mid-year surveys: Two mid-year surveys of 2,000 Canadians, conducted by the department in March, suggested Canadians were not overly confident about Canada's ability to manage the border at unguarded points-of-entry and had little sense of obligation about accepting asylum seekers from the United States, according to Vancouver Courier. Fewer than half of respondents 43 per cent in a telephone survey and 35 per cent in an online survey agreed that Canada is taking appropriate steps to manage irregular border crossings. Documents released to The Canadian Press under access-to-information law show department officials receive weekly internal updates on media coverage and public response to issues related to asylum seekers coming irregularly into the country across the Canada-U.S. border.article continues below Trending Stories Active Volcanoes near Metro Vancouver considered high threat'Vancouver has one of the best new restaurants in Canada Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history This 22-year-old mural depicting Vancouver's transit history was painted over This monitoring includes internal polling conducted by the Immigration Department to track public opinion about asylum seekers. Forty-two per cent of telephone respondents and just 18 per cent of those online indicated they felt the number of people coming to Canada and claiming asylum was at an appropriate level. The documents also show the Immigration Department closely measures public comment about asylum seekers on social media. Canadians are more receptive to refugees who have been selected by the government of Canada compared to those who come to Canada and claim asylum, the internal document notes as one of its key takeaways from the public survey. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

medal podium: He has skated atop an Alaskan iceberg, according to Vancouver Courier. And he's aiming to be the first man to land a quadruple Axel in competition. Canada's newest figure skating star loves to ham it up for the crowd. Keegan Messing captured silver in men's singles at Skate Canada International on Saturday, climbing the medal podium for the first time at a Grand Prix event. I'm really happy on how things are turning out, I'm excited to see how it keeps unfolding. And moments after his entertaining program to a Charlie Chaplin medley complete with the spinning of an invisible walking stick the quirky 26-year-old talked about his new role in the spotlight.article continues below Trending Stories Active Volcanoes near Metro Vancouver considered high threat'Vancouver has one of the best new restaurants in Canada Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history This 22-year-old mural depicting Vancouver's transit history was painted over I don't know how I feel about that yet, except for the fact that I'm happy, especially since it's the first real competition of the year and I put out two good performances, Messing said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rajapaksa time: Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe and his Cabinet on Friday and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa, creating what some observers said could be a constitutional crisis, according to Vancouver Courier. The suspension of parliament is expected to give Rajapaksa time to try to muster enough support to survive any no confidence vote. Chaminda Gamage, a spokesman for the parliamentary speaker, confirmed that President Maithripala Sirisena had suspended parliament until Nov. 16.article continues below Trending Stories Active Volcanoes near Metro Vancouver considered high threat'Vancouver has one of the best new restaurants in Canada Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history This 22-year-old mural depicting Vancouver's transit history was painted over The suspension came while ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was holding a news conference in which he asserted that he could prove his majority support in parliament. Several members of Rajapaksa's family former Cabinet members and government officials are facing charges of corruption and a special high court has been set up to hear the cases quickly. Wickremesinghe said at the news conference that parliament should be allowed to resolve the political crisis. Rajapaksa's appointment as prime minister is expected to provide relief to them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ad pitch: Each episode is focused on a different set of contemporary characters with loose, if not entirely made up, connections to the House of Romanov, according to NOW Magazine. If you're not up to date on your Russian history, here's all you need to know to understand the series The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia for three centuries until 1917. Rating NNNThree years after Don Draper's final ad pitch, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner is back with The Romanoffs, an anthology series following the lives of self-proclaimed descendants of the Russian royal family. The following year, Czar Nicholas II, his wife and their five children were shot and bayonetted to death by the Bolsheviks. In the premiere episode the first three were sent to critics we meet Anushka Marthe Keller a temperamental, wealthy Parisian and her American nephew, Greg Aaron Eckhart . After Anushka fires her latest caretaker, Greg hires a young Muslim nurse-in-training, Hajar In s Melab to look after his elderly aunt. With a runtime of around 90 minutes, each episode feels like a movie. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-immigrant base: The proposal amounts to a sweeping use of presidential power to fortify the border and impose the kind of aggressive immigration restrictions and enforcement measures that Trump has made his signature pursuit, according to Toronto Star. Trump is weighing the new measures as he prepares to order 800 to 1,000 U.S. Army troops to help secure the southern border, Defense Department officials said Thursday. The effort would be the starkest indication yet of Trump's election-season push to play to his anti-immigrant base as his party fights to keep control of Congress. NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP/GETTY IMAGES The plan is expected to prompt a swift challenge in federal courts. As part of that effort, the president has capitalized this month on the thousands of Central American migrants trekking north through Mexico. The move would be the most drastic in a series of steps that Trump has taken or threatened to take in recent days including preparations Thursday to send as many as 1,000 active-duty Army troops to help secure the southern border as he works to stop what he has called an onslaught of immigrants only days before the midterm elections. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cent inclusion: The organization called on networks to reach 10 per cent inclusion for LGBTQ characters in prime-time in the next two years to ensure that entertainment reflects the world in which it is created, GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement, according to CTV. The culture has changed for LGBTQ people but America is the midst of extraordinary tumult, she said. While the percentage of regularly seen LGBTQ characters on scripted broadcast series rose from last year's 6.4 per cent to hit an all-time high of 8.8 per cent, or 75 characters out of a total 857, GLAAD said the TV industry is still falling short. That means what happens on our television screens is now more important than ever before, Ellis said. The study singled out two series as history-making the FX drama Pose, which featured the largest number of transgender series regulars ever on a U.S. series, and CW's Supergirl, with TV's first transgender superhero, Nia Nal, played by Nicole Maines, appearing this season. Stories that explore the lives and identities of characters once invisible on screen remain critical to accelerating acceptance for LGBTQ people. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

citizenship: It seemed like just a simple procedural step for the family, who had put down roots in the city where their two children were born, according to Toronto Star. Russian Forward Nikolay Kulemin spent six seasons playing with the Maple Leafs in Toronto, where his two children were born. The 32-year old Russian, a forward with the Toronto hockey team between 2008 and 2014, and his wife Natalia, applied for Canadian citizenship in December 2014. A Federal Court ruling has opened the door for Kulemin to reapply for Canadian citizenship after his earlier bid was rejected. Kulemin played for the Leafs until 2014 and applied for Canadian citizenship shortly after he was traded to the New York Islanders. Paul Bereswill / Getty Images file photo Jannik Hansen looks for a way past Nikolay Kulemin as the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Vancouver Canucks at Air Canada Centre during a game in 2014. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tanzania home: Somali refugee boys recite the Qur'an at a Madrassa, or Islamic religious school, at Dadaab refugee camp, which hosts more than 230,000 refugees in northern Kenya in December 2017, according to Toronto Star. Researchers from Carleton, York, Ottawa and McGill universities are laying the groundwork for one of the most ambitious research initiatives to explore local solutions for the world's escalating refugee crisis. The team, led by Carleton University professor James Milner, has worked quietly behind the scenes since 2015 to build a network of partners in Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon and Tanzania home to many of the world's displaced people seeking ways to help these host communities cope with the influx of migrants. Ben Curtis / Associated Press File Photo Carleton University professor James Milner centre with research leads Maha Shuayb from Lebanese American University left and Dulo Nyaoro of Moi University in Kenya at a recent meeting in Ottawa on the role of civil society in addressing the global refugee crisis. Eighty-six per cent of the world's refugees settle in the global south, sometimes for years. Carleton University photo Responding to the needs of refugees is a global challenge, said Milner, who is overseeing the seven-year research project to study global refugee policies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

texas minutemen: The U.S. Border Patrol this week warned local landowners in Texas that it expects possible armed civilians to come onto their property because of the caravan, according to CTV. Three activists told The Associated Press that they were going to the border or organizing others, and groups on Facebook have posted dire warnings about the caravan. But the prospect of armed civilians at the border -- and the escalating political rhetoric over immigration -- have fueled fears of vigilantism at a time when tensions are already running high because of the mail bomb attacks against some of Trump's critics. One said it was imperative that we have boots on the ground. They're just laughing in our face, said Shannon McGauley, president of the Texas Minutemen. Another wrote WAR! SECURE THE BORDER NOW! The militia members said they plan to bring guns and equipment such as bulletproof vests and lend a hand to the Border Patrol to protect against people unlawfully entering the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

netflix feature: Presumably this incredible coincidence will be explored further in Morgan Neville's documentary They'll Love Me When I'm Dead, which arrives on Netflix the same day as Welles's feature, according to NOW Magazine. November 2The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs Originally announced as a miniseries, Joel and Ethan Coen's Netflix feature still has an anthology structure, lining up a magnificent ensemble for a series of Old West campfire tales. The biggest twist It's actually about the attempts to understand and complete the unfinished work of a notoriously complicated filmmaker, played by Welles's pal John Huston. There's Tim Blake Nelson as the eponymous singing cowboy and James Franco as an outlaw; Tom Waits plays a grizzled prospector and Zoe Kazan, a reluctant pioneer; Liam Neeson is a travelling showman and Brendan Gleeson, Tyne Daly and Saul Rubinek are stagecoach companions on a long, dark ride. November 16House Of Cards season 6 In the trailer for the sixth and final season of House Of Cards, States Claire Underwood the glorious Robin Wright declares, The reign of the middle-aged white man is over. Saddle up. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

connecticut: Officials said they notified Jermaine Mann's mother that her son had been identified and located, according to Vancouver Courier. After taking his son away from his son's mother, this defendant is alleged to have lived a lie for the last 31 years in violation of numerous U.S. laws, said Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham. A Canadian man accused of abducting his toddler son 31 years ago during a court-ordered visitation was arrested Friday in Connecticut, where authorities said he and his son had lived under aliases in a quiet suburb.U.S. federal agents said they found Allan Mann Jr. in Vernon after receiving a tip from a relative that he may be living in Connecticut under another name.article continues below Trending Stories This 22-year-old mural depicting Vancouver's transit history was painted over Vancouver has one of the best new restaurants in Canada Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history Meet your new Vancouver city councillors It was not immediately clear where Mann's now-adult son, Jermaine, was when Mann was arrested. We thank the many law enforcement agencies, in the U.S. and Canada, that have investigated this matter, worked hard to apprehend this fugitive and finally provided some answers to a mother who has suffered with her son's absence for far too long. Allan Mann appeared briefly Friday in federal court in Hartford. A message left at a phone listing for Jermaine Mann's mother, Lyneth Mann-Lewis, of Brampton, Ontario, was not immediately returned Friday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

joseph pulitzer: American politicians were lamenting the scourge of invented occurrences as far back the late 19th-century during the media rivalry between William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, whose respective newspapers would publish stories that were outrageous and salacious and which it's rumoured led to war and assassination, according to NOW Magazine. Since the migration of news online, the consequences can be far more sinister than the term clickbait implies. While the expression fake news has been appropriated by President Donald Trump to dismiss the mainstream media, the term's misuse papers over the reality that fake news has indeed existed for a long time often in the form of the tabloid press. In Canada, there are a few culprits to highlight, chief among them the Post Media-owned Sun Media chain. For instance, late last month a trio of figures on the local far-right scene visited a Scarborough hotel housing refugees from Nigeria to film an expos on Trudeau's refugee hotel, allegedly to determine if rumours of the migrants sic destructive behaviour are true. It's become all-too-common for the Sun's various iterations around the nation to engage in smear campaigns, the reporting of conspiracy theories and the spreading of false information about communities and individuals, in particular, Muslim communities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

taxi: Taxi permits in Quebec, once highly sought after given their limited number, have significantly dropped in price and are not in demand, according to National Observer. On Thursday, several month-old listings for permits priced around 100,000 were listed on Kijiji, the online marketplace. He's unsure whether retiring at 65 will be possible anymore. Before Uber, an international ride-hailing company, entered the scene four years ago, taxi permits sold for 220,000, Hajjar said. ; The problem is that we are stuck with the licenses that we have. If I want to do something else, I have to sell my permit. I can't sell it, and I'm not going to throw it away . It's too much money, Hajjar, who works for Taxi Champlain, told National Observer on Wednesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

telecommunications commission: The Montreal-based company which operates the Virgin Mobile and Lucky wireless brands in addition to various Bell services was named in 346 of about 1,300 complaints filed as part of the CRTC's inquiry, according to Vancouver Courier. We did a deeper dive on those, and 201 fell into the category 'price not as expected' . . . and 78 fell into the category of potentially aggressive sales tactics, Malcolmson said. Rob Malcolmson, who led a Bell delegation to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, said the company has a stringent code of conduct for employees and contractors.article continues below Trending Stories This 22-year-old mural depicting Vancouver's transit history was painted over Vancouver has one of the best new restaurants in Canada Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history These Vancouver dogs camouflage with the fall foliage PHOTOS But the senior vice-president of regulatory affairs for Bell's parent BCE Inc. acknowledged that more can be done to strengthen the confidence and trust Canadian consumers have in our industry. So we looked at those and we said, that seems to be the core issue and asked How do we fix it Bell's proposed solution is to have several measures required of the industry as a whole including allowing a customer to terminate a new service within 30 days of installation, without an early termination fee. Rizwan Jamal, president of Bell Residential Services, said that if customers don't agree after reviewing the written material they can walk away with no termination penalties. Bell also says all service should provide order confirmations, written in plain language, within 24 hours of an order being placed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum: Asylum seekers may not be arriving in the numbers of the previous peak, but they still number about 50 per day, according to Toronto Star. A recent poll suggests that most Canadians are concerned about the government's response to them. It is a small ditch, recently filled in with gravel by the local community so as to prevent accidents as asylum seekers haul, push and carry their belongings over to Canada. Two Canadian senators visited Lecolle, Que., to view Roxham Road, above, and found asylum seekers there crossing into Canada in an orderly fashion. MARTIN TREMBLAY / La Presse file photo Four agencies are charged with carrying out the complicated process of managing and processing the irregular arrivals the RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Immigration and Refugee Board. The senators say the problem is not actually at the border, but with the lengthy immigration approval process that comes after. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cannabis use: Sign up to receive the Pot Post newsletter delivered to your inbox On Dec. 18, new impaired driving penalties will take effect, raising the maximum penalties for most of these offences from five years to 10, according to CTV. It means they will fall under the definition of serious crimes for immigration determination purposes. The measures are part of the sweeping package of changes taking place as Canada becomes the first G7 country to legalize recreational cannabis use. The impact of these new penalties on permanent and temporary residents could be significant, the Immigration Department advises in a statement. The posting is the first part of a multi-pronged education campaign to be rolled out in the coming weeks to ensure newcomers to Canada are informed of the impact that Canada's new impaired driving laws could have on their ability to remain in Canada. The Immigration Department quietly posted a statement on its website this earlier this week advising permanent and temporary of the upcoming penalty changes, noting they could be particularly affected. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

audience i: It's a big caravan, he said, prompting boos from the audience, according to CTV. I called up the military. Every citizen benefits when we have a strong, beautiful border, Trump told several hundred young black conservative leaders at a White House event on Friday. We're not letting them in, they ought to go back now because we're not. Mattis, who is travelling in the Middle East, is expected to approve the actual deployments after all the details are ironed out, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss planning that has not yet been completed or publicly announced. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis signed off on a request for help from the Department of Homeland Security and authorized the military staff to work out details such as the size, composition and estimated cost of the deployments, according to a U.S. official. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian economy: The biggest population increase in six decades, driven by international migration, is one reason the Bank of Canada has been able to match the Federal Reserve hike-for-hike since June 2017 making the two easily the most hawkish central banks in the Group of Seven, according to Toronto Star. In its latest increase Wednesday, the Ottawa-based central bank highlighted how the surge has bolstered consumption and housing activity. The Canadian economy Well, it has its human stimulus. The biggest population increase in six decades, driven by international migration, is one reason the Bank of Canada has been able to match the Federal Reserve hike-for-hike since June 2017. Under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada's population has jumped by 1.4 per cent over the past year, double the U.S. pace, driven by a surge in non-permanent residents like students and higher immigration levels. Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS Labor income is being boosted by the larger population, the Bank of Canada said in a report Wednesday that accompanied its decision to increase borrowing costs for a third time this year, keeping pace with the Fed's three moves. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

marijuana event: Marijuana joints rolled with Canadian-themed paper are photographed at a Wake and Bake legalized marijuana event in Toronto on Wednesday, October 17, according to Toronto Star. The federal government is warning newcomers that stiffer impaired driving and cannabis-related penalties could lead to their removal from Canada. The measures are part of the sweeping package of changes taking place as Canada becomes the first G7 country to legalize recreational cannabis use. Christopher Katsarov / THE CANADIAN PRESS On Dec. 18, new impaired driving penalties will take effect, raising the maximum penalties for most of these offences from five years to 10. The impact of these new penalties on permanent and temporary residents could be significant, the Immigration Department advises in a statement. It means they will fall under the definition of serious crimes for immigration determination purposes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

thursday reports: The suspects, two Senegalese citizens and one Nigerian, were being held on suspicion of murder, group sexual assault and distributing drugs in the death last week of 16-year-old Desiree Mariottini, Italian authorities said Thursday, according to CTV. Reports that two of the subjects were in the country illegally and that a residency permit for the third had expired have fueled Italy's already-fierce debate about immigration. The case has drawn outrage over the degradation in parts of the Italian capital that have been taken over by gangs and drug dealers. Some have demanded that the Italian government accelerate expulsions of immigrants who are in the country illegally, as promised by the League party during the election campaign. The worms of this horror will pay to the end, without a break, for their infamy, Salvini pledged. Hard-line Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said a fourth suspect would be quickly apprehended. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cannabis use.article: It means they will fall under the definition of serious crimes for immigration determination purposes, according to Vancouver Courier. The impact of these new penalties on permanent and temporary residents could be significant, the Immigration Department advises in a statement. The measures are part of the sweeping package of changes taking place as Canada becomes the first G7 country to legalize recreational cannabis use.article continues below Trending Stories Meet Vancouver's youngest life-saving hero VIDEO Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history Halloween safety tips from Vancouver police, fire and paramedics You can leave your shoes on On Dec. 18, new impaired driving penalties will take effect, raising the maximum penalties for most of these offences from five years to 10. The Immigration Department quietly posted a statement on its website this earlier this week advising permanent and temporary of the upcoming penalty changes, noting they could be particularly affected. Our main message to permanent residents and temporary residents is make sure you know and follow our laws, including our tough new rules for cannabis-related crimes and impaired driving. The posting is the first part of a multi-pronged education campaign to be rolled out in the coming weeks to ensure newcomers to Canada are informed of the impact that Canada's new impaired driving laws could have on their ability to remain in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

election campaign: The action comes as President Donald Trump has spent recent days calling attention to the caravan of Central Americans slowly making their way by foot into southern Mexico, but still more than 1,000 miles from U.S. soil.article continues below Trending Stories Meet Vancouver's youngest life-saving hero VIDEO Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history Halloween safety tips from Vancouver police, fire and paramedics You can leave your shoes on Trump, who made fear about immigrants a major theme of his 2016 election campaign, has been eager to make it a top issue heading into the Nov. 6 midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress, according to Vancouver Courier. The president and senior White House officials have long believed the issue is key to turning out his base of supporters. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis is expected to sign an order sending the troops to the border, bolstering National Guard forces already there, an official said Thursday. The additional troops would provide logistical and other support to the Border Patrol, said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a plan that had not been finalized and formally announced. Active duty troops, however, are rarely deployed within the United States except for domestic emergencies like hurricanes or floods. It's not unusual for the National Guard to help with border security. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

drag persona: Based on hours of interviews with people of all political stripes, this segment looks at the issue of immigration and free speech, according to NOW Magazine. A partnership between Crow's and Montreal's Porte Parole The Watershed co-created by Annabel Soutar, Alex Ivanovici and Brett Watson, the Chris Abraham-directed show brings together left and right for a scripted dialogue, with a section for audience interaction. This play, the first part of serialized documentary theatre project, examines how we got here. Like all Porte Parole shows, be prepared to talk about it afterwards. Pearle Harbour's Chautauqua Justin Miller remounts his razor-sharp, interactive recreation of a tent revival by his drag persona. From October 25 to November 3 at Crow's Theatre. 345 Carlaw. 8 30 pm. 25- 50. crowstheatre. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

profit plenty: The Jays shot up in the standings, bolstered by newcomers Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki, who came with bobbleheads that attracted droves of collectors, according to Vancouver Courier. The shift taught Wlodarski the owner of about 650 bobbleheads at his collecting peak, who insists his love of the figurines is about passion not profit plenty about how to master the collectibles market. The Toronto Blue Jays, whose bobbleheads he coveted most, Wlodarski says were just horrid and their merchandise were hardly desirable.article continues below Trending Stories Meet Vancouver's youngest life-saving hero VIDEO Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history Halloween safety tips from Vancouver police, fire and paramedics You can leave your shoes on That changed around 2015. The market can be fraught with high price tags and even higher emotions, but experts say there are tens of thousands of dollars to be to made, if you're willing to part with high-value items like baseball cards, comics, coins, stamps and vintage film posters. The trick to making money off collectibles, Wlodarski said, is learning how to assess a market. They say maximizing what can be made or nabbing an item for as little as possible can be tough because it takes a mix of timing and luck. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ward: The discovery led to the publication of The Ward Uncovered, according to NOW Magazine. Join the editors of the anthology for a panel discussion at Queen Books. John's Ward. Select artifacts will be on display. 7 pm. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

home: She winced as she recalled his confession days later of being involved with a student.article continues below Trending Stories Hot Dog Water returns in protest to Vancouver's 'In Goop Health' wellness summit Victoria mom desperate for second kidney after heartbreaking transplant result Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history Chinatown Transformation Team aims to sustain the neighbourhood's living heritage My fear is I am home settled, being faithful to an unfaithful man, but who knows what kind of disease he will carry for me home the 27-year-old fruit vendor in Uganda's capital told The Associated Press, according to Vancouver Courier. She is not alone. When she confronted him, he beat her like an animal and briefly kicked her out, she said. Millions of women across sub-Saharan Africa are still living in the complex relationships of polygamy, a centuries-old practice once the norm among African men seeking large families to cultivate the land. Campaigners urge governments to enact laws that protect women's dignity and reject any religious argument for polygamy, saying the practice shackles women and often worsens the risk of disease and poverty. According to the United Nations, which opposes the practice, polygamy was legal or generally accepted in 33 countries, 25 of them in Africa, as of 2009. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.