 1000 people protested outside a Trump Tower in Manhattan. Some wore vagina costumes. They held signs that read Pussy Grabs Back. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rue dorion: The story is actually Gilles Poulin-Denis and Esther Duquette who left their home on Rue Dorion, Montreal, in 2011 after joyfully and noisily celebrating New Year Eve with friends and family, according to Vancouver Courier. Funny hats and much Bonne Année -ing. But never before have I so clearly felt the putting of a script on stage as I did while watching Straight Jacket Winter. Esther arrived in grey, wet, dreary Vancouver in January and found a small apartment on Bute Street. Gilles is bilingual; Esther was not. Gilles came later, in May. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

business talent: It a target, according to Hamilton Spectator. The 14-member Advisory Council on Economic Growth was assembled by Finance Minister Bill Morneau to provide "bold" advice on how best to guide Canada struggling economy out of its slow-growth rut. For two of the most prominent voices inside the Trudeau government influential council of economic advisers, it much more than a passing fancy. One of their first recommendations, released last week, called for a gradual increase in permanent immigration to 450,000 people a year by 2021 — with a focus on top business talent and international students. The council members — along with many others, including Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains — argue that opening Canada doors to more newcomers is a crucial ingredient for expanding growth in the future. That would be a 50-per-cent hike from the current level of about 300,000. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

colbert: Colbert actually consulted a Canadian immigration lawyer on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Thursday night, according to Huffington Post Canada. From the looks of it, his plans of escaping to the Great White North after Nov. 8 were dashed after their meeting. And his solution seems to be the same, too: flee to Canada. Contrary to what you may think, the problem wasn't him trying to pass Ryan Gosling photo as his own. The lawyer gave Colbert a taste of the questions he would be facing. It was the citizenship test that cut his journey to Canada short. "So, am I a citizen now " Passing the citizenship test is one of the requirements folks must meet before they can officially become a citizen of Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

corner: Potluck welcomes Syrian refugee family to Corner Brook Group member Ivan Emke said that saying goodbye was hard, but it important to remember that people in Corner Brook succeeded in giving a Syrian family a chance to start over. "We wanted to bring them to safety, to give them a start as a Canadian family here, according to CBC. And they continue to say how much they appreciate that," Emke said. "It very gratifying to know that we did what we set out to do." Jamila al Homsi enjoys pizza at a community potluck Jan. 3, just days after her family arrived in Corner Brook. The al Homsi family was the first of two Syrian families who came to western Newfoundland, under the sponsorship of the Refugee Support Group – Corner Brook Region. Family ties Mohammad al Homsi, his wife Faten Fouad al Shahadat and their children, nine-year-old Khaled and eight-year-old Jamila, arrived in Corner Brook on Dec. 28, 2015. Thank you was probably one of the first English words they knew, and they used it a lot.'- Ivan Emke A group in Kingston was willing to provide support to the al Homsis if they relocated, so that group now looks after day-to-day help for the family. They had extended family in Kingston, Ont. and after spending the winter and spring in Newfoundland, the al Homsis expressed an interest in possibly reuniting with their relatives. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

council members: It a target, according to CTV. The 14-member council was assembled by Finance Minister Bill Morneau to provide "bold" advice on how best to guide Canada struggling economy out of its slow-growth rut. For two of the most prominent voices inside the Trudeau government influential council of economic advisers, it much more than a passing fancy. One of their first recommendations, released last week, called for a gradual increase in permanent immigration to 450,000 people a year by 2021 -- with a focus on top business talent and international students. The council members -- along with many others, including Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains -- argue that opening Canada doors to more newcomers is a crucial ingredient for expanding growth in the future. That would be a 50-per-cent hike from the current level of about 300,000. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

donald trump: Democrat Hillary Clinton features a softer approach that embraces diversity and the value of keeping immigrant families together, even as her critics accuse her of promoting "open borders." It not just talk, according to CTV. The White House contenders' policies would send the country -- and the lives of roughly 11 million people -- down very different paths. In tone, Republican Donald Trump often highlights violent crimes perpetrated by immigrants in the country illegally, with aggressive rhetoric that emphasizes nationalism. Trump says he would build a massive wall, target millions for deportation and deny legal status to anyone currently in the country illegally. Here is a summary of their proposals: She promises to propose immigration legislation in her first 100 days that would include a route to citizenship. Clinton would offer a pathway to citizenship for most immigrants regardless of how they arrived, continue to defer enforcement action against families, and offer health care options to immigrants here illegally. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

funeral service: It is the way she was eulogized Saturday by Father Ron Cote who knew her longer and better than most and in her many roles: wife, mother and grandmother; school advocate; social justice crusader; city council member; "tough gal." Gerry died Oct. 17 at age 91, of what her family describes as "old age and dementia." Cote knows of which he speaks, according to Hamilton Spectator. It was he who presided over the funeral service for Gerry husband, former Hamilton mayor Vic Copps, when he passed 28 years ago. That, it seems, is a good way to begin when facing the impossible task of summing up Gerry Copps, the monarch of Hamilton most notable political dynasty. And it was Cote who was the principal of Bishop Ryan High School when all of the Copps children attended; Mary, Sheila , Brenda and Kevin. It is, and had always been, Gerry church. The priest lovely remembrances of Geraldine Copps were shared in the comfortably full Holy Family Roman Catholic Church on Cannon Street East. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigrant workers: Utilizing the rhetoric of maintaining competitiveness, Canadian employers and the state have ushered in an era of neoliberal migration alongside an agenda of austerity flowing from capitalist crisis, according to Rabble. Labour markets have been restructured to render labour more flexible and precarious, and in Canada as in other high-income capitalist labour markets, employers are relying on migrant and immigrant workers as unfree labour. Moreover, temporary labour migration has replaced permanent immigration as the primary means by which people enter Canada. This book explores labour migration to Canada and how public policies of temporary and guest worker programs function in the global context of work and capitalist restructuring. The collection also examines how migrant and immigrant workers have organized for justice and dignity in Canada. Contributors are directly engaged with the issues emerging from the influx of temporary foreign workers and Canada creeping economic apartheid —the ongoing racialization of economic inequality for many workers of colour. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

legault: It also reflected a historic reversal in Québecois-Jewish relations, according to Rabble. More significantly, it highlighted the dangers of an "empowered sense of vulnerability," a psychological state many Quebeckers and Jews seem to share. This commonality became clear when a prominent right-wing Quebec nationalist politician cited the French language and Jewish sensibilities to criticize immigration and the veil. At the end of August, Coalition Avenir Québec leader Francois Legault called for slashing the number of immigrants to Quebec by 10,000 a year to protect the French language. "I have deep concerns about the survival of French in the long term in Quebec," Legault explained at a press conference. Legault asked how a Jew would feel interrogated by a veiled policewoman. Alongside his anti-immigrant announcement the former Parti Québecois minister criticized the Montreal police for allowing women to wear hijabs on the job. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

results show: The conservative Homeland Union-Christian Democrats would have 30 seats, while the incumbent ruling party, the Social Democrats, would take 18 seats, the preliminary results show, according to Metro News. The remaining seats were split among several smaller parties. The Peasants and Green Union, led by 46-year-old millionaire farmer Ramunas Karbauskis were expected to end up with 56 seats in the 141-member Parliament, according to preliminary results provided by the Central Electoral Committee, in the biggest victory by a single party in 20 years. At stake in Sunday runoff were 68 seats. In the first round, the ruling Social Democrats came in third with 13 seats, behind the Homeland Union-Christian Democrats, which won 20 seats, and the Peasants and Green Union with 19 seats. All the other seats had already been allotted after a first round of balloting on Oct. 9. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

steff koeneman: At least 250 people showed up on the Arizona side, said Steff Koeneman, spokeswoman for the Diocese of Tucson, according to Metro News. It wasn't immediately clear how many came on the Mexico side. Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, was the principal celebrant as the 3 p.m. mass got underway in both Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Mexico. An altar was erected on both sides of the border. The mass is the third one along the Arizona-Mexico border this year and is organized by Dioceses Without Borders, a group composed of church leaders from around Arizona and the Mexican border state of Sonora. Some sat in camping chairs or held umbrellas while listening to the mass in 80-degree weather. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

success story: The Hadhad family went on to donate to the Fort McMurray wildfire relief effort, raised from their new chocolate business, according to CBC. Since then, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told their success story in front of the United Nations. "It quite incredible to see how Canadians are coming together to bring in Syrian refugees," U.N. filmmaker Annie Sakkab told Radio-Canada on Sunday. "The whole effort of communities coming together to help people they hardly know — they probably don't know anything about the culture — it changing perceptions for Canadians." Small town, big heart: How the crisis in Syria has changed Antigonish United Nations filmmaker Annie Sakkab says she found small communities embrace refugees warmly. Community members in Antigonish, N.S., raised enough money to sponsor five families fleeing the war in Syria. Cross-Canada film tour The film series will highlight a different Canadian small town weekly from mid-November to January, filmmaker Leyland Cecco said. I am so grateful,' says Syrian refugee of new Nova Scotia life March participants formed a peace sign. The goal "is to show what refugee settlement could look like in a positive way," he said. "A lot of the focus on refugee resettlement has been in Vancouver, Montreal, and we were really curious for this series to see what it was like for Syrians to end up in smaller towns," Cecco said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

syrian: With this, media coverage turned to the challenges for schools that a large new student population brings and the need for language and support workers, according to CBC. Canada caught off guard by number of Syrian refugee children, says federal minister The educational demands of refugee students challenge teachers and school administrators to foster an environment that allows their academic and social needs to be met. At the meetings, McCallum admitted he was surprised at the size of Syrian refugee families resettled to Canada and the number of Syrian children was more than anticipated. And indeed, for Syrian refugee students, schools offer both tremendous educational opportunities and also provide a significant means of social integration into the communities they and their parents have joined. Over the past 40 years, research has demonstrated that finding ways to involve parents in their children education is an important lever that increases their academic success. Absent from the discussion, however, was the significant role parents play in the education system and the pressing need to bring Syrian and other refugee parents more fully into the parent-school relationship in culturally respectful and responsive ways. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

council members: It a target, according to The Waterloo Record. The 14-member council was assembled by Finance Minister Bill Morneau to provide "bold" advice on how best to guide Canada struggling economy out of its slow-growth rut. For two of the most prominent voices inside the Trudeau government influential council of economic advisers, it much more than a passing fancy. One of their first recommendations, released last week, called for a gradual increase in permanent immigration to 450,000 people a year by 2021 — with a focus on top business talent and international students. The council members — along with many others, including Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains — argue that opening Canada doors to more newcomers is a crucial ingredient for expanding growth in the future. That would be a 50-per-cent hike from the current level of about 300,000. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cbc news: Winners by default: No election needed in Bredenbury, Sask, according to CBC. Mayor Grant McCallum, acclaimed to lead the the next council, said decades of minimal tax increases in the 80s and 90s have left the town of about 500 people on the hook for some major increases in the coming years in light of big infrastructure projects the town needs to move ahead on sooner than later. "There are going to be some tough decisions to be made, unpopular decisions to come up with a plan to raise that money and it going to involve some tax hikes," McCallum told CBC News. In fact, the town about 215 kilometres northeast of Regina only had enough interest to fill the mayor seat and two town councillor positions, leaving four councillor seats vacant. He added this year municipal agenda includes a couple of multi-million-dollar projects including a lagoon expansion, upgrades to the water treatment plant and road resurfacing. To my knowledge this has never happened in the town.- Diane Jamieson, Saltcoats administrator "The way costs have gone up, the predicament we're in wasn't foreseen and the town is in a decent cash position, it just that we don't have reserves to pull off a number of these projects all at once so … there will be some tax increases which are more than what the folks are used to," he said. "Clearly we find ourselves in the 2000s without reserves to maintain or upgrade and even improve the current infrastructure." Province steps in to help Without enough candidates to even make quorum, the town administration reached out to intergovernmental affairs in the ministry of government relations to assist in filling those council vacancies. McCallum said Public Works also needs a suitable shop because right now they're using an old theatre. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fellow blacks: Some of the biggest complaints come from fellow blacks, who figure he too rich, too successful to possibly understand their struggles. "Like, those people say he not black anymore, he shouldn't speak on black issues," Barkley said. "I'm like, 'Dude, I'm always going to be black,' but that a double-edged sword I'm willing to deal with." So not only will he keep talking, he wants to lead the conversation, according to Hamilton Spectator. The basketball Hall of Famer and TNT analyst will debut "The Race Card" on the network in 2017, a show that won't just be about black and white, because Barkley believes America problems are more about rich versus poor. "I just want to do a positive dialogue because I'm sick of arguing over race all the time," Barkley said. "Like, I'm very aware that racism does exist, it always has and probably always will, but the media does a really poor job. When he talks about racial issues, it isn't only whites he risks angering. There more good than bad, but the bad pops off the newspaper and on television. In a Nike commercial during his playing career, he said himself he no role model , and he still doesn't like the term now. And like I said, the truth is somewhere in the middle." On one hand, he seems an unlikely choice to be looking for it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jana elshami: On Saturday, she went to the pumpkin-carving event at the Boys and Girls Club of Charlottetown, according to CBC. Jana Elshami is excited to celebrate Halloween. "We're still new here so we've never carved a pumpkin before," she said. "It awesome." It the first of many things she excited about for her first Halloween. "I'm going to wear a nice costume for school and we're going to have nice activities in school." Elshami said she also looking forward to the candy. Nine-year-old Jana Elshami and her family moved to Charlottetown about six months ago from Saudi Arabia. Emily Rogers, 10, also decorated a pumpkin to get in the Halloween spirit. Families at the event got to dig in and use their imagination. "We serve 49 children on a daily basis here and we wanted to do something that was geared towards their families," she said. Emily Rogers really enjoyed carving and painting her pumpkin. "I really like Halloween because you're going out with some of your friends and you're trick or treating." Carly Levy, the events coordinator with the club, said this is the first time the club has opened pumpkin carving up to the public. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.