tom commitment: But the NDP leader indicated Tuesday that the costs of the pharmacare program, at least, could be covered if the Liberals close a controversial tax loophole for stock options, which critics say benefits the wealthy, and crack down on tax havens, according to National Observer. The government has shown that it just doesn't get it when it comes to what workers are going through, Singh said. Singh has distanced himself from Tom Mulcair's commitment that an NDP government would stick to a balanced budget, saying as recently as last week that he opposes austerity and supports stimulus funding when required. While they've said a lot of fancy words on addressing inequality, they haven't yet produced the results that people need now. On the surface, Singh's demands look like the foundation of a possible NDP platform for the 2019 election. The NDP had sponsored an opposition motion echoing their leader's demands for action on the so-called stock-option deduction and tax havens in the budget, but the Liberals voted it down. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hundreds rally: The AP also erroneously reported that Ragbir was required to check in with immigration officials Saturday, according to Metro News. He had originally faced that requirement, but it was lifted by federal officials.A corrected version of the story is below Hundreds rally in NYC against deportation of activist Hundreds of people have rallied in New York City in support of an immigration activist facing deportation By DAVID JEANSAssociated Press Hundreds of people rallied on Saturday in support of an immigration activist from Trinidad and Tobago who's fighting deportation, accusing authorities of targeting him for speaking out. It was not issued by a judge in Newark. Ravi Ragbir was facing removal from the United States on Saturday. New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City, a coalition of 150 faith-based, pro-immigrant groups, staged the rally at a federal office in lower Manhattan where Ragbir, 53, had been scheduled to check in on Saturday with immigration officials before they decided he didn't need to. But federal officials and Ragbir's lawyers agreed to a temporary stay as part of a lawsuit filed Friday, which claims he and other activists have been singled out. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

december judgment: Thereafter, the defendant seems to then engage in a sort of vicious cycle in terms of continuing to offer work to these translators as an incentive to wait for payment, says the December judgment in the small claims case, according to Toronto Star. As well, translators are made to feel if they do not accept the work they will have to wait longer to get paid. In a judgment against Able Translations, which has enjoyed contracts with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and University Health Network among others, judge Laura Oliver said the company aggressively targets newly trained translators who are new to Canada and looking to start a new life in a new country. In an emailed statement to the Star, a spokesperson for Able said the company wasn't notified of the small claims case and was therefore unable to defend itself. The Star first wrote about Able Translations alleged payment issues in 2015, and then again in 2017. Able said it will challenge the decision. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ice officers: Officials at the agency commonly known as ICE praise Trump for putting teeth back into immigration enforcement, and they say their agency continues to prioritize national security threats and violent criminals, much as the Obama administration did, according to Toronto Star. But as ICE officers get wider latitude to determine whom they detain, the biggest jump in arrests has been of immigrants with no criminal convictions. And after he took office, arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers surged 40 per cent. The agency made 37,734 noncriminal arrests in the government's 2017 fiscal year, more than twice the number in the previous year. Critics say ICE is increasingly grabbing at the lowest-hanging fruit of deportation-eligible immigrants to meet the president's unrealistic goals, replacing a targeted system with a scattershot approach aimed at boosting the agency's enforcement statistics.ICE has not carried out mass roundups or major workplace raids under Trump, but nearly every week brings a contentious new arrest. The category includes suspects facing possible charges as well as those without criminal records. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration agreement: There was even ribbing when Schumer presented McConnell with a bottle of bourbon made in his home New York City borough of Brooklyn, according to Metro News. McConnell, whose state knows a thing or two about bourbon, proclaimed, There's no such thing as Brooklyn bourbon. We really do get along, despite what you read in the press, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., at a previously scheduled appearance alongside his counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., at the University of Louisville. But just days after the two leaders brokered a bipartisan 400 billion budget agreement and helped shepherd it into law, both men made clear that an immigration agreement will be tough. He said while Democrats have called for swift action on immigration, Now's the time to back up the talk with the hard work of finding a solution. The time for political posturing is behind us, McConnell said later Monday on the Senate floor. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jordan: Jordan is believed to have deported several thousand refugees since last year, mostly on security grounds, according to Metro News. Rights groups have said deportations often take place quickly, without a thorough investigation. Filippo Grandi also said that the number of Syrians being deported from Jordan to their war-ravaged homeland decreased dramatically in recent months, in part because of his agency's appeal for more careful reviews of cases. Only about 15,000 Syrian refugees, out of close to 660,000 registered in Jordan, have opted to leave the kingdom for Syria since 2016, Grandi said during a tour of the Zaatari refugee camp. Why Because people don't feel secure, he said. So it's a very small number. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee camps: He was born and raised in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city and far from the western state of Rakhine, where bloody military operations that followed Rohingya militant attacks in August have driven nearly 700,000 Rohingya into refugee camps in Bangladesh, according to The Chronicle Herald. When we first saw those pictures, we started laughing. For the 41-year-old Rohingya man, it was a surreal moment. We wondered When will it be our turn to have our pictures in the paper Muddinn, a teacher, said in an interview in his Yangon home. The pictures are the latest in a series of chilling realizations for the Rohingya minority here. Behind the laughter, though, there is genuine fear. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

selection system: According to the latest immigration data, a total of 101,107 eligible applicants were entered into the candidate pool from January to November, 2016, when Ottawa changed its selection system that ranks them and invites those who make the cut-off in each draw to apply for immigration under the economic class, according to Toronto Star. Draws are held multiple times each year. With the tweaking of criteria by the federal government more than a year ago, applicants with backgrounds in industrial, electrical and construction trades have become less competitive while international students are getting a boost because their Canadian education is now worth more. In the six months after the introduction of changes that included drastically reducing the bonus points awarded to candidates with job offers, 77,207 were entered into the pool. Before the changes, almost 40 per cent of those invited to apply for immigration had a job offer. Although the 2017 total of candidates is not yet available, it's bound to surpass the total from the year before. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

settlement products: A more moderate Palestine Resolution renewing the NDP's commitment to peace and justice has been endorsed by two dozen riding associations, according to Rabble. The motion mostly restates official Canadian policy, except that it calls for banning settlement products from Canadian markets, and using other forms of diplomatic and economic pressure to end the occupation. The NDP Socialist Caucus has submitted a resolution calling on the party to actively campaign in support of the demand of Palestinian unions, civil society and unions across Canada and around the world which call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against the Israeli state until it dismantles the apartheid wall, allows refugees to return home, ends its demolition of Palestinian homes and olive groves, lifts the siege of Gaza, ends its occupation of Palestinian lands, and terminates its apartheid practices. Already the Canadian Jewish News, Electronic Intifada, National Post, Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, Toronto Star, Le Devoir, Mondoweiss, Canada Talks Israel Palestine and rabble.ca have published stories regarding the resolutions. Party insiders will no doubt do everything in their power to avoid discussing the Socialist Caucus BDS resolution and will probably seek to block the Palestine Resolution from being debated publicly on the convention floor. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs has called on the party leader to push back against marginal elements within the party promoting Palestinian rights while the Canadian Friends of Simon Wiesenthal has Urged NDP to Disallow Anti-Israel Resolution at Upcoming corporate-media-focused party operatives may heed the CIJA/Wiesenthal call. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rating: Striding onstage with her purse slung over her shoulder and a marvelous honky-tonk backing band some with ZZ Top-worthy beards the soft-spoken June greeted the audience with a near inaudible Happy to see you again, according to NOW Magazine. Bathed in magenta lights, the Tennessee singer/songwriter immediately dove in. Rating NNNNSometimes it's worth braving snow and ice to be part of something special, and that was the case at Valerie June's Queen Elizabeth Theatre concert on Sunday. For much of the night, she remained a woman of few words, letting her powerful pipes and gorgeous songs do the heavy lifting. Her whimsical, uninhibited delivery let her register morph between childlike innocence and world-weary wisdom, one roof-raising song after another. While known for her deeply distinctive voice and songs that draw from country, blues, gospel and Appalachian folk, she has a disarmingly wailing drawl and Tennessee twang in a live setting. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

compassion gr: The organization dates back to 1928 when it became the city's first non-profit social services agency for families, set up in response to a survey of child welfare services in B.C. that identified the need.article continues below Trending Stories Shaughnessy Canuck Place house has dark historyrelatedA lesson in compassion Gr. 4 students raise money for at-risk youth More support needed for B.C. kids waiting for adoption Dr, according to Vancouver Courier. GF George Frederick Strong was a key player in its beginnings, according to CEO Karin Kirkpatrick, while Mary McPhedran was the founding executive director for what was then known as the Central Welfare Bureau. That's what Family Services of Greater Vancouver learned looking through its history in preparation for its 90th anniversary Feb. 15. A donated second-hand car was sold for 25 to fund its launch. Mary McPhedran was the founding executive director for what was then called the Central Welfare Bureau. The office was in Vancouver's Dominion Building, and it opened its doors with a single case worker. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

creek plan: His parents split when he was 2 1/2, and he never fully fit in with either of their families after they remarried.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver police officer going for Olympic gold Proposal for building with innovative design goes to public hearing Feb. 20Court hears harrowing tales of youth prostitution victims Council approves ambitious Northeast False Creek plan He's tight with his two older siblings, a brother and sister, but they haven't all been together for eight years, since before the war, according to Vancouver Courier. So imagine how the 25-year-old feels knowing the three of them will be reunited in Canada soon. Even before the war in Syria, he didn't have the dream mom-dad-and-the-kids upbringing. And imagine how it felt, after years of living alone as an unwanted refugee, to be embraced by a brand-new, instant family of two dozen strangers when he got off the plane in Victoria in June. That was a shock, honestly, he says. It wasn't just his cousin ish Julie Angus more about her later who met him at the airport, but the entire Fairfield group sponsoring him here. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

movies trudeau: Local coverage of the prime minister's visit to California has focused on U.S. President Donald Trump's talk and actions on immigration, a particularly acute issue in this blue state on the border with Mexico and home to the largest population of Canadians outside of Canada, some 150,000 people, according to National Observer. And Trudeau's talk Friday night at the Ronald Reagan library was overshadowed with international headlines about a crash between an SUV and a motorcycle officer in the prime minister's motorcade. Standing at the Griffith Observatory in the Los Angeles hills a site made famous as a setting in multiple movies Trudeau said his pitch to save the North American Free Trade Agreement from falling apart was well received. ; Behind Trudeau, a cloudy California sky obscured the city's most famous message the Hollywood Sign. The California Highway Patrol officer broke his clavicle in the accident. The conversations I've had across this country over these past few days have been extremely positive, the prime minister said on Saturday morning. Trudeau said Canadians needed to continually remind Americans about the bilateral relationship between the two countries, which can often be taken for granted. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

seniors: According to them, the plan systematically excludes specific groups of seniors by using unilingual online surveys, holding consultations during one of the coldest months of the year and choosing locations that are difficult to access with public transit, according to National Observer. The people who are being excluded from the public consultation are precisely those who are most in need of an age friendly city' . The first concern appears to be less of an issue, since the website clearly stipulates that if anyone needs help filling out the online survey in either French or English there's both a phone number and an email address available. The Val rie Plante administration's recently announced decision to hold public consultations in the middle of winter, ahead of a new Municipal Action Plan for Seniors 2018-2020 that aims to make the city more age friendly, left members of two Concordia University-based research organizations scratching their heads. ; In a bid to raise public awareness and gain the city's attention on this issue, Ageing, Communication, Technologies ACT and the Centre for Research on Aging engAGE published an open letter to the Mayor of Montreal outlining their concerns and calling for immediate changes in order to build a better and more inclusive consultation process that would, in turn, lead to a better Action Plan. The other two concerns, however, could potentially be major obstacles to a truly inclusive consultation process. Bad timing, bad locations First off, what able-bodied youngish bunch of bureaucrats at City Hall decided that holding a consultation process involving senior citizens in the middle of winter was a smart idea There is nothing an older person fears more than a severe fall, which at their age can lead to serious complications and quickly turn into a life-or-death situation. An image from the City of Montreal's Plan d'action municipal pour les personnes a n es 2018-2020. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

art: The local hotel now houses about 80 African asylum-seekers who were assigned to live there when they arrived in Italy, according to Toronto Star. But restaurant owner Davide Midali saw promise in both his village and its new residents. But financial issues kept the lifts closed this winter. To lure tourists back, he set out to build igloos that could be rented overnight, like ones he had seen in Sweden. When some of them saw me creating these blocks of snow, they voluntarily decided to give a hand to reach a common goal, Midali said. That's how a handful of immigrants unaccustomed to the cold picked up the art of igloo-making. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian citizenship: Abdi's lawyer, Benjamin Perryman, said federal officials are pushing for a deportation hearing to go forward, after turning down the 24-year-old's request to have the process put on hold while he pursues a constitutional challenge, according to CTV. A deportation order automatically strips Mr. Abdi, who never got Canadian citizenship while growing up in foster care in Nova Scotia, was detained by the Canada Border Services Agency after serving five years in prison for multiple offences, including aggravated assault. Abdi of his permanent resident status, including the right to work and the right to health care, Perryman said in a statement Sunday. Abdi argues he will be irreparably harmed if he is stripped of his rights before having the merits of his court case decided. Mr. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

daughter munizae: President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and others offered condolences, according to Metro News. Jahangir suffered a heart attack late on Saturday night and was rushed to hospital where she died early on Sunday, her daughter Munizae said. News of Jahangir's sudden death shook political, social and media circles in Pakistan, as well as government ranks. Born on Jan. 27 in 1952, Jahangir had a prominent career both as a lawyer and rights activist. Jahangir also served as president of the Supreme Court's Bar Association and was a U.N. rapporteur on human right and extrajudicial killings. She has served as chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and was widely respected for her outspoken criticism of the country's militant and extreme Islamist groups and unparalleled record as rights activist. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

deportation: According to Perryman, Abdi asked Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale to pause his deportation hearing with the Immigration and Refugee Board while he seeks a constitutional challenge in Federal Court of the minister's decision to deport him, according to The Chronicle Herald. Perryman said the minister refused this request and instead asked the Immigration and Refugee Board to proceed with a deportation hearing. Abdi's lawyer, Benjamin Perryman, issued a statement Sunday confirming the court will hear an emergency request to temporarily stop halt his deportation Thursday in Halifax. Abdi came to Nova Scotia as a child refugee from Somalia with his sister and two aunts when he was six, but he was soon taken from his family and spent most of his childhood in foster care. His advocates say that's something that, as a ward of the state, should have been done by the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services. During that time, Abdi had permanent resident status but no one applied for citizenship on his behalf. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lethbridge: He was a really interesting guy, very well read, very much a scholar, according to CBC. He had a quite eclectic set of interests from economics, politics, very much the environment, he was a very well-rounded sociologist, Harrison said. Trevor Harrison is a professor of sociology at the University of Lethbridge and sponsored Seyed-Emami when he came to the southern Alberta post-secondary institution on sabbatical from August to mid-December of last year. I think any of the number of us who had the occasion to meet him while he was over here are all feeling like it's a very big loss.'- Trevor Harrison, University of Lethbridge And I have to say, just a really nice gentleman. Seyed-Emami, 63, was a professor of sociology at Imam Sadeq University in Tehran and the managing director of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, which seeks to protect Iran's rare animals. He was a warm and engaging individual, very kind and just a wonderful person to meet. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pot restaurant: He's a PNP immigrant from the city of Chengdu, where hot pot is very popular, according to CBC. He went to cooking school for two years to learn it. Everyone wants to try new things of different cultures.' Dylan Zhao It's very popular in China, Zhao tells me. Zhao invested about half a million dollars on renovating the vintage building previously Kosy Korner diner and admits he didn't do much market research to determine whether there was an appetite for hot pot. You know how many immigrants come from China, and P.E.I. does not have hot pot restaurant, he points out. He's confident it'll be successful, though. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

extrajudicial killings: The death was confirmed by her daughter Munizae Jahangir, who said the cause was a heart attack, according to Toronto Star. Jahangir, a human rights lawyer, had a reputation of speaking truth to power and defending the weak and the marginalized, women and minorities against injustice. She was 66. She gained international acclaim for being the voice of conscience in a country where liberal, secular voices have been continuously under threat. She won several local and international awards and served as the United Nations rapporteur on human rights and extrajudicial killings. Read more Before Malala, there was Asma Jahangir She was the founding chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent group, and was a trustee of the International Crisis Group. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

opening: Fifty Shades Freed managed to take the top spot on the charts in North American theatres, according to CTV. Universal Pictures estimated Sunday that the final chapter in the Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele saga earned US 38.8 million over the weekend -- down significantly from the first film's 85.2 million debut and even the sequel's 46.6 million opening, but enough to bump the three-film franchise over 1 billion globally. But it's all just setting the stage for Black Panther, which opens next week. Women once again made up the vast majority 75 per cent of the opening weekend audience. To have a trilogy engineered primarily for a female audience that we were then able to broaden out into a billion-dollar franchise is just a fantastic result. We are exhilarated with the results, said Jim Orr, Universal's president of domestic distribution. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

twitter account: Discussed importance of Burmese authorities in carrying out full & independent investigation into the violence in Rakhine & urgent need to create the right conditions for Rohingya refugees to return to their homes in Rakhine, Johnson wrote on his Twitter account of his meeting with Suu Kyi, who also serves as foreign minister, according to Metro News. The meeting took place in Naypyidaw, Myanmar's capital. Johnson arrived in Myanmar from Bangladesh, where he visited with Rohingya refugees. The Rohingya have long faced severe discrimination and were the targets of violence in 2012 that killed hundreds and drove about 140,000 people predominantly Rohingya from their homes to camps for the internally displaced, where most remained until last year's fresh violence, the scale of which has led to accusations that Myanmar's army carried out ethnic cleansing or even genocide. The government refuses to recognize the Rohingya as a legitimate native ethnic minority. Myanmar's government has denied carrying out any large-scale or organized abuses against the Rohingya. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bullet: If the defence is to be believed, the bullet that put an end to Boushie's young life sat in Gerald Stanley's gun hanging fire until the weapon was properly positioned behind his head, according to Rabble. At that point, the bullet left the gun, untriggered. I feel soiled. Only in a profoundly racist society could such a ludicrous defence succeed. When she collapsed at this news, she says and there is no reason in this world not to believe her one of the cops asked if she'd been drinking. Only in a profoundly racist society would the police RCMP put out a news release right after the killing indirectly accusing Boushie of attempted robbery -- then go to his mother's house, surround it, search it without a warrant, and in the course of this violation, tell her that her son was dead. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

larsen: As far as I'm concerned, cannabis prohibition has always been wrong and immoral They should at least be vacating the convictions for possession and nobody should be disagreeing about that, according to CTV. Larsen said the taxes collected in the first few years after legalization should be put into a fund used to compensate those who have been harmed by cannabis prohibition. If I was in charge, we would vacate all convictions for any cannabis-related offence of any kind, Dana Larsen told CTV News. We could figure out a formula of so many dollars a day for the time you spent in jail, he said. Larsen himself was charged in 2016 for trafficking of low-THC cannabis seeds, but was never convicted. There' re many Canadians alive now who did six months or two years for simple possession of cannabis The goal is to apologize and acknowledge the harm. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

class neighbourhood: Originally from Whitney Pier, Cape Breton, Dr, according to The Chronicle Herald. Francis grew up in a uniquely multicultural working class neighbourhood. It was a big task, but one that she was more than ready for. She remembers realizing how special her community was after she left for Halifax to attend university in the early 80s. It gave such an opportunity to get to know different people, it was acceptance at such an early age. I always say Whitney Pier was multicultural before the word multicultural was even coined, she says. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.