Media Roundup

La revue de presse fournit des liens aux articles récents et archivés, à la fois en anglais et en français, sur l’immigration et la diversité lesquels ont été publiés dans les média locaux et nationaux. Il y a également des articles internationaux. Cette section est mise à jour hebdomadairement.


Globe and Mail – Prime Minister’s Office Ordered Halt to Refugee Processing

The Prime Minister’s Office directed Canadian immigration officials to stop processing one of the most vulnerable classes of Syrian refugees this spring and declared that all UN-referred refugees would require approval from the Prime Minister, a decision that halted a critical aspect of Canada’s response to a global crisis. The Globe and Mail has learned that the Prime Minister intervened in a file normally handled by the Citizenship and Immigration department in the months before dramatic images of a dead toddler brought the refugee crisis to the fore. The processing stop, which was not disclosed to the public, was in place for at least several weeks. It is unclear when it was lifted. At the same time, an audit was ordered of all Syrian refugees referred by the United Nations in 2014 and 2015. The Prime Minister’s Office asked Citizenship and Immigration for the files of some Syrian refugees so they could be vetted by the PMO – potentially placing political staff with little training in refugee matters in the middle of an already complex process. PMO staff could have also had access to files that are considered protected, because they contain personal information, including a refugee’s health history and narrative of escape, raising questions about the privacy and security of that information and the basis on which it was being reviewed.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prime-ministers-office-ordered-halt-to-refugee-processing/article26713562/

The Hamilton Spectator – Prime Minister’s Staff Vetted Refugee Applications, Report Says. Harper Denies It.

The Globe and Mail reported Thursday that the Prime Minister’s Office intervened in the processing of Syrian refugees and declared that all applicants referred by the United Nations would require Harper’s approval. The file is normally handled by Citizenship and Immigration officials. But staff in Stephen Harper’s office got personally involved in vetting applications, the newspaper reported. Later Thursday, Harper denied the charge that his office was directly involved in the selection of refugees who would be admitted to Canada. “Political staff are never involved in approving refugee applications. Such decisions are made by officials in the department of citizenship and immigration,” Harper said at the start of a speech to a Vancouver-area audience. The newspaper also reported that the intake of Syrian refugees was paused as the government did an audit of the initial batch of refugees accepted into the country. Harper confirmed his office asked for an audit to confirm the government’s goals were being met. “Our government has adopted a generous approach to the admission of refugees while ensuring the selection of the most vulnerable people and keeping our country safe and secure,” Harper said.

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5952390-prime-minister-s-staff-vetted-refugee-applications-report-says-harper-denies-it/

The New York Times – Syrian Asylum Claims in Canada Slowed by Stephen Harper’s Office

The office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper slowed the handling of refugee claims from Syrians by intervening in the review process, the government confirmed on Thursday. The unusual move, which revived the handling of refugee claims as an issue in Canada’s current election campaign, was reported by the Globe and Mail, a Toronto newspaper. It was unclear why Mr. Harper’s office took the step against Syrians in particular. But Chris Alexander, the minister of citizenship and immigration, described it as a security audit. […]During a campaign stop in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mr. Harper offered little detail about the review, which occurred in June for an unspecified period. The national election is scheduled for Oct. 19. “Political staff are never involved in approving refugee applications,” Mr. Harper said after echoing Mr. Alexander’s comments about security.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/world/americas/canadian-premiers-office-slowed-syrian-refugee-claims.html?_r=0

The Guardian – Canada PM’s Office Ordered Delay on Syrian Refugee Claims Processing

The office of Canada’s prime minister Stephen Harper told immigration officials to stop processing asylum claims by a group of Syrian refugees, the country’s citizenship and immigration minister said on Thursday. In a written statement, Chris Alexander confirmed a report in the Globe and Mail newspaper that Harper’s office had earlier this year told immigration officials to stop processing claims of Syrians referred by the United Nations, declaring they would need the prime minister’s approval to enter Canada. Alexander said that the processing of the first batch of Syrian government-assisted refugees had been temporarily halted so a security audit could be carried out. The minister said that the move was designed to “ensure the integrity of our refugee referral system”. […] Although the statement did not give further details, Harper has repeatedly said refugees need to be screened to prevent potential militants entering Canada disguised as refugees. Harper came under pressure last month to let in more refugees when it emerged that relatives of a Syrian toddler whose drowned body washed up on a Turkish beach had wanted to emigrate to Canada.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/08/canada-stephen-harper-processing-syrian-refugees

CBC – Stephen Harper Denies PMO Staff Vetted Syrian Refugee Files

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has acknowledged that his government asked for an audit of Syrian refugee cases earlier this year, but denies that any political staff were involved in vetting those files. Harper, responding to a Globe and Mail story, said that when it comes to admitting refugees, his government ensures the selection of the most vulnerable people while keeping the country safe and secure. […] Earlier, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander confirmed a news report Wednesday that the Prime Minister’s Office directed Canadian immigration officials to stop processing a preliminary group of Syrian refugees, pending an audit of their cases. In a written statement, Alexander said the move to review the cases of the UN-designated refugees was designed to “ensure the integrity of our refugee referral system.” […] The newspaper said the processing halt was not disclosed to the public, and was in place for at least several weeks. “It is unclear when it was lifted. At the same time, an audit was ordered of all Syrian refugees referred by the United Nations in 2014 and 2015,” the report states.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-refugee-processing-pmo-1.3262423

Le Huffington Post – Angela Merkel : l’accueil des réfugiés, « tâche la plus difficile depuis la réunificaiton »

L’accueil des demandeurs d’asile qui affluent en Allemagne est “la tâche la plus difficile” du pays “depuis la Réunification”, a estimé mercredi soir Angela Merkel, refusant cependant de “participer au concours” entre Etats européens pour les dissuader de venir. “C’est une tâche difficile. Peut-être la plus difficile depuis la Réunification”, a jugé la chancelière allemande, invitée d’un talk-show sur la chaîne publique ARD, à propos des 800 000 à un million de demandeurs d’asile qu’attend l’Allemagne cette année, soit quatre à cinq fois plus que l’an dernier.

http://quebec.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/10/07/angela-merkel-laccueil-des-refugies-tache-la-plus-difficile-depuis-la-reunification_n_8260470.html