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☆ Canada caps immigration target amid housing crunch, inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Wa Lone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"These immigration levels will help set the pace of Canada's economic and population growth while moderating its impact on critical systems such as infrastructure and housing," Miller said. Canada's population has grown mainly through immigration, and population growth has helped fuel economic growth in recent years. But some economists have blamed immigration for worsening the country's housing shortage, though immigrants also work in industries like construction that are facing a labor shortage. For this reason, the Bank of Canada has said immigration has been both a driver and a brake for inflation, which stood at 3.8% in September. More consumers mean more demand, which pushes up prices, but immigrants entering the work force also help keep down labor costs.

Persons: Christinne, Marc Miller, Miller, Wa, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Rights TORONTO, Bank of Canada, Statistics, Institute for Canadian Citizenship, Wa Lone, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S, Champlain , New York, Ottawa, Statistics Canada, Toronto

☆ Canada's new immigration plan to factor in need to bolster housing and services
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Wa Lone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TORONTO, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Canada will incorporate planning for housing, healthcare and other services into its a immigration strategy, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said on Tuesday, after posting its biggest population jump in almost seven decades. Statistics Canada has said the population grew by 2.9% in the 12 months to July 1, 2023, to more than 40 million. "We need to better align immigration programs systems and services with Canada's labor market," Miller told reporters. Canada's government is facing pressure to address concerns about targeting annual immigration at around 500,000 permanent residents by 2025 given the backdrop of an affordable housing crisis and escalating living costs. One key to the new strategy is to accelerate processing services for international student permits at institutions with better housing, services and other supports, the ministry said.

Persons: Marc Miller, Miller, we've, Wa, Steve Scherer, Sandra Maler Organizations: TORONTO, Immigration, Statistics Canada, Wa Lone, Thomson Locations: Canada

☆ Canada's New Immigration Plan to Factor in Need to Bolster Housing and Services
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Wa LoneTORONTO (Reuters) - Canada will incorporate planning for housing, healthcare and other services into its a immigration strategy, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said on Tuesday, after posting its biggest population jump in almost seven decades. Statistics Canada has said the population grew by 2.9% in the 12 months to July 1, 2023, to more than 40 million. "We need to better align immigration programs systems and services with Canada's labor market," Miller told reporters. Canada's government is facing pressure to address concerns about targeting annual immigration at around 500,000 permanent residents by 2025 given the backdrop of an affordable housing crisis and escalating living costs. One key to the new strategy is to accelerate processing services for international student permits at institutions with better housing, services and other supports, the ministry said.

Persons: Marc Miller, Miller, we've, Wa, Steve Scherer, Sandra Maler Organizations: Wa Lone, Immigration, Statistics Canada Locations: Wa, Wa Lone TORONTO, Canada

☆ How the surge in antisemitism is affecting countries around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from Israel, October 31. BRAZILJewish leaders have noticed a rise in antisemitic discourse online, and incidents such as graffiti defacing a synagogue in Rio de Janeiro. BRITAINLondon's police force said there had been a 14-fold increase in incidents of antisemitism since the Oct. 7 attack. GERMANYA survey by a civil society observatory, the RIAS, found a 240% year-on-year increase in antisemitic incidents in the period of Oct. 7-15. CHINANo figures are available on antisemitic incidents.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Karen Bass, Justin Trudeau, Ricardo Berkiensztat, Hitler, Gerald Darmanin, Darmanin, Eddo, David Saks, we'll, Rabbi Alexander Boroda, Andrew MacAskill, Layli Foroudi, Julia Harte, Chen Lin, Eliana, Maytaal Angel, Andrew Osborn, Carien du Plessis, Steven Grattan, Wa Lone, Thomas Escritt, Stephanie Van Den Berg, Estelle Shirbon Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, UNITED STATES, Defamation League, White, CANADA, Argentine, Local, BRAZIL Jewish, Jewish Federation of, State of, Community Security Trust, FRANCE Interior, Hamas, SOUTH, South African Jewish Board, Deputies, Russia's Federation of Jewish, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Los Angeles, Canada, Toronto, ARGENTINA, Buenos Aires, Argentine, BRAZIL, Rio de Janeiro, State, State of Sao Paulo, BRITAIN, Britain, FRANCE, GERMANY, NETHERLANDS, SOUTH AFRICA, RUSSIA, Dagestan, Tel Aviv, CHINA, Beijing, Nazi, Wa

In London, girls in a playground are told they are "stinking Jews" and should stay off the slide. In China, posts likening Jews to parasites, vampires or snakes proliferate on social media, attracting thousands of "likes". She was describing what was in the minds of those behind antisemitic incidents. The most chilling antisemitic incident globally was the storming of an airport in Russia's Dagestan region on Sunday by an enraged crowd looking for Jews to harm after a flight arrived from Tel Aviv. Rabbi Alexander Boroda, president of Russia's Federation of Jewish Communities, said in response that anti-Israeli sentiment had morphed into open aggression towards Russian Jews.

Persons: Anna Gordon, Anthony Adler, Adler, Nonna Mayer, France's, Israel, Mayer, Rabbi Alexander Boroda, Shneor Segal, Akiva Carr, Layli Foroudi, Julia Harte, Chen Lin, Maytaal Angel, Andrew Osborn, Carien du Plessis, Steven Grattan, Eliana, Wa Lone, Thomas Escritt, Stephanie Van Den Berg, Estelle Shirbon, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Russia's Federation of Jewish, Cornell University, Center for Jewish, Thomson Locations: Golders Green, London, Britain, Gaza, Los Angeles, China, Israel, United States, France, Germany, South Africa, Russia's Dagestan, Tel Aviv, Azerbaijan, Caucasus, Buenos Aires, New York, Johannesburg, Western Europe, Dagestan, Wa

India is by far Canada's largest source of global students in the country's fast-growing international education business, making up for roughly 40% of study permit holders. International students contribute over C$20 billion ($14.6 billion) to the Canadian economy each year. Reuters spoke to more than a dozen universities and consultants in Canada and India who said they were taking measures to reassure students. Last week, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller described international students "an asset that is very lucrative". In Punjab's Amritsar, home to the Golden Temple, one of the holiest sites in Sikhism, over 5,000 students moved to Canada last year.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, We've, Joseph Wong, Ashok Kumar Bhatia, John Tibbits, Tibbits, Marc Miller, Rhonda Lenton, Jiwan Sharma, Melanie Joly, Gurbakhshish Singh, Nivedita Balu, Wa, Manoj Kumar, Denny Thomas, Josie Kao Organizations: Canada's, Canadian, Reuters, University of Toronto, Reuters Graphics, Association of Consultants, Overseas Studies, Conestoga, York, Taxi, Thomson Locations: India's, Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, TORONTO, AMRITSAR, India, New Delhi, British Columbia, Kitchener , Ontario, Punjab, Punjab's Amritsar, Ottawa, Amritsar, Wa Lone, Toronto

☆ Canada's Sikhs are grateful - and afraid - after Trudeau's India allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

India forcefully denied its involvement in Nijjar's murder, which took place in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in Surrey, BC. But Canadian Sikhs are unconvinced, and the minority who are active proponents of Khalistan are afraid. Trudeau's move risks derailing a strategic economic and political shift many Western countries are making towards India to counter China. Mukhbir Singh, a member of the Ottawa Sikh Society, said he backs the idea of Khalistan, but that Canadian Sikhs' views on the issue are not monolithic. "Prime Minister Trudeau has taken a stance" to make "paramount" the safety of its citizens, he said, even though the Canadian government does not support Khalistan.

Persons: Nanak, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Chris Helgren, Justin Trudeau, Sentokh Singh, Trudeau's, Jagmeet Singh, Fen Hampson, Nijjar's, Gurmeet Singh, Mukhbir Singh, Trudeau, Suk Dhaliwal, Dhaliwal, Steve Scherer, Wa, Denny Thomas, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, OTTAWA, Khalistan, Indian High Commission, New Democrats, Carleton University, RCMP, Ottawa Sikh Society, Liberal, Surrey, Reuters, Wa Lone, Thomson Locations: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, Punjab India, India, New Delhi, Canadian, Ottawa, China, Punjab, Golden, Amritsar, Toronto

Sept 29 (Reuters) - Air Canada (AC.TO) pilots staged a protest at Toronto's Pearson Airport on Friday, demanding better pay and benefits as talks over a new contract covering 4,500 pilots at Canada's largest carrier continue. We have to close the growing wage gap between us and our American counterparts," Chair of the governing body for the airline's pilots union Charlene Hudy told Reuters. Currently, the union is actively engaged in negotiations with Air Canada, and it anticipates that these discussions will persist throughout the entire month of October, Hudy added. "We are still early in the bargaining process and Air Canada remains engaged in productive discussions with ALPA," the carrier said on Friday. The pilots for the Montreal-based carrier, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) union, began bargaining for new labor terms this summer.

Persons: Charlene Hudy, Hudy, Shivansh, Shweta Agarwal Organizations: Air Canada, Toronto's Pearson, Canada's, Canadian, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, American, Reuters, Air, Air Line Pilots Association, Thomson Locations: Montreal, Bengaluru, Wa Lone, Toronto

☆ Canadian Sikh protests outside Indian mission off to a muted start
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Wa Lone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Trudeau said last week Canada was pursuing "credible allegations" that Indian government agents may have been involved in Nijjar's murder. The Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, said concerned authorities have been informed of the protests. Nijjar, who worked as a plumber, left the north Indian state of Punjab a quarter-century ago and became a Canadian citizen. He has supported the formation of an independent Sikh homeland, called Khalistantan, to be created out of Punjab. The Canadian government has amassed both human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation into the Sikh separatist leader, CBC News reported last week, citing unidentified sources.

Persons: Blair Gable, Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Jatinder Singh Grewal, Trudeau, Grewal, Sanjay Kumar Verma, Verma, David Cohen, Wa, Denny Thomas, Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: High Commission of, REUTERS, Rights, Justice, Canada, Reuters, Sunday, Indian, Toronto Police Department, Canadian, CBC News, CTV News, Wa Lone, Thomson Locations: High Commission of India, Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Toronto, British Columbia, Ottawa, Vancouver, Surrey, India, Delhi, Punjab, Canadian

But five months later, the overall number of people filing refugee claims in Canada has risen instead of falling. But it has sought to discourage those applying for asylum, chiefly through an agreement with the U.S. under which each country turns back asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are drawn by Canada's reputation for swifter processing and greater acceptance of asylum applications compared to the U.S. But overall, the number of asylum seekers entering Canada has surged. People applying at airports comprised about a third of all refugee claims made in July, up from about 16% in March.

Persons: Shauna Labman, Joe Biden's, Craig Damian Smith, Remi Lariviere, Lariviere, Abdulla Daoud, Loly Rico, Hana Bakhit, Maureen Silcoff, Silcoff, Grace Nanziri, Anna Mehler, Denny Thomas, Deepa Babington Organizations: Reuters, Human, University of Winnipeg, U.S, European Union, Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, FCJ Refugee, REUTERS, Refugee Centre, FCJ, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S, Toronto, Quebec, New York, United States, Mexico, Haiti, Turkey, Colombia, India, Rwanda, Montreal, Canada's, Sudan, Uganda

☆ Two years on, Myanmar coup takes a 'catastrophic toll'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

REUTERS/StaffJan 31 (Reuters) - Two years after Myanmar's military coup, a young factory worker turned resistance fighter mourns the loss of his leg in battle. The stories of four people reflect a crisis the U.N. special envoy last week warned was taking a "catastrophic toll" on the population. THE TEACHERA middle-school teacher has been living in a Thai border town since fleeing arrest in Myanmar last year. A slight woman with long black hair, she joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM) that sprang up after the coup. Her green and white uniform is safe in Myanmar, she said, neatly stored, in case of her return.

[1/3] Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn speaks during a meeting with Southeast Asian foreign ministers at the secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 27, 2022. Galih Pradipta/Pool via REUTERSJAKARTA, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government warned on Thursday that any pressure from its Southeast Asian neighbours to put a time frame on a peace plan would create "negative implications". No Myanmar representatives were present at the special meeting of the group's foreign ministers to discuss the stalled peace plan. Late on Thursday, Myanmar's military-appointed foreign ministry released a statement blaming armed resistance movements for violence and saying pressure to set a time frame will create more negative implications than positive ones. And Indonesia has mentioned that this request needs to be delivered to Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military) immediately," said Retno.

☆ Myanmar beauty queen lands in Canada after Thai airport limbo
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Wa Lone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TORONTO, Sept 28 (Reuters) - A Myanmar beauty queen, who had spoken out against military rule in her country and became stranded at Thailand's airport, said she was relieved but remained defiant after landing in Toronto on Wednesday. Han Lay captured global attention last year with her pageant speech on the army's deadly suppression of anti-junta protests. "I am always a supporter for Myanmar democracy; I will always support it as much as I can." Thai immigration officials denied her entry last week following a brief visit to Vietnam, saying she was using invalid travel documents. A Human Rights Watch director said Myanmar's military rulers were using control over passports as a weapon against citizens' right to travel internationally.

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