immigrantscanada.com

Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

humiliation: For Indigenous peoples in Canada, the experience was mostly one of humiliation, neglect and abuse, he said, according to National Observer. There are, today, children living on reserve in Canada who cannot safely drink, or bathe in, or even play in the water that comes out of their taps. These left a devastating legacy on reserves to this day, in a country whose very existence, he said, came without the consent and participation of the Indigenous populations who lived there for millenniums. There are Indigenous parents who say goodnight to their children, and have to cross their fingers in the hopes that their kids won't run away, or take their own lives in the night. ... And for far too many Indigenous women, life in Canada includes threats of violence so frequent and severe that Amnesty International has called it 'a human rights crisis.' That is the legacy of colonialism in Canada. He was asked later at a news conference why he dwelt so much on domestic issues and aired the country's dirty laundry on a stage designed for international crises such as North Korea, Syrian migration and atrocities against minorities in Myanmar. It was the dominant theme of his address. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

supporters view: He's also one of the three members of the left-leaning, pro-independence Qu bec Solidaire QS party elected to the legislature.QS seeks a break from traditional politics that have dominated the province for decades and an end to old economic policies that they say favour the wealthy and fail to adequately address poverty, according to National Observer. The social democratic party added thousands of new members after his arrival in politics and Nadeau-Dubois's supporters view him as the 'saviour' who can deliver on their platform. Today, he's riding a new wave of momentum that could shake Quebec's political landscape. ; Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, 27, is a rookie member of the National Assembly for the Montreal riding of Gouin. The Quebec media has also helped elevate the former student activist with glowing headlines. Quebec politician Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois graces the cover of the September 2017 edition of news magazine, l'Actualit . Screenshot of magazineQS is an unconventional party. Last month, he was on the cover of a prominent news magazine, l'Actualit that featured the words Saint Gabriel as its headline. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

american riviera: No, I don't see the American Riviera with its legendary Ocean Dr., art-deco architecture and promise of celebrity-studded nightlife, according to Toronto Star. I can't even blame the offence on a layover in the cruise capital of the world. Yes, I evade the siren call of white sand beaches lapped by sparkling ocean waves. Nor on a Heat, Dolphins, Marlins, Panthers they count, yes or Hurricanes game. Most credit the transition to the Art Basel, the international art fair that has put the sensual fun-in the-sun playground on the cultural map. Instead, I spend two days in the city's reinvigorated neighbourhoods, desirable spaces that are attracting a sophisticated, multicultural group back to the city proper. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

appeal court: It likely will be several weeks before the Supreme Court decides whether to hear the case, according to CTV. In June, the appeal court ruled in Alexander Vavilov's favour -- the latest turn in a long-running spy saga brimming with international intrigue. In asking the Supreme Court of Canada to hear the case, the government says the absurd result of the Federal Court of Appeal's decision raises important issues about the integrity of Canadian citizenship and should not be allowed to stand. Vavilov, 23, was born in 1994 as Alexander Philip Anthony Foley to Donald Heathfield and Tracey Ann Foley. One day in June 2010, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation turned up at the family's Boston-area home. The following year the family -- including an older boy, Timothy -- left Canada for France, where they spent four years before moving to the United States. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian citizens: It's just a like a job fair where you walk in and chat with the person at the booth.'- Ying Xie, In-TAC They are chatting with a real person, according to CBC. It's just a like a job fair where you walk in and chat with the person at the booth, said Ying Xie, senior manager of In-TAC. As of Thursday morning's launch, more than 2,600 people from 85 countries had registered to vye for roughly 1,300 job openings. Launched by the non-profit International Talent Acquisition Centre In-TAC with support from the federal government, the two-day fair allows Canadian citizens, permanent residents and foreigners with work permits to upload their resum s and chat online with representatives of 64 Canadian employers, large and small. The jobs range from professional positions to skilled trades to cleaning staff. Ying Xie, senior manager of In-TAC, said the virtual career fair is a good opportunity for smaller Canadian cities and towns to attract immigrants. In addition to helping them secure a job before they arrive in Canada, Xie said In-TAC can help answer applicants' questions about schools and communities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cocktail party: The changes outlined in Bill C-46, currently before Parliament alongside the marijuana legalization legislation, are raising a number of red flags for legal experts -- some who say the plan blatantly steps on constitutional rights, according to CTV. If you are completely sober, you drive your car to a wine tasting or cocktail party. Officers may also be within the law to lay charges within two hours of a driver exiting their vehicle. You plan to leave it there, and you have some drinks at the party. The Trudeau government introduced the overhaul in July as the federal government unveiled its roadmap to legalize recreational marijuana. If the police have reason to come and question you, and they smell some alcohol on your breath, you can actually be charged with drinking after driving, Ottawa-based criminal lawyer Michael Spratt told CTV's Power Play on Wednesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

eradication hundreds: Myanmar's anti-Rohingya atrocities did not begin on Aug. 25 as a crackdown on Rohingya militants, as news media reported but are the perpetuation of decades of persecution, marginalization, segregation, expulsion, and eradication, according to Metro News. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims were driven off land they had lived on for generations by bloody military campaigns in 1978 and 1991. The current desperate mass exodus of Rohingya may seem sudden, but this is only because Canadian media has largely neglected their plight for so long. They were stripped of citizenship in 1982, leaving them without civil rights one of the largest stateless populations in the world. They have been tortured, assaulted, and killed with impunity; legally restricted from marrying and having children, including through federal Race and Religion Protection Laws passed in 2015; and imprisoned in internally displaced person camps, where they are deprived of food, water, and medical care, and are not permitted to leave in 2014, Save the Children reported that some Rohingya were resorting to eating glue . If the international community can't help us, please drop a bomb on us and kill all of us, one woman living in a camp pled to a group of British researchers in 2014. Since 1994, the government has refused to issue birth certificates for Rohingya babies. function set Cookie related path / ; Related Trudeau urges Burma's Suu Kyi to condemn atrocities against Rohingya Muslims Under fire over Rohingya, Suu Kyi defends Myanmar actions Rohingya Muslims are being wiped off Myanmar's map The Rohingya were erased from the national census in 2014, and prohibited from voting or running for office in the elections in 2015. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

exchange district: Mannan Hamrasho, who came to Winnipeg with his wife and two children in February, says there are six families living at the property, according to Metro News. He says some of them speak Arabic, and his family speaks Kurdish. Officers tell CTV News the major crimes unit and other units are investigating the messages, as well as possible threats against people living in the adjacent homes. He says he found the graffiti earlier this week and has been working to scrape it off the fence. In the Exchange District, Warehouse Artworks owner Rod Sasaki put a sign in his storefront of a woman wearing a hijab with the words, Every is welcome here. function set Cookie related path / ; Related Calgary police investigate hate crime graffiti, arson incident Teen to serve three more months for Nazi graffiti'There is still a lot of ignorance in this country' Indigenous artist heartbroken after mural vandalized Sasaki says he's noticed an increase in ignorant views and wanted to do something about it. In an effort to combat negative views about immigrants and refugees, some Winnipeggers are putting up signs on their lawns and in their windows to welcome newcomers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hamrasho: A house next door to the Hamrasho home caught fire about a month ago, according to CBC. The fire was so severe a window in the Hamrasho home blew out. Speaking through a translator, Mannan Hamrasho told CBC News that in recent months his two kids had been threatened by other children who said we'll burn your life and we'll put fire in your house. Syrian refugees targeted by hateful graffiti Point Douglas man spews 'white power' rhetoric through neighbourhood The family doesn't know if the fire is connected to the threats. He also said he had to be hospitalized two months ago with broken bones after he was beaten by a man who punched him in the face and took his phone. Six Syrian families live on the Dufferin Avenue block where the graffiti appeared, so Hamrasho said he's not sure if it was his family that was specifically targeted or all six. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

humiliation: These left a devastating legacy on reserves to this day, in a country whose very existence, he said, came without the consent and participation of the Indigenous populations who lived there for millenniums, according to CTV. For Indigenous peoples in Canada, the experience was mostly one of humiliation, neglect and abuse, he said. He spoke of forced migration, broken treaty promises and family separations via residential schools. There are, today, children living on reserve in Canada who cannot safely drink, or bathe in, or even play in the water that comes out of their taps. It was the dominant theme of his address. There are Indigenous parents who say goodnight to their children, and have to cross their fingers in the hopes that their kids won't run away, or take their own lives in the night. ... And for far too many Indigenous women, life in Canada includes threats of violence so frequent and severe that Amnesty International has called it 'a human rights crisis.' That is the legacy of colonialism in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

maximum-entry mark: Now he faces a decision on how many to admit in the next budget year, according to The Chronicle Herald. As is often the case with the Trump administration, Cabinet officials are divided as they weigh the costs and potential security risks associated with the program. Trump has already slashed refugee admissions once since taking office. The Department of Homeland Security has been pushing for a reduction beyond the 50,000 maximum-entry mark set by Trump earlier this year as part of his travel ban executive orders a number that is already the lowest in modern American history. The State Department, which oversees the program, has formally recommended that the number be kept at 50,000, according to Trump administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations. In a proposal submitted late last week, the department called for a reduction to 40,000 refugees in the next budget year starting Oct. 1, citing concerns about its workload and ability to adequately vet those seeking entry. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

process claims: As of Aug. 31, the pending inventory of refugee claims is about 34,000 cases, including 29,000 claims filed after December 2012, when the then-Conservative government revamped the process by imposing statutory timelines to process claims and expedite removals of failed claimants, according to Toronto Star. The rest are so-called legacy claims that have been waiting for five years or longer for a hearing date. According to the Immigration and Refugee Board IRB the backlog has been growing at a rate of approximately 1,400 cases a month since January, with the largest increase so far in August with a sudden surge of 3,000 claims. Read more Almost 7,000 migrants have walked into Quebec since Canada Day Article Continued Below Montreal's Olympic Stadium becomes shelter as Haitian refugees from the U.S. seek home in Canada While the law requires claimants be scheduled for a hearing date in 60 days, it has provisions that allow the refugee board to get around the deadline if there are delays in border officials issuing security clearances, if there are operational limitations, or if interpreters or counsel are unavailable. As a result, many cases must wait before they can be heard by an independent decision-maker. react-empty 167 With existing resources, Pape said the IRB can process only approximately 2,000 claims a month. The current intake of claims for refugee protection is exceeding the IRB's operational capacity, which is causing a growing inventory of pending cases, said the board's spokesperson, Anna Pape. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rohingya families: Aid groups face different challenges on either side of the border An influx of more than 420,000 refugees in less than a month in Bangladesh, and in Burma, government resistance and angry allegations from majority Buddhists that international organizations are favouring the long-persecuted Rohingya minority.A Bangladeshi medical administrator, Aung Swi Prue, said six people died instantly in the truck crash near the border in southeastern Bandarban district, according to Toronto Star. Three people died after reaching a hospital, and 10 others were injured and are receiving treatment.ICRC spokeswoman Misada Saif said all of those killed were Bangladeshi workers hired to distribute food packages to 500 Rohingya families. Both shipments were from the International Committee of the Red Cross. Saif said the truck belongs to the ICRC and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and was operated by a supplier who has been working for the two agencies for last couple of weeks. Article Continued Below Our thoughts are with the families of the dead. She said agency officials are very shocked and sad. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

saudi arabia: The lack of a stronger response by Muslim-majority countries partly comes down to their lucrative business interests in Southeast Asia, experts say, according to The Chronicle Herald. Much of the Middle East is also buckling under its own refugee crisis sparked by years of upheaval in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan. This time around, Muslim leaders from the Persian Gulf to Pakistan have offered little more than condemnation and urgently needed humanitarian aid. More than 500,000 people roughly half the Rohingya Muslim population in Myanmar have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh over the past year, mostly in the last month. Saudi Arabia is already home to around a quarter-million Burmese people who took refuge in the kingdom under the late King Faisal in the 1960s. The United Nations human rights chief has described Myanmar's military crackdown and allied Buddhist mob attacks as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

wednesday afternoon: Mannan Hamrasho scrapes hateful graffiti off his fence, according to CBC. CBC The newcomer from Syria, who can't speak English, spent Wednesday afternoon scraping the graffiti off of the fence around his Dufferin Avenue home and later received a visit from James Favel, executive director of Bear Clan Patrol Inc., who lives just around the corner. Mannan Hamrasho told CBC News he and his family found the graffiti including the phrases Go back to your country and Leave Canada written in red ink on their fence Tuesday morning. Lawn signs with welcoming message pop up around Winnipeg Favel says he wanted to make sure the family knows the hateful words don't reflect how the community feels about newcomers. The small-minded person who did that ugly writing on their fence is not representative of the community at large and I wanted them to know that they're supported. I wanted to let them know that they were supported here and that nobody wants them gone, said Favel. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

world: With hundreds of thousands of lives at stake, this quickly evolving crisis requires condemnation and involvement from the highest levels of the Canadian government, according to Rabble. Although Trudeau has expressed deep concerns to Myanmar's State Consular, Aung San Suu Kyi, about the ongoing violence, he can and must go several steps further. Canada must amplify its voice as much as possible to rally the world in ending this crisis, widely viewed as an organized ethnic cleansing. Trudeau needs to explicitly condemn the Myanmese military for organizing this ethnic cleansing. Instead of a written statement merely expressing concern, Trudeau should condemn Myanmar's military on camera, in both French and English, ensuring his message goes around the world. Since Myanmar's 2012 constitution makes the military, not San Suu Kyi, responsible for national security and gives them a veto over constitutional amendments, solely targeting San Suu Kyi lets Myanmar's military, who are the real perpetrators of this violence, off the hook. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canada: Such demonstrations have occurred with alarmingly regularity in public spaces not only in the United States, but increasingly in Canada, according to National Observer. Groups by the names of Pegida, the Soldiers of Odin, the Proud Boys, the III% Canada, and Le Meute may diverge in their particular obsessions with Muslims, Jews, refugees, or white nationalism, but they live among us, and demonstrate their hatred in plain sight. Was it a well-orchestrated but fleeting moment for 500 bad apples Or was it an alarm sounding, waking us up to the real organizational capacity of their call to 'unite the right 'Are Canadians shielded from the impact of this frightening activity Whether we call such groups white supremacist, nationalist, the alt-right, the new fascism, or just plain racists, Charlottesville may have been the largest of their gatherings, but it was not the first. Extremist groups are learning While abundant police resources are allocated to apprehend and arrest terrorist groups who are conflated with an insurgent form of Islam, virtually no resources are allocated to stop white terrorists specifically. Charlottesville produced a good deal of speculation about why such groups appeal to mostly but not exclusively young men. This is despite the fact that, as social scientists Barbara Perry and Ryan Scrivener have shown, white terrorist groups are responsible for more than 10 times the number of murders, arson, and violent assaults over the past thirty years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

drug use: Over the next decade, as many as 6,000 new energy industry workers could descend upon the region, according to National Observer. The prospect of such a big influx of workers living in nearby man camps has aroused fears of increased violence and drug use. It is a community bracing for major change. The influx could more than double the population of about 4,500 in the Fort St. Nak'azdli has just 1,972 members living both on and off reserves. James area, which includes the municipality, rural communities and First Nations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

profile events: One of the higher profile events for student filmmakers in North America, the festival fielded 5,000 submissions from 40 countries, according to Vancouver Courier. The bad news revolves around extremely tight timelines. First, the good news four films produced by students in Templeton secondary's Afterschool Film Program have been accepted into the prestigious All American High School Film Festival in early October. The films were accepted in late August, the week before school started. That amount covered partial costs around airfares, accommodations and festival entry fees. Getting 18 students to New York City costs roughly 13,000, a figure that was successfully raised in just over five weeks.A Go Fund Me campaign was launched in the days after the films were accepted, and the funding push met its initial 13,000 goal on Sept. 19. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

baseball cap: Mere blocks away, Toronto International Film Festival events were underway, according to Toronto Star. The video a compilation of five different videos, released on Wednesday by Toronto Police doesn't show that he was carrying a handgun. He wears a hoodie pulled over a baseball cap and tied around his mouth, track pants, and sneakers. It also doesn't make clear the colours of the shooter's outfit, which Detective Shannon Dawson, with the homicide squad, confirmed were dark-coloured. Read more Restaurant shooting victim was laughing moments before he was killed, owner says Article Continued Below Witness at Toronto restaurant feared gunshots were terror attack react-text 148 Police have released a video showing the suspect in the fatal shooting of real estate agent Simon Giannini at a Toronto restaurant on Saturday. /react-text TPSHomicide/Twitter It was a very brief encounter, said Dawson, who thanked the public and the business community in the area of Simcoe Street for their co-operation in the investigation. It also doesn't show that at 8 52 p.m. on Sept. 16, the hooded man would kill Simon Giannini a 54-year-old real estate broker and father of two young boys in what police are calling a targeted attack. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

berlin-based analyst: Not so, according to opinion polls, according to CBC. Josef Janning, a Berlin-based analyst with the European Council on Foreign Relations, says Merkel is still basking in a certain feel-good factor in Germany. Two years ago, when she decided to open Germany's door to almost one million refugees, her critics said it would be the death knell of her political career. We didn't used to think about this country as being great, he says. A campaign poster shows Angela Merkel and the colours of the German flag with the message 'For a Germany where we live well and where we like to live.' Getty Images It's the message Merkel's campaign posters deliver, wrapped in the sometimes undulating, sometimes geometric colours of the German flag, with the slogan Where we live well and where we like to live. Not in the sense of being 'uber alles' above everything else as the first verse of the traditional German national anthem goes but in the sense of being a good place to live. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

houston: A similar response was seen in immigrant-heavy sections of Florida after Irma swamped the state, according to Metro News. We have to come together as churches to help the undocumented, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastor Raul Hidalgo said while mingling with victims and volunteers on the church gymnasium's parquet floor. For many of them, the church was the safest place to seek relief after Harvey devastated Houston and left thousands of immigrants fearful of turning to the government for help amid fears they would get deported. Places of worship and private charities in Texas and Florida are playing a pivotal role in the recovery effort from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma because so many storm victims are immigrants in the country illegally and therefore ineligible for federal disaster aid. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is hosting workshops for immigrants to explain FEMA eligibility and answer other questions. They are doing charity giveaways like the one at Hidalgo's church. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration consultants: Shortly after arriving in Canada, each of the representative plaintiffs learned that there was no job for them at Mac's, Justice Arne Silverman wrote in his reasons for certifying the suit, according to CBC. A disturbing case' Under Canada's temporary foreign worker program, immigration consultants are not permitted to charge fees for job placement and any recruitment costs must be paid by the employer. The four workers named in the suit allege they paid as much as 8,500 each in illegal fees to Surrey-based immigration consultant firms to obtain jobs as temporary foreign workers in Western Canada, according to court documents. The workers allege that as many as 450 people mainly from Nepal and the Philippines had similar experiences when they were recruited by consultants in Dubai. Carmela Allevato is one of the lawyers representing the workers. This is a disturbing case of how low income workers spent their life savings to try to find a better life in Canada through a job at Mac's Convenience Stores but instead found they had lost their money and most had no employment, lawyer Carmela Allevato said in a news release. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lawn i: As the signs started popping up on lawns across the city, de Groot who grew up in an immigrant family and recently moved to Winnipeg after spending nine years in Haiti is hopeful the gesture will help Winnipeggers embrace diversity and make newcomers to the city feel a little more welcome, according to CBC. If you put the signs on your lawn I think it opens up the possibility for a conversation with somebody who is maybe more scared or maybe who doesn't know about the ... challenges that people have in the countries that they're leaving and the benefits that there are for Canadians when we have a multicultural society, said de Groot. Esther de Groot is selling lawn signs with the words No matter where you are from, we're glad you're our neighbour printed in three different languages as a fundraiser. I just think if we didn't have this diversity, this would be a very different and a very boring place. The idea has since spread around the world, according to the website where de Groot was able to download her own version of the signs to print off here in Winnipeg. Signs started in U.S., since spread around the world The idea for the signs came out of a church in Harrisonburg, Va., which set up the signs in August 2015 to share a positive message in the midst of a national dialogue they felt was negative about immigrants. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

los angeles: Moises Rodriguez, a 28-year-old disc jockey from Mexico, said he agrees with the message and supports Trump's tough stance on illegal immigration, according to Toronto Star. Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump However, 21-year-old college student Kevin Alvarado, who is from Nicaragua, said the remarks don't mesh with Trump's previous comments on immigration. Some of the 4,000 people at a ceremony in Los Angeles embraced the message of unity, while others said the words felt insincere coming from the man who has ordered a travel ban and cast Mexican immigrants in a negative light. Article Continued Below Such messages are a key part of naturalization ceremonies. In the message, Trump welcomes citizens and tells them they should teach American values to others and help newcomers assimilate to our way of life. react-empty 158 Our history is now your history. Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush also produced video messages for use during the events. react-text 148 In a Los Angeles ceremony on Wednesday new American citizens heard a newly recorded message from U.S. President Donald Trump welcoming them to the country and urging them to help others assimilate to help keep the country safe, strong and free. /react-text Jae C. Hong / AP The tone and message of Trump's talk were highly anticipated given his aggressive stance on immigration that has included travel bans from Muslim-majority countries, ending a program shielding nearly 800,000 young immigrants from deportation, and comments referring to Mexican immigrants as rapists. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mary birdsell: Because of the intersections of the different areas of law and the way that children's rights issues might be understood, or more specifically not understood, we want to make sure that they recognize those intricate ways that those child right issues are woven through the case, even if they're not front and centre, Mary Birdsell, executive director of JFCY told The Chronicle Herald, according to The Chronicle Herald. That's why we are interested in this case. Though Abdoul Kadir Abdi now 23 and the father of a little girl was an adult in 2014 when he committed an assault that landed him a five-and-a-half year federal prison sentence, the circumstances surrounding the case prompted lawyers from Justice for Children and Youth to get involved. Abdi was only six years old when he fled Somalia with his sister and two aunts after most of his family, including his parents, had been killed in the ongoing conflict that has torn the country apart for decades. In 2014 he plead guilty to aggravated assault as well as assaulting a police officer with a car, theft of a motor vehicle, and dangerous driving. He arrived in Nova Scotia as a child refugee, sponsored by Sydney River United Church, in August 2000 and received permanent resident status but never became a Canadian citizen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.