ImmigrantChildren.ca Archive

Category: Federal

  • New Visa requirement for Mexico impacts children

    The Globe and Mail is reporting that a number of children, registered to attend a summer camp in Ontario, are now being turned away, due to the new regulations requiring visas for Mexicans.
    From today’s G&M story (July 20/09):

    “The government introduced (the) restrictions in response to the burgeoning number of refugee claims made by Mexicans who show up on Canadian soil. Citizenship and Immigration Canada said this week the number of claims has tripled to more than 9,400 since 2005.
    (Camp Director) Mr. Diamond said the families who’ve sent their children to Camp Manitou pay nearly $5,000 for the privilege, so they are not your typical refugee claimants”.

    Refugee claimants as campers. Who knew?

  • Integration v. multiculturalism

    Federal Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, The Honourable Jason Kenney Friday, July 10/09 announced $9.5 Million to Calgary immigrant serving organizations delivering language training. Citing once again the well-known quote by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Kenney reiterated that “newcomers have a right to be different but a duty to integrate”. Adding:

    “Our new focus is on integration. We don’t want to create a bunch of silo communities where kids grow up in a community that more resembles their parents’ country of origin than Canada”. (Source: The Canadian Press).

    Calgary immigrant serving organizations were happy to receive the funds, however, no details were made available on whether or how much of this funding is allocated to children’s settlement and language training.

  • National Metropolis conference, March 18-21/10, Montreal

    This year’s national Metropolis conference theme is “Immigration and Diversity: Crossroads of Culture, Engines of the Economy”. The conference will present workshops, roundtables and poster presentations in the six priority areas of the Metropolis program:

    1. Citizenship and social, cultural, linguistic and civic integration
    2. Economic and labour market integration
    3. Family, children, youth
    4. The role of the host communities for newcomers and minorities
    5. Justice, policing and security
    6. Housing, neighbourhoods and the urban environment.

    For details, including a call for proposals, (deadline Oct 30/09) see the conference website.

  • Financial literacy program for newcomer women

    The St. Joseph Immigrant Women’s Centre in Hamilton, Ontario today received over $130,000 to support a financial literacy program for immigrant women. The Centre works with refugee and immigrant women and “provides services including labour market training and support, language and driving instruction, educational funding, and health services for women and their families”.
    Minister of State, Status of Women, Helena Guergis made the announcement today. From the news release:
    “New Canadians play a vital role in contributing to Canada’s economy. Especially during these tough economic times, it is more important than ever that new Canadians have the opportunity and skills to contribute fully,” said Minister Guergis. “By supporting the St. Joseph’s Immigrant Women’s Centre in carrying out this important project, our Government is working to ensure that immigrant and refugee women have the tools they need to overcome poverty”.
    immigrantchildren.ca hopes that child care is supported as one of the tools to lift newcomer families out of poverty – and provide children with quality early learning opportunities.

  • GGs statement on Canadian Multiculturalism Day

    From the Canada News Centre website, a message from Governor General Michaëlle Jean on Canadian Multiculturalism Day (June 27th):

    Awareness. Inclusion. Equality. Sharing. With just these few, simple words, the full measure of the Canadian reality immediately comes to mind with all its possibilities. It is a reality that is ever changing, encouraging us to preserve and develop the best of the cultures that are already here and that we continue to welcome with open arms.
    I often say that Canada contains the world and that our diversity is synonymous with opportunity and the key to our success. Diversity is a fundamental fact of the modern world. Social practices are being transformed, and cultures are becoming richer and more complex than ever before. It is up to each and every one of us to help build a society in which everyone can reach their full potential.
    Although there have been some painful periods in our history – I am thinking in particular of residential schools–there are still many glorious chapters for us to write, together, with kindness, openness and generosity. Let us celebrate the richness of our diversity and share in our good fortune!

    Related resources: Citizenship and Immigration Canada official “Multiculturalism” webpage.
    Canadian Multiculturalism Act

  • $15 million for Pier 21

    At Pier 21, Canada’s Immigration Museum, Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced a cash infusion of $15 million to make the museum a national one. Pier 21 was the gateway to immigrants from 1928-1971. Pier 21 is also where the home children landed.

  • House of Commons committee report on the live-in caregiver program

    The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) has released their study on Migrant Workers and Ghost Consultants. The paper is the result of the investigation undertaken by the Committee on the Live-in Caregiver Program, and is a follow-up to the May 2009 report, Temporary Foreign Workers and Non-status Workers*.
    The June 2009 report makes several recommendations about the LCP including that “the Government of Canada grant live-in caregivers permanent resident status” with conditions.
    *The report “Temporary Foreign Workers and Non-status Workers” is currently not available on the Parliament website. {Update: thanks to our friend at OCASI, here’s a link to the report}

  • Metropolis funding for projects that examine "effective partnerships" in delivery of immigrant & settlement services

    Metropolis National Research Competition, an initiative of Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), has issued a call for proposals. This year’s research question is:

    From the point of view of governments and of newcomers and minorities, are government-NGO partnerships the most effective model for delivering services for integration and inclusion in Canada?

    Deadline is September 30, 2009.
    For details about the call, including eligibility, process, application forms and more, see this SSHRC page.

  • Immigration Minister Jason Kenney on immigrant children

    The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism was interviewed on TVO’s The Agenda last week. Click here to see and hear the entire interview.
    Did the Minister have anything to say about immigrant/newcomer children? Yes! On integration:

    “We want to be deliberate about it and we want to make sure that we don’t end up with a series of parallel communities where children grow up in a community that more resembles their parents country of origin than Canada”.

    An example on “basic social and linguistic integration”:

    “If you’re a young guy, you’re arriving with your parents from China, you live in Richmond, you might go to a school where all the kids speak Cantonese or Mandarin as first language, that’s the language of entertainment, at home on the computer, at the movie theatre, with your peer group, I/we want to make sure that a young guy like that doesn’t end up limiting his opportunities in Canada just by retarding linguistic integration, which is after all the pathway to successful economic and social integration”.

    An interesting interview, uncovering Kenney’s plans to reshape citizenship and multiculturalism. Look for an announcement soon from Minister Kenney on a Blue Ribbon panel to tackle a new citizenship test.

  • Canada's top 25 immigrants

    Canadian Immigrant Magazine, with financial support from RBC, have announced the winners of the Canada’s Top 25 Immigrants awards. The awards are billed as “a people’s choice award that seeks to uncover and celebrate the untold stories and remarkable achievements of outstanding Canadian immigrants from all walks of life”.
    The awards program was introduced in Nov 2008 with a call for nominations from Canadians for “top immigrants” in terms of their contributions to Canada. A panel of immigration judges short-listed 75 and online votes were held via canadianimmigrant.ca. Ten thousand votes were cast. Among the 25 winners is one who works with/on behalf of immigrant children: 

    Elaine Chan, founder of the Chinese Academy. The Chinese Academcy provides Cantonese and Mandarin classes for children from K-12 and Chinese as a 2nd Language in Calgary AB.