association president: The Association of Canadian Studies has now asked the question two years in a row to explore the issue of racism to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which the United Nations degreed in 1966 should fall every year on March 21, the anniversary of a deadly crackdown on an anti-apartheid rally in South Africa in 1960, according to National Observer. Respondents to the survey were evenly split last year as well, said association president Jack Jedwab. Asked whether all Canadians should share responsibility for past wrongs like the residential school system, respondents taking part in the online web panel were almost evenly divided, with 48.5 per cent saying they either somewhat or strongly agreed with the premise. ; Newcomers and children of immigrants who were part of the survey were more likely to see reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples as a collective issue for the country to address, perhaps as the result of an emphasis on Indigenous history in Canada's citizenship guide. We'll have to see improvement in the contemporary condition of Aboriginal Peoples for those numbers to change, he said. That's not an illogical connection to make. Very often when people recognize historic injustices, they'll transfer what they see today to what has occurred prior. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

harvey keitel: Rating NNSpanish cinema and fashion icon Rossy de Palma is seen far too infrequently on big screens in this country, much less in an English-language, romantic leading role, according to NOW Magazine. In writer/director Amanda Sthers's Madame, de Palma plays against her statuesque glamazon image as Maria, a timid but efficient Mallorcan housekeeper employed by bickering Americans-in-Paris Anne and Bob Fredericks Toni Collette and Harvey Keitel . The wealthy couple is planning a dinner party for 12, but when Bob's floppy-haired English son Tom Hughes shows up, superstitious Anne the madame of the title coaxes Maria into posing as a guest to ensure even numbers. Opens Friday March 23 . See listing. During an extended and predictable dinner party scene, anxious Maria downs copious amounts of red wine and tells dick jokes that charm the table and capture the heart of Irish art dealer David Michael Smiley . It's a paper-thin set-up designed less as an entr e into comedy or romance than a belaboured social commentary that name-checks words like Brexit but has no real interest in grappling with them. Her anger is compounded by her bland sex life and a threat of financial ruin. Though the shrill Anne calls herself a life-long Democrat, she is unapologetically racist Nobody invites Filipinos to a dinner party, she explains when Maria suggests another maid should pose as a party guest and becomes outright hostile when her hard-working immigrant housekeeper upends a long-entrenched power dynamic. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

opening speaker: I don't think it's overly dramatic to say the future of Atlantic Canada is at stake, he told the crowd of business leaders and academics, according to National Observer. But McKenna, who said he has been talking about the demographic shift in the region since 1995, is more optimistic now that a solution will be found than at any time in the last 25 years. Frank McKenna was the opening speaker at a day-long summit being held by the Public Policy Forum in Fredericton. ; McKenna, now deputy chairman of the TD Bank Group, said the region has finally woken up to the plight of having both an aging population and an exodus of young people in search of employment. All of our provinces have population secretariats and extraordinarily capable people are staffing these population secretariats. And the recently signed Atlantic Immigration Pilot is a huge step in the right direction, he said. ACOA has put its shoulder to the wheel and its resources to the wheel. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

address criticism: Made up of 15 people from diverse backgrounds, the group will focus on everything from racial profiling to socio-economic issues and employment, according to CBC. Myrna Lashley, a professor in McGill's department of psychiatry and a researcher at Montreal's Lady Davis Institute, acknowledged the group has a wide mandate but said she believes the members can handle it. The roundtable was assembled, in part, to address criticism of the Projet Montr al administration for its lack of diversity while about one-third of Montrealers are visible minorities, all the Projet candidates elected are white. CBC's Daybreak spoke to Lashley and May Chiu, an anti-racism activist, lawyer and member of the Progressive Chinese of Quebec, about the task force Tuesday. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. They shared their expectations, what issues they want to tackle first and whether they believe they'll be able to spark change. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration laws: In many cases they are very bad actors, according to Metro News. We have gang members, we have predators, rapists, killers a lot of bad people, he said. He accused cities that fail to co-operate with immigration authorities of putting the nation at risk by releasing thousands of criminal aliens who should be deported. Trump's latest immigration salvos came as negotiators on Capitol Hill tried to hash out a government-wide spending bill that appears increasingly unlikely to include big money for the president's promised border wall. And earlier this month, the Justice Department sued California to try to overturn three of its immigration laws. Trump and his Justice Department have stepped up their pressure campaign against jurisdictions that resist federal immigration laws, threatening to deny them federal grant money. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

consultation meeting: Despite this, the recent provincial budget committed only 4 million to model such a program, most likely a top-up to our abysmal welfare rates and low-wages, according to Vancouver Observer. A top-up will provide only minimal relief to those in poverty and be a boon to low-wage employers who can continue to keep wages low. At a recent consultation meeting in Richmond, I heard from the coordinators that implementing an income guarantee has so far been the number one poverty reduction recommendation made by the public at the consultations. The group I belong to, Livable Income Vancouver, believes that instead we need implementation of a Guaranteed Livable Income GLI an income guarantee that is universal, unconditional, individual, and set at rate that meets the cost of living. These include movements to end violence against women, for racial justice, against poverty, and for health and wellbeing. Livable Income Vancouver is calling on both our provincial and federal governments to implement a GLI that will promote the greatest autonomy, security, wellbeing and equality for all in B.C. Livable Income Vancouver is a group of individuals who have been active in movements for greater equality and freedom in Vancouver for many years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

city: He was being held in the jail in Platte County, Missouri, about 25 miles 40 kilometres north of Kansas City, and did not attend the hearing, according to Metro News. The ruling does not keep Jamal from being deported, and The Kansas City Star reported that his attorney, Rehka Sharma-Crawford, acknowledged that he faces difficulties in staying in the U.S. But she said she was thankful for the judge's ruling. A federal judge on Tuesday freed a Kansas father fighting efforts by the U.S. to deport him to Bangladesh pending the outcome of his case.U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark ordered the release of Syed Ahmed Jamal, 55, after a hearing in Kansas City, Missouri. Jamal and his supporters have been battling his deportation since Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him in January at his family's home in Lawrence, about 40 miles west 64 kilometres of Kansas City. I made a promise to those kids to bring their dad home, Sharma-Crawford said.ICE spokesman Shawn Neudauer said in an email that the agency is complying with the judge's order but Jamal still faces a deportation order issued by an immigration judge. His three children are U.S. citizens. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration judge: She told Morales Luna at a hearing at a detention centre that her case would be sent to a U.S. immigration judge in downtown San Diego and warned her she could be arrested again if she did not make her court appearances, according to The Chronicle Herald. Video shows the mother of three being pulled away from her anguished daughters who are U.S. citizens earlier this month by Border Patrol agents. Judge Zsa Zsa Depaolo said Perla Morales Luna, 36, was not a danger to society or a flight risk and should be released to her family. Viewers hear uncontrollable crying as she is being driven away. She has been charged only with being in the country illegally. The government said Morales Luna was involved in human trafficking, which she has denied. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jordan peterson: The group's co-founder and president is Lindsay Shepherd, according to CBC. She made headlines last fall after she was sanctioned by a professor for showing a video that included Jordan Peterson, a University of Toronto psychology professor, who has argued against using gender-neutral pronouns in a class for which she was a teaching assistant. Goldy is giving a talk on keeping Canada's borders closed to immigration as part of a speaker series being put on by a new campus group, Laurier Society for Open Inquiry. 13 people named to Wilfrid Laurier freedom of expression task force No formal complaint triggered Wilfrid Laurier teaching assistant's censure Her talk is entitled, Ethnocide Multiculturalism and European Canadian Identity and is part of the group's new Unpopular Opinion Speaker Series. Goldy's talk was initially meant to be a debate on immigration, with Goldy arguing for the closed border side. The fight over free speech at universities comes down to the question of the purpose of higher-ed Goldy did not immediately respond to CBC's request for an interview. But Shepherd said no one would agree to debate Goldy, with one person saying to do so would legitimize Goldy's views. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

terrorists: Rather, there is constant conflict as a plethora of militias, armed separatists, criminal gangs and terrorist groups fight it out, according to Toronto Star. The French are waging war against terrorists in the north of the country. There is no peace to be kept in the West African country. The Americans aided by a small number of Canadian military trainers are waging war against terrorists in neighbouring Niger. The central government holds sway only in the south. Communal violence between different ethnic groups in central Mali has intensified. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nova scotia: The report is prepared by the Public Policy Forum, an Ottawa-based think tank with ties to business and government, according to CTV. It says increasing immigration won't work for Atlantic Canada unless people choose to stay. The report entitled The People Imperative will be released Wednesday at a one-day summit on immigration and revitalization, being held in Fredericton. Right now the region has the lowest immigration retention rates in the country. No province outside Atlantic Canada has a retention rate below 80 per cent. Nova Scotia has a five-year immigrant retention rate between 2011-2015 of 72 per cent, while Newfoundland and Labrador is at 56 per cent, New Brunswick is at 52 per cent, and P.E.I. is at just 18 per cent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

retention rate: Nova Scotia has a five-year immigrant retention rate of 72 per cent, while Newfoundland and Labrador is at 56 per cent, New Brunswick is at 52 per cent, and P.E.I. is at just 18 per cent, according to CTV. No province outside Atlantic Canada has a retention rate below 80 per cent for the 2011 to 2015 time period. The report entitled The People Imperative will be released Wednesday at a one-day summit on immigration and revitalization, being held in Fredericton. Frank McKenna, former premier and Canadian ambassador to the United States, says a time bomb is going off in that Atlantic Canada's population is not just declining, but it's aging as well. The summit kicks off a three-year research project on Atlantic revitalization. He says more must be done to attract and retain immigrants, and that includes providing more services such as language training, and getting more employers involved. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

survey participants: A report on the survey, available on the RPS website, says the survey succeeded at a goal of increasing the percentage of respondents who are Indigenous, according to CBC. Regina's population is 9.4 per cent Indigenous, while 10.5 per cent of survey participants identified themselves as Indigenous, the report says. The survey, titled Community Perceptions of the Regina Police Service, 2017, was designed by two University of Regina researchers Nick Jones and Rick Ruddell and conducted by Prairie Research Associates. 73 per cent of the 456 people who took the survey ranked the quality of service provided by RPS as very good or excellent.81 per cent said they thought the RPS operates with integrity and honesty.91 per cent said they had confidence calling 911.76 per cent said RPS is sensitive to the needs of their ethnic group. Drug amnesty a response to 'crisis' situation, but not planned for Regina, says chief Regina police wraps external probe of fatal shooting by RCMP in North Battleford Overall satisfaction in RPS was lower for Indigenous residents than it was for people of other demographics. Indigenous respondents had a significantly lower agreement rate on these statements. Respondents' trust and confidence in police was tested by asking them whether they agreed with five statements, such as The RPS is sensitive to the needs of my ethnic group, and Officers understand the issues that affect my community. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

venezuelan circles: In dozens of interviews over four days, many said they had not had more than one meal a day for the last year, according to CTV. Some wore baggy clothes, had emaciated faces and complained of medical issues ranging from children with measles to diabetics with no insulin. Many arrive weak from hunger and with no money for a hotel, food or the 9 bus ride to Boa Vista, the capital of the Brazilian state of Roraima, known in Venezuelan circles as a place that offers three meals a day. Kritce Montero tried to shush 6-month-old Hector, who cried from hunger even after breast-feeding while his family and several hundred other Venezuelans waited to be processed at the border. After spending the night sleeping on the ground in Pacaraima, a dusty border town in the Amazon, they took another bus 130 miles 210 kilometres to Boa Vista. Montero, who said she lost 57 pounds 26 kilograms the last year from eating just one meal a day, travelled with Hector and her 7-year-old daughter 18 hours by bus from Maturin, a city in northeast Venezuela. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

film: The journey in the film's title is his, according to Vancouver Courier. The film follows him as he travels across the United States in search of the music that encapsulates not only America's history but also the way the country's geography shaped and bended the music in ways not possible anywhere else. As this feel-good portrait of American music prepares to hit its last notes, there's a glorious aerial scene of the Statue of Liberty, a proud and boastful symbol of a country that has not only welcomed immigrants, but prospered because of them.article continues below Trending Stories John Coupar joins field of three NPA mayoral hopefuls Found mortar triggers larger search at North Vancouver rifle range Will Wai Young scuttle the NPA's mission to win back city hall Greater Vancouver home prices to drop 21 per cent by 2019 analysis That scene fades into a concert by Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Aloe Blacc. Blacc is the California-born son of Panamanian immigrants. In this political environment, the Statue of Liberty is nothing but a kitschy tourist attraction. The closing shot before the credits is of him performing live in front of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Washington, right now, is consumed by tweets about walls that keep people out and legislation that sends young dreamers packing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

court decision: For civic-minded expats whose voting rights have expired under the challenged law, the Supreme Court hearing is the final act in a protracted legal drama that has kept their right to participate in the franchise in limbo, according to CBC. Full disclosure the Canadian American Bar Association, of which I am president, is an intervener in the case. The appeal takes aim at legislation enacted in 1993 but loosely implemented until the Harper government began a campaign of rigid enforcement that deprives most Canadian expats of their ability to vote after they have resided outside of Canada for more than five years. A supposedly 'severed' connection In 2015, a two-judge majority of the Ontario Court of Appeal reversed a lower court decision striking down the law. The Trudeau government is expected to defend the law as a valid exercise of its policy-making discretion, but also to repeat earlier promises to repeal it. It deemed the restriction justified because long-term expats had severed their connection with Canada in pursuit of their livelihoods and opted out of the social contract. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

border wall: Democrats say for that amount, DACA recipients and people who might qualify for the program must get more a chance at citizenship.DACA lets immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children stay temporarily and get jobs, according to Metro News. Trump halted the program last fall. President Donald Trump and top congressional Democrats remain shy of an agreement to put language into a government spending bill to protect many young immigrants from deportation.A White House official and a Senate Democratic aide say the White House has offered a two-and-a-half-year extension of President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. In exchange, the White House wants 25 billion for Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico and other security measures. The aides spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose private talks. President Donald Trump has told two Republican senators that he supports adding proposals to a huge spending bill that would provide billions in federal subsidies to insurers to help curb health care premium increases. Jill Colvin 2 40 p.m. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

court: Immigration law says that if noncitizens commit a crime for which they can be deported, the government should take them into custody for potential removal when they're released from prison or jail, according to Metro News. A person detained immediately can be held indefinitely. The Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider the issue. The government argues the same is true if the person is released and then later detained for possible removal. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that noncitizens not promptly detained must be given the opportunity to be released on bond. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

daca-protected immigrants: About 20,000 young immigrants in Arizona are protected from deportation under a 2012 program started by the Obama administration, according to Metro News. The Trump administration is trying to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but has been blocked by federal courts. The justices did not comment Monday in leaving in place an appeals' court decision in favour of the immigrants who sought licenses. The high court recently turned down an administration request to take on the DACA controversy. Then-Gov. Arizona sought to prevent DACA-protected immigrants from getting licenses. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

draft law: This has led some groups to fear it could be used to restrict their work in Burma, according to Toronto Star. The proposed law comes at a time of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms under Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her government, as they struggle to deal with the fallout of military operations that have sent nearly 700,000 Rohingya fleeing over the border to Bangladesh since August. The Draft Law on International Non-Governmental Organizations contains a vague definition of the groups it would regulate, proposes monitoring of aid groups' work by Myanmar staff and provides the affected organizations with few safeguards against the government suspending their work. The stated purpose of the law allows government to suppress activities they do not favour and undermines the efforts in advancing democracy and human rights, according to a February presentation reviewed by The Post from the INGO Forum, a coalition of dozens of aid groups operating in Burma, which is also known as Myanmar. It was unclear whether the law would move past the commission or what provisions the final version would include. Representatives from international aid groups and diplomats are lobbying members of the parliamentary committee reviewing the draft to change the wording or to have it withdrawn. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

executive director: MCOS has been hosting and partaking in events all month to highlight International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, but next week they will collaborate with organizations such as the Saskatchewan Orchestral Association, Regina Symphony and Summer Stage for various events, according to CBC. The aim is to challenge racism and inspire conversation through the arts. The collaborations are focused around the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is March 21. Rhonda Rosenberg, executive director of the Multiculteral Council of Saskatchewan, says the arts are a creative and powerful way to address racism. These are issues that have been around with us in humanity for a very long time. Rob Kruk/Radio-Canada I actually think that working through the arts is a really powerful and important way of dealing with social issues, said Rhonda Rosenberg, executive director of the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

opening: And the celebration in Windsor marks a difficult anniversary in Syria, according to CBC. The first day of the Syrian revolution started on March 18, 2011, said Musaab Almasalmeh, president of the Syrian Community Center of Windsor. The Syrian Community Center of Windsor SCCW welcomed a few hundred people to its grand opening Sunday at the Caboto Club. We're here because of that event. Jason Viau/CBC A soft opening of the non-profit charity organization was held in January at the centre's location at 1214 Ottawa St. A few hundred people gather to celebrate the opening of the new Syrian Community Center of Windsor. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sex-education professionals: All manner of objections have been raised to it from its age-inappropriateness, and its surprising inclusions gender and omissions internet pornography to its use of private partnering agencies unaccountable to the public, and its dismissal of cultural sensitivities in a multicultural society, according to Toronto Star. The larger point is that sex education cannot be effective without the consent of parents, because sex that will bring people to flourish is intimately related to marriage and the family. It should be repealed and replaced with an effective one. It seems to be a point that sex-education professionals throughout the West are hell-bent on ignoring. And a particularly unfortunate feature of this ideology is that it blames families, even while victimizing them. The failure to desire parental consent isn't only a failure of policy; it is an expression of the ideology of selfish individualism. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

toronto couple: Soberano is suffering from renal failure and needs to get on the kidney transplant wait list as soon as possible, according to Toronto Star. The Toronto couple has applied for permanent resident status on humanitarian and compassionate grounds and has been waiting almost four years for a decision. The Mexican migrant says time is running out for her husband, Sergio Soberano Osorio, however. Without permanent residency, Soberano is not eligible to get on the transplant list even though his wife's sister is willing to donate one of her kidneys if she's a match. Hussen has said the current policy must change. The irony is that the processing of their case has been delayed because officials are waiting for the changes to the policy to be finalized, according to an email to the couple's lawyer from the office of their MP who happens to be Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

affordability indicator: Will Wai Young scuttle the NPA's mission to win back city hall related Affordable housing worries as huge Coquitlam development moves ahead Speculation tax should be eliminated' in current form, says NanaimoA recently released annual report commissioned by the board is touting the affordability of its real estate in 2017 compared with the Lower Mainland and Greater Victoria presumably with the hope of attracting newcomers to its communities, according to Vancouver Courier. An affordability indicator, calculated by the report authors as a percentage of typical local household income spent on typical local housing costs such as mortgage payments, utilities and taxes reveals the huge disparity between the northern B.C. cities and the two major southern metropolises. The catch You'll have to move to a smaller, northern community such as 100-Mile House, Smithers or Williams Lake, where such properties are still highly affordable.article continues below Trending Stories Billionaire returns to former high school in Vancouver Killarney Serving with pride at Fire Hall No. 5Testing, testing Emergency alert system drill is Mar. 21 at 1 55 p.m. The housing affordability indicator demonstrates the difference between B.C. Northern communities and Vancouver and Victoria real estate. According to the report, the average price of a single-family home sold in northern B.C. in 2017 was about 290,000, while the average Vancouver detached house was more than 1,500,000. Source B.C. Northern Real Estate Board The report stated, In 2017, the Housing Affordability Indicator for Northern British Columbia was 28.9 per cent compared to 115.7 per cent for Vancouver. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bob rae: Of the up to 8.15 million in new aid money, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and the World Food Program will each be given 1.5 million with the rest going mainly to other non-governmental organizations, the government says, according to National Observer. The funding comes in response to recommendations from Bob Rae, who was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last October as Canada's special envoy to Myanmar. International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says aid organizations are already overwhelmed by the massive influx of Muslim-minority refugees from neighbouring Myanmar. ; But there are fears the situation will worsen as the region's rainy season approaches. Prior to Friday's announcement, Canada had already committed more than 37.5 million in humanitarian assistance for the region. Calling the situation 'extremely disturbing, Bibeau said Canada's contribution will help improve sanitary services to protect lives and prevent the spread of disease. It is estimated that more than 671,000 Rohingya refugees mostly women and children have fled to Bangladesh since last August to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.