Brampton Flyer Incident - media monitoring

• ‘Racist’ Brampton flyer broke no laws, police say Toronto Star 
• Anti-immigration group behind ‘racist’ Brampton flyer calls opponents ‘cowards and quislings’: yahoo news.
• Moving Beyond Anger: Brampton Flyer Incident canindia.com
• “We are not anti-Sikh just anti-immigration” canindia.com
• Why I am not outraged by the anti-immigration flyer canindia.com
• “The Changing Face of Brampton”: A ‘racist’ flyer or freedom of speech South Asian Generation Next
• Wynne denounces 'hateful flyer' handed out in Brampton - CBC.ca
• B.C. group that distributed anti-immigration flyers in Ontario plan Vancouver versions metronews.ca
• 'Racist' Brampton Flyer Targets Sikh Community, Huffington Post
  
  See also:
• Brampton’s growing pains – Toronto Star | Brampton Update
• Catch The Spirit Brampton At #CeleBrampton 2014-06-14

Major changes proposed for those awaiting citizenship - canindia.com

• Would-be Canadians to wait longer for citizenship as Tories toughen language and knowledge rules, National Post
• Major changes proposed for those awaiting citizenship, canindia.com:

Here are some of the highlights of the proposed changes
•Fees for citizenship applications will increase to $300 from $100. By comparison, fees are $670 in the United States and $1,600 in the United Kingdom.
•Only immigrants who have been physically present in Canada four of the past six years would quality for citizenship. Time spent in Canada without permanent resident status would no longer count towards citizenship.
•Those applying for citizenship must file Canadian income taxes, which is not currently a requirement.
•Applicants 14-65 must pass the language and knowledge test, which will be administered in English or French. Currently only applicants 18-54 must do so, and they may take the knowledge test with an interpreter.
•Penalties for fraud will increase to a maximum of $100,000 and five years in prison (from $1,000 and one year).
•Permanent residents serving in the Canadian Armed Forces would qualify for citizenship one year sooner than other applicants.

Canada looking for South Indian migrants

M.P. PRAVEEN 

  

High levels of education a factor; Minister all praise for Malayali nurses, thehindu.com

The Canadian government is planning to roll out an online job portal that will serve as a matchmaker between potential economic immigrants to Canada and employers looking to hire from abroad.

Canada’s Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney said the system, which took a cue from New Zealand and Australia, would be in place by 2014-end. continue reading

Harper Government to introduce new model of “inviting” immigrants from 2015

PS. image courtesy CIC,  NorthumberlandView.ca and South Asian Generation Next,  31 October 2013, P-6.

Economic immigration is slated to increase to 63 per cent in 2014. The remaining 37 per cent will consist of family class immigrants, refugees and others admitted under humanitarian programs.

 

Text version: Economic immigration image

On the same shelf:

• News Release — Planning for Success, Putting Canada First  www.cic.gc.ca
• Fed Generosity for Canadian Immigrants! Target figure, 265000 immigrants for 2014, by Minnie Mahendru - October 30, 2013  
• Canada aims to open doors to 265000 immigrants in 2014, Toronto Sun ‎- 5

The library focuses on newcomers

PS. This article is reproduced with kind permission of Pradip Rodrigues @ canindia.com

The library focuses on newcomers

Last week I served as a panelist on a session titled “Newcomers and public libraries” at the Ontario Library Association (OLA) Super Conference held at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto. The OLA is Canada’s largest library organization and the Super Conference is the largest continuing education event in librarianship in North America. The room was filled to capacity with librarians from across the province who were grappling with a variety of issues dealing with newcomers.At the onset, moderator Stephen Abram made it quite clear that the library did a poor job marketing itself, he recognized the fact that librarians were the least diverse group of employees and ageing. It was evident that the OLA had to go after newcomers and we the panelist were there to have a conversation about the needs and special needs of newcomers.

Some suggestions I offered:
Most immigrants stumble into libraries quite by accident. It would be a great idea to actually have a public library in every airport of this country as it would go a long way to promote reading and would be the first great institution a newcomer to Canada would discover and develop a life-long relationship with it. Newcomers could get their… library cards and check out books about Canada along with their luggage if they so wanted or at least they could be told about the location of their new neighborhood library. I have personally seen newcomers in the library looking quite lost while librarians went about their business assuming they would approach them if they had any question. I suggested what the moderator termed ‘the retail approach’, where library staff come around and ensure the visitor is finding everything okay. I was peppered with questions- would newcomers be offended if asked if they were new to Canada? I explained that some newcomers who are trying to forget that fact may feel mildly offended, but suggested that perhaps library staff could ask if they were new to the library system.

All newcomers to Canada aren’t necessarily Asian, South Asian or black. I once met a White South African couple and their children who had immigrated a year earlier, passed this library many times but never entered assuming it was like the kind they had back in the old country which was nothing to write home about. They were amazed to know that the library system carried every major literary work, books and periodicals on current affairs, thousands of DVDs, CDs, books on tape, children’s books… Then they asked, “How much are the user fees?” When I told them it was all free, they couldn’t believe their ears and signed up for library cards immediately. Most newcomers are aware of the library, but do not realize its potential.

As a newcomer to Canada 14 years ago, the library was at the top of the great things I listed about this country. I devoured books on Canadian history, geography and politics, read guide books, watched DVDs and listened to great music on CDs. I developed a love and understanding of this country through library books and I am convinced a library can be one of the greatest tools to integrate newcomers into Canada.

Observation at my branch library
This weekend I was at my branch library in Mississauga where I saw a sign “Newcomer Information”. A young South Asian newcomer was being given literature and information about services he could access like the conversational English classes his wife could attend, places he could go to get his credentials recognized and resumes made. The man then left the library without even glancing at a book. I thought to myself, here is a man who has come into the library for information on settling in, but no effort was made to actually give him a tour of the library. I am quite sure he or his wife don’t have library cards. The man indicated that fluency in verbal and written English was their handicap, but not once through the conversation did the counselor suggest he explore the vast riches of the library. To me this was like a hungry man asking for directions to the food bank when he was in one already.

What can be done
If libraries in immigrant-rich GTA are figuring out ways to engage newcomers, libraries in parts of the province that are only now beginning to see more and more visible minorities are struggling. Librarians from Barrie and communities beyond are having to stock up on relevant material for newcomers, order books and periodicals in other languages and help them as best they can. Perhaps librarians across this country can start by engaging in some conversations with some of their users who happen to be newcomers and make them feel welcome.
By Pradip Rodrigues

Debunking The 'Myth Of The Muslim Tide' : NPR

Extract:

"In Canada, a major analysis of national statistics found that skin colour, not religion, affected the ability to integrate, and that Muslims are no less (and sometimes slightly more) able to integrate economically and socially other than people of the same race." p(. 75)

The Myth of the Muslim Tide: Do Immigrants Threaten the West? by Doug Saunders

Book Description
From the author of prize-winning Arrival City, a controversial and long-overdue rejoinder to the excessive fears of an Islamic threat that have spread throughout America and Europe and threaten our basic values.
Since September 11, 2001, a growing chorus has warned that Western society and values are at risk of being overrun by a tide of Islamic immigrants. These sentiments reached their most extreme expression in July 2011, with Anders Breivik’s shooting spree in Norway. Breivik left behind a 1500 page manifesto denouncing the impact of Islam on the West, which showed how his thinking had been shaped by anti-immigrant writings that had appeared widely in books and respectable publications. In The Myth of the Muslim Tide, Doug Saunders offers a brave challenge to these ideas, debunking popular misconceptions about Muslims and their effect on the communities in which they live. He demonstrates how modern Islamophobia echoes historical responses to earlier immigrant groups, especially Jews and Catholics. Above all, he provides a set of concrete proposals to help absorb these newcomers and make immigration work. The most important trend of the twenty-first century will be a massive global migration to cities and across international borders. Rather than responding to our new religious-minority neighbours with fear and resentment, this book shows us how we can make this change work to our advantage.

What others say:
Listen to: The myth of the Muslim tide | Q with Jian Ghomeshi | CBC Radio
The Myth of the Muslim Tide : NPR
The Myth of the Muslim Tide by Doug Saunders rebuts right-wing fear mongers, by Charlie Smith -- "The Myth of the Muslim Tide may calm fears about women in hijabs and niqabs."
“Saunders’ approach is refreshingly levelheaded and fact-based… An invaluable contribution to the contemporary debate over Muslim immigration into Western communities.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Cogent and timely.” - Publishers Weekly

About Doug Saunders

Doug Saunders is a Canadian-British author and journalist. He is the author of the book Arrival City: The Final Migration and Our Next World (2011) and the London-based European bureau chief for The Globe and Mail. He writes a weekly column devoted to the larger themes and intellectual concepts behind international news, and has won the National Newspaper Award, Canada’s counterpart to the Pulitzer Prize, on four occasions.

Table of Contents
1 Popular Fiction
The New Neighbours 2
Crescent Fever: The Brief History of an Idea 9
The Parties of Eurabia 24
A Very American Invasion 29

2 The Facts
Population 38
Integration 61
Extremism 82

3 We've Been Here Before
The Catholic Tide 115
The Jewish Tide 127

4 What We Oughy to Worry About
The Invention of the Muslim People 139
The Problem of Integration 144
The Privatization of Religion 150
Escaping the Prison House of Culture 158

Library of Congress Subject headings:

Muslims --Western countries.
Islamophobia --Western countries.
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / General
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Emigration & Immigration

On the same shelf:

• On TV, an Everyday Muslim as Everyday American February 8, 2013, The New York Times --Extract: "On a Sunday afternoon several months ago, I was engaged in one of my favorite religious rituals, watching pro football on television. During a break in the game, I reflexively clicked the “mute” button on the remote control. But my eyes stayed fixed on a startling commercial.
  The screen showed a balding man with tawny skin and a salt-and-pepper goatee, and seconds later it spelled out his name: Mujahid Abdul-Rashid. The advertisement went on to show him fishing, playing in a yard with two toddlers, and sitting down to a family meal. One week later, again during an N.F.L. game, the same commercial appeared. This time I listened to the words. The advertisement was for Prudential’s financial products for retirees. Mr. Abdul-Rashid was talking about his own retirement after 19 years as a clothing salesman, and the family time he now intended to enjoy."

     

Canada opens door to skilled trade workers: Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Building an Immigration System that Works for Canada -- New Federal Skilled Trades Stream to Begin Accepting Applications on January 2, 2013

The program criteria are built around four requirements that ensure applicants will have the right skills and experience needed to succeed here in Canada. In order to qualify, applicants will need to:

1.have an offer of employment in Canada or a certificate of qualification from a province or territory to ensure that applicants are “job ready” upon arrival;
2.meet a basic language requirement;
3.have a minimum of two years of work experience as a skilled tradesperson, to ensure that the applicant has recent and relevant practice as a qualified journeyman;
and 4.have the skills and experience that match those set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC B) system, showing that they have performed the essential duties of the occupation.

Eligible occupations will include electricians, welders, heavy-duty equipment mechanics, and pipefitters, among others. CIC is currently working with the provinces, territories and federal government partners on the list of skilled trades’ occupations that are experiencing acute labour shortages and which will qualify under the program. This list will be announced prior to the program opening on January 2, 2013.

On the same shelf:

The Government of Canada Invests Record Funding for Settlement Services for Newcomers to Alberta

The Government of Canada Invests Record Funding for Settlement Services for Newcomers to Manitoba

The Government of Canada Invests Record Funding for Settlement Services for Newcomers to Saskatchewan

The Government of Canada Invests Record Funding for Settlement Services for Newcomers to Yukon

Attracting the best and brightest skilled workers

CIC Wins Technology Award for the Come to Canada Wizard

Canada welcomes largest number of parents and grandparents in almost twenty years

The Toronto Moment: Becoming Torontonian, Toronto Life

Extract:
Eight portraits of the educated professionals flocking to becoming Torontonian - Toronto Life (Nov 2012), By Carolyn Morris, Continue reading

On the same shelf:

Wilderness explored through Canadian immigrants' eyes in new ...canadianimmigrant.ca

Unfriendly Toronto? Toronto Life article, Philip Preville

Integrating Community Diversity in Toronto: On Whose Terms - CERIS by Myer Siemiatycki, Tim Rees, Roxana Ng & Khan Rahi

Immigrants against immigration? | building bridges

Immigration blogs: future academic sources?

The landed 'refugee': A new immigrant class? | CanIndia NEWS

Library as a tool for integration

By PRADIP RODRIGUES, Can-India News, September 21, 2012 Extract:

I was at our Mississauga branch library over the weekend and as I surveyed the readers I realised that most looked South Asian, many of whom were new immigrants perusing books on resume building and writing cover letters. Others were searching and applying for jobs on the internet while others were reading technical material or studying for some exam or the other, and then I overheard a twentysomething South Asian in conversation with the librarian requesting her help in finding books about the history of Ontario with an emphasis on Toronto and Mississauga. I was intrigued, perhaps he was a research scholar, so later when I saw him hunched over a book and I enquired about his reading choice. He’s a landed immigrant who came here a little under a year ago and it was important that he understood the history and geography of his new adopted homeland. He wanted to travel across Canada with his family next year, over the summer he attended many of the free events in and around the GTA. He was on a quest to discover Canada, it’s people and history. Years ago I met an older immigrant who compared immigration to an arranged marriage. It’s the same principle. According to him, an immigrant’s home country is his or her’s first love, but something went wrong- you needed to separate and so you opted to live in a new adopted homeland which in his parlance is an arranged situation. Naturally there is an adjustment period and to be happy with this new homeland, you have to understand all aspects of it, be involved, do things together and eventually grow to love your new country. And the new immigrant in that Mississauga library was doing just that. continue reading

Federal budget 2012: Skilled immigrants urge investments into talents already in Canada

Nicholas Keung, Immigration Reporter, Toronto Star, Sat Mar 31 2012

Naseem Ahmed Pasha, 44, from India, finished medical school at Mysore University and practised for three years in India, followed by nine in Saudi Arabia. He's passed the Canadian exams but can't get into the requisite residency.

Every evening after dinner, Naseem Ahmed Pasha would don his dress pants and dress shirt, and say goodbye to his three boys, telling them he was leaving for work in hospital.

By the time Pasha, a family doctor from India, got to his worksite, he would change into his uniform, the uniform of a security guard, for his 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift at a Toronto condominium – for $8.50 an hour.

Before Pasha arrived Canada in 2006 under the skilled immigrant program, he was confident he would soon be able to use his skills and contribute to this country in a meaningful way.

After all, he has a medical degree from India’s University of Mysore and practiced medicines first in India and then in Saudi Arabia for 15 years. In his two years as a security guard here, he studied and passed all the qualifying exams and had his credentials certified.

Yet today, instead of treating patients and curing diseases, Pasha is sweeping floors and lifting heavy merchandise at a Toronto home improvement hardware store on survival wages.

“It’s a very tough pill to swallow,” said the 44-year-old, choking back tears. “I wasn’t prepared for this kind of jobs. But coming here, you have to survive and put bread on the table.

“I didn’t tell my kids because I come from a culture where being a doctor is an honourable and noble profession. Now my status has dropped, doing blue-collar jobs. It would have a bad impact on my kids.”
Continue reading

On the same shelf:

Marni Soupcoff: Why so many immigrant professionals are driving cabs . And what Jason Kenney can do about it, Mar 29, 2012 nationalpost.com

Extract:
The federal government’s new plan to hire a private firm to assess the educational credentials of potential immigrants is wise....

This is a far cry from a solution to Canada’s problem with smoothly integrating immigrants into the labour market, however.

In some ways, it’s beside the point since it has no impact on the biggest challenge for new Canadians seeking work: the protectionist provincial, municipal and professional occupational licensing requirements that make entering a trade or profession an unnecessarily long, expensive and difficult (if not impossible) process.

These regulations are more about raising government revenues and coddling industry insiders from competition than they are about helping the public.

The problem is that they get so little attention or scrutiny that they remain in place unchallenged year after year – at great cost to both the country’s economy and new Canadians trying to make a living for themselves and their families.

At a minimum, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney should commit to assembling statistics on the economic impact of the country’s professional licensing requirements.

Here is a small sampling of Ontario’s occupational licensing regime and the hoops through which foreign-trained workers have to jump in order to get a job in the province:

Someone who wants to do any teaching, researching, selling or giving advice about crops or livestock must register with the Ontario Institute of Agrologists as a “professional agrologist.” ...

Someone who wants to work as a dietician must register with the College of Dietitians of Ontario.

Someone who wants to work as an accountant must become a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

Is it any wonder there are so many immigrant professionals driving cabs?
Continue reading

Immigrants the proudest Canadians, poll suggests

Environics Institute survey 1st to probe Canadians' views on citizenship
By Kazi Stastna, CBC News Feb 15, 2012; and Environics In The News Feb 15, 2012 , ERG

Extracts:
..."To be a good citizen, it means to contribute to the society, to obey the laws of the country, to help other citizens, to volunteer, and it's a rewarding feeling when you do all those things," said Sara Jhangiryan, an Armenian-born resident of Toronto who became a Canadian citizen last year.

...Usha George, dean of Ryerson University's Faculty of Community Services, says the survey's findings confirm a lot of what those working with new Canadians know already.

... "Canadians who were not born in Canada are more proud than naturally born Canadians simply because we had the choice of being Canadian," said Vikram Kewalramani, who immigrated to Canada in 2006 from India. "It wasn't something that, literally, was a birthright. We consider it a privilege."

... Tolerance of others who are different was among the top five behaviours survey respondents considered a "very important" part of being a good citizen.

... "I am equally proud of both citizenships," said Natasha Nikolovska-Angelova, 32, who became a Canadian citizen last April. "Macedonia is more like my mother … the country where I was raised, and Canada is the country I chose to live in. It's like the spouse you choose.… It's the country of my future."

On the same shelf:

Children of Immigrants: Their surprising perspectives revealed, CBC

14th National Metropolis conference, 2012 Feb 29-March 3, sessions on immigrant children, youth & families: immigrantchildren.ca

The 14th National Metropolis conference theme is Future Immigration Policies: Challenges and Opportunities for Canada. It will be held February 29 – March 3, 2012 at the Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto.

Emerging trends in Canadian immigration - Media monitoring

What's up and what's down at the beginning of 2012 @ Welcome to Canada?
One answer is in the emerging trends in immigration in Canada. This weeks media and news headlines give a clue:

Five trends in Canadian immigration, vancouversun.com ... Ethnic enclaves expanding; Canadians will heighten debate over the “limits of tolerance;” More economic anxieties will boil to the surface; Temporary foreign workers will be spotlighted; Inter-ethnic relationships will grow

CICA Granted Federal Funding to Help Immigrant Accountants Become CAs http://nexuscanada.blogspot.com - extract from CAmagazine.com

Immigrants struggle to land quality jobs in Canadian cities http://nexuscanada.blogspot.com ... original article at http://www.canada.com

Why Chinese-only signs aren't good for Canada vancouversun.com

Time right to look at immigrants, their legacies, http://www.ugnayan.com/ca -- original here: Winnipeg Free Press
‎

Immigration fraudsters exploiting new rules vancouversun.com

The new Office of Religious Freedom - Straight Goods -- Protecting religious minorities should start at home, not abroad... Geeta, Koran and Kirpan are realities of life in Canada that shouldn't be ignored in policy

Gatineau's list of Dos and Dont's for newcomers - Media monitoring

First, what is the issue?
A list of "essential values" prescribed to immigrants (intending or already) moved to Gatineau is raising eyebrows for some of its suggestions. The city Gatineau’s guidebook lists 16 tips including not to give bribes, commit honour killings or cook smelly foods.

Here are some media reviews on the above subject:

Siddiqui: Immigrants should boycott Gatineau Toronto Star ... The “statement of values” ought to be amended, added to and addressed to all Canadians, not just new immigrants...

What's your reaction to Gatineau's list of Dos and Dont's for newcomers? CTV National News

Guidelines for Gatineau immigrants raises eyebrows CTV Ottawa

New Canadians arriving in Gatineau - guidelines www.canadavisa.com

Gatineau’s values guide for immigrants stirs controversy Globe and Mail ... The guide is already drawing comparisons to the controversial code of conduct adopted by the Quebec village of Hérouxville during the heat of the province’s reasonable accommodation debate in 2007. Unlike Hérouxville, however, which banned stonings even though it only had a single immigrant family, Gatineau is home to about 250,000 and has seen a surge in international immigration in recent years...

If you decide to move to Gatineau you may not be able to cook food http://www.cornwallseawaynews.com ...East Indians use a variety of spices in their curries and this may not be acceptable. However, Russians and people from other East European countries love cabbage and this smell may also not be acceptable. Personally, cigarette smell is not acceptable to me...
‎

10 myths about immigration -- Canadiana

Read this at TheSpec (Hamilton) 15 Oct, 2011
By Danielle Wong, Profiles by Vidya Kauri

See also:
Statistics Canada, Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Hamilton’s Vital Signs

On the same shelf:

Tolerance a Canadian Myth or Fact

Canadian Experience: Myth or Reality Poll

Canadian Resume is Unique: Is this uniqueness hype or hope?

Myths & Realities of the Immigration System | no one is illegal - toronto

Five Myths About IMMIGRANTS

Eight Common Myths about Migrating to Canada

True or False - Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Myths About Immigration Lawyers And Warnings About Consultants

PR card myths: what you should know | Canadian Immigrant

The Two Immigration Myths | Correr Es Mi Destino

Myths and Realities About Non-Status Canadians

Five Immigration Myths Exposed

Ontario’s newcomers brace for cuts and layoffs

Nicholas Keung: Immigration Reporter, Toronto Star

Extract:

Ten Toronto agencies are slated to lose their funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) starting April 1, with as many as 35 others on the cutting block.

Across Canada, the Conservative government will cut funding to immigrant service agencies by $53 million in 2011, $43 million from Ontario alone — a move that has outraged community groups, the province and the federal Liberals, which have many seats in Toronto. Continue reading Toronto Star

On the same shelf:

Liberals protest cuts to immigrant aid, Toronto Sun

Settlement agencies lose federal funds, Canadianimmigrant.ca
GTA agencies losing federal funding are:

Northwood Neighbourhood Services

Elspeth Heyward Centre for Women

Tropicana Community Services

Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre

Community Action Resource Centre

South Asian Women's Centre

Eritrean Canadian Community Centre of Toronto

Ethiopian Association in the Greater Toronto Area and Surrounding Regions

Afghan Association of Ontario (AAO)

Bloor Information and Life Centre

CIC redirecting aid to newcomers in Hamilton, South Asian Focus - January 19 2011

Ottawa immigrant agencies hit by federal cuts, CBC News

Funding cuts threaten immigrant agencies‎ - Globe and Mail

Cuts will mean end to Ethiopian Association's support of new immigrants, InsideToronto.com

Federal cuts to immigrant services won't impact BC, says minister
Globe and Mail

What the World Thinks of Canada and Canadians

Historica-Dominion Institute's Survey:

Part I: Global Attitudes on International Affairs, Economy and Business

Part II: Global Attitudes on Immigration and Diversity

Part III: Global Attitudes on the Environment, the Land and the Canadian Character

"The online survey of over 18,000 people in 24 countries, conducted by Ipsos Reid, shows that, even in the wake of the Copenhagen Conference, the world thinks more highly of Canada’s commitment to the environment than Canadians do. Asked if Canada is environmentally responsible in relation to other industrialized countries, eight in ten (81%) global respondents agreed, while 68% of Canadians agree – making them among the least likely to believe this."

Other key findings include:

• Canada’s reputation for caring for the environment is higher among global respondents (84%) than among Canadians (77%) themselves;
• Nine in ten (90%) global respondents agree that Canada has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and 88% say they would like to visit Canada;
• Eight in ten (80%) global respondents say that Canadians are someone they would welcome into their home for a meal. Only 79% of Canadians say they same thing about their countrymen;
• Seven in ten (71%) global respondents think people who live in Canada are “cool”, including 92% of respondents in France;
• About half (53%) of the world’s citizens describe Canadians as “sexy”. Canadians are even more (64%) likely to think themselves sexy. Interestingly, the sex appeal of Canadians is highest in India (71%) and Saudi Arabia (70%).

Siddiqui: Our home and native - and adopted - land

By Haroon Siddiqui Editorial Page, Toronto Star Mar 14 2010

Extract:
"If you don't like non-whites, Statistics Canada has given you more reason to grumble. But if you are among the overwhelming majority of Canadians who have adjusted well to our demographic diversity, indeed see it as a defining feature of our nation, take a bow.

Statistics Canada's population projections to 2031, released Tuesday, showcase what is perhaps the most ambitious and successful experiment in heterogeneity in human history. The population of visible minorities is expected to rise from one in every five Canadians to to one in three – potentially 14.4 million. The largest group, as now, would be South Asians.

The Toronto CMA (census metropolitan area, Oshawa to Burlington) would be nearly two-thirds non-white – 5.6 million. Among them, South Asians would have tripled to 2.1 million. Chinese would be 1.1 million. Vancouver also would be almost two-thirds non-white. But, in a flip of Toronto, the largest group there, as now, would be the Chinese, followed by South Asians." continue reading

It's Time To Vote Now: Canada's Top 25 Immigrants!

A nationwide survey in three stages:

inviting nominations from across Canada for a list of people's favourite and most respected Canadian immigrants;

identifying 75 of them who received the highest number of votes from Canadians;

selecting those who were voted there from as Canada's Top 25 Immigrants!

It's now at the third stage, VOTE NOW. Click here to view / vote / details
See on the same shelf:

Factors in success or failure of foreign-trained librarians in Canada

The thesis, here, is about what are major factors for the success or for the failure of foreign-trained librarians in Canada? As far as this writer could dig, there is no single study to answer this question about what-works and what-doesn't in moving between and beyond barriers. Hence, this may be considered as a call for a national study.



As with all Canadian immigrants, the story of arrival, survival and revival is very much same for the profession of librarians. Interestingly, there are immigrant stories, first about a few non-professionals getting opportunities to work in libraries (as semi-professionals), and second about foreign-trained-librarians not even getting an interview (let alone get an opportunity for part-time, temporary, voluntary, full-time work). There are no documentary evidences about this occurrence; a sad side of this age-of-information, right-to-information, and right-to-work--so clearly enshrined in the Charter and the legislation.

An important recap: A common requirement for all foreign-trained professionals is: (a) education (local equivalent), (b) training (locally compatible), (c) skills (hard, soft and transferable matching Canadian colors) and the LAST (d) Canadian Experience!!! So is true for Librarians, too.

What is uncommon for librarians is the fact that most come from countries where: (a) language or culture raises a barrier in integration / adaptability; or (b) where the education and training offered back-home is not accredited (national accreditation or national standardization to monitor quality and standards of library schools). South Asian librarians face problem with accreditation (not language or culture as major barrier in finding a professional job). And, a few South Asians, don't get jobs inspite of ALA accredited (master, doctoral and post-doc) degrees. Some may say this is a type of dehumanization, not just deprofessionalization and derecognition of practitioners.

The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC), says: Information on requirements to practise:

The occupation of librarian is not regulated. Therefore, employment is subject to demand, and qualification requirements are set by individual employers. However, a master's degree in library science or its equivalent from an institution accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) is usually required for employment. source

Costly Omissions: Employment barriers for skilled/experienced librarians, in particular, by Manjit Singh, Reference Librarian, Brantford PL; and Dr. Ganga B. Dakshinamurti, Librarian, Albert D. Cohen Management Library:
Foreign-trained librarians face many barriers when seeking employment in Canada with resultant cost to individuals and organizations. A state-of-the-art review of employment barriers illustrated by case studies for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that will be analyzed so all concerned can maximize benefits.

• Case Study. By Manjit Singh, Librarian, Brantford Public Library, Brantford, ON
  
• Case Study. By Muhammad Afzal, Librarian
  These case studies present interesting observations by two foreign trained librarians
  >>>>>>>>An Appeal to All Stakeholders:
  "Along with Tara Zarrin and Manjit Singh, I appeal to all stakeholders, including library associations and library schools in Canada:
  PLEASE take necessary actions to implement meaningful solutions to correct this costly omission of not utilizing fully our foreign-trained librarians, so that ALL Canadians can be gainfully employed for the betterment of Canada!"
  -Professor Ganga Dakshinamurti

Need for a study, factors to be studied may include: (a) role of Canadian institutions / government in accepting / recognizing these librarians (see a sample by Keren Dali and Juris Dilevkoa, 2009); (b) role of foreign-trained librarians in adapting to the Canadian mosaic (see the case studies, above); and (c) identify those who lost their battle (survival of the fittest) and were forced to: i) return to school (within the profession); or ii) re-train themselves out-side-the-box and re-invent the wheel; or iii) couldn't return home (see below: Why we cannot go home?), rather stayed in the land of opportunities accepted odd_jobs in order to make the ends meet (viz., finally work as store worker in grocery stores, visa card sales reps @ call centers, security guards, parking attendant, etc.) i.e, who could-not a find job even 'outside-the-box' (see the book, above, by G. Kim Dority, 2006). One may consider a fourth factor, as well: those who struggled and then left the country (for reasons of (i)lack of opportunities, (ii)repeated failures in finding an accommodation in the job market, (iii)lack of stamina to continue the tryst with destiny, (iv)greener pastures abroad, and so on..).
PS. If you are interested in this project, lets talk. Your comments and support will be highly appreciated. See on the same shelf

• The Countries You May Like to Go with your American / Canadian MLIS - A literature survey
•  Librarian jobs in Canada? Does university name matter?

• Are there lots of librarian jobs in Canada? Does what university I graduate from really matter when I apply for jobs?

• CLA Session Notes - "Systemic Barriers to Library Use: Libraries Engage the Socially Excluded"
  
• "The evaluation of international credentials and the hiring of internationally trained librarians in Canadian academic and public libraries, Keren Dali and Juris Dilevkoa, The International Information & Library Review Volume 41, Issue 3, September 2009, Pages 146-162
  

  "This study examines the way in which libraries in Canada approach the issue of the evaluation of international credentials (ICs) held by internationally trained librarians (ITLs) and the eventual short-listing and hiring of such individuals. In the United States and Canada, librarianship, a non-regulated profession, is to a large degree governed by the American Library Association (ALA), but the ALA's statements regarding ICs and ITLs are often ambiguous. It is therefore frequently left to individual libraries to decide how best to deal with ICs and ITLs"

• Smoothing the Transition: Retraining Centers in Canada for Immigrant Librarians from Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, by Keren Dali a; Juris Dilevko, Slavic & East European Information Resources, Volume 8, Issue 1 July 2007 , pages 77 - 102
  
• Silviu's Diary: An immigrant librarian in Canada.
  
• Immigrant Librarians in Britain
  
• "Evolving Jamaican migrant identities: contrasts between Britain, Canada and the USA," Paul Thompson a; Elaine Bauer, Community, Work & Family, Volume 6, Issue 1 April 2003 , pages 89 - 102
  
• Migrant Settlement Literature Review
  
• How to kill a young librarian's love of librarianship (AKA. A Dispute Resolution Guide)
  
• Career Path of an "International Librarian"
  
• "Employment of Foreign Trained Librarians in the US and Canada: An Enquiry on Behalf of the LED Committee on Equivalencies and Reciprocity, in American Library Association Office for Library Education," (1970) [cited in Encyclopedia of library and information science, 1965. v. 57, p. 262]
  
• Surrey Public Library INFORMATION FOR FOREIGN-TRAINED LIBRARIANS AND LIBRARY TECHNICIANS
  
• Will tomorrow's libraries become more like museums of today -- A question for the coming decade
  
• Emerson's Conceptual Librarian, Professor of Books -- Library Education Revisited
  
• Unable to get jobs, immigrant couple sue Ottawa [Selladurai Premakumaran and Nesamalar Premakumaran (Appellants)] and the response @ Federal Courts Reports

Why we cannot go home?

Educated immigrants stuck in survival jobs By Travis Lupick

Success Stories: Matilda of Sierra Leone

'Vote by feet'

A land of promise or a land of dismay?

Not Canada Net: Tragedy of Canada for Immigrants

  Skilled immigrants wasting their talents in Canada calgaryherald.com

Happy to be here in Canada

By ABUBAKAR KASIM, GUEST COLUMNIST, Toronto Sun

Extract: "I made the right decision to make Canada my home.
Despite its unstable winter season and shortened sunny summer period, in spite of the challenges in trying to adjust to the new environment, and regardless of the imperfectness of its justice system, I still firmly believe I have come to the right place and at the right time. " continue reading