canadian audience: Not bound by political correctness, they can get away with jokes that others can't, poke fun at others and laugh with a Canadian audience on such sensitive topics as white privilege, according to Toronto Star. Now a group of immigrant comics is hoping to draw on their experiences to entertain multicultural Toronto through a monthly standup comedy show, Comedy as a Second Language, which kicks off Friday at the Social Capital Theatre on Danforth Ave. YouTube By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Thu., Jan. 26, 2017 Caught between cultures, immigrants may say things inadvertently and act in unusual ways that are funny to other Canadians. Comedy is a language. That's how I feel, said Carol Zoccoli, who came up with the idea when she moved here from Brazil in 2013 and found little live comedy for immigrants. I have learned so much about people and their culture through comedy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cargo ship: Aug. 13, 2010 The Canadian navy intercepts the cargo ship MV Sun Sea carrying 492 people and escorts it to CFB Esquimalt, near Victoria, according to Metro News. Aug. 15, 2010 The RCMP says one of the Tamil migrants on the freighter died just weeks before the ship arrived off B.C. The Mounties say a 37-year-old man died about three weeks earlier after getting sick on board the vessel, with no way to treat his illness. Aug. 11, 2010 The cargo ship believed to be carrying hundreds of Tamils from Sri Lanka continues sailing toward the British Columbia coast, crossing into an economic zone that extends 370 kilometres from Canada's shores. Aug. 19, 2010 Five migrants, all women, participate in an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing in Vancouver. Sept. 13, 2010 A pregnant woman who arrived aboard the MV Sun Sea is the first of the migrants to be ordered released from detention. Aug. 26, 2010 Shepherd Moss, a lawyer for some of the 492 Tamils, suggests federal agencies are trying to drag out the identity checks on the migrants, thereby keeping them in jail longer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

city hall: He'd like to do the same here in Canada, but so far doesn't really know how to make that happen, according to CBC. As a first step, he'll show off his skills Thursday evening at an artists exhibition for newcomers at City Hall. Back home in Syria, the recent refugee made his living sharing the stage with renowned musicians, as a regular performer at the Opera House in Damascus. I have a message in my heart, said Abdalnour, 39, who arrived in Edmonton in December with his wife and two sons. Gareth Hampshire/CBC News The family fled the city of Homs in 2015 to escape a war that has claimed thousands of lives and created a massive refugee crisis. Veniamin Tomsa left and Roy Abdalnour right are two artists who hope to make connections at the Creative Connection Exhibition in Edmonton on Thursday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

father jasim: Through the support of the Mozuud Freedom Foundation's Project Abraham, the first seven Yazidi refugees arrived in Canada on Wednesday night, according to Toronto Star. Sammy Hudes / Toronto Star Order this photo Saadi Mado hugs his father Jasim after arriving at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Sammy Hudes / Toronto Star Saadi Mado spoke to media at Toronto Pearson International Airport as he awaits the arrival of seven family members who are Yazidi refugees. Sammy Hudes / Toronto Star Order this photo Saadi Mado, his mother Marjan, brothers Sameer and Saeed and father Jasim celebrate after being reunited at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Nearly two hours after touching down at Pearson airport, the first seven Yazidi refugees arriving in Canada walked out to a welcoming party of two dozen relatives and friends. Sammy Hudes / Toronto Star By Sammy Hudes Staff Reporter Wed., Jan. 25, 2017 Restless anticipation turned to hugs and tears of joy the moment Saadi Mado saw his family for the first time in two years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government report: Last year's federally organized point-in-time homeless count found 5,954 people living in shelters, on the street or in transitional facilities, says the report released Thursday, according to CTV. Indigenous people, long over-represented among the homeless, were nine times more likely to be homeless than non-indigenous Canadians, the report found. A new federal government report is shedding more light on the problem in 32 Canadian cities, exposing a need for a targeted approach to help vulnerable populations like veterans, indigenous people, and recent immigrants. Veterans comprised about five per cent, twice their proportion of the general population. Recent immigrants and refugees accounted for four per cent of those counted, with women and girls in that category more than twice as likely than non-immigrants to cite domestic abuse as a cause of their homelessness. The count also found entire families of homeless -- mostly single parents with children -- and people aged 16 to almost 80. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bill c: Despite the effort many parliamentarians have put into Bill C-16 An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, also known as the Transgender Rights Bill it has not yet been passed in the Senate, according to National Observer. It will be discussed when the Senate resumes next week. Discrimination faced by some Canadians remains ignored to this day. If passed, the bill would add gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination. These protections are incredibly important for transgender people across Canada, especially as many face daily discrimination on multiple fronts. It would also extend the Criminal Code of Canada's protection against hate propaganda to people distinguished by their gender identity or expression. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

blog post: In a blog post on her charity website she wrote I'm leaving Dunkirk now, according to The Waterloo Record. I'm speechless. Pamela was shocked by the conditions the youngsters are living in and the startling reality that the men in the camps are risking their lives every night to try and escape their surroundings by sneaking into lorries and other modes of transport. I'm so angry. I gave out blankets, hats, gloves, fruit, coloring books and crayons. The children are so lovely and polite. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cargo ship: Aug. 13, 2010 The Canadian navy intercepts the cargo ship MV Sun Sea carrying 492 people and escorts it to CFB Esquimalt, near Victoria, according to Brandon Sun. Aug. 15, 2010 The RCMP says one of the Tamil migrants on the freighter died just weeks before the ship arrived off B.C. The Mounties say a 37-year-old man died about three weeks earlier after getting sick on board the vessel, with no way to treat his illness. Aug. 11, 2010 The cargo ship believed to be carrying hundreds of Tamils from Sri Lanka continues sailing toward the British Columbia coast, crossing into an economic zone that extends 370 kilometres from Canada's shores. Aug. 19, 2010 Five migrants, all women, participate in an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing in Vancouver. Sept. 13, 2010 A pregnant woman who arrived aboard the MV Sun Sea is the first of the migrants to be ordered released from detention. Aug. 26, 2010 Shepherd Moss, a lawyer for some of the 492 Tamils, suggests federal agencies are trying to drag out the identity checks on the migrants, thereby keeping them in jail longer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

chinese dialects: He was there to cook for renowned chef Alain Ducasse after attending culinary school at Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, according to NOW Magazine. On his days off, he'd wander the 13th arrondissement of the capital, where Chinatown is located. When Craig Wong lived in Paris in his early 20s, he felt deeply homesick. The Scarborough-raised chef, after spending most of his waking hours cooking high-end French food, missed the flavours of home, the ones that reminded him of Toronto's Chinatown the cacophony of Chinese dialects weaving in and out of erhu music, the sight of roasted pork glistening in restaurant windows and the scent of dried mushrooms and tea leaves floating from herbal shops. It was the shittiest Chinatown I'd ever seen, he recalls, seated at a table at the recently opened Jackpot Chicken Rice, his trendy new casual restaurant on Spadina. Paris didn't cut it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jan gmt: CHART TOOL v1.2.0-33 edited Wed Jan 25 2017 19 38 33 GMT-0500 EST slug function root var data version 1.2.0 id SNWyb9BsZoeyu Gu3x heading Proportion of immigrants in Canadian population, including estimates to 2036 qualifier source THE GLOBE AND MAIL, statscan, according to Globe and Mail. Note reference scenario refers to a central estimate between low and high estimates. chart class primary has Hours false, data scenario,Reference options type line interpolation linear stacked false, expanded false, head true, deck false, legend true, footer true, x axis true, y axis true, tips false, annotations false, range false, series false, indexed false, qualifier true, share data true, social true x axis display true, scale ordinal-time ticks auto orient bottom format auto nice false y axis display true, scale linear ticks auto orient right format comma suffix % min 10 nice true ; root. Nearly half of the population will likely be immigrants or children of immigrants by 2036 if current immigration levels continue, a Statistics Canada study estimates, up from 38.2 per cent in 2011. Chart Tool root. Chart Tool.push id 'gc-' data.id, data data ; var b if var c var j c.href c.rel 'stylesheet'; j.src j.async true; j.defer true; this ; The projections come as immigration has become a hot-button issue, particularly south of the border, where U.S. President Donald Trump plans to curb immigration and this week signed a directive to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Chart Tool ; root. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jay inslee: Boston Mayor Marty Walsh promised to let immigrants who feel threatened by the administration's actions take shelter in City Hall if necessary, according to Metro News. This city will not be bullied by this administration, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said, adding that he instructed city departments to rework their budgets to prepare for the possibility that federal dollars could be lost. Many cities vowed legal action, arguing that the threatened punishment would be unconstitutional. We believe we have the rule of law and the courts on our side. Jay Inslee called Trump's executive orders on immigration mean-spirited and unnecessary. Related Mexico 'stunned' by timing of Trump's border wall announcement What Trump has already done on immigation, and what's left to come Trump's 'alternative facts' are no problem for top Republicans Washington Gov. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jumpstart construction: We will work within the existing system and framework, according to The Chronicle Herald. The centerpiece of the measures Trump signed was an order to jumpstart construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall. We do not need new laws, Trump said Wednesday during remarks at the Department of Homeland Security. He also ordered cuts in federal grants for immigrant-protecting sanctuary cities and a boost in the number of border patrol agents and immigration officers, pending congressional funding. The president's upcoming order is also expected to suspend issuing visas for people from several predominantly Muslim countries Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for at least 30 days, according to a draft executive order obtained by The Associated Press. Border Patrol chief out day after Trump border fence decree Analysis, with video Trump's border wall faces reality checkA look at border security, fencing as Trump announces wall Trump moves to 'build that wall' with Mexico, curb refugees Sometime this week, Trump is expected to pause the flow of all refugees to the U.S. and indefinitely bar those fleeing war-torn Syria. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lm otero: In joint press conferences and rallies across the country, they are decrying an action Trump signed to jump-start construction on a southern border wall, according to Toronto Star. Trump is expected to take steps to stop accepting Syrian refugees, suspend the United States' broader refugee program for 120 days and suspend issuing visas for people from seven predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa. LM Otero / The Associated Press By Russell Contreras Jeff Karoub The Associated Press Thu., Jan. 26, 2017 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Many U.S. Muslim and Latino advocates have joined forces in opposing changes to immigration rules by U.S. President Donald Trump, bolstering an alliance between them as they mull the prospect of aggressive restrictions. As Trump signed the first actions Wednesday afternoon, the hashtags NoBan NoWall and Refugees Welcome trended on Twitter, and thousands signed a pro-refugee petition by Christian evangelical groups. Advocates and activists across racial, religious and ethnic lines have linked before but are now mounting a more unified response. Muslims, immigrants and their supporters rallied in New York City and elsewhere in protest. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

measures target: The document claims those who enter the U.S. illegally present a significant threat to national security and public safety, particularly those who commit crimes after the enter the States, according to Huffington Post Canada. The new measures target at sanctuary cities, such as Los Angeles, New York City, or Miami, which have legislation in place to protect undocumented immigrants. President Trump's latest orders, entitled Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States, focus on undocumented immigrants. President Donald Trump, accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, left, and Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly, speaks at the Homeland Security Department in Washington on Wednesday. The Secretary of Homeland Security has announced it will publish a weekly list of crimes committed by illegal aliens. Photo Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP via The Canadian Press Since public money isn't typically used by sanctuary cities to enforce federal immigration laws, one of Trump's new measures aims to essentially shame them into doing so. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ottawa: Ottawa woman's mother stuck in South Africa It had been a long wait for Kapamba, who lives in Ottawa but is originally from Congo, according to CBC. Finally, she is here in good health. The women occasionally touched each other's faces, as if making sure they were really together again. Finally, she's here, alive! Kapamba said in French. I couldn't even believe it, she said, with her arm around her mother. I was desperate. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

people: The count also found that indigenous people are over-represented in the homeless population, and shows that veterans are more likely to experience homelessness for longer stretches of time, according to CTV. The report says those findings, along with information about the number of families and newcomers to Canada, point to a need for more targeted supports for these groups. The federal government has released highlights from the so-called point-in-time counts conducted in 32 cities last year, which found nearly 6,000 people living in shelters, on the street or in transitional facilities. Homeless veterans made up nearly five per cent of those counted, and the data show respondents who identified as indigenous were nine times more likely to be homeless than non-indigenous. About 14 per cent said they were with family members, the majority of which were single parents with children. Volunteers and local officials also found that four per cent of those counted were a recent immigrant or refugee to Canada, with females in this category more than twice as likely than non-immigrants to cite domestic abuse as a reason. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

republicans allies: We are going to save lives on both sides of the border.'' The actions, less than a week into Trump's presidency, fulfilled pledges that animated his candidacy and represented a dramatic redirection of U.S. immigration policy, according to Huffington Post Canada. They were cheered by Republicans allies in Congress, condemned by immigration advocates and triggered immediate new tension with the Mexican government. Beginning today the United States of America gets back control of its borders,'' Trump declared during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security. I regret and reject the decision of the U.S. to build the wall,'' Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Wednesday in a nationally televised address. The president's upcoming order is also expected to suspend issuing visas for people from several predominantly Muslim countries Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for at least 30 days, according to a draft executive order obtained by The Associated Press. Un mensaje para todos los mexicanos Enrique Pe a Nieto EPN January 26, 2017 Trump is expected to wield his executive power again later this week with the directive to dam the refugee flow into the U.S. for at least four months, in addition to the open-ended pause on Syrian arrivals. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

residents immigrants: I believe it would enhance the legitimacy of local government, Engel said, according to Metro News. These residents pay local taxes, they use city services, but they can't vote for who is going to represent them. Edmonton Catholic School Board Trustee Debbie Engel is tabling a motion at the board's next meeting to lobby for permanent residents immigrants who have not received their Canadian citizenship to have the right to vote in municipal elections. Immigrants have to live in Canada for at least three years before they can apply for citizenship, which grants them the right to vote. On Tuesday the board discussed teen voting at their meeting. Engel said Edmonton Catholic is one of the fastest growing school districts in Alberta and immigrant families account for a large percentage of that growth. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

torture trump: Here are some of the major points he addressed On ISIS and torture Trump said the United States needs to fight fire with fire in combatting the Islamic State militants he says are doing things that nobody has ever heard of since medieval times, according to CTV. They're chopping off the heads of our people and other people, Trump said of Islamic State. Speaking to ABC's David Muir, Trump touched on many of the issues he's dealt with since taking office last Friday. So we have that and we're not allowed to do anything. Trump said he plans to heed the advice of Secretary of Defence James Mattis and new CIA Director Mike Pompeo, when it comes to employing waterboarding as an interrogation method. We're not on an even playing field. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government report: Last year's federally organized point-in-time homeless count found 5,954 people living in shelters, on the street or in transitional facilities, says the report released Thursday, according to The Waterloo Record. Indigenous people, long over-represented among the homeless, were nine times more likely to be homeless than non-indigenous Canadians, the report found. Related Stories A look at Canada's homeless, by the... A new federal government report is shedding more light on the problem in 32 Canadian cities, exposing a need for a targeted approach to help vulnerable populations like veterans, indigenous people, and recent immigrants. Veterans comprised about five per cent, twice their proportion of the general population. Recent immigrants and refugees accounted for four per cent of those counted, with women and girls in that category more than twice as likely than non-immigrants to cite domestic abuse as a cause of their homelessness. The count also found entire families of homeless mostly single parents with children and people aged 16 to almost 80. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jumpstart construction: We will work within the existing system and framework, according to The Waterloo Record. The centerpiece of the measures Trump signed was an order to jumpstart construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall. We do not need new laws, Trump said Wednesday during remarks at the Department of Homeland Security. He also ordered cuts in federal grants for immigrant-protecting sanctuary cities and a boost in the number of border patrol agents and immigration officers, pending congressional funding. The president's upcoming order is also expected to suspend issuing visas for people from several predominantly Muslim countries Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for at least 30 days, according to a draft executive order obtained by The Associated Press. Sometime this week, Trump is expected to pause the flow of all refugees to the U.S. and indefinitely bar those fleeing war-torn Syria. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

people: Indigenous people, long over-represented among the homeless, were nine times more likely to be homeless than non-indigenous Canadians, the report found, according to Brandon Sun. Veterans comprised about five per cent, twice their proportion of the general population. Last year's federally organized point-in-time homeless count found 5,954 people living in shelters, on the street or in transitional facilities, says the report released Thursday. The count also found entire families of homeless mostly single parents with children and people aged 16 to almost 80. While addiction and substance abuse was often cited as a cause for those under 65, financial problems, such as being unable to pay the rent, was a prominent cause among seniors, the report found. Recent immigrants and refugees accounted for four per cent of those counted, with women and girls in that category more than twice as likely than non-immigrants to cite domestic abuse as a cause of their homelessness. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee crisis: But where can the family find a health clinic Will they be accepted for treatment What kind of ID will they have to show and how many hours will they have before the clinic closes Amid the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War, with 65 million or one in 113 people in the world forcibly displaced from their homes, a Vancouver-based tech firm and a humanitarian nonprofit organization are helping connect refugees to the services they need through an app that provides comprehensive information with the click of a button, according to National Observer. The app, called Services Advisor, is being used not only by refugees, but also by humanitarian groups that want to refer people to other organizations that can help. The mother is pregnant and needs medical attention. Refugees await transportation at the Hadalat Border between Jordan and Syria. Some civilians fleeing Syria or Iraq have no choice but to leave with very few items; carrying a suitcase is a clear sign to soldiers that they're planning to make a break for it. File photo by J. Kohler, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The tool helps cut frustration and time for both refugees and humanitarian workers, and since many refugees own cell phones over 80 per cent of Syrian refugee youth have a smartphone, according to Penn State University research Services Advisor is a digital solution many of them can access. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vancouver: But with a citrus-skinned con man now installed in the Oval Office, are such mass protests too little too late I think back to the winter and spring of 2003, when 36 million people took part in nearly 3,000 anti-war protests across the world, including Vancouver, according to Vancouver Courier. There was no discernible effect on U.S. policymakers, but it may have been a different story up here. The hugely successful Women's March on Washington on Jan. 21 swept across the Potomac to Vancouver, London, Amsterdam, Auckland and beyond. Just three days prior to the March 20, 2003 invasion of Iraq, Prime Minister Jean Chr tien signaled that Canada would not commit troops to another Coalition of the Kicking and Screaming. Holding out the promise of hope and change, the smooth-talking Democrat senator became the first African-American U.S. president on the strength of his stirring rhetoric. The odds for world peace seemed better in 2008, with the rise of a career politician from Chicago. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

american cities: It was an exhilarating demonstration of the power of women and, considering that countless supportive men joined the women's marches, of the power of the people, according to Hamilton Spectator. It was also a bracing antidote to the pervasive despair and cynicism that have greeted Trump's unlikely, unnerving rise to the presidency. Less than 24 hours after the inauguration of Donald Trump as America's new president, millions of women in the United States and around the world marched not only to protest the man and his nasty, divisive brand of politics but to defend the values they deem sacred tolerance, freedom and equality. The women marched in Washington, D.C., in New York, Los Angeles and other American cities more than three million of them, all told. Indeed, on that single day, no fewer than 408 women's marches took place in America and 168 other countries. They marched and rallied in Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal and London, England, too. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canada: The numbers released Wednesday are a far cry from the country's first census of the population in 1871 four years after Confederation when 16.1 per cent of the 3.7 million people in Canada were born abroad, with Britain, the United States and Germany as the most likely countries of origin, according to The Chronicle Herald. The population projections show immigration will alter the country's cultural landscape under all scenarios Statistics Canada explored as part of an ongoing project to map out Canada's future as the nation turns 150 years old. It suggests the proportion of immigrants in Canada's population could reach 30 per cent in 2036 compared to 20.7 per cent in 2011 and a further 20 per cent of the population would be the child of an immigrant, up from the 17.5 per cent recorded in 2011. The upward trend in the number of immigrants to Canada would also have an effect on the languages spoken at home. Across Canada, the percentage of francophones is also expected to drop to between 17 and 18 per cent from 21.3 per cent in 2011. In Quebec, the percentage of people who claim French as their mother tongue is expected to drop to between 69 and 72 per cent in 2036, down from 79 per cent in 2011. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.