citizenship canada: While a rapid impact evaluation the population was conducted by the government for the first wave of arrivals, the auditor general went digging over the longer term, looking to see whether Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada was both providing the services newcomers needed and tracking what happened next, according to National Observer. This audit is important because the Syrian refugee initiative will succeed in the long term only if the people it brought to Canada integrate into Canadian society, the report said. We were concerned about the department's inability to track whether the Syrian refugees had access to basic provincial services, such as health care and education especially considering that part of the department's objective was to help Syrian refugees benefit from Canada's social, medical, and economic systems, the auditor general's report said. While the federal government did have a plan to track outcomes, it either didn't collect all the required data outright, or had trouble getting from the provinces and settlement organizations, the report said. Still, by March 2017, the auditor general concluded that more than 80 per cent of the new arrivals had their needs assessed, and 75 per cent of those who received language assessments did attend language classes. So what happened, for example, was that Syrians in some parts of the country faced lengthy wait times for language classes because the government wasn't keeping an eye on those wait lists and in turn ensuring funds were being allocated where they were needed most. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

world war: Rating NNNIn Trace, Jeff Ho weaves an intricate and harrowing account of his family's immigration journey between two places, Hong Kong and Toronto, according to NOW Magazine. Combining his animated acting and virtuoso piano chops there are two pianos on either side of the stage Ho seamlessly integrates classical and show tunes into his complex story. See listing. The multi-generational, transnational, non-linear narrative includes many characters but focuses mostly on Ho's cigarette- and mah-jong-obsessed grandmother and her escape from China to then-British Hong Kong during the Second World War, and Ho's own experience arriving in Toronto as a child along with his mother's extreme efforts to secure a middle-class existence. Things become clearer as the narrative progresses, but a family tree primer in the program, or perhaps some onstage signaling of where/when a certain scene is taking place would go a long way. With Ho's fast-paced switching between characters, time and place it can be a bit hard to follow at the outset. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

childhood arrivals: While he knew the significance of the protection he received under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, he had one problem he didn't have the money to pay the 495 registration fee required to renew his participation in the program for two more years, according to Metro News. Park worked as a private tutor, and money was tight in the late spring and summer months when school was out. Nurimaro Park, 26, is one of about 800,000 people who had benefited from an Obama-era program that extended protections to immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children. He figured he could re- enrol at the end of the year the rules of the program allowed people to renew lapsed registrations as long as a full year hadn't passed. Those who were enrolled in the program would be eligible to file for one last two-year extension if their registration was close to expiring. In September, though, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump administration is phasing out the program. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

childhood development: The report says the child poverty rate in B.C. in 2015 was 18.3 per cent, representing 153,000 children, half of them living in Metro Vancouver, and that the overall rate is nearly a full percentage point above the national average, according to CTV. First Call's provincial co-ordinator Adrienne Montani says children from single-parent families experienced poverty at 48 per cent, more than four times the rate of kids with two parents. The grim reality of growing up poor is outlined in a report by First Call, which wants public policy initiatives including a commitment to early childhood development and economic equality to give kids a chance to succeed. The report says that in 2015, a single parent working full time for the whole year for minimum wage would have earned only 18,761. Families on welfare, the majority of whom have disabilities or other health conditions, struggle to meet their basic needs, and frequently have to rely on food banks and other charitable sources to feed and clothe their children. The statistics on the depth of poverty show poor children in B.C., including those living with parents working full-time or part-time, are being raised on median annual incomes more than 10,000 below the poverty lines for their respective family sizes, the report says. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

family friend: Steinle was walking with her father and a family friend on a sunny day in July 2015 when she was shot, collapsing into her father's arms, according to The Chronicle Herald. Garcia Zarate had been released from the San Francisco jail about three months before the shooting, despite a request by federal immigration authorities to detain him for deportation. The jury of six men and six women will consider dueling arguments that Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was either a hapless homeless man who killed Kate Steinle in a freak accident or a calculated murderer intent on playing a sick game. He had been deported five times before. During the presidential race, then-candidate Donald Trump cited the killing as a reason to toughen U.S. immigration policies. Steinle's death put San Francisco and its sanctuary city policy in the spotlight, as Democrats and Republicans lashed out at city officials for refusing to co-operate with federal deportation efforts. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

home: Haitian-born Lys Isma has lived in the United States since she was nine months old, according to CTV. The University of Florida student told CTV News Channel on Tuesday from her home in Miami that she is not planning to leave. Others aren't so sure. I'm not going to pack up my things and go to a place that I don't know, she said, referring to Haiti. I'm going to find a way to stay here because my friends are here, my family is here, my school is here and this is my home, she said. Isma also doesn't plan on coming to Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

haiti community: This buys me time to figure out what's next, Jeune said Tuesday in Miami's Little Haiti community, standing next to her daughter Lagranda, according to Metro News. But at the same time, Jeune is upset that the government on Monday said she and nearly 60,000 Haitians must return home July 2019, ruling out any further extensions of the immigration benefits given to Haitians who came before and in the aftermath of the Caribbean country's 2010 earthquake. function set Cookie related path / ; Related Decision on Haitians' status in the U.S. has Canada on alert for asylum seekers Haitians fear wrenching end to US immigration protectionUN ending 13-year military peacekeeping mission in Haiti function set Cookie related path / ; Related Migrant flight to Canada has big impact on Miami's Little Haiti Montreal opens second shelter for asylum seekers arriving in Canada Canada is not a safe haven for asylum seekers, Trudeau warns I am very depressed to know that within 18 months, I have to go back, she said. I can breathe a little and get some rest. Having been in Miami since 2009, Jeune has not returned to Haiti but hears from her sister and other relatives back in her native Port-de-Paix that conditions have not improved for those whose lives were upended by the earthquake. Many of the dozens lined up to receive turkeys at the cultural centre ahead of Thanksgiving were confused over whether the program was in fact extended or ended and were hesitant to speak about immigration. In Little Haiti, the mood was of both relief and anger. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

haitians article: Haitians were placed on notice earlier this year, and, few months later, waves of people began crossing illegally into Canada from the U.S. to claim asylum, catching the Liberals off guard when the crowds began to number more than 200 people a day, according to Toronto Star. Read more Trump administration ending temporary residency permits for almost 60,000 Haitians Article Continued Below Peacekeeping myths and nostalgia die a quiet death under the Liberals Tim Harper react-text 151 Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale, shown in this Sept. 5 file photo, said Monday that the physical apparatus required for the RCMP and border guards to deal with an influx is in place, as are contingency plans for a variety of what if scenarios. /react-text BEN NELMS / THE CANADIAN PRESS UN to end peacekeeping mission in Haiti after 13 yearsA spokesperson for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said while Canada remains an open and welcoming country to people seeking refuge, anyone entering Canada must do so through the proper channels. react-empty 161 Entering irregularly is not a free ticket' into Canada, ' said Hursh Jaswal late Monday. The Homeland Security Department said late Monday that conditions in Haiti have improved significantly, so the benefit will be extended one last time until July 2019 to give Haitians time to prepare to return home. There are rigorous rules to be followed and the same robust assessment process applies. Those who are determined not to be in need of Canada's protection, are removed. Those who are determined to be genuinely at risk, are welcomed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

labour party: Trudeau, of course, is well known around here, according to Rabble. Instead, Lukacs reminded about 300 participants in the Edmonton-based Parkland Institute's 21st annual conference in a biting, often hilarious deconstruction of Prime Minister Trudeau's progressive neoliberalism at the University of Alberta Saturday morning, Corbyn saved his party, his career and possibly Britain when May's best-laid plan went spectacularly awry on June 8. Corbyn is the leader of Britain's Labour Party, the unrepentant socialist thoroughly reviled by the very finest people in British society and their right-wing echo chamber around the world, who was supposed to have been completely undone by Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May's brilliantly timed U.K. election just a year after the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom. The theme of the Parkland conference Collapse Neoliberalism in Crisis. For example, in a paean to Donald Trump published by the National Post Friday, former newspaper magnate Conrad Black, who in happier times gave up his Canadian citizenship to become a British Lord, mocked the Guardian as being on the verge of bankruptcy and reduced to a pitiful variation of crowd-funding. By way of background, the Guardian is the internationally respected British newspaper of liberal inclination that is despised by billionaires and 1-per-centers around the planet. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

month extension: Since the 2010 earthquake, the number of displaced people in Haiti has decreased by 97 per cent, the department said in a statement issued Monday evening, according to CTV. Haiti is able to safely receive traditional levels of returned citizens. The Homeland Security Department said conditions in Haiti have improved significantly, so the benefit will be extended one last time -- until July 2019 -- to give Haitians time to prepare to return home. Advocates and members of Congress from both parties had asked the Trump administration for an 18-month extension of the program, known as Temporary Protected Status. Rony Ponthieux, a 49-year-old Haitian nurse with temporary residency who has lived in Miami since 1999, told The Associated Press, This isn't over, this is time we get to fight for renewal, not to pack our bags. Haitian President Jovenel Moise's government also requested the extension. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pr application: The clause can kill a PR application, and would-be sponsorship, if a family member's medical condition might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services, according to Metro News. Human-rights lawyer Fay Faraday called it hypocritical, pointing out that medical inadmissibility affects many caregivers under the Temporary Foreign Worker program who themselves care for disabled Canadians. The excessive demand clause in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act bars people from permanent residency PR if they're expected to be a significant burden on the system. They're here providing the services to your family members with disabilities but are themselves being denied to bring their families here, she said. With the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration hearing submissions on the issue this week, advocates want the government to remove what they call disablist rules. We'll take their labour but we won't take their families. function set Cookie related path / ; Related They were denied entry into Canada despite having immigration applications approved Federal government immigration poll suggests hardening attitudesA look at the next three years of immigration to Canada, by the numbers The Caregivers Action Centre says 1,000 people and their families are affected by such clauses each year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

price tag: Ferguson said the government is lowballing both the three-year timeline and the 540 million price tag for a long-term, efficient solution, and called on the Treasury Board of Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada to track and publicly report on the plan, according to CBC. But despite the major problems, he said it would be wrong to scrap the Phoenix system now after seven years of development and implementation. In his fall slate of six audits, Auditor General Michael Ferguson finds that successive governments have failed to address the Phoenix payroll mess, leaving thousands of employees overpaid, underpaid or not paid at all. If they started all over again, it's hard to see how they would actually end up in a better situation, he said. Highlights from the fall 2017 auditor general report Canadians getting bad advice from the taxman auditor Auditor criticizes misconduct at military college Answers to 9 questions on Canada immigration The Phoenix system already cost 310 million to create and implement, which means the overall cost to build and fix the program is edging toward 1 billion. I think at this point, their only real option is to try and resolve the problem within the system as it exists right now. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

services newcomers: We were concerned about the department's inability to track whether the Syrian refugees had access to basic provincial services, such as health care and education especially considering that part of the department's objective was to help Syrian refugees benefit from Canada's social, medical, and economic systems, the auditor general's report said, according to Toronto Star. While a rapid impact evaluation the population was conducted by the government for the first wave of arrivals, the auditor general went digging over the longer term, looking to see whether Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada was both providing the services newcomers needed and tracking what happened next. Markers like how many kids are in school or how many Syrians are on income assistance weren't being measured between fall 2015 and the spring of this year, the period examined by the federal watchdog, raising questions about what happened to the population once they began to settle in Canada. This audit is important because the Syrian refugee initiative will succeed in the long term only if the people it brought to Canada integrate into Canadian society, the report said. Article Continued Below So what happened, for example, was that Syrians in some parts of the country faced lengthy wait times for language classes because the government wasn't keeping an eye on those wait lists and in turn ensuring funds were being allocated where they were needed most. react-text 151 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets newly-arrived Syrian refugees at Pearson International airport on Dec. 11, 2015. While the federal government did have a plan to track outcomes, it either didn't collect all the required data outright, or had trouble getting from the provinces and settlement organizations, the report said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

treasury board: Some 1,400 new or reallocated employees have been seconded to resolving Phoenix, in addition to 550 staff at the Miramichi Pay Centre, more than offsetting the savings Phoenix was supposed to produce by eliminating the need for 1,200 jobs, according to CBC. Auditors uncovered dismal service standards at the Canada Revenue Agency's nine call centres across the country, reporting that nearly a third of all callers were given incorrect information. Public Services and Procurement Canada and the Treasury Board failed to recognize early enough the depth and severity of the Phoenix problem, and failed to involve other departments in developing a timely plan to deal with the issue. '1100931139976', 'playlist Selector' 'container Selector' ' container64128515', 'ciid' 'caffeine14412360' ; Auditor General says Phoenix pay system here to stay2 21 As of June 2017, 18 months after Phoenix was first implemented, more than 150,000 public servants were waiting for a pay request to be processed, with the value of the outstanding errors at about 500 million. CBC Agents at the Canada Revenue Agency's call centre, meant to assist taxpayers with their tax questions, answered only 36 per cent of all incoming calls and provided incorrect answers to auditors nearly 30 per cent of the time. Each blocked caller made an average of three or four calls per week, often never getting through. The CRA blocked some 29 million of the 53.5 million incoming calls during the audit period, resulting in a busy signal or a message to try back later. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

yan peng: Immigration surge has newcomers' association seeking more resources Namaste World website shows life from an immigrant's perspective I'm painting the house in the winter, I like the snow, said Yan Peng from southern China, according to CBC. She adds some yellow to an image of an old Island house. They're taking the inaugural watercolour class for newcomers and on Wednesday afternoon they'll put on an art show. Like many in the class she hasn't studied painting before and she loves it. Karen Mair/CBC Julia Purcell, who is leading the class, says the idea came from her own experiences with people new to the Island. Manouchchr Alkhorshid right from Iran plans to continue painting. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

year hadn: Park worked as a private tutor, and money was tight in the late spring and summer months when school was out, according to Toronto Star. He figured he could re-enrol at the end of the year the rules of the program allowed people to renew lapsed registrations as long as a full year hadn't passed. While he knew the significance of the protection he received under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, he had one problem he didn't have the money to pay the 495 registration fee required to renew his participation in the program for two more years. Read more U.S. District Court Judge permanently blocks Trump's order to cut funding for sanctuary cities Article Continued Below High school and college DACA recipients march on Capitol Hill Immigration activists call out Pelosi over DACA deal with Trump We are not your bargaining chip'In September, though, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump administration is phasing out the program. I had planned to renew it but Trump did not give me enough notice, Park said at a news conference Tuesday. Those who were enrolled in the program would be eligible to file for one last two-year extension if their registration was close to expiring. react-empty 159 But those like Park, whose registration had lapsed, were barred from renewing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

employment initiative: Steven Hanuse has served as the liaison between the Vancouver Police Department and Musqueam First Nation, according to Vancouver Courier. He has established a good rapport between the two groups, which has led to a reduction in crime and a safer community. Eight British Columbians received the award this week, including four Vancouver residents. Rick Lavallee is an Aboriginal liaison officer in the VPD's diversity and aboriginal policing section. Vancouver police officer Desiree Sparrow is one of the few Indigenous officers representing the department in the Aboriginal Employment Initiative. He is dedicated to ensuring safety and a positive connection with members of the urban Indigenous population, working as a youth mentor and communicating the needs of the community to the department. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

majority members: The concerns are unjustified, according to National Observer. Women comprise the majority of Montreal residents and, for the very first time in the city's history, more women than men were elected to Montreal City Hall. It's fascinating that such hand-wringing rarely seems to take place when the majority members of a council or a panel are men. There was, therefore, no shortage of qualified elected officials for Mayor Plante to appoint to the committee. How half of the population can be cast as a special interest group baffles me. Despite those facts, some critics framed the balanced committee membership as tokenism and charged that Plante caved in to special interests. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

career college: Clarke is a trained early childhood educator who graduated in June from the private career college Nova Scotia College of Early Childhood Education in Halifax, according to CBC. Foreign students claim they were misled about chances of staying in Canada Private career college says work permit claim not 'deliberate attempt to deceive anyone' She attended the school as an international student from Jamaica, taking a two-year diploma program she believed would allow her to gain a work permit upon graduation. After being unable to legally work since October, she's trying to raise enough money to cover the rent on her Halifax apartment. I just have a love and a passion for working with kids. The trouble was, Clarke, like all of the other international students at private colleges like NSCECE, was actually not eligible for the post-graduate work permit even though in practice, federal immigration officials have been granting the permit to students like Clarke for several years. And so that's why I pretty much decided that for me to live and work here, this would be something I would want to pursue, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

carlos lee: Also among the newcomers to the 33-man ballot announced Monday are Jamie Moyer, Andruw Jones, Carlos Lee, Kevin Millwood, Carlos Zambrano and Johnny Damon, according to Metro News. Trevor Hoffman, who fell five votes short last year, leads holdovers that include Vladimir Guerrero, Edgar Martinez, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling. They are joined by Johan Santana and Chris Carpenter. Roy Halladay will not appear on the ballot for another year. A player who dies less than five full years after retiring is eligible in the next election six months following his death or at the end of the five-year wait after his retirement, whichever comes first. The retired pitcher died Nov. 7 at age 40 when a plane he was piloting crashed off Florida. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

federica mogherini: But her speech highlighted the views of many in Myanmar who see the Rohingya as illegal immigrants and blame the population for terrorist acts, according to Metro News. The Rohingya exodus is sure to be raised by the visitors at the meetings held Monday and Tuesday. Suu Kyi did not directly mention the refugee exodus in her speech to welcome European and Asian foreign ministers in Naypyitaw, the capital of Myanmar. Suu Kyi said conflicts around the world gave rise to new threats and emergencies, citing how illegal immigration spread terrorism and violent extremism, social disharmony and even the threat of nuclear war. 11 a.m. Federica Mogherini said work still was needed on implementing the recommendations. The European Union's top diplomat says she is encouraging Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's willingness to implement the recommendations of an expert panel on ensuring stability in troubled Rakhine state. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

meetings monday: But her speech highlighted the views of many in the country who see the Rohingya as illegal immigrants and accuse them of terrorist acts, according to The Chronicle Herald. The ongoing Rohingya exodus is sure to be raised by the visitors at the meetings Monday and Tuesday. Suu Kyi did not directly mention the refugee exodus in a speech to European and Asian foreign ministers in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw. Suu Kyi said the world is in a new period of instability as conflicts around the world give rise to new threats and emergencies, citing Illegal immigration's spread of terrorism and violent extremism, social disharmony and even the threat of nuclear war. Myanmar has been widely criticized for the military crackdown that has driven more than 620,000 Rohingya to flee Rakhine state into neighbouring Bangladesh. Conflicts take away peace from societies, leaving behind underdevelopment and poverty, pushing peoples and even countries away from one another. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nalan ciftci: October 29, 1923, is the date of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, she said, according to The Chronicle Herald. This particular day is a public holiday throughout Turkey, commemorating this proclamation. Nalan Ciftci, the president of the Turkish Society of Nova Scotia, was on hand to share remarks with the crowd. All Turks and people of Turkish decent around the world are celebrating this very important day with joy and pride. We are grateful to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his comrades in arms. Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Turkey, Ali Cinar, also shared in the celebration. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

purge homosexuals: The record of how LGBTQ2 Canadians were treated by their own government, and the human pain and cost that resulted because of that treatment, is egregious, according to Toronto Star. The We Demand an Apology Network, for one, has chronicled national security campaigns to purge homosexuals from Canada's public service, the RCMP and the military. That Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he will formally apologize in the House of Commons on Nov. 28 for Canada's history of persecution and injustices inflicted on sexual minorities can only be applauded. From the 1950s to the early 1990s, thousands of federal employees were fired simply because they were lesbian, gay or bisexual. For many, their careers, livelihoods, relationships and health were ruined. The RCMP had a database in the 1960s of some 9,000 expected gay men and lesbians working in the federal government. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee exodus: But her speech highlighted the views of many in the country who see the Rohingya as illegal immigrants and accuse them of terrorist acts, according to CBC. The ongoing Rohingya exodus is sure to be raised by the visitors at the meetings Monday and Tuesday. Suu Kyi did not directly mention the refugee exodus in a speech Monday to European and Asian foreign ministers in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw. Suu Kyi said the world is in a new period of instability as conflicts around the world give rise to new threats and emergencies, citing illegal immigration's spread of terrorism and violent extremism, social disharmony and even the threat of nuclear war. Did the UN ignore warnings of ethnic cleansing of Rohingya in Myanmar Canada's Special Envoy to Myanmar 'We have to try to engage Aung San Suu Kyi' Myanmar has been widely criticized for the military crackdown that has driven more than 620,000 Rohingya to flee Rakhine state into neighbouring Bangladesh. Conflicts take away peace from societies, leaving behind underdevelopment and poverty, pushing peoples and even countries away from one another. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rohingya muslim: She now lives in Surrey, B.C., but remains in constant contact with immediate family in her home country, according to CBC. On Thursday, Human Rights Watch accused the Myanmar military of using widespread rape as a systematic tool to attack Rohingya Muslims. Ullah, a Rohingya Muslim who left Myanmar at the age of three, lived in Thailand as a refugee before immigrating to Canada six years ago. Rohingya Muslims, a minority group in Buddhist majority Myanmar also known as Burma have been facing persecution for decades. The United Nations has described the situation as one of ethnic cleansing and says it is still determining whether the crisis is genocide. Since August 25, they have been flooding into neighbouring Bangladesh, creating a humanitarian crisis. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.