Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, along with his chief of staff, Howard Anglin (on his right), and other staff, meet with Roma leaders in Hungary on Oct. 8 (Embassy)
When Juan’s finger got caught in a carrot-peeling machine last year – almost dropping his digit into his carrots – his cry immediately caught co-workers’ attention.
“Ahh! My finger! My finger!” he screamed. Juan’s boss approached, concerned.
“How is the machine?” the boss asked, “Is it still working?”
This harrowing article by David P. Ball describes the crisis in refugee healthcare. Ball likens the situation to European feudalism, in that bosses keep their employees as ignorant and quiet as possible, silently enduring squalid and horrifying conditions. “Sometimes,” says AWA’s Gil Aguilar, “workers have broken toes or fingers, or cavities that are really painful. They just take it, because they don’t want to jeopardize their work. They are told all the time that they’ve come here to work: not to complain, not to ask questions. If they don’t like it, there are 10 other workers waiting to take their job.” Heartbreaking.
http://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/a-long-simmering-crisis-in-migrant-health-care
Well this is just lovely. Come To Dinner is a new service that matches New-to-Canada families with Canadian host families for a dinner to remember together. In October, 60 families participated to Share Thanksgiving Dinner and had great experiences, and the program is seeking new Canadian hosts. As hosts, you and your family will help a newcomer family experience Canadian hospitality, share a fascinating few hours of conversation. Successful and happy integration, one night of delightful socialization at a time. “Sometimes…we find it difficult to feel at home and thanks to this friendly family as we had a moment where we felt at home, share newcomers A. and R.
Register here: http://cometodinner.org/
Canadian and EU officials are working to sketch out the details of a potential agreement that would stop the high flows of asylum seekers arriving from the EU. Perhaps due, in part, to the political climate produced by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s stance on ‘bogus’ refugee claimants and ‘safe countries’ (despite the well-known and ongoing persecution of Roma peoples in Hungary) discussions are proving ‘sensitive.’ Once the dust clears, let’s hope the deal doesn’t threaten the rights of genuine refugees.
http://www.embassynews.ca/news/2012/11/06/canada-eu-working-on-new-agreement-on-asylum-seekers/42795
On the topic of Roma refugee claimants, read these two articles responding to a Globe editorial, which argued that if the EU ‘did more’ for Roma, ‘they wouldn’t seek asylum in Canada:’ http://romasolidaritynews.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/two-full-letters-re-the-globes-if-eu-did-more-for-roma-editorial/
The Orange LLP team weighs in on Ontario’s new immigration strategy, which endows the province with five times more power to hand-pick immigrants. While this strategy, which targets investor class immigrants, might benefit the province economically, will this strategy really “build better communities,” as Citizenship and Immigration Minister Charles Sousa claims? What about refugees, parents, and grandparents, and others that don’t qualify as ‘economic class?’ What kind of communities does the Conservative government envision with immigration strategies like this?
http://orangellp.ca/blog/?p=686
