voter fatigue: The Liberals have been in power since 2003, aside from a brief PQ minority government between 2012 and 2014, and their major fear is voter fatigue with their brand, according to National Observer. Jean-Francois Lisee's PQ, currently in third place in the polls, is struggling to get attention and has positioned itself as the big-government mainstream choice in a province already known for its public-spending largesse. With the Oct. 1 election now six months away, Francois Legault's nationalist Coalition Avenir Quebec is riding high in public opinion polls. ; Recent surveys have suggested the Coalition would have formed a minority government or obtained a slim majority if the election had been held when they were conducted. Taking current polling at face value can be misleading, however, because the Liberals' spring budget has proven popular, the PQ cannot be entirely counted out, and recent events have indicated the Coalition is vulnerable with its strong nationalist rhetoric. We did exactly what we said we were going to do, Couillard said recently about his party's 2014 campaign promises. Philippe Couillard's Liberals have entered spring on a high note after tabling a fourth consecutive balanced budget one that cuts business taxes and aims to aggressively pay down the province's high debt. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

basilica: Peter's Basilica to a packed square of some 80,000 faithful below, according to The Chronicle Herald. The pontiff said the message of the resurrection offers hope in a world marked by so many acts of injustice and violence, including parts of Africa affected by hunger, endemic conflicts and terrorism. Francis reflected on the power of Christianity's core belief that Jesus rose from the dead following crucifixion in his formal Urbi et Orbi Easter message delivered from the balcony of St. It bears fruits of hope and dignity where there are deprivation and exclusion, hunger and unemployment; where there are migrants and refugees, so often rejected by today's culture of waste, and victims of the drug trade, human trafficking and contemporary forms of slavery, the pope said. The pope also urged reconciliation in Israel, a place experiencing in these days the wounds of ongoing conflict that do not spare the defenceless. Francis called for a swift end to the seven years of carnage in Syria, demanding that aid be delivered to the war-torn country's needy and calling for fitting conditions for the returned and the displaced. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bulls: Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles appeared to have Sutter's shot covered, but the redirection off Colman's shoulder put Robles out of position, according to Metro News. Colman was credited with the goal. Scott Sutter's shot deflected off Josue Colman for the go-ahead goal in the 86th minute, sending Orlando City past the New York Red Bulls 4-3 Saturday for its first victory this season. Dom Dwyer had two goals for Orlando City 1-2-1 . His first was a header that made it 2-2 in the 26th minute. Aaron Long pulled the Red Bulls 2-2-0 even in the 82nd minute with a short header to finish Marc Rzatkowski's free kick.GALAXY 4, LAFC 3CARSON, Calif. His second was a low hard blast off a throw-in that put his team up 3-2 in the 48th minute. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

data-sharing agreement: In letters recently made public, politicians sparred with immigration officials over a data-sharing agreement quietly signed in 2016 that gives the government access to personal information collected by the country's family doctors, according to Metro News. Medical details are excluded.A parliamentary health committee condemned the situation as unacceptable, calling for the agreement to be suspended. Doctors who work with refugees and asylum-seekers have described the move as a major breach of medical ethics, saying it isn't up to physicians to enforce immigration rules. But Britain's immigration department has dismissed those concerns, arguing that such data sharing allows the U.K. to remove people who might pose a danger to the public. We understand the government has a job to do, but going into health records to get patient information is not OK, said Lucy Jones, director of programs at Doctors of the World U.K. The idea that any patient information is being shared with a government body immediately breaks their trust in a doctor-patient relationship. Medical workers back the health committee's viewpoint. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

grant visas: The State Department has ended an Obama-era program to grant visas to foreign entrepreneurs who want to start companies in the United States, according to CTV. It is more aggressively scrutinizing visas to skilled workers from other countries. In the meantime, his administration is busy making it harder, not easier, for skilled migrants to come work in the United States. And it is contemplating ending a provision that allows spouses of those skilled workers to be employed in the U.S. The administration and its backers contend it's trying to fix flaws in the existing, employer-centric skilled immigration system while advocating for a complete overhaul of America's immigration system. They're rolling back some of the extralegal measures that other administrations have taken. The stuff that they're actually doing is not so much restricting skilled immigration as enforcing the law, said Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports reducing immigration. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mexican authorities: Trump also criticized Mexican authorities as being too lax about border security, saying the U.S.-Mexico border was getting more dangerous, according to Toronto Star. He threatened to stop the North American Free Trade Agreement if Mexico does not stop the big drug and people flows. U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that there would be no deal to legalize the status of millions of dreamers, undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, stating that the U.S. border with Mexico was getting more dangerous and directing congressional Republicans to pass tough new anti-immigration legislation. In fiery Sunday morning tweets, sent an hour after he wished Americans a HAPPY EASTER and minutes before he attended a church service here, Trump vowed, NO MORE DACA DEAL. As he walked into an Episcopal service at the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea with wife Melania and daughter Tiffany, Trump elaborated on his position on immigration to the traveling pool of reporters. Article Continued Below A lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA, Trump said. He accused congressional Democrats of stymieing a potential deal to protect dreamers, after Trump canceled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program last fall. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

richmond home: At the outset I want to make it clear that I accept Mr, according to Vancouver Courier. Steve's apology as sincere and believe that he will reflect more closely in future public statements.I have believed for a long time that Richmond is uniquely positioned to represent the Canada we are all so proud of. Steve's remarks as a learning opportunity. The ethnic and cultural mix in Richmond is unmatched in Canada. In short, Richmond represents the world and for the most part people have lived in harmony. Those calling Richmond home include the decendents of the first Europeans to settle here, a vibrant South Asian population, people from all over China, Japan and the Philippines. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

voter fatigue: The Liberals have been in power since 2003, aside from a brief PQ minority government between 2012 and 2014, and their major fear is voter fatigue with their brand, according to Vancouver Courier. Jean-Francois Lisee's PQ, currently in third place in the polls, is struggling to get attention and has positioned itself as the big-government mainstream choice in a province already known for its public-spending largesse. With the Oct. 1 election now six months away, Francois Legault's nationalist Coalition Avenir Quebec is riding high in public opinion polls.article continues below Trending Stories Downtown Vancouver to Seattle flights imminent Thirty people too violent for Vancouver detox Suspect on the loose after teen robbed in West Vancouver drug deal Yet another mortar turns up on the North Shore Recent surveys have suggested the Coalition would have formed a minority government or obtained a slim majority if the election had been held when they were conducted. Taking current polling at face value can be misleading, however, because the Liberals' spring budget has proven popular, the PQ cannot be entirely counted out, and recent events have indicated the Coalition is vulnerable with its strong nationalist rhetoric. We did exactly what we said we were going to do, Couillard said recently about his party's 2014 campaign promises. Philippe Couillard's Liberals have entered spring on a high note after tabling a fourth consecutive balanced budget one that cuts business taxes and aims to aggressively pay down the province's high debt. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

department: Lawyers for the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for sheltering children who illegally enter the country unaccompanied by a parent, have said the department has a policy of refusing to facilitate abortions, according to Metro News. And the director of the office that oversees the shelters has said he believes teens in his agency's care have no constitutional right to abortion. The order covers pregnant minors being held in federal custody after entering the country illegally. The American Civil Liberties Union brought a lawsuit on behalf of the minors, which the judge overseeing the case also Friday allowed to go forward as a class action lawsuit. The government can appeal the judge's order. We have been able to secure justice for these young pregnant women in government custody who will no longer be subject to the government's policy of coercion and obstruction while the case continues, said ACLU attorney Brigitte Amiri after the judge's order became public. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

crime gangs: It says he arrived in the country on a tourist visa on Feb. 24, according to Metro News. Saturday's statement says Villani was involved in illicit activities, but gives no details. The Morelos state prosecutor's office says in a statement that the body of 37-year-old Alberto Villani was found March 20 in the municipality of Tlaltizapan. Morelos is one of the states plagued by organized crime gangs. Three other Italian citizens disappeared in the north-central state of Jalisco in January and have not yet been found. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gratton: The lack of information has been unsettling for Gratton, who says the fog around his wife's final moments has left him with an open wound, according to Toronto Star. I just want answers, you know he said. None of the authorities involved not the jail, not the coroner and not the Canada Border Services Agency, which was holding his wife as an immigration detainee has told him how the woman with whom he had shared his life for more than 30 years came to be found in medical distress in her cell and pronounced dead shortly thereafter. I'm just trying to figure out what happened. Article Continued Below Teresa Michelle Gratton died Oct. 30 while being indefinitely detained in a maximum-security jail by the Canada Border Services Agency. Teresa Michelle Gratton, a 50-year-old grandmother, died Oct. 30 at the maximum-security Vanier Centre for Women, where she was being indefinitely detained not because she was criminally charged or sentenced, but because Canada's border police, the CBSA, wanted to deport her, and they believed she would not show up for her immigration hearing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mls game: The superstar Swedish forward scored twice in his first MLS game to cap the Los Angeles Galaxy's comeback from three goals down to beat LAFC 4-3 on Saturday, according to Metro News. I gave them Zlatan, Ibrahimovic said. Zlatan Ibrahimovic couldn't have scripted his Hollywood debut any better. Ibrahimovic won it in the opening seconds of stoppage time with a header off a cross by Ashley Cole to send a sold-out Stub Hub Center into hysterics. Ibrahimovic's first goal in America was more audacious, scoring on a 40-yard kick when he caught LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller off his line to tie the score 3-3 in the 77th minute. After that, I was like, 'Just stop the game now.' I don't want to feel any more adrenaline, Ibrahimovic said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

officer: Despite the claim, an immigration officer, identified by the court only as B. Au, concluded Nagarasa had provided insufficient evidence that his life would be at risk and that it would safe for him to return, according to Toronto Star. In the new Federal Court ruling, Justice Shirzad S. Ahmed described the immigration officer's approach as overzealous and unreasonable. The case involves GTA man Suresh Nagarasa, who claims he was tortured by Sri Lankan authorities on two occasions, a statement that is backed up by letters from a Sri Lankan legislator and justice of the peace. The immigration officer's decision is replete with findings of insufficient evidence,' wrote Ahmed. Ahmed rejected the immigration officer's decision and sent the case back to be reconsidered. Article Continued Below The officer's overzealous approach to scrutinizing the letters for hearsay, dates, and other allegedly missing details comes dangerously close to imposing an impossible standard that would effectively require letters from persons who were physically present during the alleged mistreatment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

border closure: Fourteen of the marchers were killed and more than 750 wounded by Israeli fire in clashes along the border fence, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, according to Metro News. Another Palestinian was killed earlier Friday. It was the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 cross-border war between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military said thousands of Palestinians threw stones and rolled burning tires toward troops deployed on the other side of the border fence. The large turnout of the flag-waving marchers in the dangerous border zone was a testament to Hamas' organizing skills, but it also signalled desperation among Gaza residents after a decade-old border closure. It accused militants of trying to carry out attacks under the cover of mass protests, saying that in one incident, Palestinian gunmen fired toward soldiers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

downtown building: He said he was inspired by speakers at a rally at the downtown building on Monday and decided to write a song with his father, Bill, and community leader Lynn Jones to support the janitors, according to The Chronicle Herald. This is an issue I can lend my voice to and sing, Plaskett said in an interview. Nova Scotia singer-songwriter Joel Plaskett performed at a rally outside the Founders Square office building Thursday, capping a week of pickets protesting the treatment of the black cleaners. We're just trying to make some noise and make the world a more equitable and fair place. They accused the building's property manager, Armour Group, and an incoming contractor, Deep Down Cleaning Services, of racial discrimination. The janitors announced plans to file a complaint with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission last week. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

kenyan: Earlier this year he stood beside opposition leader Ralia Odinga during a mock inauguration to protest President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election, according to CTV. Miguna later was deported to Canada but a Kenyan court ordered authorities to allow him back into the country. A Kenyan court on Thursday fined top officials including the interior minister and national police chief for failing to appear in court to explain the treatment of Miguna Miguna, who was targeted amid lingering election tensions. His attempt to return this week ended up with him detained in an airport toilet for more than a day. Miguna says he holds Kenyan and Canadian citizenship but authorities have disputed his Kenyan status. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

japanese journalists: The nickname belied the cell's brutality, according to The Chronicle Herald. In 2014 and 2015, it held more than 20 Western hostages in Syria and tortured many of them. The men, along with two other British jihadis, allegedly made up the IS cell nicknamed The Beatles by surviving captives because of their English accents. It beheaded seven American, British and Japanese journalists and aid workers and a group of Syrian soldiers, boasting of the butchery in videos released to the world. They complained that they could disappear after Britain reportedly revoked their citizenship. Speaking to The Associated Press at a Kurdish security centre, the two men, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Amon Kotey, repeatedly refused to address allegations they were part of the cell clearly having a future trial in mind. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

google instagram: The new proposal would vastly expand that requirement to cover some 14 million people each year who apply for non-immigrant visas, according to Toronto Star. The proposal covers about 20 social media platforms. Last September, the Trump administration announced that applicants for immigrant visas would be asked for social-media data, a proposal that would affect about 710,000 people each year. Most of them are based in the United States Facebook, Flickr, Google Instagram, Linked In, Myspace, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter, Vine and You Tube. Share your thoughts Read more Article Continued Below Trump to end program protecting Liberians from deportation Trump is privately pressing for the military not Mexico to pay for his border wall California sues Trump administration over citizenship question in 2020 census During his campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump promised extreme vetting of people seeking to enter the United States, and last March, the State Department directed consular officers around the world to step up scrutiny of visa applicants. react-empty 148 But the new proposal would add a tangible new requirement for millions of people who apply to visit the United States for work or pleasure, including citizens of such countries as Brazil, China, India and Mexico. But several are based overseas the Chinese sites Douban, QQ, Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo and Youku; the Russian social network VK; Twoo, which was created in Belgium; and Ask.fm, a question-and-answer platform based in Latvia. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

isis cell: The men were allegedly among four British jihadis who made up the ISIS cell nicknamed The Beatles by surviving captives because of their English accents, according to CTV. The cell held more than 20 Western hostages in Syria and became known for its brutality, torturing its captives and beheading several American, British and Japanese journalists and aid workers and Syrian soldiers in 2014 and 2015. One of them said the killings of captives was a mistake and could have been avoided. The two men, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Amon Kotey, spoke to The Associated Press from at a detention centre in northern Syria in their first interview with the media. They called the allegations that they belonged to the Beatles cell and were involved in kidnappings and killings propaganda -- but they refused to address specifics. They were captured in early January in eastern Syria by the Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces amid the collapse of ISIS. They spoke openly of their membership in the Islamic State group but refused to say what their role was. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

limbo right: The inexplicable delay has them facing an uncertain future and questioning whether they are being discriminated against, according to CTV. Mojtaba Eslami has lived in Canada with his wife for four years. According to participants in the movement, there are at least 200 Iranians currently awaiting word on their application and their wait times have been considerably longer than those of applicants from other countries. The couple, who reside in Calgary, applied for permanent residency 16 months ago and, to date, have not received an update regarding their status. Aside from the mental stress and uncertainty associated with it, we cannot make any long-term decisions. We are living in limbo right now, said Eslami. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

naturalization ceremony: Lawyers for Hector Barajas said the government informed them Thursday their client should attend a naturalization ceremony on April 13 in San Diego, according to Metro News. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services confirmed the decision. Jerry Brown's pardon of a criminal offence last year. Barajas, 40, is founder and director of Deported Veterans Support House, which provides housing and other services in Tijuana, Mexico. He also plans to find a job and go to school in Los Angeles, while supporting his 11-year-old daughter and her mother. He said Thursday that he believes his advocacy contributed to his victory and that he planned to commute to Tijuana from the Los Angeles area for at least a year to continue his work. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

opposition fighters: Even as millions of South Sudanese flee their country in what the United Nations has called the world's fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Rwandan genocide, hundreds of thousands of people from Sudan's South Kordofan region have found a haven there, according to Metro News. Their presence brings concerns that their improvised camps are a hiding place for militants, and aid workers say they find it increasingly hard to do their jobs. After fighting broke out in neighbouring Sudan between the government and opposition fighters in the Nuba Mountains in 2011 and Osma's cousin and nephew were killed, the 24-year-old escaped with her daughters, 2 and 6 years old, to the world's youngest nation. The Associated Press visited one such camp of more than 50,000 people that South Sudan's government ordered closed almost two years ago. We believe Yida is proactively being used as a base or as a rest and relaxation location for fighters, said Veton Orana, head of the United Nations refugee agency's office in South Sudan's northern town of Jamjang. It continues to thrive, and officials worry that the rainy season that begins in May will bring more of the militants who have been fighting for more regional autonomy from Sudan's government. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

swat: Yousafzai is expected to return to London on Monday, according to Toronto Star. Activist Adnan Tabassum, also from Swat, met with Yousafzai on Thursday in Islamabad. Security was visibly beefed up in Mingora, the Nobel Peace Prize winner's hometown, but authorities wouldn't confirm whether she would be arriving there. She said Yousafzai told her that she wanted to travel to Swat to see her former school friends and relatives. Malala is not afraid of going to Swat, where the terrorists opened fire on her in 2012 and wounded her. Read more Back home in Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai says she'll continue to fight for girls' education Article Continued Below According to Tabassum, 20-year-old Yousafzai asked authorities to allow her to go to Shangla village in Swat, where a school has been built by her Malala Fund. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tax-related problem: The B.C. government has made its first major move in the battle for housing affordability in Metro Vancouver and beyond by promising to raise the foreign-buyers tax to 20 per cent and institute a range of taxes to quell property speculation, according to Rabble. Now it looks as if the B.C. NDP is preparing to take on a more thorny challenge to confront the housing crisis. However NDP Attorney General David Eby is starting to do something about this. It's a tax-related problem that Liberal MLA Mike DeJong promised to address three years ago when he was finance minister, but never did. The challenge is the so-called bare-trust loophole, which wealthy individuals, both offshore and domestic, have long used to disguise their identities when buying and selling residential property in B.C. That way, they could avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes. The repercussions could be significant for increasing housing affordability. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

visa office: He was subsequently exonerated of the Mafia association charge by an Italian court, according to Toronto Star. In late 2016, after an assessment of the case, then immigration minister John McCallum issued instructions to the visa office in Rome to grant Figliomeni an authorization to return to Canada and a temporary resident permit to reunite with his Canadian wife and two children in Vaughan. At the centre of the fight is Carlo Figliomeni, 50, who was convicted of weapons possession in Italy in 1989 and of having ties to the Mafia a few years later. Read more I was starting to lose my mind,' former mobster tells cocaine trafficking trial Article Continued Below Court hears details of mob killings in secret recordings However, two months after Ahmed Hussen took over the Immigration Department in 2017 when McCallum was appointed the ambassador to China, the offer was rescinded. Sorbara, who represents Vaughan-Woodbridge, has been assisting the family and wrote to Hussen in support of Figliomeni's reunification with his family. react-empty 157 I fully believe that the family's and most predominantly, the children's well-being should be of paramount concern and as such reunification should be completed promptly, wrote Sorbara, who declined to be interviewed. The family's MP Francesco Sorbara, a Liberal, along with two former Liberal MPs, John Nunziata and Jim Karygiannis, are lobbying the Trudeau government to let Figliomeni back into the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asian people: On March 1, Steves tweeted about an open house on proposed modular housing for homeless people.article continues below Trending Stories Matthew Good collapses at concert but plans to continue tourU2 From 175 to 1,585 in 13 minutes Bill Clinton finds himself in Vancouver on June 29Whistler Blackcomb heli-guide dies in avalancherelated Richmond councillor's tweet accused of suggesting ethnicity-based divisions Man kicks librarian in stomach at homeless housing meeting Richmond council puts off decision on ALR home sizes It read, 500 Asian people go to a Public Information meeting, according to Vancouver Courier. The librarian gets Karate Kicked by an opponent to housing for homeless people. Harold Steves has apologized for a tweet that has created a bit of a backlash. South Asian landowners are campaigning for 10,764 sq ft houses in the ALR. Is this multiculturalism What on earth is happening to RichmondBC The tweet got more than 100 likes and nearly 100 retweets. I apologize for being hasty in doing that, Steves said at last Monday's council meeting. Steves apologized for retweeting information from an initial eyewitness account, associating the kicker with the people attending the meeting on housing an account later refuted by police. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.