Category: Canada

Planeload of Syrian refugees lands in Canada

11/12/2015

For some the nightmare is over

Thursday evening saw the first of thousands of Syrian refugees land in Canada via military transport. The refugees left Beirut in a military plane and arrived at Toronto later in the day. Most of the refugees in the were privately sponsored, but the Canadian government is paying for their transportation. In early November 416 refugees arrived but they came in commercial aircraft.

Private individuals, family members or church groups can sponsor refugees, taking on the task of providing for newcomers for the first year in the country. Financially, it is expected to cost around $30 000 per person. Since the crisis has become known, many groups have been fundraising.

Friday, those who are being privately sponsored will be transported to their destination cities. Ontario and Alberta will be hosting the greatest number at this time with 120 in Ontario and 35 destined for Alberta.

Concerns in Canada mounted after the terror attacks in Paris recently, but the federal government maintained their determination to bring in the most vulnerable refugees.

Military personnel were sent to camps in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to interview prospective immigrants. They were assisted by UN personnel and numerous checks of identity and background were conducted before the refugees were given the green light to emigrate to Canada.

Canada Border Services Agency(CBSA) has worked closely with Pearson Airport officials to bring online a vacant terminal separate from the commercial part of the complex to enhance the ability to further screen new arrivals.

"With our many partners, we have worked to make new arrivals as comfortable as possible, while protecting the integrity of the arrival process," said the CBSA's Regional Director General Goran Vragovic in a news release.

As well as finalizing the paperwork, the new arrivals will be given warm clothing appropriate for their destination.

It may come as a surprise to many that many of the people who live in the camps do not wish to emigrate. Their wish is to return to their own country when peace is achieved.

Those that arrived on Thursday were personally greeted by PM Justin Trudeau who was filmed helping new residents with warm clothes.

Sources:
CBC
CNN

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Syrian refugees in Canada by year end

24/11/2015

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Maple leaves come in many colours

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau told the country of the strategy for bringing in Syrian refugees.

The timeline for transporting and integrating 25000 people has been revamped. Originally, Trudeau promised to bring the refugees in before the end of the year.

While 10000 will be here before year end, the remaining 15000 will be transported in early 2016.

"This is not just about welcoming 25,000 Syrian refugees, this is about welcoming 25,000 new Canadians," he said. CBC

Those coming to Canada are being screened abroad. People currently housed in refugee camps are being interviewed. The emphasis is on families and children. Members of the LGBT communities in Syria are also being considered. Those who are single males or those with a complicated story are not being currently considered for asylum at this time.

The screening process is quite thorough. Candidates must be registered with the UN Refugee Agency or the Government of Turkey. Their identities and papers are thoroughly checked.

While some Canadians are not happy about bringing such a large number of people into the country, many others sincerely support it. The vast majority of refugees who have found a safe haven in Canada have contributed much to the building of a modern nation. The newly elected federal government has a cabinet minister who came to Canada at the age of ten as a refugee.

For those who cannot be immediately housed in private homes will be accommodated temporarily in military housing. Currently, there is housing ready for about 6000 people.

Canadians will start to welcome the Syrians next week. Those who have been privately sponsored will go directly to those homes. Those who are government sponsored will likely head to the military bases and then sent to the 36 “destination cities” for housing and help with integration. The military bases are non-custodial.

Sources:
CBC News
The Globe and Mail

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Canadians see big changes in new government

5/11/2015

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Justin Trudeau, Canada's new PM

Opinion: Canada woke up Wednesday morning to a reaffirmation of the democratic process. Liberal Party leader, Justin Trudeau revealed his new cabinet in a ceremony unlike any before. He promised change and boy, did we get it.

Before the swearing in of oaths at Rideau Hall, the traditional residence of Queen Elizabeth’s representative in Canada, new cabinet members were picked up in a bus and ferried to 24 Sussex Drive, the traditional residence of Canada’s prime minister. They assembled there and walked as a group to the hall. November in eastern Canada can be quite cold and wet but the sun shone, the golden leaves were still on the trees and the crowd cheered and clapped as the entourage passed.

Our new PM invited the public to witness the ceremony and thousands showed up. While they could not enter Rideau Hall, giant TV screens had been set up outside. Hot coffee, tea and hot chocolate were offered to the crowds.

Inside the hall, the invited took their places to witness the swearing in ceremony administered by the current governor-general. As the new cabinet members took their turns, it became obvious that change was happening. Exactly half the cabinet posted are now held by women. Ethnically the cabinet is the most diverse ever.

Some of the names of the cabinet posts have been changed as well. The Ministry of the Environment is now Environment and Climate Change. Perhaps the most radical and timely change is the Ministry of Northern and Indian Affairs is now Indigenous and Northern Affairs.

After the swearing in ritual, the new cabinet members walked to the Parliament Buildings for their first meeting as Cabinet Ministers.

There are a great many challenges facing Canada. It is a large land mass with a small population – around 36 million.

The economy, climate change, defense and more will test the resolve and abilities of the new ministers.

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Liberals trounce Conservatives in landslide win

23/10/2015

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Canada's new PM Justin Trudeau & wife

Canadians went to the polls on Monday October 19 in a show of dissatisfaction with the ruling Conservative Party of Canada. In a wave that started in Newfoundland, Labrador the Liberal Party led by Justin Trudeau swept the country to garner a majority of the 338 electoral seats. At the end of the evening they had secured 184 seats, 14 more than needed for a majority government.

The New Democrat Party(NDP) lost seats to the Liberals as well. The new face of the government will see the Conservatives as the loyal opposition with 99 MPs and the NDP holding 44 positions. The Bloc Quebecois lost seats as well and now falls below the number of MPs that constitute a federal party. Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party, retained her seat but it is the only one now held by them.

The reasons for the Liberal landslide are debatable. Pundits have had a field day expositing on them. In general terms there were many issues. The Conservative Party had taken a sharp veer to the right under the leadership of Stephen Harper. His refusal to answer any unscripted questions from the press set up some hostility.

The economy of Canada currently depends on resource extraction and the price of metals and petroleum has pushed the economy into recession. Others would say the negative tone of the Conservative campaign turned off voters.

The issue of a woman wearing a face veil at a citizenship ceremony failed to play in the Conservative’s favor in many quarters. When it was revealed that all security measures had been taken and that the woman would reveal her visage to another woman and had in fact done so and had obtained the supreme court ruling that she could claim citizenship, many began to wonder what the issue really was.

Perhaps the gaff that struck me as a desperation move on the C’s part was the passing of a bill to disenfranchise citizens if they were convicted of terrorism. An attempt by the PM to explain dividing Canadian citizens into “new” and “old stock” citizens was fodder for many jokes at his expense.

The Liberal Party has a reputation for occupying the centre of the political spectrum. Justin Trudeau is the son of Pierre Trudeau who was PM in the ‘70s. It may be that the younger Trudeau will bring a fresh new approach to the governing of the nation. This morning he greeted commuters in the Montreal subway, thanking them for their support and happily allowing them to take ‘selfies’. We can hope.
Sources:
The Globe and Mail
CBC television
CTV television

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Harper speech, political puffing or fascist agenda

11/8/2015

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Danger lurks everywhere!

Opinion: Canadians face an election in October. The Conservative Party of Canada led by PM Stephen Harper has called for an early start to the campaign. Traditionally, only four weeks on the campaign trail is indulged in.

The Conservative Party has faced increasing opposition from the people as roadblocks to the easy approval of petroleum pipelines have solidified. The state of the relationship between Canada’s first Nations and the federal government has come increasingly under fire and the Senate Scandal refuses to disappear, to name a few thorns in the ruling party’s side.

Sunday morning in Ottawa, Harper, in a rally in front of a friendly crowd announced his newest attack on Canadian civil rights. The Conservative campaign has emphasized how dangerous our world has become and how only the Conservatives can ensure safety. He even coined a new word at the Sunday rally –“terror tourism”.

"The policy promise, made during a campaign stop Sunday in Ottawa, would expand federal laws that make it a crime for Canadians to head overseas to fight alongside groups officially identified by the federal government as a terrorist organization" - CTV News

Harper and his government have recently pushed through the controversial Bill C-51 which has already on the way to court challenges for its approach to civil rights in the country.

The upcoming election will make for interesting times. There are two more major parties in the contest, the NDP headed by Thomas Mulcair and the Liberals headed by Justin Trudeau. The Green Party has people running but few elected. The Partie Quebecois only runs candidates in Quebec.

While political parties in Canada tend to be left of those in the USA, in recent years Harper seems to be veering to the right further than many Canadians are comfortable with. The Liberals occupy about the centre and the NDP slightly to the left. Canada has always allowed any party to run for office. Even in the paranoid 50s the Communist Party participated in federal and provincial elections. Very few of their candidates were successful.

Sources:
CTV News

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Planeload of Syrian refugees lands in Canada

Syrian refugees in Canada by year end

Canadians see big changes in new government

Liberals trounce Conservatives in landslide win

Harper speech, political puffing or fascist agenda

Barbara McPherson

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