Monday, April 24, 2006

CTV Toronto - Cientos de personas marchan en Toronto en defensa de los indocumentados - CTV News -- Canadian Television

Organizers expected up to 3,500 people for a march and rally through the streets of Toronto, but only a few hundred supporters of undocumented Portuguese workers braved rainy weather on Saturday.

Chanting "support, don't deport," the crowd made its way from Queen's Park to Toronto city hall to cheer speakers who said Canada's "immigration system is broken."

"We are trying to put a human face on the issue," Peter Ferreira of the Portuguese Congress said. "Sometimes we tend to see these people as numbers. They are not numbers, they are people, they are human beings."

The federal immigration department is cracking down on undocumented foreign workers living in Canada. Planeloads of people have recently been sent to their home countries, despite the fact that many work full-time, pay taxes and have established families in this country.


CTV Toronto - Hundreds rally in Toronto for illegal workers - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television: "Organizers expected up to 3,500 people for a march and rally through the streets of Toronto, but only a few hundred supporters of undocumented Portuguese workers braved rainy weather on Saturday.
Chanting 'support, don't deport,' the crowd made its way from Queen's Park to Toronto city hall to cheer speakers who said Canada's 'immigration system is broken.'
'We are trying to put a human face on the issue,' Peter Ferreira of the Portuguese Congress said. 'Sometimes we tend to see these people as numbers. They are not numbers, they are people, they are human beings.'
The federal immigration department is cracking down on undocumented foreign workers living in Canada. Planeloads of people have recently been sent to their home countries, despite the fact that many work full-time, pay taxes and have established families in this country."

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Mensaje de Monte Solberg, Ministro de Inmigracion (Toronto Star, Abril 17, 2006)

We must separate fact from fiction about Canada and our policy on undocumented workers
Apr. 17, 2006. 01:00 AM


Recently I met with community, union and business leaders in Toronto, mostly from the Portuguese community, to discuss concerns about the removal of undocumented workers and their families back to their home countries.

While it is true that the people being removed are on the whole good and hard-working, they are here illegally. This is a problem that must be addressed.

I am committed to ensuring that Canada's immigration policy is reoriented to better meet the demands of our labour market. Let met put the undocumented worker issue into context.

Some have claimed that Canadian Border Service Agency removals are increasing and that the Portuguese community has been singled out. These are serious claims. They are also untrue.

Last year, there were almost 12,000 removals from Canada of which 408 were to Portugal.

This year, during the same period ending on March 31, the number of removals to Portugal dropped to 197.

Meanwhile, over the last 12 months, 68 people from Portugal were allowed to stay in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds even though they had entered illegally.

Many others from Portugal entered Canada through proper channels and hundreds more are currently waiting to enter via regular means.

In other words, there has been no change in policy.

Removals have been cut in half and Canada allows many Portuguese to stay on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

Several groups have raised the idea of offering an "amnesty" or "regularization" to undocumented workers.

This is not a new idea. The previous government said they would investigate the issue, but in the end the Liberals neither agreed to, nor funded, nor even signed a proposed memorandum of understanding to proceed with a pilot project.

Today, more than 800,000 people are waiting in line to come to Canada. Some have been waiting for years. Those waiting argue it's unfair for people who come to Canada illegally to get legal status, while those who play by the rules sit in line.

Others have suggested putting a moratorium on removals.

However, this may lead to speculation that a regularization program is coming.

We have to ask what kind of message that would send to millions of potential newcomers. Even a small increase in the number who decided to come and stay here illegally based on the hope of regularization would simply recreate the very problem the proposal is supposed to fix.

So where does that leave us?

Employers from every sector need workers. One way to start to tackle the shortage is to improve existing programs and drive foreign workers to legal channels.

The Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program is designed to respond to local and job-specific needs. Last year, with the help of Human Resources and Social Development Canada, more than 80,000 qualified foreign workers came to Canada.

Participation in the TFW program helps workers improve language skills and integrate into Canadian communities. In turn, it boosts their chances of earning enough points to apply for permanent residence.

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) also hold the potential to marry newcomers with labour market needs. These programs allow the provinces and territories to bring in immigrants with specific skills and applicants with a Provincial Nominee Certificate are given priority processing by the department.

Manitoba, more than any other participating province, has taken charge of addressing its immigration needs.

Last year the provincial government brought in 4,600 people to meet job demand. By comparison, B.C. brought in 787, and Alberta brought in 614.

All Canadian provinces except Ontario and Quebec have PNPs.

Quebec has its own system, while Ontario is on the cusp of starting a pilot project.

Obviously the PNPs are underutilized, and in a way, that is understandable. The federal government has a history of selecting newcomers to Canada and the provinces and territories are just now testing the waters. It's time to get these programs moving.

After two months as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, it is clear to me the immigration system needs repair.

Waiting lines are too long, the Temporary Foreign Workers program needs improvement, and the Provincial Nominee Program is underutilized.

But by working with the provinces, business, and labour, I 'm sure we can bring newcomers to Canada legally, more efficiently, and in a way that addresses our labour market needs and gives a fair chance to workers to become citizens of the greatest country on earth.

It's our obligation to do so.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monte Solberg is Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

Monte Solberg

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

TheStar.com - Editorial: Hay que ser duros pero justos en materia de inmigracion

Editorial: Be tough but fair on immigration
Apr. 10, 2006. 01:00 AM


Countless construction sites across Canada are crawling with tradesmen, from crane operators to concrete finishers, framers to drywallers. And in hotels and factories, thousands of workers clean rooms, wash dishes, sweep floors, sew clothes and stuff products into boxes.

But thousands of these workers are here illegally, holding down jobs that Canadians often won't take because they either lack the skills or the pay is deemed too low or, in many cases, where employers cannot find enough Canadians to fill the vacancies that exist.

And each month, Canada locates and deports hundreds of such workers, who often have arrived here on visitors' visas or temporary work permits and then simply stayed, eventually raising families and, in many cases, paying taxes. About 10,000 people are deported each year, but there are up to 200,000 illegal immigrants estimated still in Canada.
TheStar.com - Editorial: Be tough but fair on immigration

Monday, April 10, 2006

globeandmail.com : Escasez de trabajadores en la mira para las Olimpiadas del 2010

Worker shortage glows red in runup to 2010
Construction needs reach Olympic high
CATHRYN ATKINSON

Special to The Globe and Mail

VANCOUVER -- Construction workers being poached from job sites by rival companies. Companies fully booked more than a year in advance for construction jobs. Worries that Olympic venues won't be completed on time, or completed at exorbitant costs.

These are just some of the signs that the shortage of skilled construction workers has hit a red-hot crisis point in British Columbia.

Employers estimate they will need 20,000 construction workers during the next three years to add to the 167,000 currently on the job across the province. Increasingly, companies are looking overseas to fill their needs.

"I've been in construction for 28 years, and I've seen the highs and lows here, but I've never seen anything like this," said Len Edmondson, vice-president of Flynn Canada Ltd., one of the country's largest building-exterior contractors.


globeandmail.com : Worker shortage glows red in runup to 2010

Thursday, April 06, 2006

TheStar.com - Adolescentes inmigrantes son mas ambiciosos segun un estudio

Immigrant teens more ambitious: Study
Majority want at least one degree
More drive than Canadian-born: Study
Apr. 6, 2006. 07:52 AM
FRANCINE KOPUN
FEATURE WRITER

Immigrant teenagers are much more ambitious than their Canadian-born peers when it comes to higher education, according to research from the University of Alberta.

Crunching numbers from a Statistics Canada survey of teens, the researchers found close to 80 per cent of visible minority teenagers born outside Canada hope to earn at least one university degree. Among teens born in Canada who are not members of a visible minority, it's just under 60 per cent.
TheStar.com - Immigrant teens more ambitious: Study

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Canada rechaza a los cristianos egipcios que buscan asilo

El Comité de Inmigración y Refugiados de Canadá (IRB) está rechazando a los cristianos egipcios que solicitan asilo debido a la persecución religiosa que sufren; mientras que el mencionado país sí recibe a los homosexuales que lo solicitan.

Según informa el sitio pro-vida LifeSiteNews.com, los cristianos egipcios que buscan asilo en Canadá son devueltos a su país, mientras que los homosexuales, dado que la ley canadiense no estipula nada sobre el caso de estas personas, sí son aceptados porque entran en la categoría de “pertenecientes a un grupo social particular”, lo que les permite ingresar al país como asilados por discriminación sexual.

Canada rechaza a los cristianos egipcios que buscan asilo

Monday, April 03, 2006

TheStar.com - Nuevas esperanzas para ilegales

Canada considera programa para trabajadores de la construccion mientras siguen las deportaciones.

Abril. 2, 2006. 01:00 AM
DEBRA BLACK
STAFF REPORTER

Portugal's Minister of State and Foreign Affairs says Canada is considering establishing a program that would allow illegal immigrants working in Canada's booming residential construction industry to stay here.

Diogo Freitas do Amaral told reporters gathered at the Portuguese Consulate in Toronto Friday night that he proposed the idea to Canada's Immigration Minister Monte Solberg during a visit to Ottawa late last week. He said it was warmly received.

"The minister said the idea was considered reasonable and that it would be studied," said Freitas do Amaral in Portuguese. "They said they would seek solutions ... Also we suggested that in cases where the Portuguese have had children here they should not be deported. They said they would consider it."
TheStar.com - New hope for illegals, says Portuguese minister