Roma community campaigns for feds’ official recognition of genocide during Holocaust
Gina Csanyi-Robah was around 13 years old when her grandmother first told her that her relatives were genocide survivors during the Holocaust. But unlike the Jewish community, the Roma community has a different name for the atrocities they faced under the Nazis: “the devouring.” The word Holocaust, which translates to “completely burnt offering to God,” applies […]
Asylum politics shows value of an independent Immigration and Refugee Board
The heated political debate over the asylum seekers crossing the Canada-United States border is proof enough of the value of keeping the Immigration and Refugee Board independent of the government. The Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) is responsible for holding hearings to determine whether those seeking asylum in Canada are legitimate refugees, among other things. […]
Border-crossings debate could be Liberal vulnerability, if Tories can swoop in: pollsters
The government’s ability to manage the stream of refugee claimants arriving at Canada’s border could figure as a ballot-box question in 2019, but it’s an open question whether the opposition Conservatives can find support beyond their base by focusing on the issue, say pollsters and political observers. The Conservatives’ efforts to highlight the issue around irregular […]
Ignore white nationalists at your own peril, Mr. Scheer
TORONTO—The short, stout woman bobs through the crowd like a hungry dog, jockeying for position at a dish of meat. She screams and yells, waving a plump finger in the air. Every so often, she looks back behind her, in the direction of the cameraman recording her every move. The cameraman encourages her to […]
They risk their lives to help others, but aid workers need protection too
Aug. 19 was a day that was keenly felt by my colleagues at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). This day has been designated as World Humanitarian Day, when we honour the 22 colleagues who lost their lives in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad 15 years ago. It also serves as an occasion […]
400 per day? Advocate questions reliability of summer border-crossing predictions after figures fall short
Recent figures on monthly border crossings show that a prediction made by the Quebec government on flows of people coming into Canada this summer—and one frequently cited by the media and federal Conservatives—has so far fallen flat, raising questions about how border-crossing predictions are handled, says one advocate. In April, the Quebec government told the […]
Irregular border crossings up in July, but far below predictions
More than 1,600 people crossed into country at irregular points of entry along the Canada-U.S. border in July, a rise from June, but a figure far below what had been predicted for this summer. The RCMP intercepted 1,634 people along the Canada-U.S. border in the month of July, according to just-released figures by Immigration, Refugees […]
Canada must do more to tackle Central America’s refugee crisis
As repercussions from United States President Donald Trump’s inhumane family-separation policies continue to play out, Canadians should not pat ourselves on the back. It is only in recent weeks that our media and government have begun to pay attention to a crisis of violence that is years in the making in Central America’s “Northern Triangle:” […]
Blair’s focus will be guns, drugs, organized crime, more than migration, suggests Parl. Sec. Vaughan
Though his new cabinet post gives him responsibility for irregular migration, the job of newly appointed cabinet minister Bill Blair will be about so much more, including “guns, drugs, and organized crime,” says Adam Vaughan, the parliamentary secretary for housing and urban affairs. “Where I see this [post] going is not around border security vis-a-vis […]
Ontario Minister MacLeod wants Ottawa to foot $200-million bill for province, cities
The Ontario government is demanding that Ottawa foot a $200-million bill for the province and its two largest cities to cover costs associated with the supporting migrants who have made asylum claims after crossing into Canada from the U.S. In a hearing before the House Immigration Committee on Tuesday, Lisa MacLeod, the province’s minister in charge […]
