Une alliance nationale visant à fournir une base factuelle pour l'établissement et l'intégration des nouveaux arrivants, ainsi que pour la promotion de communautés accueillantes au Canada
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.
Le Devoir – Le Canada rappelé à l’ordre par l’ONU
La situation des droits de la personne — principalement celle des populations plus vulnérables comme les Premières Nations et les réfugiés — s’est détériorée au Canada au cours de la dernière décennie, selon un rapport rendu public jeudi par le Comité des droits de l’Homme des Nations unies. Et les éléments de préoccupations sont nombreux. Parmi ceux-ci, le comité a émis de vives inquiétudes par rapport aux cas des disparitions et d’assassinats de femmes autochtones un peu partout au pays. « Le Canada doit se doter de mécanismes nationaux pour prévenir ces gestes », peut-on lire dans le rapport. Ce dernier recommande aussi que le gouvernement se penche sur« les racines du problème », plutôt que de simplement punir ceux qui commettent ces crimes. La nouvelle loi antiterroriste C-51 adoptée en mai dernier et l’usage excessif de la force par les policiers lors des manifestations du G20 et de la crise étudiante de 2012 ont, eux aussi, suscité un certain nombre de critiques de la part du comité onusien.
Radio-Canada – Première expérience de camping pour des dizaines de nouveaux arrivants
Une centaine de nouveaux arrivants participent à un séjour de camping au Parc national de la Mauricie, en fin de semaine. Il s’agit d’une première pour plusieurs d’entre eux, dont certains sont arrivés au Canada il y a à peine 10 jours. Les 91 participants à l’activité organisée par le Service d’aide aux nouveaux arrivants (SANA) de Trois-Rivières sont partis, samedi matin, en autobus scolaire vers le Parc national de la Mauricie, où ils passeront une nuit sous la tente. Rabaska, randonnée et pique-nique sont au menu pour les campeurs originaires de l’Argentine, du Rwanda ou encore du Venezuela. « Ça nous montre la culture québécoise. Pour nous, on doit s’adapter à ça », explique Jerôme Neouman. Pour le directeur général du SANA de Trois-Rivières, Ivan Suaza, c’est l’occasion de leur faire découvrir les grands espaces que leur nouveau pays a à offrir.
Toronto Star – Court Rules Denial of Appeals for “Safe Country” Refugees Unconstitutional
In a major blow to the Harper government, the Federal Court has ruled that denying appeals to refugees from countries on Canada’s so-called “safe countries” list is unconstitutional. […] “Reforms to our asylum system have been successful resulting in faster decisions and greater protection for those who need it most,” said a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Chris Alexander. “We remain committed to putting the interests of Canadians and the most vulnerable refugees first. Asylum seekers from developed countries such as the European Union or the United States should not benefit from endless appeal processes.” The latest court decision means all failed refugee claimants — whether from the government’s safe country list or not — are entitled to appeal negative asylum decisions at the Immigration and Refugee Board’s refugee appeal division or better known as the RAD. “This is a very important victory for refugees,” said Jared Will, counsel for the refugee lawyers association. “Today’s court decision means DCO claimants regain the rights to appeal at the RAD. Every refugee deserves to have their claims determined on their own merits.”
University of Toronto Faculty of Law – UN Condemns Canada’s Arbitrary, Indefinite Detention of Migrants
The UN Human Rights Committee, a body comprised of seventeen independent international law experts from around the world, has found that Canada’s treatment of immigration detainees is cruel and unusual, and results in arbitrary detention. In its 7-page “concluding observations” on Canada released this morning, the Committee expresses grave concerns about indefinite detention for migrants, mandatory detention of those who enter Canada through “irregular” means, and recent cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program which severely restrict access to healthcare for non-citizens. The Committee also expresses concern over insufficient medical support for detainees with mental health conditions held in provincial jails. The Committee calls on Canada to set a reasonable time limit on immigration detention, to ensure that immigration detention is used as a “last resort,” and to develop non-custodial alternatives to detention. The Committee also notes that migrants must have access essential health care services irrespective of their immigration status. Since 30% of immigration detainees are held in provincial jails, it is also significant that the Committee recommends that there be access to treatment centres for detainees with mental health issues.
The Guardian – Canada’s Pilot “Millionaires” Immigration Program Only Receives Six Applications
Canada has received just six applications for its pilot immigration program for millionaires, far fewer than for its investor class visa that was scrapped last year amid criticism it was allowing rich Chinese to buy their way into Canada. “I knew it wasn’t going to work. It was poorly designed,” said Richard Kurland, a Vancouver immigration lawyer who filed an Access to Information request for the data. Canada said in December it was looking for 50 wealthy foreigners to join the pilot run of the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital plan, under which applicants must be far richer than those who entered under the previous program. Kurland said the revamped program will likely “wither on the vine and quietly go away” given the clear lack of demand from would-be immigrants who balked at the high price tag and uncertainty about their investment. Officials at the office of Citizenship and Immigration minister Chris Alexander and at his department were not immediately available for comment. Under the new program, would-be immigrants must invest a minimum of C$2m ($1.5m) in Canada for a 15-year period and must have a net worth of at least C$10m. Among other criteria, they must also meet a new requirement that they speak English or French.
Toronto Star – UN Alarmed by Canada’s Immigration Detention
A UN report has raised the alarm over Canada’s lengthy immigration detention and the lack of medical support for inmates with mental health conditions. Those were among the many concerns over the changes made to the immigration and refugee system by the federal government in recent years that are raised in a country report released by the United Nations Human Rights Committee on Thursday. “The State party should refrain from detaining irregular migrants for an indefinite period of time and should ensure that detention is used as a measure of last resort, that a reasonable time limit for detention is set,” said the committee, made up of 17 independent international experts. The seven-page report is the result of a review of Canada’s human rights conditions, conducted earlier this month to ensure the country’s compliance with international agreements on civil and political rights. […] Canada’s immigration detention system has been under the spotlight in recent years, after the deaths of detainees in custody, including Mexican migrant Lucia Vega Jimenez in Vancouver in 2013 and Somali native Abdurahman Ibrahim Hassan, a mentally ill man who died in a Peterborough hospital in June.
