Canada must immediately waive the Temporary Resident Visa requirement for Ukrainian citizens
While the world has watched with horror the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Ukraine, the federal government launched last week the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) – a special temporary residence pathway to welcome Ukrainians and their families to our country. Although well-intentioned, the application process is deeply flawed, and it will prove to be…
Centre's mandate is not just about meeting medical needs; it's about a more equitable community
Nearly 700 refugees – half from Afghanistan – have received care at the New Canadians Health Centre in Edmonton, Alta. since it opened in late August 2021. The centre is the result of a partnership between academics, local settlement and health-care organizations, and the provincial government. Family doctors, nurses, specialists, including a pediatrician, psychological therapists,…
Canadian-Iranians must hold Trudeau accountable for his promises, including finding justice for the PS752 families
Canada’s treatment of Iranian immigrants demonstrates the Trudeau government’s double standards on Iran. On the one hand, Ottawa allows Islamic Republic officials to live openly in cities such as Toronto. On the other hand, it deports innocent Iranian residents back to Iran, where they could face imprisonment or even execution. Morteza Talaei, Tehran’s police chief…
As a new Canadian, I was fortunate to have had the guidance and mentorship of many outstanding Canadian role models. They helped pave my integration into a new society and provided me with invaluable advice for my professional career. There’s an important lesson here for nation-building in Canada. Bringing immigrants to Canada is only half…
Immigration policy must build bridges and align with economic, social, education and multicultural policy
I was recently invited to share my thoughts and take a futuristic peek at the role of immigration in the post-COVID-19 economic recovery. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada invited me to speak at its annual executive leadership summit that included more than 250 decision-makers in the executive branch. My presentation spanned the unresolved immigration issues…
Immigrant wages in oil and gas extraction in Canada are 71 per cent higher than in manufacturing and are rising faster than in other sectors
By Mark Milke and Ven Venkatachalam Canadian Energy Centre A few years ago, one of us took an early morning taxi ride in Vancouver. The driver, originally from Latin America, began to complain – without prompting – about how crazy it was that local anti-oil-and-gas protesters were trying to block the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.…
Canadians believe in equality and compassion; we don’t believe in pitting one group against another
Canada has always prided itself on being one of the most open and least racist countries in the world. This view may not have always been true, particularly when it comes to our past immigration policies, which only became colour neutral in the 1960s. But since then, and continuing today, the vast majority of our…
The only way to stop people from fleeing their countries is to hold their governments' culpable for their citizen's suffering
Even when boundaries define arbitrary lines between territories, they embody deeper symbolic, cultural, historical and religious meaning that’s often contested for legitimacy. Our belief that borders are indisputable has at times led to remarkable efforts to establish permanent barriers as statements of sovereignty and against foreign intrusion. The Great Wall of China, built for defence…
There are surprising commonalities in the rise and fall of 11 historic empires. Canada is on the same path
Could Canada soon meet its end, given its many divides and increasing public debt? If Sir John Glubb is right, the answer is yes. Glubb’s 1976 work, The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival, found surprising commonalities in the rise and fall of 11 historic empires. Although they spanned 3,000 years and varied geography,…
Of more than 33 million international child migrants, most are from Africa and Asia, according to UNICEF estimates. Many carry the scarring trauma of war, gun violence, poverty and human trafficking. Some travel with their parents, some alone. But not much is known about how these children fare once displaced. As a result, their physical…
While the world has watched with horror the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Ukraine, the federal government launched last week the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) – a special temporary residence pathway to welcome Ukrainians and their families to our country. Although well-intentioned, the application process is deeply flawed, and it will prove to be…
