american: The unlikely scene a drinking establishment somewhere in the Dominican Republic, according to Huffington Post Canada. Two American men are perched on stools at the bar, watching a satellite TV report -- from Long Island, New York, of all places -- showing footage of multiple American protests about Donald Trump's Muslim ban. Let them protest. Everybody is arguing whether or not it is a BAN. Call it what you want, it is about keeping bad people with bad intentions out of country! Donald J. Trump real Donald Trump February 1, 2017 One of the American men had said He sure is stirring up a lot of shit. I, meanwhile, am listening in, pretending to be waiting for a drink for my wife that has already been delivered. His drinking buddy, as noted, is undaunted. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ban: The U.S. Department of State DOS also announced that it had reversed the cancellation of all visas that were affected by the travel ban, according to Huffington Post Canada. Foreign nationals covered by the travel ban who hold a valid U.S. visa are now free to travel to the United States. This means that inspections should, in theory, be as they were before the Executive Order came into effect. DOS has previously stated that fewer than 60,000 visas had been provisionally cancelled in order to comply with the travel ban. Photo Brian Snyder/Reuters The DHS and DOS announcements are in response to a federal court judge's recent decision to grant a temporary restraining order against the travel ban. An international traveller arrives after U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Jan. 30, 2017. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian alliance: O'Leary shrugs off attacks at Conservative leadership debate Conservative leadership candidates spar over jobs and taxes while taking aim at O'Leary The question of what are Canadian values is far from clear, Mac Kay said, according to CBC. When you drill down into that type of discussion the first question that comes to mind is, who makes that decision And what is that bar going to be And how possibly could somebody coming from a country that has no understanding of what it means to be a Canadian meet that criteria The former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party helped unite the party with the Canadian Alliance to become the Conservative Party. MacKay was asked what he thought about Kellie Leitch's policy to screen immigrants for what she terms Canadian values. He decided not to run for the leadership last September and has rarely weighed in on the race since announcing that decision. Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press He says he's concerned for the long-term health of the party. Kellie Leitch says it's OK if other members of the party criticize her demand for a 'Canadian values' test, as she believes Canadians are behind her. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fight isis: Trump is somehow managing to alienate important friends and allies of the U.S. He has belittled Europeans as freeloaders, disrespected Australia's prime minister and threatened to send U.S. anti-drug troops into Mexico, according to The Chronicle Herald. Trump showed his appreciation to Iraqis who helped fight ISIS by subjecting them and people from six other Muslim countries to travel restrictions. Canada's Trump fans now see he's no friend of this country, of conservatives like them or even of economic stability. Same goes for Afghans who helped fight the Taliban. They're predictable and way less maintenance. But what about Canadians who have prospered due to the fair and progressive terms of NAFTA Trump says NAFTA must be rewritten to favour the U.S. Truly, if Trump is a friend then give me enemies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

iranian researcher: Nima Enayati was turned away last week when he tried to fly to New York from Italy, where he's working on a Ph.D. Enayati says, It feels great finally I'm here, according to Hamilton Spectator. He says he acted quickly when he saw a judge rule against President Donald Trump's Jan. 27 executive order suspending America's refugee program and halting immigration to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries. An Iranian researcher who had been prevented from coming to the United States to do research at Stanford University has arrived safely at New York's Kennedy Airport. Enayati is on a visa for three months to conduct research at Stanford working on robotics that will help make surgeries less invasive and cheaper for patients. 9 25 p.m. The Los Angeles Times reports Sara Yarjani was among those caught in a confusing legal limbo after Trump signed the order Jan. 27, about seven hours before Yarjani landed in Los Angeles on a flight from Oslo. An Iranian graduate student who was denied entry into the United States under President Donald Trump's travel ban has returned to America after a judge halted the order. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

laval university: Taxi drivers such as Karim, 53, who didn't want to use his last name, are thankful for the outpouring of warmth towards the Muslim community from people across the city since last weekend's shootings, according to CTV. But he and his colleagues at the airport taxi stand, many of whom hail from French-speaking North Africa, can't help but feel frustration at the society they feel hasn't fully accepted them, especially in the job market. Across the small, narrow trailer the television is broadcasting Thursday's funeral service in Montreal held for three of the six men murdered in a mosque across town. Karim, who came to Quebec from Morocco in 1991, completed a master's at Laval University in 1996 in management. I got two interviews. I sent hundreds of resumes, he said, about his job search after graduating. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

law works: We just want to help in the best way we can, said first-year law student Uttra Gautam, one of the organizers of Saturday's event in Ottawa, according to Metro News. The students were trying to find legal arguments to oppose a Canada-U.S. policy called the Safe Third Country Agreement. There's been a huge sentiment of people being outaged, but wanting to turn outrage into action. The policy prevents people from claiming refugee status on the land border between Canada and the United States. Under the Safe Third Country Agreement, many refugees are required to ask for protection in the first country they arrive in. The law works on the assumption that the United States is a safe country for refugees, but some refugee advocates say this is no longer the case. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

micallef: Shawn Micallef photo Shawn Micallef's new book looks partly at his walks with little-known municipal candidates in the 2014 election, according to Toronto Star. Supplied By Shawn Micallef Living Columnist Sun., Feb. 5, 2017 In his new book, Frontier City, Shawn Micallef writes of his walks through Toronto neighbourhoods with little-known municipal candidates who, despite the drama of the 2014 election campaign, shared big dreams for the city and filled him with hope that civic greatness really was within reach. It turns out barbecues make strange bedfellows. How then to explain the Ford victory In this excerpt, the Star columnist goes back to 2010 when on a Friday night in September, he found himself in the very middle of Canada where the meat is plentiful, the bar is open, and the Rob Ford voters friendly. The patriarch of the Ford clan, he founded Deco Labels and Tags, the printing company that made the family wealthy. Rob's dad was the late Doug Ford Sr., a backbencher in Mike Harris's Ontario government from 1995 to 1999. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

moira welsh: Andrej Ivanov / For The Toronto Star Protesters gathered at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto for the National Day of Action Against Islamophobia, according to Toronto Star. Andrej Ivanov / For The Toronto Star Demonstrators protesting the U.S. Muslim immigration ban march in front of the U.S. consulate in Toronto. Andrej Ivanov / For The Toronto Star Demonstrators chat with a child at the National Day of Action Against Islamophobia. Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS By Moira Welsh Investigative News reporter Salmaan Farooqui Staff Reporter Sat., Feb. 4, 2017 Thousands of protesters marched against Islamophobia and United States President Donald Trump in downtown Toronto on Saturday the second major demonstration this week. Hundreds had gathered five days earlier to protest Trump's sweeping travel ban targeting seven predominantly Muslim countries which was blocked by a U.S. judge on Friday. The massive rally began outside the U.S. Consulate on University Ave. as protesters, bundled against the cold, stretched from Queen to Dundas Sts. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

muslim community: Taxi drivers such as Karim, 53, who didn't want to use his last name, are thankful for the outpouring of warmth towards the Muslim community from people across the city since last weekend's shootings, according to CBC. How Quebec City is mending the emotional scars left after the mosque attack Quebec City mosque reopens 6 days after shooting But he and his colleagues at the airport taxi stand many of whom hail from French-speaking North Africa can't help but feel frustration at the society they feel hasn't fully accepted them, especially in the job market. Across the small, narrow trailer the television is broadcasting Thursday's funeral service in Montreal held for three of the six men murdered in a mosque across town. Karim, who came to Quebec from Morocco in 1991, completed a master's at Laval University in 1996 in management. I got two interviews.'' Earlier in the week, the vice-president of Quebec City's mosque, Mohamed Labidi, stood sobbing over the dried blood of his friend Azzeddine Soufiane, whom he said tried in vain to stop the shooter. I sent hundreds of resumes,'' he said, about his job search after graduating. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

president attempts: In the article titled Canada, Leading the Free World, U.S. journalist Nicholas Kristof praises Canada for its inviting immigration policy, at a time when all around the world, countries are slamming the doors shut, according to CTV. It may now be the finest example of the values of the Statue of Liberty, Kristof wrote in the op-ed published Saturday. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! A New York Times columnist has suggested that famous inscription on the Statue of Liberty applies more to Canada than Donald Trump's America these days, as the U.S. president attempts to shut his country's doors to immigrants from several majority Muslim nations, while Canada welcomes tens of thousands of Syrian refugees. The piece is a largely rose-coloured examination of Canada's immigration policies, hailing it as a haven for immigrants and open-mindedness, with little mention of some of the more vehement critics of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's inviting approach. Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, called the story a big slobbery kiss for Canada on Twitter. Kristof praises Canada's private sponsorship program, touts diversity at the highest levels of government, and suggests based on a poll that Canadians now take more pride in multiculturalism than in hockey. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

press briefings: Turnbull said, The important thing is results, according to CTV. Spicer says Trump has agreed to honour an Obama administration deal to resettle up to 1,250 asylum seekers rejected by Australia. Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull also dismissed a Nine Network television network journalist's suggestion that he should be offended that White House spokesman Sean Spicer has repeatedly called him Trumbull in press briefings. Trump made the agreement during a conversation with Turnbull last weekend, but has since tweeted, I will study this dumb deal! Turnbull said Trump had asked for nothing in return for resettling the mostly Muslim refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Absolutely not, Turnbull said. Australia pays the impoverished Pacific countries of Nauru and Papua New Guinea to keep the refugees in camps. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

quebec city: Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS By Giuseppe Valiante The Canadian Press Sun., Feb. 5, 2017 QUEBEC During a break from picking up passengers outside Quebec City's airport, Karim removes a piece of cardboard hanging on the wall of the trailer and places it on the ground, he stands on it, and begins evening prayers, according to Toronto Star. Across the small, narrow trailer the television is broadcasting Thursday's funeral service in Montreal held for three of the six men murdered in a mosque across town. Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS On Friday, many gathered to remember three of the six victims of the Quebec City mosque shooting. Taxi drivers such as Karim, 53, who didn't want to use his last name, are thankful for the outpouring of warmth towards the Muslim community from people across the city since last weekend's shootings. Article Continued Below Karim, who came to Quebec from Morocco in 1991, completed a master's at Laval University in 1996 in management. Read the latest news on the Quebec mosque shooting But he and his colleagues at the airport taxi stand many of whom hail from French-speaking North Africa can't help but feel frustration at the society they feel hasn't fully accepted them, especially in the job market. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

studies law: The order also put a three-month hold on all visits to the United States from seven predominantly Muslim countries, according to CBC. Co-organizer Brodie Noga, who studies law at McGill University, said he was inspired to act by the freeze on refugees and his work with an Iranian citizen who was refused entry into the United States under the ban. The 12-hour research-a-thon responds to U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order last week that indefinitely bans Syrian refugees from entering the United States and put a four-month freeze on refugees from other countries. I don't feel that it's right that Canada be complicit in any way with these refugee bans, he said. CBC Unjust agreement Refugee advocates in Canada say Trump's executive order casts new doubt on Canada's Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, which holds that the U.S. is a safe country for refugees and restricts those who can claim refugee status at the land border between the two countries. The Montreal edition of the law student research-a-thon united law students from McGill University, Universit de Montr al and the Universit du Qu bec Montr al. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

campaign chair: Bannon has already declared that he sees Donald Trump as a blunt instrument for advancing his own beliefs he's shaped, articulated, refined a political philosophy, and the president of the United States is the delivery mechanism, according to Guelph Mercury. The gruff-looking ex-Navy man, Harvard grad, Goldman Sachs banker, film producer, and flame-throwing right-wing media exec swept into the epicentre of political power with new roles first as Trump's campaign chair, now as chief White House strategist. It's another rare distinction for a political staffer now being cast in popular culture as some alt-right Rasputin. Last week, he became the story. There are now reports Trump is miffed. White House insiders grumbled to media that he'd pushed ahead Trump's controversial travel restrictions, avoided departmental advice, and insisted on making it more aggressive. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

iranian researcher: Nima Enayati was turned away last week when he tried to fly to New York from Italy, where he's working on a Ph.D. Enayati says, It feels great finally I'm here, according to Guelph Mercury. He says he acted quickly when he saw a judge rule against President Donald Trump's Jan. 27 executive order suspending America's refugee program and halting immigration to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries. An Iranian researcher who had been prevented from coming to the United States to do research at Stanford University has arrived safely at New York's Kennedy Airport. Enayati is on a visa for three months to conduct research at Stanford working on robotics that will help make surgeries less invasive and cheaper for patients. 9 25 p.m. The Los Angeles Times reports Sara Yarjani was among those caught in a confusing legal limbo after Trump signed the order Jan. 27, about seven hours before Yarjani landed in Los Angeles on a flight from Oslo. An Iranian graduate student who was denied entry into the United States under President Donald Trump's travel ban has returned to America after a judge halted the order. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

laval university: Taxi drivers such as Karim, 53, who didn't want to use his last name, are thankful for the outpouring of warmth towards the Muslim community from people across the city since last weekend's shootings, according to Guelph Mercury. But he and his colleagues at the airport taxi stand many of whom hail from French-speaking North Africa can't help but feel frustration at the society they feel hasn't fully accepted them, especially in the job market. Across the small, narrow trailer the television is broadcasting Thursday's funeral service in Montreal held for three of the six men murdered in a mosque across town. Karim, who came to Quebec from Morocco in 1991, completed a master's at Laval University in 1996 in management. I got two interviews. I sent hundreds of resumes, he said, about his job search after graduating. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

affairs columnist: Over that period, Quebecers have been subjected to a barrage of fear-mongering rhetoric purporting that the secular nature of their public institutions is under attack from an army of religious zealots mostly but not exclusively of the Muslim faith, according to Toronto Star. For much of the time, the sound of dog-whistle politics has dominated the conversation with depictions of the Muslim community often amounting to little more than caricature. MATHIEU BELANGER / AFP/GETTY IMAGES By Chantal H bert National Affairs Columnist Sat., Feb. 4, 2017 MONTREAL For more than a decade, Quebec has been the scene of a divisive and, so far, sterile debate as to what constitutes the reasonable accommodation of religious minorities by a secular state. Over his leadership campaign last year, Jean-Fran ois Lis e of the Parti Qu b cois hammered the notion that public safety required governments to consider banning the burka to prevent terrorists from wearing the full-body covering to hide lethal weapons. Its platform pointedly calls for vetting the values of immigrants to ensure they are aligned with the province's mainstream. Last summer, Quebec's third party, the Coalition Avenir Qu bec, flirted with the notion of a ban on body-covering bathing suits such as the burkini. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

butch otter: It is, Otter said during an interview on Idaho Public Television's Idaho Reports, according to Metro News. But we want a safe country. C.L. Butch Otter says he agrees with President Donald Trump that persecuted Christians should be treated as priority in the U.S. refugee program despite acknowledging that such preference is discriminatory. Otter made his remarks during an interview with Idaho Public Television's Idaho Reports, which aired Friday. The executive order signed by Trump suspends immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days and all refugee resettlement for 120 days. The 30-minute interview touched on the governor's thoughts on immigration, transportation and trade, but it also highlighted specifically President Donald Trump's latest actions regarding immigration and refugees. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian muslims: Then came the massacre at a Quebec City mosque that struck another blow to a community already numbed by the Islamophobia its members have faced day in day out in Canada.A group of Muslims invited by the Star to a roundtable discussion last week described their immediate reactions to the disturbing events on both sides of the border with such phrases as not again, resistance and heavy heart, according to Toronto Star. It's a familiar narrative. Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Fri., Feb. 3, 2017 U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban against Muslims came as no surprise to Canadian Muslims, though they did not expect how harshly and quickly it happened. It's very real in our lives, said Gilary Massa, 31, whose family came to Canada from Panama in the late 1980s. This is what we say to ourselves to cope, but the shooting is an unfriendly reminder of how Islamophobia is well and alive in the country. Some people say at least we live in Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fredericton mosque: It was one of several events in honour of the Quebec City victims held across New Brunswick and throughout Canada this week, according to CBC. Hundreds gather across province for Quebec shooting vigils Donations continue to pour in for new Fredericton mosque On Saturday, a March Against Islamophobia and Deportations, is planned for Fredericton at 12 30 p.m. starting at City Hall. He agreed to stay away from the mosque for now, he said, but he also helped organize a vigil at the University of Moncton. The local mosque will also open its doors to the public Sunday, starting at 10 a.m. I don't think people here, or people in the world want something like that again, he said. If anything, these events show how much people care, Badirou said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

october show: Nova Scotia immigrants say U.S. travel ban 'reeks of discrimination' The total included an influx of Syrian refugees, along with provincially nominated families and entrepreneurs, according to CBC. The province says it's also expecting another 2,150 people under the provincial nomination program this year, but it doesn't indicate how many more refugees may arrive. The province's Immigration Department says preliminary figures for last year to the end of October show 4,835 newcomers including about 1,500 refugees arrived in Nova Scotia, saying it's the highest number in decades. We have to ramp it up' However, Don Mills, a pollster who has supported a business push to increase immigration in the province, said he sees the figure as an improvement that is still short of what the province needs to replace an aging workforce, and notes the boom in refugees may decrease. But we have to ramp it up even quicker. We're going on in the right direction, he said in an interview. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

people act: People act like whatever's going on in the U.S. does not happen in Canada, according to Metro News. But as we saw in Quebec, all these people got shot in a mosque. The rally, one of about a dozen across Canada, was organized in opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban and to condemn last weekend's shooting at a Quebec City mosque that left six men dead. We don't feel safe in our country with all the Islamophobic rhetoric that's going around. She said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should revoke the so-called safe third country agreement, which makes it difficult for refugees to seek asylum in Canada if they come through the U.S. They should also lift the cap on the number of private sponsorships so refugees can find safety here, she said. It's unjust, it's uncalled for, and it's absolutely wrong, said Sumaiya Zaman. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rally organizer: One rally organizer, Hazim Ismail, says Winnipeg should follow in the steps of cities such as Toronto, which declared itself a sanctuary city in 2013, according to Toronto Star. He says the declaration would help ensure programs helping refugee claimants and other are maintained, and provide a safer environment for undocumented migrants. The Canadian Press By The Canadian Press Fri., Feb. 3, 2017 WINNIPEG Several dozen protesters braved the Winnipeg cold to push city council to declare the city a sanctuary for undocumented migrants. Speakers at the rally say Canada needs to offer more help after moves by the United States to ban refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Article Continued Below In a written statement, Bowman's press secretary said it's not clear what effect, if any, would come from declaring the city a sanctuary. react-text 154 Several dozen protesters braved the Winnipeg cold to push city council and the mayor to declare the city a sanctuary for undocumented migrants. /react-text JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS At this point, front line agencies and organizations helping and assisting new arrivals have not identified a need to declare Winnipeg a sanctuary city,' Jonathan Hildebrand wrote. Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman has been non-committal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee targets: On Jan. 27 U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily restricting entry to the U.S. for travellers from seven predominantly Muslim countries, according to CBC. The restrictions are currently facing legal challenges in the U.S. No change to refugee targets despite travel ban ministerU.S. won't ban permanent residents The day after Trump signed the executive order, a tweet by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his own message to those seeking to come to Canada, and it was very different than Trump's. As more and more countries are taking a different approach, of closing their borders, or not being open to new people or ideas, we've chosen the opposite approach, which is being open to ideas, being open to people, being open to talent, being open to skills and investments and we'll continue to have that tradition, Ahmed Hussen told CBC Radio's The House. To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. It's been retweeted more than 427,000 times and was followed up with a photo showing Trudeau welcoming a newly arrived Syrian refugee child, with the hashtag Welcome to Canada. Diversity is our strength, it read. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

unemployment rate: Canadians are the ones that will make a decision about who will represent them and I have a lot of good faith in the common sense of Canadians, said Ambrose at the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservatives' annual meeting, according to The Chronicle Herald. Her remarks come just 15 days into a Trump presidency that was met with widespread protests on Jan. 21 followed just days later by banning citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. The interim federal Conservative leader said that her party was fighting for taxpayers and job creation in Atlantic Canada at a time when Nova Scotia's unemployment rate hovers just above eight per cent and people are worried about the future. The ban was suspended as of Saturday. Leitch ran into widespread criticism from many in her own party after she proposed screening all immigrants and visitors to Canada for Canadian values' without clearly stating what they would entail. At least two out of the 14 federal Conservative leadership candidates have been likened to Trump Kellie Leitch and Kevin O'Leary. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.