time i: Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS By Alex Ballingall News Tues., Jan. 10, 2017 OTTAWA In 2004, Ahmed Hussen was proclaimed a Person to Watch in the country's biggest city for his community work in Regent Park, according to Toronto Star. He told the Star at the time I don't think I could handle the life of a politician . . . I don't want to be front and centre. David Johnston after being sworn in as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship during a cabinet shuffle at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday. Flash forward to Tuesday, and there was Hussen, front and slightly to the right, swearing an oath to serve the Queen in front of a cluster of clicking cameras as he officially joined the reshuffled Liberal cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He came to this country as a refugee from war-torn Somalia, settling on his own in a foreign land as a 16-year-old in 1993. The rookie MP for York-South Weston has leapt from the backbench of the party to become Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, a position made all the more noteworthy for Hussen's own story. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trade: Chrystia Freeland is sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, according to Huffington Post Canada. Photo Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press Freeland leaves the international trade portfolio, where she distinguished herself overcoming eleventh-hour obstacles to a Canada-European free trade agreement, to replace veteran Liberal MP Stephane Dion at Global Affairs. He entrusted to Chrystia Freeland a former economics journalist with extensive contacts in the United States the crucial responsibility of navigating the changing domestic and global dynamic as his Liberal government prepares to deal with an unpredictable and avowedly America-first Trump administration. And she will retain responsibility for Canada-U.S. trade relations. The story of Canada is the story of immigration. Obviously, the new administration to the south will present particular both opportunities and challenges as well as a shifting global context, Trudeau told a news conference following a swearing-in ceremony that saw Dion and fellow veteran John McCallum leave politics altogether, Mary Ann Mihychuk return to the backbenches and three newcomers welcomed into the inner circle. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trost: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference on Parliament Hill with his newly sworn in ministers on Jan. 10, according to Huffington Post Canada. Photo Sean Kilpatrick/CP The shuffle was about replacing the more experienced and less photogenic duo of Dion and McCallum with ministers who are less experienced, but who look better in a selfie, Trost charged. Saskatchewan MP Brad Trost took to Facebook Tuesday to fundraise off of Trudeau's cabinet shuffle, which saw Stephane Dion replaced as foreign affairs minister by Chrystia Freeland and John McCallum swapped out at immigration for Ahmed Hussen. Referring to the prime minister as Justin, Trost said the changes to the prime minister's inner circle aren't strong enough to respond to a new U.S. administration. Trost was also critical of Trudeau for keeping on Maryam Monsef, who was shuffled to the Status of Women portfolio from Democratic Institutions. In fact, today's action was nothing more than Justin doing 'The Selfie Shuffle,' he wrote. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

veteran mp: It's something that we really needed, not just for the Somali community, but for the whole black community, according to CBC. Hussen's appointment was announced Tuesday in Ottawa by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as part of an extensive cabinet shuffle. It's a really great thing to happen to our community, said Mahad Yusef, the executive director of the Somali Immigrant Aid Association. He replaces John McCallum, the veteran MP representing Markham-Thornhill, who will become Canada's ambassador to China. Watch Teenage refugee to rookie MP Each of us coming into public life are informed ... by the different experiences they bring to the table. Hussen, 41, knows the challenging path to citizenship first-hand; he came to Canada as a 16-year-old refugee from Somalia in 1993. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

voice: We don't drive like that here, according to Hamilton Spectator. We don't drive like you're in Mexico, lady, a female voice is heard saying on the video that is a critical piece of evidence in an unusual hate-crime case. This is America. As the driver in front makes her way to Rainier Prep Academy near White Center, Wash., the voice on the video continues This is my freakin' neighbourhood. I grew up here, not them. This is where I grew up. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

european union: In total, 80,000 people either left voluntarily or were deported, he said, according to Brandon Sun. Arrivals declined sharply with the closure of the Balkan migrant route in March and the subsequent agreement between the European Union and Turkey to stem the flow across the Aegean Sea to Greece. While new arrivals declined, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that the number of rejected asylum-seekers who left Germany was up though still not to authorities' satisfaction. Asylum applications have lagged well behind arrivals and many people who came to Germany in 2015 applied only last year. Those included 268,866 applications from Syrians, 127,892 from Afghans and 97,162 from Iraqis, the biggest single groups by far. Wednesday's figures showed that 745,545 formal asylum applications were made last year 268,869 more than in 2015. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

team: U.S. Soccer announced Manneh received his citizenship Wednesday, after the opening practice of January training camp under new coach Bruce Arena, according to Guelph Mercury. Manneh still must receive a waiver from FIFA to play for the U.S. team, since he was previously called in for Gambia's under-20 team. Kekuta Manneh has become a U.S. citizen, moving the Vancouver Whitecaps forward closer to eligibility for the men's national team. The 22-year-old Manneh was born in Gambia and moved to Texas as a teenager. Manneh broke his right foot in July and missed the next four months of the MLS season, limiting him to 17 games with the Whitecaps last year. He has spent the past four seasons playing for Vancouver while maintaining a U.S. residence just over the border in Washington state. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

marine gen: John Kelly told members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee during a confirmation hearing Tuesday, according to Brandon Sun. Certainly it has to be a layered approach. A physical barrier in and of itself will not do the job, retired Marine Gen. The normally blunt-talking Marine walked a fine line in his answers to several questions about how Trump's Homeland Security Department will carry out its many varied missions, specifically efforts to find and deport immigrants living in the country illegally. Asked about the fate of young immigrants protected from deportation by President Barack Obama, Kelly told Democratic Sen. He struck a balance between defending Trump's hard-line positions on immigration and border security, and the more moderate positions of some senators, especially Democrats. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rachel notley: When we attack fellow Conservatives instead of debating policies, the only winners are Justin Trudeau, Rachel Notley and Kathleen Wynne, according to National Observer. Attacks aimed at Leitch and O'Leary His comments come less than a week after fellow leadership contender Lisa Raitt held a press conference in Ottawa to publicly condemn the irresponsible populism of Ontario MP Kellie Leitch and celebrity businessman Kevin O'Leary, who is currently considering a leadership bid. It's tempting to succumb to personal attacks in an environment where the loudest and most outrageous statements win the most attention, said O'Toole in an open letter published Monday. Raitt launched a targeted new website called www.stopkevinoleary, and on Jan. 4 accused Leitch of wanting to destroy one of the pillars of Conservative success with her Trump-style, immigration-screening policies. Veteran Conservative MP Deepal Obhrai called on Leitch last weekend to stop her xenophobic attacks on immigrants and accused her of playing divisive and fear-oriented politics that can result in the Conservative Party becoming a rump protest party. Raitt is not the only Tory in the race to lash out at a rival candidate. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

realty canada: It concluded that 19,692 such properties were sold last year in the Greater Toronto Area an increase of 77 per cent compared to 2015, according to Guelph Mercury. Sales of luxury homes those worth more than 4 million in the GTA rose 95 per cent year-over-year to 290 homes. The realtor released a report Wednesday that looked at sales of homes for more than 1 million in Toronto and three other cities Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver. There is a confluence of factors responsible for the red-hot growth in Toronto's top-tier real estate market, said Brad Henderson, president and CEO of Sotheby's International Realty Canada. With natural boundaries like the lake and the Greenbelt, the Greater Toronto region has less developable land than other markets, Henderson said. Among them are low interest rates, strong employment and consumer confidence, and a limited supply of properties for sale, particularly in the single-family home segment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ahmed hussen: Both longtime MPs are over 60 years old, and served in previous Liberal governments, according to Huffington Post Canada. McCallum is headed for a diplomatic post in China, while Dion says he is leaving politics but has reportedly been offered an ambassadorship to the European Union and Germany. On Tuesday, Trudeau unveiled replacements for Stephane Dion at foreign affairs and John McCallum at immigration. Mary Ann Mihychuk was also dropped as labour minister and is now headed for the backbench. Enter Ahmed Hussen, Fran ois-Philippe Champagne, and Karina Gould. Those exits and some rejigging of other roles have opened the door for new blood. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

american bid: We have some time to adjust to the reality, according to CBC. FIFA's new-look showpiece, featuring 16 preliminary groups of three teams each, won't be with us until 2026. It's happening and all of us need to wrap our soccer heads around the looming onset of a 48-nation World Cup. And chances are it will be close to home. There's no question the Americans can and might go it alone, but with Canada's Victor Montagliani now in charge of CONCACAF there is reason to suspect Canada and perhaps Mexico might be part of a larger North American bid. Where better than the New World to launch an updated version of an historic event which, by then, will be approaching its 100th birthday With 80 games spread over 32 days, there are legitimate grounds to support a multi-national approach to hosting. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

belgrade: Over 6,400 refugees and migrants are in Serbia, according to the United Nations, and hundreds have taken to sheltering in abandoned warehouses outside of Belgrade, hoping to be one of 10 chosen every day to enter Hungary, according to Huffington Post Canada. Migrants and refugees warm themselves inside an abandoned warehouse near Belgrade, Serbia, where the temperature has dropped to minus 11 C on Jan. 7, 2016. Temperatures outside of Belgrade have dipped as low as minus 20 C in the past month. For months, the strategy has been to block humanitarian aid to push these people into official camps. Moissaing added that several people have already died of exposure in the region. But the camps are full and are already stretched beyond capacity, so today people are left with no other option than to sleep in abandoned buildings in freezing temperatures, Stephane Moissaing, head of M decins Sans Fronti res' Serbian mission, said in a release. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

business owners: The agency alleges the Fort McMurray woman impersonated an immigration consultant and assisted people with permanent resident applications, according to Metro News. It also alleges she filed documents needed before an employer in Canada can hire a foreign worker. The Canada Border Services Agency says a woman from northern Alberta has been charged with immigration fraud. The agency says 11 people and nine business owners were affected between June 2011 and January 2014. She is to appear in Fort McMurray provincial court on Wednesday. Charie Santos has been charged under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

executive director: Doran Schrantz, executive director of ISAIAH, says faith communities' response to help shelter refugees is incredible, according to CBC. Supplied Schrantz is the executive director of ISAIAH, Faith in Democracy, a Minnesota-based faith agency that advocates for refugees. Walking in negative-25-degree weather in the middle of winter to try to get across the border is a signal of what's at stake for many people and families and communities, Doran Schrantz told the CBC. People are terrified. Schrantz was responding to the case of two refugees from Ghana who in late December walked their way across the U.S. border into Manitoba. It exemplifies the amount of sacrifice and just sheer survival and urgency of people's experience, Schrantz said. They are now in a Winnipeg hospital recovering from frostbite just two of more than 500 refugees who've snuck across the border since the beginning of 2015. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration plan: The number of requests accepted by the provincial government and being processed with the federal government stands at 10,000, 7,500 of which are for Syrian refugees, according to CTV. Under the immigration plan for 2017, the earliest a refugee could be admitted to Canada if a request were filed immediately would be in 2019, according to the Quebec government. The announcement was made on Monday in a statement released by Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion Kathleen Weil. The plan calls for the admission of 4,050 to 4,400 refugees. As of Dec. 31, Quebec had brought in 7,431 Syrian refugees, slightly more than the target of 7,300 set for 2015-16. Last month, the Trudeau government decided to limit new refugees sponsored by the private sector in 2017 as it became more difficult to process files within a reasonable timeframe. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration visa: When the family asked immigration officials to extend their immigration visa and replace the wife as the principal applicant, they were told no extension could be granted and advised getting in touch with the embassy in Tel Aviv with an update only after the man died, according to Toronto Star. While we sympathize with your situation, it is not possible to have your mother replace your father as principal applicant, the Immigration Department said in an email to their daughter in Thornhill last March. The elderly couple was given six months to move to Canada but Alim Shifrin, a family doctor, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and was too sick to travel, leaving his wife, Sofia, in limbo as a dependant applicant. Your parents' file is now closed and nothing can be done. Article Continued Below The processing times for parents' sponsorship applications are much shorter nowadays anyway, the email added. We suggest that you contact us again after the loss of your father, and we will then review the case. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jeff sessions: Associated Press By Eric Tucker The Associated Press Mary Clare Jalonick The Associated Press Tues., Jan. 10, 2017 WASHINGTON Alabama Sen, according to Toronto Star. Jeff Sessions fervently rejected damnably false accusations of past racist comments Tuesday as he challenged Democratic concerns about the civil rights commitment he would bring as Donald Trump's attorney general. Jeff Sessions told lawmakers weighing his nomination to be the next attorney general, that he will uphold the civil rights of all Americans, including those who are most vulnerable. He vowed at his confirmation hearing to stay independent from the White House and stand up to Trump when necessary. But he also distanced himself from some of Trump's public pronouncements. Sessions laid out a sharply conservative vision for the Justice Department he would oversee, pledging to crack down on illegal immigration, gun violence and the scourge of radical Islamic terrorism and to keep open the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

law school: The Canadian Press By Bruce Campion-Smith Ottawa Bureau Tonda Mac Charles Ottawa Bureau reporter Tues., Jan. 10, 2017 OTTAWA Three Toronto-area MPs earned big promotions as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shuffled his cabinet Tuesday to gird for a new protectionist president in Washington and potential economic turbulence to follow, according to Toronto Star. Ahmed Hussen, who arrived as a 16-year-old refugee from Mogadishu, went to law school and just over a year ago became the first Somali-Canadian elected to the House of Commons, was named immigration minister. The ex-international trade minister takes over Stephane Dion's former portfolio. Chrystia Freeland, the International Trade minister who closed the Canada-EU free trade deal, moves to Foreign Affairs replacing Liberal veteran St phane Dion, to steer Canada's relationship with a newly unpredictable ally and trading partner under Donald Trump as U.S. president. Hussen's varied experiences as an immigrant, community activist and immigration lawyer means he knows his new post from the grassroots up, inside and out, one senior official told the Star. And Karina Gould, a rookie MP from Burlington, joins cabinet as Democratic Institutions minister, taking over from embattled Maryam Monsef. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

marine gen: John Kelly told members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee during a confirmation hearing Tuesday, according to CTV. Certainly it has to be a layered approach. A physical barrier in and of itself will not do the job, retired Marine Gen. The normally blunt-talking Marine walked a fine line in his answers to several questions about how Trump's Homeland Security Department will carry out its many varied missions, specifically efforts to find and deport immigrants living in the country illegally. Asked about the fate of young immigrants protected from deportation by President Barack Obama, Kelly told Democratic Sen. He struck a balance between defending Trump's hard-line positions on immigration and border security, and the more moderate positions of some senators, especially Democrats. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mr trudeau: It's for Mr, according to The Chronicle Herald. Trudeau to decide, but I know the people on his economic team, Champagne said soon after his election victory in 2015. Here's a closer look Francois-Philippe Champagne International Trade The Liberal MP representing the Quebec riding of Saint-Maurice-Champlain had made no secret of his desire to be in cabinet one day. That did not happen right away, but Champagne built up a profile as the parliamentary secretary to Finance Minister Bill Morneau. That being said, Freeland, who is moving to replace Stephane Dion as foreign affairs minister, will remain the lead on the trading relationship between Canada and the U.S. Champagne was upbeat Tuesday about the remainder of the file, saying there are a lot of trade issues and relationships around the world in need of some development. He has now been granted a much bigger role, taking over international trade from Chrystia Freeland a key economic portfolio at a time when the Canadian government is grappling with how to handle the protectionist promises of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

muslim racism: So this week, as Nando's Peri-Peri which has restaurants across Canada, including in Burlington begins to hand out everyoneiswelcome posters at six Washington restaurants, the South African-Portuguese chicken chain is pitching the campaign as a statement of corporate values, not a slap at President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters, according to Hamilton Spectator. Those who voted for Trump, of course, may take a different view of the poster, whose language on the back reads Nando's Peri-Peri is an Immigrant EMPLOYING Gay LOVING Muslim RESPECTING Racism OPPOSING Equal PAYING MultiCULTURAL chicken restaurant where everyoneiswelcome. Anything labelled, or just perceived, as a protest could meet with significant backlash. It's a bold and brave statement, but it's true and honest and it represents who we are as a brand, says Burton Heiss, chief executive of Nando's USA, a Washington-based company. Over the years, the company saw firsthand the devastating impact of apartheid and a system that devalued diversity and made it a point to speak out against such beliefs, he says. Nando's origins in 20th-century South Africa, where the majority-black population was disenfranchised and destitute, has informed how the company views the world in the 21 s t century, Heiss notes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cbc radio: For fun, I decided to call in and pose a question, according to NOW Magazine. Full disclosure I consider Joseph a friend. One lazy afternoon, I recognized the voice of Joseph Boyden being interviewed on CBC Radio. We're not best buddies; i.e., we never donated organs to each other. There's a complimentary blurb by him on the cover of my novel Motorcycles And Sweetgrass. But we've book-toured together, and in a crowded room we'd make the effort to find the time to chat and fill each other in on the latest literary gossip. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

chrystia freeland: I'm the youngest female appointed to cabinet in Canada's history, so that's pretty exciting, Gould said Tuesday, according to Guelph Mercury. Trudeau shook up his cabinet in a bid to adjust to the upheaval wrought by incoming American president Donald Trump to international affairs in general and Canada's relationship with the United States in particular. And at 29, she's making a mark even before opening a single file of her new Democratic Institutions posting. He entrusted to Chrystia Freeland a former economics journalist with extensive contacts in the United States the crucial responsibility of navigating the changing domestic and global dynamic as his Liberal government prepares to deal with an unpredictable and avowedly America-first Trump administration. And she will retain responsibility for Canada-U.S. trade relations. Freeland leaves the international trade portfolio, where she distinguished herself overcoming eleventh-hour obstacles to a Canada-European free trade agreement, to replace veteran Liberal MP St phane Dion at Global Affairs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

islamic terrorism: He vowed at his confirmation hearing to stay independent from the White House and stand up to Trump when necessary, according to Brandon Sun. Sessions laid out a sharply conservative vision for the Justice Department he would oversee, pledging to crack down on illegal immigration, gun violence and the scourge of radical Islamic terrorism and expressing support for the continued use of the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. Jeff Sessions fervently rejected damnably false accusations of past racist comments Tuesday as he challenged Democratic concerns about the civil rights commitment he would bring as Donald Trump's attorney general. But he also distanced himself from some of Trump's public pronouncements. Though he said he would prosecute immigrants who repeatedly enter the country illegally and criticized as constitutionally questionable an executive action by President Barack Obama that shielded certain immigrants from deportation, he said he did not support the idea that Muslims, as a religious group, should be denied admission to the United States. He said waterboarding, a now-banned harsh interrogation technique that Trump has at times expressed support for, was absolutely improper and illegal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

neighbouring village: Romanian police halted shipping at midday for an undetermined period along a 900-kilometre stretch of the Danube River, which crosses Romania, according to Hamilton Spectator. Croatian and Serbian authorities also stopped river traffic on the Danube. The deep freeze has caused at least 61 deaths since it began last week, a third of those in Poland. In Serbia, shipping was banned on the River Sava because of icy conditions, which claimed another two lives in southern Serbia. Serbian state TV reported the two victims, discovered by a man delivering bread from a neighbouring village, were extremely poor. Authorities said an 88-year-old man and his son, 64, died from freezing temperatures in the village of Duga Poljana, in the south, which has been hardest-hit by the recent cold spell. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.