montr al: I totally believed my statement, and it worked out perfectly fine for me, according to Rabble. I was accepted for a Master's program in Finance at the d' cole des Hautes tudes Commerciales de Montr al now HEC Montr al . While all of my professors spoke and lectured in French, most of our readings were done in English. At that time, I was applying for graduate business school, and I remember I kept including this line in my applications Quebec gives me the opportunity to have an excellent French education in a North American context. I was one of the very few racialized students in the program, let alone a Muslim woman with a headscarf. At that time, there was not a social debate about la la cit very little discussion about religious symbols, and nothing at all about the Charter of Values nor the niqab. There was always a malaise the first time I would show up in class among other students with my headscarf, but that would somehow dissipate as soon as I spoke French. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

people: More than 1,000 attendees were at the show, held across the street from the Adelanto Detention Center, the largest in the state, according to Metro News. You think a detention centre is a place where people are being fed and taken care of, but these people are only getting one meal a day, which is often like a sandwich, Miguel, who was raised in Los Angeles, said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. That's why he decided to headline a free Schools NotPrisons concert in California to bring more awareness to the issue last month. They sleep on the floor. The treatment is crazy, he added. The children that are being held there are sleeping under one blanket. ... The food they are serving isn't edible because it's been spoiled or there are maggots in the food. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

population plan: They also help find business opportunities for them, particularly in rural parts of the province, according to CBC. Province searching for 'rural immigration agents'Sonny Gallant asks Islanders to champion rural immigration strategy Here are the province's 12 immigration agents that will help steer government's population plan for Prince Edward Island 10347345 Canada Inc. as Abegweit Immigration Aim 4 Inc. The agents are businesses that help find potential newcomers who want to move to the Island. Bether Capital PEI Inc. Confederation Capital PEI Ltd Cox & PalmerKC Immigration Services Inc. Can-nection Immigrant Business Investments Ltd. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rohingya villages: CTV News' Daniele Hamamdjian has been touring with the newly-appointed envoy and told CTV News Channel that he spent much of the day in meetings where he was given information about the challenges facing Bangladesh as it tries to cope with the swelling refugee population, according to CTV. Since violence erupted in Rohingya villages in Myanmar's Rakhine state in late August, more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have sought safety in Bangladesh. Bob Rae, the former Ontario premier and interim leader of the federal Liberal party, met with officials in the city of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh on Friday to learn more about the refugee crisis. Myanmar's security forces conducted brutal raids on Rohingya villages in what they call clearance operations in retaliation for what they describe as attacks by Muslim insurgents. Rae will be visiting Bangladesh and Myanmar with a small team, which includes Canada's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Benoit Prefontaine, to gain a better understanding of both sides of the conflict. The United Nations has labelled the state-led violence as ethnic cleansing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

soad ali: It's so nice, they are all so kind to us, said Ali, according to CTV. She is from Cairo, and has been living at Le Pont for the past month with her two young daughters, as have several other families. The church on Lacordaire St. in the east end has been housing asylum seekers such as Soad Ali and her family for several weeks. They are waiting for refugee claims to be processed, and as they wait the church's staff, volunteers, and the claimants mingle. We are all together, eat together, said Ali. We cook to each other, no one alone. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

amy lam: For Amy Lam and Jon McCurley of artist duo Life of a Craphead, the matter-of-factly titled performance art piece King Edward VII Equestrian Statue Floating Down The Don is meant to inspire questions, according to NOW Magazine. The project took on greater resonance when Charlottesville happened, says Lam, referring to the Unite The Right rally in Virginia in August that left 19 injured and one dead. Depending on where you stand on the debate over whether cities should retain or remove contentious public monuments, the sight of a King Edward VII statue floating down the Don River might strike you as either celebratory or controversial. The violence erupted over the removal of a statue of Confederate soldier Robert E. Lee. There will be staff around the trail providing context, but I think even people who don't have an idea of the stories and history can discover it for themselves. Because of those events, a lot of questions we're getting surround the conversation over the removal of statues, adds Lam, noting that the performance isn't just about the public monuments debate but highlights the hidden history of the Don. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jesse dougherty: Amazon spokesperson Allison Reader says plans for the second office have been in the works for quite some time and are independent of the city's bid, according to Vancouver Courier. Amazon goes where the tech talent goes. Whether that augurs well for Vancouver's bid to host Amazon's HQ2 is a matter of intense speculation.article continues below Trending Storiesrelated Sales clerks, warehouse packers among jobs headed for scrap heap I have absolutely no idea about HQ2 but I'm as excited as everyone to find out, Jesse Dougherty, a general manager of Amazon's web services and site manager of Amazon's current Vancouver headquarters, said to the press following Friday morning's announcement. Vancouver is one of those places, she said, citing fabulous education resources and tech workers. What drives us is the availability of awesome talent, said Dougherty, a UBC grad who grew up on the Sunshine Coast and, after moving away for his career, has fulfilled his dream of being able to work in the tech industry close to home. It's about wanting to go where the talent is rather than make the tech talent come to us. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

appeal thursday: That's despite a massive push by the agency to find more resettlement spaces for the estimated 1.2 million people it believes will need new homes next year at a time when finding those spots is becoming harder and harder, according to The Chronicle Herald. The UNHCR's Filippo Grandi made a passionate appeal Thursday to the UN Security Council a body on which Canada is hoping to gain a seat in four year's time for more action and advocacy in the face of multiplying crises around the world displacing tens of millions of people. But it might be half-hearted applause while the federal government is set to increase the number of privately sponsored refugees, the number they'll take via the UN remains the same. Many refugee-hosting states, particularly those neighbouring conflict zones, keep their borders open and generously host thousands sometimes millions of refugees, Grandi said. The United States, which for years has been the largest recipient of UN-referred refugees, appears poised to more than halve its intake in 2018, going from a cap of 110,000 planned admissions in 2017 to just 45,000 in 2018. But certain states often those least impacted by refugee flows, and often wealthy ones have closed borders, restricting access to asylum and deterring entry. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bangladesh: Much of the area used to be forested but the trees have been cut to make way for the shelters, so the occasional rampaging wild elephant tramples through, according to Toronto Star. That's how Michael Dunford describes what's become of Bangladesh's lush, southeastern countryside since late August when 600,000 traumatized Rohingya Muslims fled Burma in what's been described by many including Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland as ethnic cleansing. More than two-thirds are women and children, many of whom were victims of sexual violence or some continuing form of exploitation. They've swelled the ranks of fleeing Rohingya in Bangladesh to 900,000. The former Ontario premier and ex-interim Liberal leader arrived Wednesday in the South Asian region as Burma's fleeing Muslim population continues to seek refuge in Bangladesh, already one of the world's poorest countries. Read more What can Bob Rae do to help solve Burma's Rohingya crisis Walkom Article Continued Below Trudeau names former Ontario premier Bob Rae as special envoy to Burma That's just some of the scene that awaits Bob Rae, Canada's newly appointed special envoy to the Rohingya refugee crisis. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian provinces: That means 10,000 more newcomers will be allowed into the country in 2018 compared with this year, according to CBC. The numbers will rise to 330,000 in 2019 and 340,000 in 2020, the government has said. Canada has set a goal to accept nearly 1 million immigrants over the next three years, with 60 per cent of those newcomers coming in as economics migrants, in order to offset a shrinking workforce due to an aging population. We're not in a panic about this because we know it's gradual, Lee Yuen, who is the CEO of the Centre for Newcomers, told the Calgary Eyeopener on Thursday. Government of Canada Alberta brings in the third most immigrants of all Canadian provinces, she said, and is expected to rise to second place in the coming years. And we're getting the information ahead of time, unlike with the Syrian influx coming in where we had very little time to prepare and we really needed to figure out what we were going to do in a new way. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

chinese immigrants: Council also voted to adopt other recommendations of a report that detailed the historic wrongs, according to Metro News. Those recommendations include applying for UNESCO World Heritage status for Chinatown and making the report accessible to the general public and to public school students. The apology is planned for April 2018 and will be delivered in Toishanese, a dialect spoken by the early Chinese immigrants to Vancouver, which has mostly fallen out of use but will be used as an homage to their struggles. Speakers told council of the discrimination their parents and grandparents faced. Jennifer Gauthier/For Metro Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown. They also expressed concern about the future of Chinatown, an area that has seen soaring land values, the loss of many stores that sold traditional Chinese food and other products, and fewer shoppers as more recent immigrants from China opt to shop elsewhere. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

crisis group: The question of how the democratic institutions and relatively open society of this leading East African nation will respond is a bellwether for the continent, where democracy evolves in some places and authoritarianism takes root in others, according to Toronto Star. This is not just about Kenya, said Murithi Mutiga, a Nairobi-based senior analyst for the International Crisis Group. The girls scrambled to safety in a scene that captured the anguish of a flawed democracy facing protracted pressures unless Kenya's rival camps can somehow accommodate. It's about the idea of moving toward greater and greater political competition and freedom and against those that say, Let's privilege economic development and forget political liberalism for now.' Read more Kenya Supreme Court nixed election result after commission refused to allow investigation, judges say Kenya election commissioner resigns, says new vote cannot be fair Article Continued Below President Uhuru Kenyatta wins re-run election in Kenya Kenya is in a lull after a bruising election cycle in which an Aug. 8 vote was nullified by the Supreme Court because of flaws, and an Oct. 26 repeat vote was boycotted by opposition leader Raila Odinga. While most of the country of 45 million was calm, some areas were hit by ethnic tensions, violent protests, sporadic arson and looting and deadly police gunfire during clashes. President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner both times. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration detainees: The woman is the 10th person to die in immigration detention in the last five years and at least the sixteenth since 2000, according to Toronto Star. Immigration detainees are not criminally charged, but are detained on an indefinite basis, either because they have been deemed a danger to the public, are unlikely to show up for their deportation or because their identity is in doubt. The agency, which has the power to arrest and jail non-citizens, would not disclose the woman's identity, country of origin or her cause of death, as per its usual protocol. The average length of detention last year was 19.5 days, but there is no limit to how long someone can stay in detention and some cases drag on for months or years. An immigration detainee's detention is reviewed every 30 days by the quasi-judicial Immigration and Refugee Board, but where the person is detained is at the sole discretion of CBSA officers and is not subject to any oversight. Article Continued Below In Ontario, immigration detainees are held either at the Immigration Holding Centre, a minimum-security facility in Etobicoke exclusive to immigration detainees, or in maximum-security provincial jails, where they are treated as sentenced criminals and those awaiting trial are. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration lawyer: School board candidates Jerry Shi and Falguni Patel are featured on the campaign mailers with deport stamps on their pictures, according to Metro News. The ads are in violation of state election law, because they do not identify who paid for them. Edison Township residents received the anonymous mailers Wednesday, NJ101.5FM reported . The mailers evoke the campaign slogan of President Donald Trump while claiming Chinese and Indian residents are taking over the town. Patel, a Democratic committeewoman and immigration lawyer, said she's disgusted by the pamphlets. To see the word 'deport' on my picture ... really it's just outrageous. I was born and raised in New Jersey, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

israeli lobby: The CJN story examines a documentary entitled Quebec4Palestine, where Khadir offers his thoughts about his experiences as an MNA in dealing with the issue of Israel-Palestine, according to Rabble. The CJN quotes him as stating in the film that The dynamics of politics is completely controlled when it comes to the Palestinian issue...by the Israeli lobby and that ...there was a direct link to some lobby that was authorizing or not authorizing Quebec politicians' support of this. The organizations' positions were recently given a platform in the Canadian Jewish News CJN . Independent Jewish Voices Canada IJV has looked into the CJN story and the statements made there by B'nai Brith and CIJA. What follows is our response. The CJN then quotes Khadir as saying Unfortunately, as we know, money talks a lot in politics... In that case, the pro-Israeli -- the pro-extremist politics of Israel -- lobby is very strong. CIJA accused Khadir of believing that Jews control the worldwide media and economy, as well as global politics. B'nai Brith accused Khadir of promoting antisemitic tropes, stating that Khadir believes Jews or Zionists control the political system. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

obama administration: Those immigrants, known by supporters as Dreamers, are in limbo after Trump announced he was ending temporary deportation protections granted by the Obama administration and giving Congress until March to come up with a fix, according to Metro News. Democrats have indicated they want to use a year-end spending bill to force action on Dreamers. Instead, they said, a solution would likely wait until next year for some 800,000 immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children. Their votes will likely be needed to pass spending legislation to keep the government running, so the Trump-GOP stance may not end up prevailing. Tom Cotton of Arkansas after exiting the meeting with Trump. No immigration bill on the omnibus or any other must-pass piece of legislation in 2017, said GOP Sen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

p.e.i .,: P.E.I. deficit for 2016-17 closes at 1.3MMore immigrants coming to Atlantic Canada, but retention rates low report Those 177 immigrants represent roughly two-thirds of program participants who were eligible to have their deposits refunded in 2016-17, according to CBC. We're trying to grow our population ... It's working in ways. Among the 177 immigrants in the business-impact category of the PNP, who had their deposit money withheld, the province says the vast majority did not open a business on P.E.I., even though that was a key component of their agreement with the province. Can it be improved Of course it can be improved. - Heath Mac Donald, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism However, Economic Development and Tourism Minister Heath Mac Donald said even though the nominees didn't open businesses, most were still living on P.E.I. one year after arrival. So we're seeing, even though they're coming here with the intention to set up a business, they're actually staying. In that regard, he said the program is working. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

question period: She was talking about Liberal MP Adam Vaughan Spadina -- Fort York, Ont. whom she accused of confronting her on the bus Wednesday over something she had said during question period earlier that day, according to CTV. The Conservative MP had shouted something out of turn during an exchange on Canada joining the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a moment of heckling that prompted the Speaker to remind her she should not be yelling when she does not have the floor. He stopped and hovered over me, began to wave his hand in my face, chastise me and intimidated me, Wong, the MP for Richmond Centre, B.C., said Thursday in the House of Commons as she rose on a point of order. So, that was the topic of conversation, but Wong, 69, said in an interview that Vaughan behaved in such a way that when she got off the bus, she said to everyone around her This is a form of elder abuse! She said she is always up for a debate, but believed this was something else. She accused Vaughan of sexism and ageism. I am not afraid of doing that, but intimidating me in that bus, I don't think this is the proper way of behaviour as a member of Parliament, said Wong. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

question period: She was talking about Liberal MP Adam Vaughan Spadina Fort York, Ont. whom she accused of confronting her on the bus Wednesday over something she had said during question period earlier that day, according to The Chronicle Herald. The Conservative MP had shouted something out of turn during an exchange on Canada joining the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a moment of heckling that prompted the Speaker to remind her she should not be yelling when she does not have the floor. He stopped and hovered over me, began to wave his hand in my face, chastise me and intimidated me, Wong, the MP for Richmond Centre, B.C., said Thursday in the House of Commons as she rose on a point of order. So, that was the topic of conversation, but Wong, 69, said in an interview that Vaughan behaved in such a way that when she got off the bus, she said to everyone around her This is a form of elder abuse! She said she is always up for a debate, but believed this was something else. She accused Vaughan of sexism and ageism. I am not afraid of doing that, but intimidating me in that bus, I don't think this is the proper way of behaviour as a member of Parliament, said Wong. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee advocates: That's despite the refugee agency's repeated call for nations to take in more of the 1.2 million people it has identified as being in need of resettlement next year, according to CTV. Canada's plan was met with disappointment by refugee advocates who accuse the Liberals of seeking to privatize the country's commitments to refugees. But the plan released this week by the federal government proposes no increase in the number of refugees Canada will accept through the UN in 2018. The number of privately sponsored refugees is set to increase, but advocacy groups also point out there is a massive backlog of cases in that program. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen has pledged to clear that over the next two years, saying the government likes the private program because it both saves them money and has better integration outcomes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

suu kyi: Suu Kyi arrived in the state capital, Sittwe, in the morning and headed to restive northern Rakhine where many Rohingya villages were located, according to CTV. During a 2015 election campaign, she visited southern Rakhine, where there hasn't been much conflict. Her visit to Rakhine state comes as Suu Kyi is under intense international scrutiny for her response to the exodus, which the U.N. has called ethnic cleansing, and as her government said it is working on a plan to repatriate those who fled to Bangladesh. The state counsellor just arrived but she is heading to Maungdaw, northern Rakhine, with the state officials, said Tin Maung Swe, a deputy director of the Rakhine government, using Suu Kyi's official title. More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since Aug. 25, when security forces in Buddhist-majority Myanmar began what they called clearance operations in response to deadly attacks on police outposts by insurgents. Government spokesman Zaw Htay would not release Suu Kyi's plans for the trip until later because of security concerns. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

systems stack: Under a merit-based system, would-be immigrants are awarded points for different skills and things like education and languages spoken, according to CBC. Trump turned his attention to immigration after U.S. security officials confirmed the 29-year-old accused of killing eight people in Manhattan yesterday immigrated from Uzbekistan under something called the Diversity Visa Lottery Program. It's not the first time the president has touted the potential of moving to a merit-based system like the one used in Canada. We are fighting hard for Merit Based immigration, no more Democrat Lottery Systems. NOT ACCEPTABLE! Want to know more about how the Canadian and U.S. systems compare Check out reporter Matt Kwong's exploration of how the two systems stack up. 50,000 green cards are awarded in the annual State Dept lottery. We must get MUCH tougher and smarter . foxandfriends real Donald Trump But the visa lottery program isn't the only immigration program drawing the president's ire he also wants to put a stop to the chain migration program, which allows people with family connections to come to the U.S. Trump wants immigration clampdown after NYC attack, blames Democrats Canada to admit nearly 1 million immigrants over next 3 years In a tweet on Wednesday, Trump decried chain migration, saying it must end now! Some people come in, and they bring their whole family with them, who can be truly evil. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

staff recommendation: Adriane Carr, who sits on a council that includes Chinese councillors Raymond Louie and Kerry Jang, according to Vancouver Courier. The apology will be delivered in a Chinese dialect spoken by early Chinese residents and in English, and displayed on a large screen at a yet-to-be determined location. In a unanimous vote Wednesday, the 2017 version of city council approved a staff recommendation to host a large-scale event in April that will acknowledge the racist policies of city leaders in power between 1886 and 1947.article continues below Trending Stories Never-before-seen video of driving through Vancouver 50 years ago Greater Vancouver home prices to drop 21 per cent by 2019 analysis Task Force struck to plan for the end of MSP premiums Vancouver man caught for prohibited driving for fifth timerelated Decision delayed on Chinatown condo development You can never become a better society a better place, a better city unless you acknowledge what have been your errors, and what have been the wrongs, said Green Party Coun. Mayor Gregor Robertson will likely read the English version, but it's unclear who will read the Chinese apology, although the mayor has spoken a few phrases in Chinese at various city events. Cynthia Kent keeps a letter from a Vancouver city clerk that denied her father's request in 1946 to be added to the voters' list. Council's vote Wednesday came after listening to speakers from the Chinese community share their experiences and those of their deceased family members in what was an emotional afternoon at city hall. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tight-knit syria: Expand Tight-Knit Syria Who's involved in this project Dana Kandalaft founder Genevieve Dauphinee co-director Alexandra den Hond marketing and research assistant and Adam Kruger supply chain and logistics . What are your goals for this project Tight-Knit Syria is a Toronto-based not-for-profit organization working to rebuild the lives of Syrian refugee women in the Middle East by expanding on their existing skillsets in knitting, embroidery and sewing, according to NOW Magazine. We currently work with two collectives of 25 women in northern Syria and Lebanon. See all of our profiles here. By giving North American consumers access to their beautiful handmade pieces, we not only create a tangible connection but also an emotional one. We learn to work flexibly around the circumstances. What is the biggest challenge you're facing Because we work with extremely marginalized communities in the world, it comes with some unique challenges. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

address: The increases will bring immigration to Canada to nearly 1 per cent of the population a figure that many have cited as necessary for the Canadian economy to remain competitive as it confronts the realities of an aging workforce and declining birth rate, according to Metro News. Everyone has been of the opinion we need more workers, we need more skilled workers, we need more people to power our economy, address our real skills shortages, address our real labour market shortages and also address the regional nature of some of these requirements, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said Wednesday. The immigration plan released Wednesday will see immigration levels climb from 300,000 people a year this year to 310,000 in 2018 and 330,000 in 2019. So we've listened. Again, Hussen said, the change comes after listening to people who complained that the system doesn't work properly as it is currently structured. The switch to a longer term planning approach marks a major pivot for the federal government, which has for decades relied on setting annual targets each year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cent level: In 2017, Canada has a population of 36.5 million people and will welcome an estimated 300,000 newcomers, according to Toronto Star. Of those, roughly 58 per cent or 172,500 of newcomers are expected to come under the economic class, 28 per cent or 84,000 through family reunification and the rest, some 15 per cent or 43,500, as refugees or on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. The plan will bring the country's yearly immigration level to 0.9 per cent of the population, up slightly from its current 0.8 per cent level, in order to offset the economic effects of an aging population and low birth rate. However, the 2020 target still falls far short of the 450,000 level recommended by the federal government's own economic advisory council as the Liberals carefully manage the often sensitive and divisive immigration file. The economic class immigrants include federal high-skill workers and those brought in by provinces based on local labour market needs. Article Continued Below Under its 2018 immigration plan, the government will phase in the increase over three years by raising the intake initially to 310,000 next year and 330,000 in 2019 before reaching the 340,000 target in 2020. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.