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.

news sign: That's a tall order for the slow-moving wheels of a bureaucracy, which prefers stability, continuity, long-term planning and avoids risks that could land them or a government in hot water, according to National Observer. The agenda is political survival, said Donald Savoie, the Canada Research Chair in public administration and governance at the Universit de Moncton. But they will have to be fast, thorough, candid, make no mistakes, avoid controversy and forget about big policy ideas. Don't miss out on the latest news Sign up for our daily briefing Public servants will keep their heads below the parapet; provide policy advice; feed the beast in central agencies and Parliament. Public servants read tea leaves better than anyone, and they know bold ideas don't sell. But there will be no market for bold ideas. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

holiday i: A lesser-known land in south-east Africa, Malawi borders Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia, according to Rabble. It's a comparatively small, land-locked country, beguiling because of its sea-like lake. I first visited in 2011, and was gripped by an inexplicable love for the African continent and a deep sense of freedom, so returning now I was excited to see if I'd feel the same. It is rightly known as the Warm Heart of Africa. For the first 10 days of my holiday I am on an organised group excursion. I wasn't prepared for quite how changeable its landscape would be. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

business activities: The article also notes CNE Oil and Gas as a qualified bidder, according to Rabble. Let's look more closely at those Canadian companies as a starting point. What can we glean from mainstream media reports about Canadian corporations involved in the oil and gas sector in Colombia What can we further discern about the companies that may have some involvement with the fracking pilot projects expected to start soon in that country Additionally, what impact might their business activities have on human rights, the environment and the peace process in Colombia Reuters has reported that seven companies have put in bids for 11 oil exploration contracts in Colombia, including Frontera Energy, Parex Resources, and Gran Tierra Energy. Toronto-based Frontera Energy As Frontera's website notes, Frontera Energy Corporation is a Canadian public company and a leading explorer and producer of crude oil and natural gas, with operations focused in Latin America. The chief executive of pipeline company Oleoducto de Colombia said in August that the company is ready to move increased crude output from the center of Colombia to the Caribbean if the use of fracking is approved in the Andean country, as Reuters reports The article adds that the 483 km 300 miles long pipeline can transport up to 236,000 barrels per day and runs through the Magdalena Medio region, home to geological formations estimated to contain between two and seven billion barrels of crude. The website confirms that Frontera operates in Colombia. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

parc-extension neighbourhood: As the crowd huddled under the awning outside the entrance to a subway station ahead of the march, community leaders representing diverse interests highlighted what they described as the bill's discriminatory aspects, according to CTV. Ichrak Nourel Hak, a teaching student who wears a hijab, said the law has emboldened those who are racist and caused an increase in Islamophobic incidents. As a cold rain fell, dozens gathered in Montreal's Parc-Extension neighbourhood on Sunday to march against the law and systemic racism. The legislation, which passed earlier this year and bars some government employees from wearing religious symbols while on the job, would prevent her from getting a job teaching in a Quebec public school after graduation. In 2019, we are harassed and discriminated against because we don't have Quebecois traits, because we have names that are unpronounceable for some, or because we have a skin colour or physical traits that are different than the majority. With this law, the government opened Pandora's Box and gave Islamophobes the liberty to spit on an entire religious community, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gotabaya rajapaksa: He said last week that if he wins, he won't recognize an agreement the government made with the U.N. Human Rights Council to investigate alleged war crimes during the civil war, according to CTV. On Friday, Rajapaksa said he will not allow any foreign force to make any unnecessary interference in Sri Lanka. Gotabaya Rajapaksa said former Tamil Tiger rebels who are imprisoned for their actions in the war would also be released after rehabilitation. Rajapaksa served as a powerful defence official during the war under his brother, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He is considered the leading candidate in the Nov. 16 presidential election. He has been accused of condoning rape, extrajudicial executions and abductions, charges he denies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

havana government: Opponents said prohibiting flights would simply make it harder for Cuban-Americans to visit their families outside the capital, without making a significant impact on the Cuban government, according to CTV. The State Department said Jet Blue flights to Santa Clara in central Cuba and the eastern cities of Holguin, Camaguey would be banned starting in December. Supporters of the ban said it would starve the Havana government of cash and limit its ability to repress Cubans and support Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the U.S. wants to overthrow. American Airlines flights to Camaguey, Holguin and Santa Clara, the beach resort of Varadero and the eastern city of Santiago are also being banned. This action will prevent the Castro regime from profiting from U.S. air travel and using the revenues to repress the Cuban people, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter. Flights to Havana, which account for the great majority of U.S. flights to Cuba, will remain legal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

change: Will the NDP and Greens be able to push the climate change debate forward by working for policies that protect our food system and move away from agri-business After all, carbon emissions from agriculture contribute almost as much as fossil fuels to climate change, according to Rabble. So what are we going to do about that We in Canada, in many cases, have had the luxury of choice, particularly when it comes to our trips to the grocery store. It is going to take a firm understanding of the importance of supporting local food sources, small-scale agriculture, and how our knowledge of land use and food production can help mitigate climate change. Even the poorest in our country have more choice than most people in this world. The fact that we still have food banks in this country shows that we have many fundamental issues to deal with. Don't get me wrong -- I think there are plenty of people in Canada who need a hand, better services, and quality food. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fault line: Marc Piscotty / Getty Images Canada is in trouble, according to Rabble. Half of the population believes we are in a climate crisis, one requiring shutting down our oil and gas industry. Thousands of protesters attended the event which was sparked by Thunberg's Fridays ForFuture movement. The other half recognizes that our oil and gas industry is vital, and our ecological problems can be managed. This country is in serious trouble. To make matters worse, the fault line for these competing sets of beliefs runs roughly along an east-west divide and the re-elected Liberal Party ran on an unwritten policy of screw the west we'll take the rest. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

intra-afghan dialogue: The Beijing talks, which were to be held next week, were postponed, according to officials familiar with the talks, according to CTV. Speaking on condition they not be identified because of the sensitivity of the talks, they said the postponement would be brief but no new date was given. The day-long talks in Moscow came ahead of an intra-Afghan dialogue to be hosted by China. When the China talks take place, they will be the first face-to-face discussions between Afghanistan's warring sides since July. There has been no official announcement of a postponement, but previous intra-Afghan talks have been delayed while both sides squabbled over participants. Even President Ashraf Ghani, who has objected to any talks not led by his government, said late Friday that he would send representatives. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cost: That article adds Protests have also centred on a lack of access to quality health care and education and inadequacies in the pension system, compounded by a rising cost of living, according to Rabble. Protesters have also taken up issues including the rising cost of electricity and the price of Chile's privatized water. For minimum wage workers, the cost of using public transportation can already range from 15 to 20 per cent of wages, Foreign Policy explains. The roots of austerity While it is more commonly remembered that former prime minister Pierre Trudeau allowed 7,000 political refugees from Chile to enter Canada, Yves Engler has outlined how the Trudeau government withheld support for president Salvador Allende and backed general Augusto Pinochet, who overthrew the democratically elected Allende in a coup. Water privatization In The Guardian, Daniel Gallagher has highlighted The process of water privatization in Chile which began in 1981 under general Pinochet established a model for water management that strengthened private water rights, adopted a market-based allocation system and reduced state oversight. In 1976, the Latin America Working Group noted Canadian economic relations, in the form of bank loans, investments and government-supported financial assistance have helped consolidate the Chilean dictatorship and, by granting it a mantle of respectability and financial endorsation, have encouraged its continued violation of human rights. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

polling station: Thirteen hours it was a long day, this time I was more tired than I ever have been, but of course I'm that much older, said Yanke, according to CTV. It has to be close to 50 that I've done now, the first one I helped my dad out in Beausejour. Mary Yanke spent 13 hours at her polling station last Monday, adding yet another election to her growing list. Throughout the years Yanke has worked at several different polling stations in Beausejour, Man., and in Winnipeg for federal, provincial, and civic elections. I do it to work with people, because I like the people. I've enjoyed it all, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

topo atrio: Trump Old Post Office, which runs the hotel as the landlord under a lease with the General Services Administration, sued Andres' companies, Think Food Group and Topo Atrio, in July 2015 for breach of contract and claimed damages in excess of US 10 million, according to CTV. The landlord allowed Mr. Four years ago, Andres withdrew from plans to open a restaurant in the Trump International Hotel in Washington following Trump's controversial comments about Mexican immigrants during the presidential campaign. Trump to saddle us with the burden of his inflammatory statements, such that operating a high-end Spanish restaurant is no longer viable for us at this location, Andres' companies said in a statement the following month. The Washington Nationals made the announcement Friday. Andres' companies filed a counterclaim, and the case in D.C. Superior Court was settled in 2017. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

caucus meeting: There are issues we'll agree on, sometimes with the Liberals, sometimes the NDP, sometimes the Greens, he said following a caucus meeting, according to National Observer. Don't miss out on the latest news Sign up for our daily briefing When we're in agreement, we're in agreement. Speaking in Quebec City, Blanchet said that he's not closing the door to discussions with any party, just because they don't agree on all issues. When we're not, we're not. Finance Minister Bill Morneau told The Canadian Press in an interview this week that the expanded pipeline is not fodder for negotiating with other parties in the minority Parliament. But it's not because we can probably identify one or two major issues where we won't agree with the Liberals that we'll close the door to all forms of discussion. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

charter challenges: It also argues the law has a disproportionate impact on women particularly Muslim women and therefore infringes Section 28, which guarantees equality of the sexes, according to National Observer. Don't miss out on the latest news Sign up for our daily briefing While Bill 21 invokes the Constitution's notwithstanding clause to shield it from charter challenges, the filing argues neither Sections 23 or 28 are subject to the clause. In an application today seeking judicial review, lawyers for the board hinge their challenge on Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees minority language educational rights to linguistic minorities. The board has noted that several Supreme Court of Canada decisions have upheld Section 23, which gives communities the right to manage their public school systems. It prohibits public servants deemed to be in positions of authority including teachers, judges and police officers from wearing religious symbols, such as turbans, kippas and hijabs. ; There is a grandfather clause exempting those who were employed before the bill was tabled in the spring, as long as they stay in their current jobs. Bill 21 came into effect in June. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

news sign: The march will begin with an address from Indigenous leaders including Musqueam activist Audrey Siegel; Ida Manuel from Secwepemc Nation; hip-hop artist Dakota Bear; David Suzuki and his daughter Severn Cullis-Suzuki; Sustainabiliteens organizers and Thunberg, according to National Observer. Don't miss out on the latest news Sign up for our daily briefing The climate strikers will gather at Vancouver Art Gallery in the downtown core at 11 00 a.m. and plan to begin their march at 11 30 a.m.I reached the Pacific Ocean! Greta Thunberg Greta Thunberg October 24, 2019This isn't the only climate action taking place in the city. This Friday for Future she will be in Vancouver joining organizers in a post-election climate strike, showing that teens are keeping up the pressure on Trudeau's new minority government to take more action on climate change. Earlier this month, another group called Extinction Rebellion blocked Vancouver traffic for 12 hours on Burrard Street Bridge, a main route in and out of downtown. Thumberg's visit comes shortly after she participated in a rally in Edmonton last week. The group says they have more plans for traffic disruption. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

energy transition: Rather, he said, it is a crucial piece of the puzzle of financing Canada's transition to a clean energy economy, according to CTV. We purchased it for a reason, said Morneau. Finance Minister Bill Morneau told The Canadian Press in an interview this week that the expanded pipeline is not fodder for negotiating with other parties in the minority government. We now see how it can help us accelerate our clean energy transition by putting any revenues that we get from it into a transition to clean energy. The Liberal government bought the existing pipeline for 4.5 billion in 2018, in a bid to overcome the opposition of the British Columbia government to the expansion. We think that is the best way we can move forward in our current context. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

essex: The Essex Police force said 31 men and eight women were found dead in the truck early Wednesday at an industrial park in Grays, a town 25 miles 40 kilometres east of London, according to CTV. A magistrate gave detectives another 24 hours to question the driver, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland who has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Essex police said the victims were believed to be from China, though its embassy said their nationalities were still being verified. He has not been charged, and police have not released his name. Pippa Mills, deputy chief of Essex Police, said the process of conducting post-mortem examinations and identifying the victims would be lengthy and complex. Police in Northern Ireland searched three properties there as detectives sought to piece together how the truck's cab, its container and the victims came together on such a deadly journey. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

legislation: This is about recognizing human rights applied to Indigenous Peoples and it's something that governments of all stripes have not done before, despite the fact it's in the Constitution of Canada, Scott Fraser, the province's minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation, said Wednesday, according to CTV. He said the legislation is British Columbia's version of a federal bill that died on the Senate order paper when Parliament adjourned for Monday's election. The legislation is expected to be introduced on Thursday and is bound to raise questions about the potential impact on the way the province is governed, but Indigenous leaders, academics and members of B.C.'s New Democrat government say it will ensure Indigenous Peoples are full participants in all aspects of the province. The declaration was adopted by the General Assembly of the UN in 2007 after 20 years of debate, although Canada was originally one of four countries that voted against it. The NDP has made reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and the implementation of the declaration a top priority since it formed a government in 2017. Among other things, the declaration says Indigenous Peoples have the right to self-determination, which means they can determine their political status and pursue economic, social and cultural development. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

greens return: The Greens return with three MPs, fewer than many anticipated after promising signs of support from voters early in the campaign, according to National Observer. Don't miss out on the latest news Sign up for our daily briefing Still, May said in an interview Wednesday she sees opportunity for consensus with the Liberals and New Democrats on key issues. May has spoken with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau since Monday's election and expects to have an ongoing dialogue with federal leaders before Parliament resumes. The Liberals will have incentive to prove they're accomplishing things in a minority Parliament if they want to remain in power, May said. If we're going to avoid an unlivable world, we have months, not years, to fix this, she said. She will try to leverage that reality to make gains on addressing the climate crisis. ; May wants Canada to seriously curb greenhouse-gas emissions by agreeing to aggressive new targets at the global Conference of Parties meeting in Chile in December. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

news conference: The dissenter was New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, who watched as residents handed six of his province's 10 seats to Liberals and one to a member of the Green party during Monday's vote, according to National Observer. Don't miss out on the latest news Sign up for our daily briefing Our position was always let the industry pay for the technology to put into research and development and not force taxpayers to pay that, Higgs said at a news conference. While some of the five provincial leaders who had publicly criticized or legally challenged the carbon tax maintained their attacks in the hours after voters elected a minority Liberal government, at least one appeared to back down. People voted for it, so we in New Brunswick have to find a way to make it work. The measure was introduced earlier this year and imposed upon provinces who had not implemented carbon-reducing regimes of their own. Higgs paved the way for the province to come up with its own scheme to reduce carbon emissions, which would free New Brunswick from the federal carbon tax. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

perry bellegarde: Progress doesn't mean parity, Bellegarde said in an interview, according to National Observer. There's opportunity to maintain momentum and keep pushing and opening up doors. National Chief Perry Bellegarde said the Liberals accomplished more for Indigenous rights than any other government in its first term but an enormous socio-economic gap remains between First Nations and non-Indigenous Canadians. Don't miss out on the latest news Sign up for our daily briefing As the leader of a minority government, Justin Trudeau will have to strike deals with political rivals to pass legislation. The fact that the Liberal and NDP platforms overlapped in many of their pledges to Indigenous Peoples bodes well for seeing those issues addressed, Bellegarde said. That could mean co-operation with the New Democrats, who would be positioned to push policy priorities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

policy issues: The NDP's New Westminster Burnaby MP Peter Julian could play a key role in advocating for his party's policies, as he may stay on as the party's finance critic, according to Vancouver Courier. On September 16, Julian attended a Greater Vancouver Board of Trade event and was the NDP's representative addressing policy issues. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Oct. 23 that his minority government plans to govern on an issue-by-issue basis, and that he has no plans to enter into a coalition with any other party so that he can govern as though it has a majority. article continues below Trending Stories Trevor Linden to take part in Canucks jersey-retirement night for the Sedins'Bella Dolls' sex doll brothel has opened in Vancouver City fast-tracking East Vancouver detox and social housing complex IMAGES Vancouver inner city schools worry about losing services He will, however, be dependent primarily on continuing support from the NDP, which gained 24 seats a number that when combined with the Liberals' 157 seats provides for a majority of seats in the House of Commons. One of the points that Julian touched on was what he called his party's policy to reduce interchange fees that credit card companies charge retailers and other small-business owners each time they process customer transactions, Retail Council of Canada RCC director of government relations Greg Wilson told Business in Vancouver. Wilson estimated that, in total, Canadians pay 7 billion each year in interchange fees costs that trickle down to increase the price of goods. Wilson's organization has long advocated reducing those fees, which tend to add 1.5 per cent to the cost of transactions. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

export industry: But the scent of money has drawn gangs and hyper-violent cartels that have hung bodies from bridges and cowed police forces, and the rising violence is threatening the newfound prosperity, according to CTV. A recent U.S. warning that it could withdraw orchard inspectors sent a shiver through the 2.4 billion-a-year export industry. The region's avocado boom, fueled by soaring U.S. consumption, has raised parts of western Mexico out of poverty in just 10 years. Some growers are taking up arms. They say their crop is worth fighting for. At the checkpoint in San Juan Parangaricutiro, the vigilantes are calm but attentive. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

heart problems: Compared to those who took their medicine in the morning, the people who took their medicine at night had nearly half the risk of dying from heart problems and nearly half the risk of having heart attack, stroke, heart failure, myocardial infarction or of needing a procedure to unblock their arteries, according to CTV. When researchers looked at individual heart problems, those who took their pills at night saw their risk of death from heart or blood vessel problems reduced by 66%. The risk of stroke went down by 49%. The risk of myocardial infarction went down by 44%. Heart failure risk went down 42% and coronary revascularisation by 40%. Researchers figured this out looking at data from 19,084 patients enrolled in the Hygia Project, a network of care centers in Spain. The research found that people who take their anti-hypertensive medicine before bed had better-controlled blood pressure and consequently had a much lower risk of death or illness from heart problems when compared to people who took their medication in the morning. Scientists compared the results for people who took their pills at night versus those who took them when they got up in the morning. The patients' blood pressure was checked over 48 hours at least once a year. They followed these patients for more than six years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

impeachment: And just this week, Trump declared that the House impeachment inquiry was a lynching equating his political troubles with the systematic murders of African Americans by racist white mobs.ADTrump, who long ago busted traditional standards for civil discourse and presidential behavior, has taken his harsh rhetoric and divisive tactics to a new level since impeachment proceedings began a month ago and he appears to be pulling a significant part of the country along with him.ADA number of Republicans, for example, defended Trump's lynching comparison, pointing to past uses of the metaphor by Biden and other Democrats, according to Rabble. The Trump campaign is selling Where's Hunter T-shirts for 25, while the House Republicans' campaign arm mocked a Democratic congressman and his wife for seeking marital counseling. At another rally the following night, Trump denigrated Biden's son, Hunter, for his struggles with substance abuse and called him a loser, while also declaring that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi D-Calif. hates the United States of America. And at a conference for a pro-Trump group at the president's Miami golf resort, an incendiary animated video was shown depicting Trump on a gun rampage inside a church, murdering members of the media, political rivals and a Black Lives Matter protester. And the shifting tone isn't limited to the president and his backers At the same Minneapolis rally this month where Trump went on a swearing spree, anti-Trump protesters chanted profane and angry cheers F--- Donald Trump! and Kill a cop, save a life! while clashing violently with Trump supporters.ADBut the 45th president appears to be presiding over a particularly coarse period of American politics inviting the rest of the country to splash around in the muck as he upends long-held norms of acceptable behavior. There is a long history of sometimes rough language and deeply personal attacks in American politics, from the heated rhetoric surrounding the Clinton impeachment to campaigns that stoked racial division. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

law firm: Jay Cameron of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, a non-profit law firm that represented the women, said one of his clients was so relieved by the decision that she broke down in tears, according to CTV. It's more than an inconvenience to have a human rights complaint against you alleging publicly that you're some sort of transphobe, Cameron told CTV News. The tribunal also ordered the complainant, Jessica Yaniv, to pay 2,000 each to all three of the estheticians who filed a defence in the case. That's a very serious allegation in today's culture and it's debilitating. Another four women did not participate in the process and won't receive any financial compensation. It really altered their lives for the past year-and-a-half. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.