immigrantscanada.com

Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

cabinet minister: United Conservative Party Leader and premier-designate Jason Kenney thanks the crowd after his party swept to power in the Alberta election Tuesday, according to Toronto Star. Christina Ryan / For Star Calgary 10 56 p.m. United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney a former federal cabinet minister now at the helm of a new party, founded in 2017 will be the province's 18th premier. NDP cabinet minister Shannon Phillips wins tight Lethbridge-West race, while Lethbridge-East goes to the UCPShannon Phillips, the outgoing environment minister, narrowly defended the NDP's only seat outside of Edmonton and Calgary against UCP newcomer Karri Flatla. During her time in legislature, she was also responsible for the status of women file a new post created under the Alberta NDP government. Phillips defeated incumbent Progressive Conservative MLA Greg Weadick in 2015, taking 59 per cent of the vote. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

dance floor: Despite the music, dance floor and fluorescent lighting, they huddled together at tables, glued to the television sets relaying the results, according to Toronto Star. Christy Garland, a local contractor and drag performer, said she dropped by the Evolution Wonderlounge in Edmonton on Tuesday night to find comfort among the LGBTQ community, already expecting the United Conservative Party to form the next provincial government. On Tuesday night, about 20 people stopped in at the downtown gay bar to watch the race. Christy Garland / Supplied Christy Garland, a local contractor and drag performer at the venue, said she dropped by the bar, a kind of citadel for the city's LGBTQ community, to find comfort, already expecting the United Conservative Party to form the next provincial government. Uneasiness because of what's going happen to us, and sadness because it's a step backwards for our community. I think we're nervous, so we feel safer together, Garland said, noting she detected an air of unease and sadness in the lounge. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fbi agent: During the manhunt, Denver-area schools closed as a precaution, with classes and extracurricular activities cancelled for a half-million students, according to CTV. Police and the FBI were tipped off about Pais after the Miami Beach high school student made troubling remarks to others about her infatuation with the 1999 bloodbath at Columbine High and this weekend's anniversary of the 13 killings, said Dean Phillips, FBI agent in charge in Denver. The body of 18-year-old high schooler Sol Pais was discovered in the mountains outside Denver with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound after investigators got a tip from the driver who took her there, the FBI said. He did not elaborate on what she said. We're used to threats, frankly, at Columbine, John McDonald, security chief for Jefferson County school system, said when the manhunt was over. Pais purchased three one-way tickets to Denver on three consecutive days, then flew in on Monday night and went directly to a gun store, where she bought a shotgun, authorities said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

study: The study's 23,000 respondents comprised of Canadian residents born in Official Development Assistance ODA -eligible countries, or low and middle income countries as published by the World Bank, according to CTV. Statistics Canada asked participants about who they were sending money to, where the recipients live, how much money they send them, and why they transferred the funds. Sponsored by Global Affairs Canada, Statistics Canada's Study on International Money Transfers SMIT looked at international money transfers from Canada in 2017. The agency found that Filipino residents in Canada made more international remittances than any other group included in the study. According to the researchers, the large amount of money being sent to the Philippines can be explained, at least in part, to cultural differences. In 2017, Filipinos sent 1.2 billion in remittances to relatives and friends living in the Philippines. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

years observers: That list now includes Alberta's Rachel Notley, the last woman standing among Canada's first ministers until incoming premier Jason Kenney takes power and the seventh female provincial leader to be turfed from office in the past six years, according to CTV. Observers see the string of electoral defeats as part of a larger trend rooted in negative assumptions about women's leadership capabilities, adding their absence from high government office also has troubling implications for the country's short-term political prospects. Women made up nearly half of the country's provincial and territorial leaders in 2013, but those ranks have slowly thinned as a succession of female premiers covering the entire political spectrum lost their re-election bids. Melanee Thomas, a University of Calgary professor who researches the causes and consequences of gender-based political inequality, said female leaders still face a double-standard regardless of their party affiliation or defining policy issue. What I would say is that the way people interpret what they do is gendered, Thomas said in a telephone interview. I would never say that their gender is the number one factor in this. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

majority government: Kenney's party had captured more than 50 per cent of the vote and about two-thirds of the seats by the time he took the stage to deliver his warning to the opponents of one of Canada's most powerful industries, according to National Observer. Fight disinformation with facts. The comments came in response to a blistering victory speech delivered by Alberta United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney as he reacted to a resounding victory that will soon give him a majority government in the provincial legislature of the Western Canadian province. Support the Election Integrity Reporting Project!This is how much readers like you have donated so far. He said his government would launch investigations of environmentalists, complaining that they were spreading lies about the impacts of industrial development in a province that sits on the bulk of the world's third largest reserves of crude oil, following Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Goal 75,000 11,625DonateA crowd of supporters in Calgary roared with approval as Kenney pledged to start a political war with those opponents who have also been among his own adversaries. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

citizenship canada: The story includes fake quotations from Trudeau and makes the untrue claim that Canada has granted residency to all Nigerians who were illegally living in Canada and applied to remain, according to CTV. If you've seen this link on your social media timeline, don't fall for it, the High Commission in Abuja warned on Twitter. A website called CBTV claims that Trudeau pleaded with Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, to allow one million Nigerians enter Canada under a new Employment and Migration Programme designed for immigrants. This story is not true. Immigrations, Refugees and Citizenship Canada also issued a warning about the disinformation. For REAL information about travelling to Canada, go to http //www.cic.gc.ca. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration detention: The bipartisan group also endorsed changes to an agreement that generally bars the government from keeping children in immigration detention for more than 20 days, according to Toronto Star. In this Friday, April 12, 2019 photo, a U.S. Border Patrol agent helps migrants out of a van at the Gospel Rescue Mission in Las Cruces, N.M. The U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped off asylum-seeking migrants in New Mexico's second most populous city for the second day in a row Saturday, April 13, 2019 prompting Las Cruces city officials to appeal for donations of food and personal hygiene items. In a draft report unveiled Tuesday, a committee of the Homeland Security Advisory Council called on the Trump administration to immediately establish three to four regional migrant processing centres along the southwest border with Mexico. The migrants were being temporarily housed at a homeless shelter, a city recreation center and a campus of social service agencies. There is a real crisis at our border, say the authors, who include immigration experts, lawyers, former federal officials and a medical doctor. The Las Cruces Sun News via AP / Blake Gumprecht The report comes as border officials say they are struggling to cope with an influx of Central American families, with U.S. Border Patrol apprehending a record-setting 53,000 families in March. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ideas: This creates a false dissociation between language on the one hand, and ideas, feelings and beliefs on the other, according to Rabble. There is the implication that the views themselves will be rendered acceptable if only the correct language is chosen a merely technical solution to moral or political offensiveness. In UK and US political discourse, it is customary now to hear the most poisonous views labelled as inappropriate uses of language, whether by their accusers or, in apologia, by their perpetrators. Behind this new cant category of misspeech then, the source and nature of poisonous ideas can remain unconsidered. In the coming months, political discourse in the UK will be infiltrated by more instances of hatred, more or less insidious, from the expected sources. Language is not just a set of tools; words express what people think and feel. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

muhammad ali: Maybe it's time to rethink that priority, according to Rabble. I can't imagine the death of an American philosopher or literary writer drawing such a large crowd. Was it for a famous pop star, a beloved politician or a nationally treasured athlete Nope, it was the funeral of Jean-Paul Sartre, the French existential philosopher and winner of the Nobel prize in literature which he refused, along with the 500,000 prize money, out of concern it would compromise his independent thinking . In America, that mass public display of grief and affection is usually reserved for pop culture icons, not unapologetic intellectuals. But we do turn out for our fallen sports heroes Babe Ruth had 150,000 at his funeral and Muhammad Ali had 100,000. On the other hand, how many attended the 1996 funeral of equally deserving American poet laureate Joseph Brodsky, an immigrant who won the Nobel prize in literature in 1987 I don't know the answer because the information isn't even available. Both well deserved. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

privacy act: CTV Vancouver has learned that the man was from Fruitvale, B.C. and his full name is Spencer Donaldson, according to CTV. A Global Affairs Canada spokesperson confirmed to CTV News Monday that a Canadian citizen had died in Thailand. The Bangkok Post reported that a 25-year-old man named Spencer Charles fell 100 metres to a creek below the zipline and was pronounced dead Saturday morning. Consular services are provided to the family and loved ones of the Canadian, the spokesperson said. Charles was in Thailand with a group of people including his girlfriend, according to the newspaper. Due to the provisions under the Privacy Act, no further information can be disclosed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

upend politics: The result of Sunday's vote has the potential to upend politics in Finland, a European Union member of 5.5 million people that shares a long border with Russia and has one-third of its land above the Arctic Circle, according to CTV. It also highlighted the struggle by Europe's traditional political parties to retain supporters. One newspaper headline read An all-time election thriller. For decades, the centrist Center Party, the conservative National Coalition Party and the left-leaning Social Democrats have dominated Finnish politics. With all votes counted Monday, the top three parties in election were separated by only two seats in the country's 200-seat Eduskunta legislature, which could make negotiations over forming Finland's next coalition government difficult. This time, they jointly received mere 49% support among voters, a historically low figure. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

parc jean-drapeau: The Biosphere has housed an environment museum run by the federal Environment Department since the 1990s, according to National Observer. It bills itself as the only environment museum in North America, exclusively dedicated to exploring things like meteorology, climate, and water and air quality. You can also learn how scientists predict future temperatures, why global warming doesn't make the planet warm everywhere all at once, and how climate change hurts human health. ; The exhibit, called Plus one degree Celsius is at the Montreal Biosphere, a geodesic dome in Parc Jean-Drapeau on le Sainte-H l ne. But the government's lease is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2019 and its future is uncertain. Another idea is to turn the Biosphere area into a kind of spa, with a new recreation and health centre including yoga, outdoor baths, massage therapy and a terrace. There are competing visions over the area's future, and maintaining the site as an environmental museum is only one option being considered. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

torture victims: Their reports documented civilian casualties of a U.S. drone campaign, drew attention to the presence of child soldiers on the front lines and showed evidence of torture by both Houthi rebels and U.S.-backed forces . For one report, Michael managed to interview seven torture victims while they were still being held prisoner, according to Vancouver Courier. Their images and stories, gathered at times under dangerous conditions, made a difference. Reporter Maggie Michael, photographer Nariman El-Mofty and video journalist Maad al-Zikry spent a year uncovering atrocities and suffering in Yemen, shining a light on a conflict largely ignored by the American public.article continues below Trending Stories Pilot program establishes Vancouver's first drug-testing clinic outside of the Downtown Eastside Wai Young seriously considering' comeback in Vancouver-South riding Vancouver ranked 1 rattiest city in B.C. for three years running Vancouver cops disciplined for discharging gun in office, sending pornographic texts In a series of stories, they told of how famished people in parts of Yemen were reduced to eating leaves to stay alive while corrupt officials diverted international food aid. At least 80 prisoners were released from secret detention sites controlled by the United Arab Emirates after one of their reports. The United Nations rushed food and medicine to areas where the AP revealed that people were starving and threatened to cut off aid to Houthi-controlled areas unless corrupt food diversions stopped. A Houthi leader ordered an investigation of rebel-run prisons, saying that torture was unforgivable. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sabha: Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed brave martyrs of the Pulwama terror attack . Congress and its allies are contesting the Lok Sabha elections to give a free hand to terrorists, according to Rabble. Rahul Gandhi is washing the sins of his father every day. Image Credit PTI Highlights Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems desperate as he tries to stoke what he calls Hindu anger against the Opposition as campaigns Modi has stopped talking of acche din good days -- his election promise nearly three years ago Also in this package India elections 2019 Rahul charms Wayanad, but will he enchant the south Indian elections 2019 Has karma taken a toll on Advani and Joshi or are they victims of their own politics Indian elections 2019 Distressed farmers are marching again, but politicians only pay lip serviceI will never, ever ally with the BJP again Mehbooba Mufti I want to tell the first-time voters can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans brave soldiers who carried out the air strike in Pakistan. These are but a few quotes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he campaigns to march back as the head of the world's largest democracy, which has just gone to the polls. It is unimaginable that the prime minister of the world's largest democracy, in his desperation to win, would explicitly talk about us and them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems desperate as he tries to stoke what he calls Hindu anger against the Opposition as he campaigns. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

david pike: The profile -- called H5a5, plus another unnamed mutation -- is likely European in origin, according to CTV. It has appeared in about 10 per cent of the 264 people across the province who have supplied mitochondrial DNA for the online project. David Pike, a mathematics professor and genealogist, said the rare mitochondrial DNA profile caught his attention over a decade ago when it began popping up frequently in test results for a Newfoundland and Labrador genealogy project. Compared to thousands of results from other countries, however, it's extremely rare. Pike said the results point to a possible founder effect, where a biological trait becomes commonplace when passed down from a small group of colonizing ancestors. Only a handful of people from Europe -- fewer than 10 -- have been found to test positive for the specific profile, and almost all those have roots in Newfoundland and Labrador. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

safety concerns: Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS file photo They say the investigation is in the early stages and the identity of the remains was unknown Sunday.A post mortem examination will be conducted, according to Toronto Star. Police say they have no public safety concerns. An Ontario Provincial Police logo. Article Continued Below Report an error Journalistic Standards About The StarTOP STORIES, DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.NEW NEWSLETTERHEADLINESSIGN UP (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

test results: It has appeared in about 10 per cent of the 264 people across the province who have supplied mitochondrial DNA for the online project, according to Vancouver Courier. Compared to thousands of results from other countries, however, it's extremely rare. David Pike, a mathematics professor and genealogist, said the rare mitochondrial DNA profile caught his attention over a decade ago when it began popping up frequently in test results for a Newfoundland and Labrador genealogy project.article continues below Trending Stories China denies espionage, trying to influence Canadian affairs City of Vancouver asks artists for their best public art ideas Wilson-Raybould, out of cabinet, seeks place in Liberal caucus Missing Vancouver actress and nephew were in hiding, according to Facebook post The profile -- called H5a5, plus another unnamed mutation is likely European in origin. Only a handful of people from Europe fewer than 10 have been found to test positive for the specific profile, and almost all those have roots in Newfoundland and Labrador. Genealogy is often pursued as a way to trace one's own family roots, but Pike said this particular mystery could speak to the heritage of much of the province. Pike said the results point to a possible founder effect, where a biological trait becomes commonplace when passed down from a small group of colonizing ancestors. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

evan solomon: What we heard from some of the Conservative critics was fear-mongering and an attempt to characterize these individuals somehow as a risk to the safety and security of Canada, Blair said, according to CTV. It's mostly kids, Evan. He made the comments during an interview with Evan Solomon on CTV Question Period, airing Sunday. Forty per cent of the people crossing are children. The proposed legislation in question was folded into the pages of the government's omnibus budget bill. However, as Blair continues his criticism, the Liberals are facing pushback from groups who work with refugees over a proposed change they say could tread on refugee rights. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mexican village: A similar confrontation occurred on the same border bridge between Mexico and Guatemala last year, according to CTV. The institute said the migrants were acting in a hostile and aggressive way, and accused them of also attacking local police in Metapa, a Mexican village that lies between the border and the nearby city of Tapachula. The National Immigration Institute did not identify the nationalities of the migrants, but they are usually from Central America. The group of 350 pushed past police guarding the bridge and joined a larger group of about 2,000 migrants who are walking toward Tapachula in the latest caravan to enter Mexico. Another son and a daughter are already in the United States. Claudia Jaqueline Sandoval, 43, from El Progreso, Honduras, was walking toward Tapachula with her 6-year-old daughter. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

west africa: Despite the damage caused by air travel, she flew to Costa Rica to take a dose of ibogaine, a hallucinogenic shrub growing in West Africa, according to Rabble. She also tried ayahuasca, a highly toxic, mind-bending potion made by Amazon jungle shamans. One of its directors and a key figure in XR' is Wiltshire mother and neo-pagan' Gail Bradbrook, 47, who said on a recent podcast that she decided to become an activist as a direct result of taking huge doses of two powerful psychedelic drugs. Bradbrook, left, who has a PhD in molecular biophysics, says the drugs rewired' her brain and gave her the codes of social change'. Afterwards, she ended her marriage and began her activism in XR. Within XR, she holds mystic moon circles' with female colleagues inside a tepee, at which they ingest another natural' drug, mugwort, used by ancient Celts. She has also said she does not condemn' protesters who choose to damage property in order to protect nature', although she personally prefers non-violence. She has warned that warming in the Arctic is likely to cause the collapse of the food system' in just three years a belief no scientist would endorse. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

health care: The kumbaya assurances will soon be put to the test, as Democrats are heading quickly into high-stakes debates on health care, climate change and immigration complex issues certain to tax the resolve of party leaders striving to maintain a united front within a highly diverse caucus, according to Rabble. Gathering for their annual issues conference in Northern Virginia, spirited Democrats challenged the media, with lawmakers of all stripes joining party leaders in bucking recent news reports portraying a caucus at war.ADVERTISEMENT You guys have it all wrong, Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro PelosiWH spokesman We're working with DHS, ICE to try to send undocumented immigrants to sanctuary cities Tlaib says Dem leadership should do more to support Omar 'They put us in photos when they want to show our party is diverse' CNN anchor confronts Trump adviser who says president 'never incited violence' MORE D-Calif. told reporters. Defiant Democrats are rallying from an embarrassing internal fight over government spending, with all factions now vowing to bridge differences across the broad ideological spectrum that marks the caucus. We have such a unified caucus. But you can waste your time on that while we go forward with what we are going to do for the American people. But if it serves your purpose to say we're seething, you're on the wrong track. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ndume: According to him, the All Progressives Congress APC need not to be scared of Senator Ndume's rabble rousing, adding that the party should rather be wary of Senator Danjuma Goje, according to Rabble. The APC had endorsed Senator Ahmad Lawan from Yobe state for the position. Kure in an interview with Leadership newspaper, stated that one of the front-runners in the race, Senator Ali Ndume, lacks the maturity required to be Senate president. But, Ndume and Goje, both APC members, had also declared interest in the seat, and continued their campaigns ahead of the race. Even though he hasn't been confrontational with his party like Senator Ndume, he has been keeping his cards close to his chest. Marafa offers Saraki another wife in appreciation for N10bn Zamfara intervention fund Kure said Distinguished Senator Danjuma Goje, the erstwhile two-term governor of Gombe state has equally mooted the idea of becoming Nigeria's number three citizen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

campaign ads: The European Commission has said it has resulted in fake accounts being removed, and meaningful progress in a number of areas, in particular on political ads transparency tools that all platforms are now making available ahead of European Parliament elections beginning May 23, according to National Observer. Twitter, for example, expanded its political campaigning ads policy in February to cover all EU member states, it noted in a report to the commission, and restricted campaign ads to only certified advertisers after March 11. Peteris Ustubs described the EU's Code of Practice on Disinformation which was recently mentioned by Canada's Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould as the product of an extensive process that ultimately succeeded at getting big players like Facebook, Google and Twitter to sign on. ; The EU code encourages social media companies to suppress disinformation on their platforms and boost transparency through regular reporting. It's up to Canada to decide how it wants to engage with the companies, Ustubs said Friday. We were very pleased to welcome Minister Gould in this room, with all the EU ambassadors, in order to discuss our practices and our co-operation, and what the European Union has done so far on electoral processes, making sure that there is no interference, and how we actually deal with the platforms, Ustubs said April 12, at the EU delegation's office in Ottawa. But if the Trudeau government wants to adopt the EU's social media-endorsed rules, they're available and ready to be copied, he explained. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

andrew landry: There could be some debate on when the 83rd Masters begins, according to CTV. First on the tee Thursday morning are Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, with nine green jackets between them, hitting an honorary tee shot in a tradition that dates to 1963. The modern golf season never ends, he wrote, but it does begin. The Masters is all about tradition. Landry is among 17 newcomers to the Masters, and he had to wait the longest to make his debut having won the Texas Open 354 days ago. Andrew Landry will hit the official opening tee shot of the tournament. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

monday evening: That not entirely surprise move came on Monday evening, April 8, according to Rabble. Buried in the middle of this year's 367-page budget implementation bill was an amendment to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. As we reported in this space last week, sources close to the Prime Minister's Office had been whispering for a while that the government might insert legislation into its 2019 budget implementation bill to discourage asylum seekers from crossing into Canada from the U.S. through unguarded back roads and unplowed fields. It stated that refugee claimants will be ineligible if they previously made a claim for refugee protection to a country other than Canada. But under current law and international agreements Canada must fully consider the claims of asylum seekers who get themselves onto Canadian soil through unofficial back routes. As it stands now, the safe third country agreement with the United States allows Canada to turn back all refugee claimants who arrive from the U.S. at official border crossings. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.