justin trudeau: I would also say that my colleague has a choice to make, according to CTV. Does he want Andrew Scheer to win or Justin Trudeau to win Rempel, the Conservative immigration critic, held a press conference Wednesday morning to suggest a range of changes she wants to see to the Canadian immigration system, and said she hopes it moves the debate past the polarizing language of the past few weeks. Max has never come to talk to me about immigration, Rempel said when asked whether his outspokenness is helpful. Half an hour before the press conference started, Bernier tweeted to criticize party leader Andrew Scheer, who distanced himself last week from Bernier's controversial tweets about multiculturalism. Bernier was criticized last week for a series of tweets on multiculturalism that included arguing more diversity will not be our strength, it will destroy what has made us such a great country. So, after disavowing me last week for raising the issue and telling me to shut up, my colleagues have just realized that this is something Canadians find important and want to hear about Great example of strong leadership! Bernier said on Twitter. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

misinforming canadians: Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen speaks at a Surrey Board of Trade event on Tuesday, according to Toronto Star. David P. Ball / Star Metro There are politicians out there who are keen to use immigration and anti-immigrant sentiment to get into power, he told Surrey Board of Trade members. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen lashed out during a speech in Surrey, B.C., accusing Opposition MPs of fomenting division among Canadians for political gain. And they're deliberately doing this by misinforming Canadians and by playing to their fears. Increasingly, I'm starting to feel that a portion of the Conservatives is about fear-mongering, pitting Canadians against newcomers, dividing communities and questioning the value of diversity. I'm old enough to remember when being Conservative meant being for balanced budgets, low taxes, being pro-business and pro-investment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

stretches credulity: But with such details as close as the nearest iPhone, suggesting otherwise stretches credulity, said Chris Mathers, a former RCMP officer and security consultant who was once part of the detail that protected the prime minister's official residence, according to CTV. There's no doubt that lady was a plant in there ... to try and embarrass the prime minister, because she's one of these fringy types, said Mathers, noting that PMO security officials routinely monitor intelligence for any potential threats or disturbances at public events. Nor were members of Conservative rival Andrew Scheer's staff willing to discuss Tuesday whether their leader was aware of the woman's background when he issued a statement late Monday deriding Trudeau's response as dodging a legitimate policy question. Given that she belonged to a social media group that openly discussed plans to attend last week's event, it is unlikely the prime minister's security detail or PMO officials were taken by surprise, he added. During a campaign-style rally Thursday southeast of Montreal, the woman shouted questions in French at Trudeau, asking him when the federal government would repay Quebec for costs it has incurred as a result of an influx of illegal immigrants coming over the Canada-U.S. border. If alerted to an organized effort to potentially cause a disruption, security officials would have informed the PMO anyway, Mathers said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

supremacy: These tweets were not the usual fair commentary offered by elected officials on matters of public policy, according to Rabble. No -- there was something a bit more frantic, even desperate about these tweets. According to Bernier, diversity will destroy the cultural identity of Canada, and worse, will result in cultural balkanization that leads to social conflict and even violence. These tweets sounded like the rantings of a wayward politician who, having failed in all of his political endeavours to date, couldn't think of any other way to get attention but to ride the populist white supremacy wave.A combination of deep-seated racism and white superiority, together with Trump-like fear-mongering seems to be the current populist recipe for manufacturing hate and division for the purpose of political gain. If we are to understand Bernier's Sunday night tweet rant better, we have to understand that Bernier is a failed politician. It also seems to reward the instigators with gratuitous attention on social media. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

time estimates: Canada's immigration department has changed the way it handles estimates for immigration applications in an attempt to provide a more accurate timeframe, according to Toronto Star. RICK MADONIK / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO Improving the service experience of IRCC Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada clients has been a significant point of focus for my department in recent years, said Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen. Instead of using time estimates from applications processed in the recent past, officials will now project processing times based on existing backlogs and annual admission targets. This update is an important one to ensure our immigration processing times are as accurate as possible. While historical processing times can be accurate for applications already in progress, they are a lagging indicator and are not always representative of the expected processing times for most new applications received today, said department spokesperson Beatrice Fenelon. According to the department, until August, all processing times posted of its website were historical and showed how long it took for 80 per cent of the applications in a particular immigration stream to be dealt with in the previous year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

individualism: Canada's leading public intellectual discusses the deepest challenges to pluralist belonging today. 2 pm. 10, according to NOW Magazine. Pre-register. Citizen resistance, as John Ralston Saul sees it, can be worn down by the politics of individualism and fear. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

plateau neighbourhood: The map is inherently discriminatory against some voters, says Montreal City Coun, according to National Observer. Marvin Rotrand. polqc qcpoli qc2018The changes have a particular impact on D'Arcy-McGee's Jewish community, which will see its clout reduced as the riding gains 13,000 new voters, and Montreal's Filipino and Hasidic Jewish communities, which traditionally inhabit C te des Neiges and the Town of Mount Royal, and Outremont, respectively, and are now divided into two ridings each. Last year, the electoral commission eliminated the city's Outremont and Mont-Royal ridings, and split their voters between the expanded riding of D'Arcy-McGee, a new riding called Mont-Royal Outremont, and the riding of Mercier, which covers part of Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood. A riding should make some sense, David Birnbaum, Liberal MNA for D'Arcy-McGee, told National Observer in an interview in early August. If his campaign is successful, he'll have a significantly larger and more diverse riding than he did when the legislature dissolved. It should be geographically coherent, and it should respect natural communities, and that's a fundamental concern I have with the new map . New riding nears the legal limit ; Birnbaum, who is seeking re-election in October, is Quebec's only Jewish member of the National Assembly. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pmo officials: There's no doubt that lady was a plant in there ... to try and embarrass the prime minister, because she's one of these fringy types, said Mathers, noting that PMO security officials routinely monitor intelligence for any potential threats or disturbances at public events, according to Vancouver Courier. Given that she belonged to a social media group that openly discussed plans to attend last week's event, it is unlikely the prime minister's security detail or PMO officials were taken by surprise, he added. Nor were members of Conservative rival Andrew Scheer's staff willing to discuss Tuesday whether their leader was aware of the woman's background when he issued a statement late Monday deriding Trudeau's response as dodging a legitimate policy question.article continues below Trending StoriesCTV Vancouver reveals its 'major refresh' as former anchor prepares to give her side of the story Unravelling an unprecedented natural disaster why is B.C. burning every summer Minimum wage increases go into effect June 1 across B.C. Vancouver Park Board marks a Canadian first with new hire But with such details as close as the nearest iPhone, suggesting otherwise stretches credulity, said Chris Mathers, a former RCMP officer and security consultant who was once part of the detail that protected the prime minister's official residence. If alerted to an organized effort to potentially cause a disruption, security officials would have informed the PMO anyway, Mathers said. The Quebec government has demanded Ottawa pay the full costs of social services provided to so-called irregular migrants who have crossed into Canada between established border crossings over the past couple of years costs the province says have reached 146 million so far. During a campaign-style rally Thursday southeast of Montreal, the woman shouted questions in French at Trudeau, asking him when the federal government would repay Quebec for costs it has incurred as a result of an influx of illegal immigrants coming over the Canada-U.S. border. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rempel tweeted: Rempel tweeted that clip on Sunday, and added that the woman's questions are the exact questions we have been asking him, according to National Observer. The next day, Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer tweeted that such questions were legitimate. Michelle Rempel made the comments during a news conference in Ottawa after reporters asked her to explain why she had used the woman's questions as part of her party's political criticism of Trudeau. ; Rempel, who represents a Calgary riding in Parliament, said she had only seen a 1 46-long clip on CTV News, where the woman shouts in French at Trudeau at an event southeast of Montreal, about repaying Quebec for the costs of illegal immigrants. Federal Liberals say that the Conservatives are promoting intolerance by amplifying far-right views. Trudeau responded to the activist's use of the term by saying, madam, your racism has no place here. The full exchange, which lasted over six minutes, shows the woman identified by La Presse Canadienne as Diane Blain, a member of an anti-immigrant, nationalist group repeatedly ask a second question are you tolerant of Qu b cois de souche Qu b cois de souche is a term used to describe old-stock Quebecers that is considered to be intolerant since it excludes visible minorities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

stretches credulity: There's no doubt that lady was a plant in there ... to try and embarrass the prime minister, because she's one of these fringy types, according to National Observer. But with such details as close as the nearest iPhone, suggesting otherwise stretches credulity, said Chris Mathers, a former RCMP officer and security consultant who was once part of the detail that protected the prime minister's official residence. Nor were members of Conservative rival Andrew Scheer's staff willing to discuss Tuesday whether their leader was aware of the woman's background when he issued a statement late Monday deriding Trudeau's response as dodging a legitimate policy question. There's no doubt that lady was a plant in there ... to try and embarrass the prime minister, because she's one of these fringy types, said Mathers, noting that PMO security officials routinely monitor intelligence for any potential threats or disturbances at public events. If alerted to an organized effort to potentially cause a disruption, security officials would have informed the PMO anyway, Mathers said. Trudeau accused woman of intolerance and racism ; Given that she belonged to a social media group that openly discussed plans to attend last week's event, it is unlikely the prime minister's security detail or PMO officials were taken by surprise, he added. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

apache corp: The Woodfibre LNG Project is on track to be one of the first LNG processing and export terminals in Canada, said Keane in a news release, according to Vancouver Courier. I welcome this opportunity to be directly involved in building an LNG facility, and to help create all of the jobs, training and other economic opportunities that come with this project. Keane will now lead the construction phase of the new liquified natural gas plant in Squamish. The company had been seeking a new president for the past three years, after Anthony Gelotti departed in November 2015 at the end of a two-year contract. Prior to his work with the Alliance, Keane held senior roles with BG Group, Dynegy Europe, Apache Corp and Conoco Inc. At the time, vice-president of corporate affairs Byng Giraud told news outlets that the company was seeking a new person for the next phase of the project, which would be construction based. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asian descent: Menezes, 36, told a news conference Tuesday he's relieved the case, which centred on racial profiling and excessive force, is complete, according to CTV. But he added he would be lying if he said the incident hasn't had a bit of a chilling effect on how he views law enforcement. Julian Menezes, who is of South Asian descent, was driven around town handcuffed in the back of a cruiser and dropped off far from home after the officers had hurled racial slurs at him. I try to check that and I try to say it happened to me but this isn't every police officer, he said. He expressed disappointment the City of Montreal did not consider measures to address what he calls systemic discrimination. But I'm suspicious, I'm reticent and I try to avoid police as much as I can. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fact-checking feature: The Canadian Press Baloney Meter a regular fact-checking feature by the national news agency, the Calgary-Nose Hill Conservative MP complained in a now notorious Twitter rant, is scheming with the Prime Minister's Office to spin the news to the Liberal government's advantage, according to Rabble. Their baloney meter is a spin tool for the Trudeau PMO, she Tweeted last week. If you doubt this, consider recent Tweets by the likes of Calgary Conservative MP Michelle Rempel, who accused the Trudeau government and the media of being in a conspiracy to use facts to challenge conservative orthodoxy. Just look at Trudeau's top henchman's Twitter feed useage of it. Sad. It's that sort of editorialization disguised as journalism that degrades journalism writ large. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

music video: He debuted it Friday with a new music video depicting a teen forcibly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border from his parents and baby sibling, according to CTV. On stage, their parents came out next from behind, simulating reunions with hugs. The children, including some younger ones who appeared intimidated by the crowd, stood in a line as a human wall, some swaying and clapping to Logic's new song, One Day. The protesters hoisted faux candles in the air as the song concluded. Logic wore a black T-shirt reading F asterisk ck the Wall. Immigrant leaders from three advocacy groups, including United We Dream and the National Domestic Workers Alliance, participated. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

port town: She was taken from the court in handcuffs, according to The Chronicle Herald. Prosecutors said the 44-year-old defendant violated the criminal code by committing blasphemy against Islam, the dominant faith in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation. The ethnic Chinese woman, Meiliana, burst into tears as presiding Judge Wahyu Prasetyo Wibowo announced the sentence Tuesday. Mobs burned and ransacked at least 14 Buddhist temples throughout Tanjung Balai, a port town on Sumatra, in a July 2016 riot following reports of Meiliana's complaint about a mosque's noisy loudspeakers. A conservative group, Islamic Community Forum, said Meilana's sentence was too light. The woman's lawyer, Ranto Sibarani, said the sentence would be appealed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rock stars: Malone, wearing garb that looked like a toddler's footie pyjamas with yellow, blue and pink smiley faces, began the Monday night performance with fellow rapper 21 Savage on his hit rockstar, according to The Chronicle Herald. He was then joined by the actual rock stars who are nearly 50 years his senior. Post Malone was joined on stage by Aerosmith to give a wild-verging-on-bizarre dual performance to close the MTV Video Music Awards. Malone picked up a guitar and played along as Aerosmith dropped a short segment of Dream On then broke into 1975's Toys in the Attic. The queen of soul got a less than royal tribute at the MTV Video Music Awards when Madonna came out to deliver a rambling story about Aretha Franklin's music without any performance of the late singer's classic songs. Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and singer Steven Tyler leaned into the same mic as the man-bunned, face-tattooed Malone as all three screamed the song's chorus. 11 45 p.m. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rohingya orphans: These are not refugees, according to Toronto Star. They are survivors, said Saifullah Muhammad of the Canadian Rohingya Development Initiative, which represents the estimated 450 Rohingya across Canada and organized the event at Queen's Park. We must not forget the survivors of the genocide. Ahmed Ullah, centre, is shown with other volunteers preparing meals for Rohingya orphans at the Teknaf Nayapara Camp during a trip to Bangladesh last year. SUPPLIED PHOTO Little has changed in the past year. SUPPLIED PHOTO Ahmed Ullah, centre, is shown with Rohingya orphans at the Teknaf Nayapara refugee camp during a trip to Bangladesh last year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

york city: The White House says that Jakiw Palij, a 95-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard, has been deported to Germany, 14 years after a judge ordered his expulsion, according to Toronto Star. In a statement, the White House said the deportation of Palij, who lived in New York City, was carried out early Tuesday. Jakiw Palij's expulsion, at President Donald Trump's urging, came 25 years after investigators first accused Palij of lying about his wartime past to get into the U.S. But it was largely symbolic because officials in Germany have repeatedly said there is insufficient evidence to prosecute him. Suzanne DeChillo / The New York Times via AP A photo taken in 1957 shows Jakiw Palij, who reportedly served during 1943 as an armed guard at the SS slave labour camp of Trawniki in Nazi-occupied Poland. The Associated Press Trump made it very clear he wanted Palij out of the country, and a new German government that took office in March brought new energy to expediting the matter, U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell said. AFP/GETTY IMAGES This 1942 photo, provided by the the public prosecutor's office in Hamburg via the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, shows Heinrich Himmler, centre left, shaking hands with new guard recruits at the Trawniki concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

news conference: His colleagues were stunned Tuesday to learn that he was not only the suspect in Tibbetts' death, but that he had a different real name than what he went by on the farm, he said, according to Vancouver Courier. Our employee is not who he said he was, Lang said at a news conference at the farm. Cristhian Bahena Rivera was a good employee who showed up on time to take care of the cows and got along well with his co-workers, said Dane Lang, manager of Yarrabee Farms in Brooklyn, Iowa.article continues below Trending Stories Earthview images show smoke from B.C. wildfires is spreading across Canada Unravelling an unprecedented natural disaster why is B.C. burning every summer Lose the shirt and free the nipple Sunday in Vancouver Greater Vancouver home prices to drop 21 per cent by 2019 analysis The 24-year-old kept coming to work after Mollie Tibbetts disappeared July 18, and nobody saw a difference in his demeanour, Lang said. This was shocking to us. That information was run through the Social Security Administration's employment-verification system and checked out, he said. When Rivera was hired in 2014, he presented an out-of-state government-issued photo identification and a matching Social Security card, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

border crossings: The Quebec government has demanded Ottawa pay the full costs of social services provided to so-called irregular migrants who have crossed into Canada between established border crossings over the past couple of years costs the province says have reached 146 million so far, according to National Observer. The prime minister responded to the woman by accusing her of intolerance and racism and saying her sentiments were not welcome. Trudeau made the comments when asked whether he went too far in accusing a Quebec woman of racism and intolerance as she heckled him last week during a rally in Quebec. ; During a campaign-style rally Thursday southeast of Montreal, the woman shouted questions in French at Trudeau, asking him when the federal government would repay Quebec for costs it has incurred as a result of an influx of illegal immigrants coming over the Canada-U.S. border. At a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for a new Amazon distribution warehouse east of Ottawa, Trudeau said he fears a rise in extreme populism, particularly surrounding immigration issues, with some feeding fear and intolerance using partial truths and outright lies. And there are people who are trying to feed fears and intolerance for a broad range of reasons. ... I will remain positive and remain pulling people together, pulling communities together right across this country. There has been a polarization in our political discourse, Trudeau said as construction machinery clattered in the background. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

copy: But within weeks, she was able to reapply for a similar job and secure a permanent contract with higher wages at a Metroland copy editing centre in Hamilton, according to National Observer. Despite the longer commute, she says she's happy to be enjoying a workplace among professionals who respect each other, with the backing of a strong union. ; I also realize I could be laid off in eight months. Earlier this summer, she got the bad news that she was losing her job as a copy editor at Metro Canada in Toronto. Her trepidation seems reasonable. Boast was later laid off from that position also. In her 28 years of experience as a journalist, Boast, 53, has been laid off four times five if you include the time that a woman looking to hire a laid off journalist offered her a job to be her personal assistant and write a blog. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tarr nair: Mira Nair, director of Monsoon Wedding and last year's Queen Of Katwe, will join the previously announced jurors Lee Chang-dong and Bel Tarr, according to NOW Magazine. Nair replaces Margarethe Von Trotta, who is no longer able to attend the festival due to another commitment. The Toronto International Film Festival revealed one last wave of programming today, named its International Rising Stars and announced a change to the Platform jury. TIFF also added two more titles to its Special Presentations lineup the world premiere of Neil Jordan's Greta, starring Chlo Grace Moretz and Isabelle Huppert as two very different women who forge an unlikely friendship, and the North American premiere of Brady Corbet's Vox Lux, a tale of traumatized sisters that also features Natalie Portman and Jude Law their first shared credit since 2007's Wong Kar-wai's My Blueberry Nights. Among the titles screening in the program are Bai Xue's The Crossing, about a teenage girl drawn into dangerous activities in China; Daniel Sawka's Icebox, about a young boy caught up in the American immigration process, and Wanuri Kahiu's Rafiki, a gay love story set in Kenya. And, of course, the festival rolled out its Discovery program, adding 46 first features from 37 different countries, 29 of them world premieres. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

west virginia: We are putting our great coal miners back to work, President Donald Trump crowed during a rally Tuesday night in West Virginia, according to Vancouver Courier. We want a clean environment. ... I want clean air. The proposal broadly increases the authority given to states to decide how and how much to regulate existing coal power plants.article continues below Trending Stories Earthview images show smoke from B.C. wildfires is spreading across CanadaPNE takes fair food to a whole new level Unravelling an unprecedented natural disaster why is B.C. burning every summer So you want to set up a marijuana dispensary The EPA said its Affordable Clean Energy rule empowers states, promotes energy independence and facilitates economic growth and job creation. I want crystal clean water and we've got it. But I'm getting rid of some of these ridiculous rules and regulations, which are killing our companies ... and our jobs. We've got the cleanest country in the planet right now, Trump said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

first-come-first-served process: The Liberal government has announced it will admit a total of 20,000 sponsored parents and grandparents next year, an increase from the 17,000 quota for 2018, according to Toronto Star. RICK MADONIK / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO The restricted spaces of the sponsorship program and its conversion into a lottery-based system from a first-come-first-served process has been a thorny issue for immigrants, many of them viewing family reunification as a top priority. In the run-up to the 2019 federal election, the Liberal government announced it would admit a total of 20,000 sponsored parents and grandparents next year, an increase from the 17,000 quota for 2018 and four times the 5,000 spots set by its Conservative predecessor. The Conservative government under Stephen Harper briefly suspended the popular immigration program before capping its annual intake in order to reduce a ballooning backlog, which reached 167,000 in 2011. We have made substantial improvements to the parents and grandparents sponsorship process and eliminated the backlog of applications, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said on Monday. As of June, there were 26,000 parents and grandparents in the queue. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sponsorship applications: The government will also accept more parent and grandparent sponsorships in 2019, according to CTV. The current cap of 17,000 applications will be increased to 20,000 next year. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced changes to the sponsorship program for parents and grandparents Monday, which will see the random selection process for sponsorship applications replaced with a first-come-first-served process. The so-called lottery system for this program drew criticism when it was introduced last year after many potential sponsors said they felt it was unfair. Canadians did express some concerns about the lottery, the random selection process, Hussen said. Ottawa is now responding to the feedback Hussen received during a cross-country listening tour last year, the minister said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jim vibert: The politically motivated cheapshots that dominated recent coverage of Ottawa's handling of the cross-border asylum issue were also inexcusably divisive and deserved stronger criticism from the press than they got, according to The Chronicle Herald. However, I take exception to your blanket condemnation of Quebec MP Maxime Bernier's recent comments on the diversity file. Your Aug. 15 editorial as well as Jim Vibert's column express valid concerns about objectionable comments from some politicians about different Canadians. He had raised some important points which deserve nuanced, respectful debate, not contemptuous dismissal. I learn from you. Sure, immigration, tolerance, and diversity are fundamental to Canada's success, but you missed an equally important fourth bit integration. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.