care act: But perhaps most daunting is what lies down the road a Democrat-led war on Capitol Hill marked by subpoenas, investigations, legislative gridlock and bitter political clashes, culminating in a presidential battle royal that will make 2016 look like a garden party, according to Vancouver Courier. It's like trying to drink from a fire hose, said Michael Ensley, a political-science professor at Ohio's Kent State University. On one side of the road to Congress are the Democrats, poised for a breakthrough in the House of Representatives, brandishing promises to defend health coverage for pre-existing conditions from what they predict will be a renewed Republican assault on the Affordable Care Act.article continues below Trending Stories On the other, the Republicans, shielded by a strong U.S. economy and armed with promises of tax relief and a newly installed conservative Supreme Court justice, led by a self-proclaimed nationalist hell-bent on protecting his Senate majority with a call to arms on immigration. I think they're having a hard time figuring out what to believe and what not to believe. Democrats have made it a cornerstone of their campaigns, citing repeated Republican efforts to repeal Barack Obama's centrepiece Affordable Care Act as evidence that their Republican rivals will target the law's protections for those with pre-existing health conditions. Consider health care. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rights groups: Political opponents, rights groups and foreign governments including the United States and European Union have urged Sirisena to summon Parliament immediately and end the crisis, according to Vancouver Courier. Thousands of Sri Lankans also protested in the capital in the past week demanding Sirisena immediately convene Parliament. The announcement made in a decree comes amid a political crisis in the South Asian island nation sparked when President Maithripala Sirisena dismissed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his Cabinet and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa last month.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver Coastal Health issues public safety warning for customers of Polonia Sausage House Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history World's most beautiful duck' spotted in Metro Vancouver So you want to set up a marijuana dispensary Sirisena suspended Parliament in an apparent attempt to give Rajapaksa time to muster support to survive any no-confidence vote. Sirisena's moves have triggered a power struggle that some observers have called a constitutional crisis. Palitha Range Bandara, a United National Party lawmaker, has said that he was offered millions of dollars and a minister portfolio if he crossed over. Since his ouster, Wickremesinghe has remained at Temple Trees, the official residence of the prime minister insisting he is still the legitimate leader because he commands majority support in said in an interview with The Associated Press that there is credible evidence that Rajapaksa's party is attempting to buy support in Parliament. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump: But what's funny about two powerful men connected to the two worst administrations in postwar American history arguing rhetorically about, in the Beaverton's insightful words from two months ago, whether hate crimes are better than war crimes Bannon, the former political strategist for Republican President Donald Trump who is frequently described as a white supremacist, has based his career on provoking hate crimes with the goal of bringing something approaching outright fascism to the United States, according to Rabble. So far, he seems to have been remarkably successful, and lately has been spreading his malignant agenda further afield. The Beaverton is a Canadian news-satire website. Frum, a speech writer and advisor for the war-mongering Republican administration of George W. Bush, helped lay the intellectual foundation for the long and bloody American War on Terror in his famously disingenuous Axis of Evil script for the 2002 State of the Union Speech. Both men remain senior apparatchiks in the increasingly unhinged American right. We all know how that worked out. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pharmacist licensing: But pregnant with her second child, she and her husband were living off meagre wages she as a part-time pharmacy assistant; he in a factory job, according to Toronto Star. Filipino immigrant Karla Ogaro said Windmill's 15,000 low-interest loan helped her pay for a retraining program that was crucial for her pharmacist licensing in Canada. The Filipino immigrant, who was a certified pharmacist back home, wanted to retrain and get her licence to practise in Ontario, but she was facing major hurdles She needed 13,000 to enrol in a program at the University of Toronto to complete the process. She got her Ontario license in May 2017. Then someone told her about a Canadian charity that offers low-interest microloans to help newcomers pay for the training or licensing they need to return to their former professions. Karla Ogaro A newcomer with no credit history in Canada, the Mississauga woman tried to get a personal loan from banks but without success. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tala farea: Police said the sisters had been in Manhattan since Sept. 1, staying at expensive hotels and ordering in pairs of meals until a credit card they were using maxed out, according to CTV. A jogger said he saw them praying at a playground near the river, sitting about 30 feet 9 metres apart with their heads in their hands, hours before their bodies were found, police said. The bodies of Tala Farea, 16, and Rotana Farea, 23, were discovered Oct. 24 near the Hudson River, two months after they were last seen in Fairfax, Virginia, where they had been living in a shelter amid allegations that they were abused at home. New York City Police Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said people who knew the Farea sisters in Virginia told investigators that they made statements within the last year indicating that they would rather inflict harm on themselves -- commit suicide -- than return to Saudi Arabia. The medical examiner has yet to rule on their death and the case remains under investigation, he said. Shea stopped short of saying that the sisters had killed themselves but said police have no credible information that any crime took place. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump: Democrats are heavily favoured to win back control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, an outcome that would thwart most of Trump's legislative agenda and subject him to a barrage of congressional investigations, according to Toronto Star. If they do, it will be largely because of the women he has infuriated into action. Eight years later, Donald Trump's first midterm is shaping up as the election of the angry liberal woman. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, women have donated more than 308 million to Democratic congressional candidates this year more than three times what women donated to Democratic congressional candidates in the 2014 midterms. Democratic women have run for office in unprecedented numbers, gifted campaigns an unprecedented army of midterm volunteers, and poured unprecedented cash, a few dollars at a time, into candidates' coffers. KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP/GETTY IMAGES The Resistance, as Trump's fervent grassroots opposition calls itself, is mostly female. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cash infusion: But the board warns wait times could grow as it deals with a projected 60,000 new claims this fiscal year, according to National Observer. Even with the additional staff, the board estimates it will complete work on almost half of its current inventory of 65,000 claims by the end of March 2019. The Immigration and Refugee Board says wait times are currently at 21 months, but could have climbed even higher without a cash infusion from the federal government. ; The Liberals set aside 74 million over two years in this the 2018 budget to address a major backlog of asylum claims at the IRB. The board has used the money to hire more than 60 new staff to adjudicate refugee claims and appeals, many of which are coming from an influx of tens of thousands of irregular border crossers who have come from the United States through non-official entry points. Without the new resources from Ottawa, the board estimated it would have completed 24,000 claims instead of the 32,000 it expects to finalize this year.A year-long review of the IRB released earlier this year found persistent and systemic problems that have undermined the efficiency of the asylum system in Canada. It is absolutely unconscionable. The report's author, former immigration deputy minister Neil Yeates, recommended fundamental changes to the way the board operates, including a new management structure under the authority of the immigration minister.NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said the government has continually starved the IRB of resources, creating a history of problems managing spikes in asylum claims, which the review highlighted. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

doug miro: Look at movies like Sicario and Peppermint or TV series like Breaking Bad and Narcos content filled with drug runners, assassins and MS-13 like gang members and consider how Latinx characters exist in the popular imagination, according to NOW Magazine. If you start thinking about someone else's rhetoric, it could ruin your day, says Michael Pe a, speaking not just about Trump but anyone who would assume characters in a show like Narcos represent an entire ethnicity. MEXICO Carlo Bernard, Chris Brancato, Doug Miro Ten episodes streaming on Netflix beginning Friday November 16 . Rating NNNWhen Donald Trump paints Mexicans as rapists and criminals, he gets a helping hand from Hollywood. The actor rose to prominence playing a stereotyped Latino in the Oscar-winning Crash and proceeded to land versatile roles in both gritty and comic films like End Of Watch and Ant-Man. Pe a is eager to dismiss shit Trump says There's no wall that's built right now and it's been a couple years and put distance between the president's jargon and the fact-based series the actor is part of. Now Pe a stars in Narcos Mexico, taking over for Pedro Pascal in Netflix's wildly popular series about the war on drugs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

minute debate: Those same elites consider the populist movement to be made up of racist, nativist xenophobes, he said, according to National Observer. Well, it's not. Denying Trump or his supporters are racist, Steve Bannon called populists the true anti-fascists because, he said, fascism looks to worship the state. ; Bannon slammed what he called the great elites of the permanent political class for causing the devastating financial crisis in 2008 and waging endless wars like the one in Afghanistan. They're the backbone of our country, the most decent people on Earth, Bannon said during the 90-minute debate. However, he said, Trump and populism should not be the answer. Bannon's opponent, conservative commentator David Frum, conceded that liberal democracy was in trouble for many of the reasons Bannon outlined. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cash infusion: The board has hired more than 60 new staff to adjudicate refugee claims, many of which are coming from an influx of tens of thousands of irregular border crossers who have crossed from the United States through non-official entry points, according to Vancouver Courier. The board is warning wait times could grow as it deals with a projected 60,000 new claims this fiscal year, which ends in March 2019. The Immigration and Refugee Board says wait times are around 21 months, but could have climbed even higher without a cash infusion from the federal government.article continues below Trending Stories Pumpkin carving mocks Vancouver's real estate market Drake accuses Vancouver casino of profiling,' not letting him gamble This Trans Link supervisor held a man from jumping off a Vancouver bridge Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history The Liberals set aside 74 million this year to address a major backlog of asylum claims at the board. The Canadian Council for Refugees says successful asylum seekers are waiting an additional two-and-a-half years to become permanent residents a situation the group calls a serious concern that should be addressed. Read Related Topics var related Url var related Link Class relatedlink-processed ; if related Url && ! -1 var related UrlFrags related Url.split '/' ; related Url './' -1 ; related Link Class ul var related Url var related Link Class relatedlink-processed ; if related Url && ! -1 var related UrlFrags related Url.split '/' ; related Url './' -1 ; related Link Class ul var related Url var related Link Class relatedlink-processed ; if related Url && ! -1 var related UrlFrags related Url.split '/' ; related Url './' -1 ; related Link Class ul var related Url var related Link Class relatedlink-processed ; if related Url && ! -1 var related UrlFrags related Url.split '/' ; related Url './' -1 ; related Link Class ul 2018 Vancouver Courier (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

factory season: That's where Factory comes in, according to NOW Magazine. Founded almost 50 years ago, Factory brings authentic and new Canadian stories to Canadians. With the majority of people living in Toronto identifying as visible minorities, representation of minority communities and stories are imperative to understanding our nation's history. With a vision to establish itself as the national centre of intercultural theatre, Factory set out to create a unique experience for Canadian theatre-goers. This exciting new season marks the launch of an innovative presentation series called Cross Currents Canada, which bring playwrights from vibrant theatre companies across Canada to Toronto. The 2018/19 Factory Season, Canada at Your Doorstep, began in October. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum system: This is an invasion, Trump declared, as he has previously on a subject that has been shown to resonate strongly with his base of Republican supporters, according to CTV. He made his comments Thursday at the White House in a rambling, campaign-style speech that was billed as a response to caravans of migrants travelling slowly by foot toward the U.S. border. Trump also said he had told the U.S. military mobilizing at the southwest border that if U.S. troops face rock-throwing migrants, they should react as though the rocks were rifles. But Trump offered few details on how exactly he planned to overhaul an asylum system he claimed was plagued by endemic abuse that he said makes a mockery of our immigration system. But Trump said he would limit that to official crossing points. U.S. immigration laws make clear that migrants seeking asylum may do so either at or between border crossings. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

german army: In the summer of 1941, as the German army was approaching, my father gathered family members together and with them, my parents and older brother, who was 3 at the time, escaped to Russia and found themselves in Uzbekistan, according to Toronto Star. My father was immediately torn from his family and taken to a labour camp in Siberia. He witnessed and endured the state-sanctioned racism which Jews faced daily in Eastern Europe. He toiled, as did so many others, in indescribable conditions. Community members hold candles at a vigil for the Pittsburgh victims, in Cambridge, Mass., one of many such ceremonies held around North America. He never had the loving pleasure of seeing and holding his daughter, who was born shortly after he was taken away and who did not survive through infancy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

i steel: It's a shameless allusion to the mummy scene in Psycho, so I steel myself for a screaming panic, according to Vancouver Observer. But then the overhead spots fade and, in the blackness, the figure bounds silently away. Barely two metres from my front row seat in the Cultch's curtainless, open-plan Historic Theatre, a deathly still figure slumps in an armchair, her back to us so that all we can see is her steel grey chignon. Still, when the lights come back up, the film noir aesthetic continues. In this world premiere production, director John Cooper infuses Loretta Seto's script, The Ones We Leave Behind, with all the tropes of a police procedural. It's baked right into the peeling plaster and thrift store chic of Pam Johnson's one room stage set, the slatted moir s of Gerald King's side lighting and the moody sax-and-siren ruminations of Dorothy Dittrich's background soundtrack. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

metro phoenix: In this May 22, 2018, file photo, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks during a campaign event in Phoenix, according to Toronto Star. Matt York / Associated Press The ad centres on Luis Bracamontes, who was convicted of murder in the 2014 shooting deaths of two sheriff's deputies in California while he was in the United States illegally. The former six-term sheriff of metro Phoenix says he's being unfairly blamed for releasing the immigrant depicted in the video that has stoked immigration anxieties in the days leading up to the midterm elections. Trump blames Democrats for weak laws that allowed the man to keep coming across the border, even though he was deported during the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He campaigned for Trump on several occasions during the presidential campaign but lost his bid for a seventh term in 2016 amid a swirl of legal troubles. Bracamontes was also incarcerated four times in jails run by Arpaio, a Republican who is known for his crackdowns on illegal immigration and being the first person to receive a pardon from Trump. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

navy admiral: The troops going to the border areas of Texas, Arizona and California are a small fraction of the military's roughly 1.3 million active-duty members, and the mission is set to last only 45 days, according to CTV. But many question the wisdom of drawing even several thousand away from training for their key purpose to win wars. Some argue it detracts from it. James Stavridis, a retired Navy admiral and former head of the U.S. Southern Command, said the troops should be preparing for combat and other missions, not monitoring a peaceful border for the arrival of a migrant caravan of several thousand people on foot, still about 900 miles 1,450 kilometres away. It places U.S. troops who are fundamentally untrained for the mission of border security and border enforcement into an area of operations, which could cause incidents of a negative character. It sends a terrible signal to Latin America and the Caribbean as we unnecessarily militarize our border, Stavridis, who also served as the top NATO commander, said Thursday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vote tuesday: And it includes footage of Luis Bracamontes, a twice-deported immigrant from Mexico sentenced to death in California for killing two police officers, according to CTV. Dangerous illegal criminals like cop-killer Luis Bracamontes don't care about our laws, the narrator says against footage of the caravan, which remains hundreds of miles from the southern border. The new ad, tweeted by Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale, warns ominously that a caravan of migrants that has been travelling toward the U.S. must be stopped. America cannot allow this invasion. The decision to use the footage in an official campaign ad is the latest of Trump's election-week efforts to stoke fear and anti-immigrant sentiment in hopes of motivating Republicans to vote Tuesday. The migrant caravan must be stopped. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ward election: That appeal will be heard starting June 10, according to Toronto Star. Even though Toronto went ahead with a 25-ward election in October, the court battle over the number of wards isn't over. The province filed fresh evidence last week in an appeal of a judge's decision that Premier Doug Ford's council-cutting legislation, Bill 5, was unconstitutional. Rick Madonik / Toronto Star Though Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba ruled Sept. 10 that the legislation tabled by the rookie premier and former city councillor without any prior notice should be stuck down, the province was successful in convincing a higher court to stay that decision essentially putting the court ruling on hold until the appeal could be heard. What's next in the court fight is the June hearing at the Court of Appeal. That set the stage for the Oct. 22 election to go ahead with a smaller, 25-ward race instead of the planned 47 wards approved by council years earlier. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

legislature chamber: He's no longer a member of the United Conservative party, said Kenney, according to National Observer. Don't go so hard on him you guys, maybe he was just trying to eat his cookie throwbackthursday ablegtrivia https //t.co/pao498ZPzs Shannon Phillips SPhillipsAB November 1, 2018Kenney declined further comment and has not otherwise made himself available to answer questions during the first week of the fall legislature sitting. Kenney walked past reporters waiting to question him Thursday on his way into the legislature chamber. ; He would only say that Adam Strashok is out and reiterated that future party members will be screened to avoid those linked to hateful comments. Earlier this week, Kenney issued a statement saying he had ordered Strashok expelled from the party and he didn't know about Strashok's background when he worked on his campaign in 2017. It's the latest in a series of United Conservative supporters voicing or associating with people expressing hateful and intolerant views. Strashok has not commented on the reports. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

reporters thursday: The Iranian government has denied Mombeini permission to travel after her husband, an environmentalist and university professor, died in a Tehran prison while being held on espionage accusations, according to National Observer. That is what we need to resolve with Iran before moving on to any other issue, Freeland said in a conference call with reporters Thursday. Freeland said Thursday her two-hour meeting with Netanyahu a day earlier touched on a wide range of pressing global issues, including Canada's own strained relationship with Iran, a country that Israel views as an existential threat. ; The Liberal government pledged during the 2015 federal election to re-establish diplomatic relations with Iran, but Freeland made clear that isn't going to happen unless the regime allows Maryam Mombeini, an Iranian-Canadian dual citizen, to leave the country. Netanyahu highlighted the Iran discussion as he welcomed Canada's top diplomat on her first Middle East trip, which included stops in Jordan and the West Bank. In fact, you have said that you will not establish international relations with Iran, which ought to be self-evident for a country that openly calls for the destruction of the one and only Jewish state but you have acted on it and we appreciate that. We appreciate your support in various international forums, Netanyahu said in remarks released by his office. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

smear campaigns: The group of over 3,900 volunteers who helped rescue people after bombings say they are politically neutral, according to National Observer. Assad and his backers have engaged in smear campaigns to discredit them, accusing them of being undercover terrorists or agents of foreign powers. The mission to evacuate them from their war-torn country was tough, Hussen said in an interview, but Canada felt compelled to help the members of the civil-defence group after their efforts to save civilians being swept up in Syria's ongoing civil war. ; It was a tough mission, it was a tough ask, but we delivered because we felt that White Helmets had done an exceptional service for humanity and we needed to be there to help them in their time of need, Hussen told The Canadian Press this week. Canada, however, views them as advocates who performed an amazing and brave service on behalf of humanity in the civil war in Syria, Hussen said. Canada was called upon by the international community directly to respond. They not only helped rescue people who were caught in the conflict, they also collected evidence of war crimes, and that is why they were threatened directly by the Assad regime, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

show: Rating NNNNThe working title of Janice Jo Lee's in-your-face solo satire was The White Supremacy Smackdown, according to NOW Magazine. While that suggests the fierce attitude of the show's strongest material, the current title, Will You Be My Friend, is a little more accessible, something the writer/performer points out in the show. See listing. The premise is that the Kitchener-based Korean-Canadian singer/songwriter and spoken word artist is looking for new pals. For one thing, Lee's drawn to the same type of straight white male. Her bestie, Leila, has moved away, and dating's not going well. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

traditions: But, despite her studies in earlier sounds, the most compelling is her own a fluid, assured m lange of traditions, according to NOW Magazine. Grenades is clean, cool and unhurried. The singer/songwriter, born in Montreal and now based in Toronto, has an uncanny mastery of folk and bluegrass across time and geography, which she demonstrated on earlier releases like 2016's Nine Pin. The opening lap steel mosey of New Colossus, whose title references Emma Lazarus's poem of the same name, is refreshingly restrained, and this restraint might be the defining attribute of Kater's storytelling and songwriting. Her lyrics are subtle and coded, save for a cappella tracks Hydrants You hold me and we get in line / To drink another day like wine and album standout La Mis re, with its bright quartet of vocals exclaiming, Oh, comme elle est grave, la mis re! Kater's light touch is complemented by audio clips of her father speaking about his life in Grenada both pre- and post-U.S. invasion on Power! Power! Power! and Death Of A Dream respectively. The album deals with her father's experiences in Grenada and his subsequent immigration to Canada, while Kater parses her own identity in conversation with this history. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

answer questions: He's no longer a member of the United Conservative party, said Kenney, according to Vancouver Courier. Kenney declined further comment and has not otherwise made himself available to answer questions during the first week of the fall legislature sitting. Kenney walked past reporters waiting to question him Thursday on his way into the legislature chamber.article continues below Trending StoriesPETA calls on Vancouver shoppers to boycott Canada Goose store This Trans Link supervisor held a man from jumping off a Vancouver bridge Vision Vancouver will not run a mayoral candidate for first time in party's history Here's why Vancourier was judged Canada's best community newspaper website He would only say that Adam Strashok is out and reiterated that future party members will be screened to avoid those linked to hateful comments. Earlier this week, Kenney issued a statement saying he had ordered Strashok expelled from the party and he didn't know about Strashok's background when he worked on his campaign in 2017. It's the latest in a series of United Conservative supporters voicing or associating with people expressing hateful and intolerant views. Strashok has not commented on the reports. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

climate disaster: Not just for Vancouver's promised earthquake, but in case of climate disaster, or social upheaval, or imminent invasion, according to National Observer. I fantasize about building the kind of secure, off-the-grid concrete retreat where you could live for a year or a decade, even if the American hordes come pouring across the border with their guns. USpoli Trump Republicans DemocratsI've long obsessed over disaster prep. A nice, solid bunker, suitable for surviving the end of the world. ; And now the end of the world may be just around the corner, in the form of America's midterm elections. A Democratic resurgence could see the Democrats retake the House of Representatives and possibly also the Senate, though that seems exceedingly unlikely . Or a strong Republican turnout could leave both branches of Congress with Republican majorities, meaning that all three branches of government would now be firmly under Republican control thanks to the last two Supreme Court appointments .A solid Republican victory offers the prospect of an emboldened Trump presidency. After all, this election has only a couple of possible outcomes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ahmed hussen: A day earlier Hussen announced new targets that aim to bring immigration to 350,000 by 2021, levels that haven't been hit in more than a century, according to Toronto Star. Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen announced new targets that aim to bring immigration to 350,000 by 2021, levels that haven't been hit in more than a century. Ahmed Hussen, speaking Thursday in a television interview with BNN Bloomberg television, said attracting highly skilled newcomers is a central component of the country's long-term prosperity. PATRICK DOYLE / THE CANADIAN PRESS file photo That plan makes sure as a country we continue to be a global leader in our ability to attract the best and the brightest and in our ability to attract those who would come and fill unfilled jobs and grow our economy, Hussen said. Economists have described the policy as a form of human stimulus. Trudeau's Liberal government has sought to accelerate immigration levels since coming to power in 2015, a move that has helped drive the fastest pace of population growth in three decades. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.