Refugee/Migrant Crisis
- Thread starter Tecumsehsbones
- Start date
Roxham Road sees record number cross into Canada illegally in 2022
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Jan 23, 2023 • 3 minute read
A total of 4,689 people entered Canada illegally at Roxham Road in Quebec in December which is more than arrived at the “irregular border crossing’ in all of 2021.
In fact, December 2022 is the second highest month on record, only behind August 2017 when 5,530 people entered.
The tally of people crossing into the country illegally and then claiming asylum was 39,171 last year. That’s more than double the 18,836 who entered the country at Roxham Road in 2017, the previous record.
“We must continue to work with our American partners to improve the situation,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week when asked about the situation including the case of a man who died in the cold trying to cross back into the United States.
Trudeau said that he wants changes to the Safe Third Country Agreement with the Americans, “which will allow us to reduce these irregular crossings and promote legal immigration.”
If only Trudeau’s words were believable after six years of his government allowing this situation to grow, become worse and put a strain on provincial resources, on the RCMP and on the legal immigration system. In 2022, we brought in a population bigger than Spruce Grove, Alta., Shawinigan, Que., or Bradford, Ont. through a dead-end road at the Quebec-New York border.
Trudeau created this problem
Prior to 2017, this wasn’t a problem and then Trudeau decided to insert himself into American politics.
When Donald Trump made it known that, as president, he would end a program that allowed Haitian nationals to stay in the United States beyond the usual terms, Trudeau tweeted out a welcome mat. Canada had already put an end to a similar program, many people had returned, but Trudeau had to show he was better than Trump.
“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada,” Trudeau tweeted on Jan. 28, 2017.
The tweet saw interest in people heading to Canada spike as documents from Global Affairs Canada showed at the time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a legal and controlled immigration, it was people flying into JFK airport in New York City, taking a bus to Plattsburgh, N.Y. and then cabbing it to the Canada-U.S. border.
Despite giant signs stating that crossing at that point is illegal and verbal warnings from the RCMP that anyone coming across would be arrested, the crowds kept coming. In 2017 it was 18,838. A similar 18,518 in 2018. In 2019 it dropped slightly to 16,136 before dropping to a little over 3,000 in 2020 and 4,000 in 2021 due to the pandemic.
Now, though, the people crossing have returned with gusto — an average of 107 people crossed each day and at great cost to the taxpayer.
Millions to rent out empty hotels
The Globe and Mail reported over the weekend that since the last election in September 2021, the federal government has spent $94 million on hotels to house the migrants. The government is booking large blocks of rooms near the site of the crossing but also across the Montreal area, in Ottawa and in Niagara Falls.
Often, despite the government leasing the rooms, at times entire hotels, the Globe reported that the rooms are often empty.
In Quebec, Trudeau’s policy and attitude to this issue is not popular. A poll released two weeks ago showed that 68% want the border crossing closed, something Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said he would do but Trudeau has not.
“I understand why desperate people are trying to cross there,” Poilievre said earlier this month. “Our system is now so slow and so broken.”
But, he said, the government needs to focus on legal immigration, and he would put an emphasis on that while closing Roxham Road. Trudeau has shown over the last six years that he’d rather lean into this issue, another importation of American culture war politics as he tries to make illegal immigration a wedge issue here.
In Quebec, they aren’t buying that, which might be why he says he’s looking for a solution now.
blilley@postmedia.com
breachmedia.ca
theglobeandmail.com
nationalpost.com
montreal.citynews.ca
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Jan 23, 2023 • 3 minute read
A total of 4,689 people entered Canada illegally at Roxham Road in Quebec in December which is more than arrived at the “irregular border crossing’ in all of 2021.
In fact, December 2022 is the second highest month on record, only behind August 2017 when 5,530 people entered.
The tally of people crossing into the country illegally and then claiming asylum was 39,171 last year. That’s more than double the 18,836 who entered the country at Roxham Road in 2017, the previous record.
“We must continue to work with our American partners to improve the situation,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week when asked about the situation including the case of a man who died in the cold trying to cross back into the United States.
Trudeau said that he wants changes to the Safe Third Country Agreement with the Americans, “which will allow us to reduce these irregular crossings and promote legal immigration.”
If only Trudeau’s words were believable after six years of his government allowing this situation to grow, become worse and put a strain on provincial resources, on the RCMP and on the legal immigration system. In 2022, we brought in a population bigger than Spruce Grove, Alta., Shawinigan, Que., or Bradford, Ont. through a dead-end road at the Quebec-New York border.
Trudeau created this problem
Prior to 2017, this wasn’t a problem and then Trudeau decided to insert himself into American politics.
When Donald Trump made it known that, as president, he would end a program that allowed Haitian nationals to stay in the United States beyond the usual terms, Trudeau tweeted out a welcome mat. Canada had already put an end to a similar program, many people had returned, but Trudeau had to show he was better than Trump.
“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada,” Trudeau tweeted on Jan. 28, 2017.
The tweet saw interest in people heading to Canada spike as documents from Global Affairs Canada showed at the time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a legal and controlled immigration, it was people flying into JFK airport in New York City, taking a bus to Plattsburgh, N.Y. and then cabbing it to the Canada-U.S. border.
Despite giant signs stating that crossing at that point is illegal and verbal warnings from the RCMP that anyone coming across would be arrested, the crowds kept coming. In 2017 it was 18,838. A similar 18,518 in 2018. In 2019 it dropped slightly to 16,136 before dropping to a little over 3,000 in 2020 and 4,000 in 2021 due to the pandemic.
Now, though, the people crossing have returned with gusto — an average of 107 people crossed each day and at great cost to the taxpayer.
Millions to rent out empty hotels
The Globe and Mail reported over the weekend that since the last election in September 2021, the federal government has spent $94 million on hotels to house the migrants. The government is booking large blocks of rooms near the site of the crossing but also across the Montreal area, in Ottawa and in Niagara Falls.
Often, despite the government leasing the rooms, at times entire hotels, the Globe reported that the rooms are often empty.
In Quebec, Trudeau’s policy and attitude to this issue is not popular. A poll released two weeks ago showed that 68% want the border crossing closed, something Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said he would do but Trudeau has not.
“I understand why desperate people are trying to cross there,” Poilievre said earlier this month. “Our system is now so slow and so broken.”
But, he said, the government needs to focus on legal immigration, and he would put an emphasis on that while closing Roxham Road. Trudeau has shown over the last six years that he’d rather lean into this issue, another importation of American culture war politics as he tries to make illegal immigration a wedge issue here.
In Quebec, they aren’t buying that, which might be why he says he’s looking for a solution now.
blilley@postmedia.com
Revealed: Canada misrepresented conditions in Haiti to justify deportations, documents show ⋆ The Breach
Federal government omitted reports that contradict Canada’s assessment of a lack of “generalized risk” to Haitians amid fallout of earthquake, cholera outbreak and political instability.
breachmedia.ca
Hotel rooms for asylum seekers cost Ottawa $94-million since last election
The Immigration Department said it wants to take pressure off the provinces, even though the housing of asylum seekers is a provincial responsibility
theglobeandmail.com
Trudeau tweet caused influx of refugee inquiries, confusion within government, emails reveal
'To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada,' Trudeau wrote…
Survey says 68% of Quebecers want Roxham Road closed | CityNews Montreal
An increasing number of Quebecers want Roxham Road to be closed, according to a poll commissioned by a group that has just filed a criminal complaint against Justin Trudeau.
montreal.citynews.ca
LILLEY: Roxham Road sees record number cross into Canada illegally in 2022
The illegal border crossing on the Quebec-New York border saw a small city cross over to claim asylum status in Canada last year.
NYC now paying for bus fare if migrants head north to Roxham Road
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Feb 06, 2023 • Last updated 2 days ago • 3 minute read
New York City is paying for bus tickets to the Canadian border for migrants who want to flee the Big Apple. The New York Post not only reported on the issue Sunday night, but they also confirmed it with top government officials.
Seems southern border states like Texas, frustrated with the flood of people coming across the Mexican-American border, have been sending busloads of people to progressive sanctuary cities. It’s a move that’s attracted widespread criticism from people saying it shows Texas doesn’t care about the plight of migrants and is inhumane.
Now it turns out N.Y.C. is doing the same thing by passing the problem on to Canada.
“Mayor Eric Adams’s administration pays various companies that run programs for migrants that include ‘re-ticketing’ so they can travel to other cities, a City Hall source said,” the Post reported Sunday.
As busloads of people from Texas arrive at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, National Guard soldiers direct the people coming off the buses to those handing out the free tickets that will take them to Canada.
“The military gave me and my family free bus tickets. I am going to Canada for a better quality of life for my family,” Raymond Peña told the Post.
Peña travelled north to the United States from Venezuela and then was transported to N.Y.C. Once in N.Y.C. he was given a bus ticket to Plattsburgh, NY, about 38 kilometres from the Canada-U.S. border.
Anyone who has followed the issue at Roxham Rd. over the past five years knows what comes next. The buses from N.Y.C. are met by cab companies who then take their passengers to the dead-end place where last year more than 39,000 people crossed into Canada illegally.
“There’s gotta be 100 people a day,” driver Tyler Tambini, 23, told the Post. “I do this all day. They get dropped off and I take them the rest of the way.”
The New York Post isn’t the first media outlet to follow migrants from N.Y.C. to the border, documenting the small but booming industry of cab and van drivers waiting to take passengers from Plattsburgh to the border. This has been well documented over the years even if many in Canada, especially the media, want to ignore this aspect of the story or downplay it.
As for the driver’s claim that there must be 100 people a day, that would be an understatement. Over the last year, most months saw more than 100 people per day over average and in December, 4,689 people crossed into Canada illegally for a daily average of 151 per for the last month of 2022.
Now we have proof that New York City, under Adams, a Democrat, is paying bus fare for people to come to Canada. Will Adams be denounced as heartless or cruel by Canada’s progressives?
What’s really shameful is that the people being offered tickets likely aren’t being told the whole truth. Are they told that crossing at Roxham Rd. is illegal and they will be arrested for doing so?
It’s true that they can claim asylum once they enter Canada, but to do that, and be successful, you need to be a bona fide refugee, not an economic migrant. Only about 50% of refugee claims are accepted as legitimate by the federal government and the rate is lower for those crossing at Roxham Rd.
Justin Trudeau imported the issue of illegal immigration into Canada from the United States. Now he has a problem that is getting bigger thanks to his political ally, Eric Adams, handing out bus tickets.
It would be nice if Trudeau had a solution for this issue other than lecturing Canadians.
blilley@postmedia.com
nypost.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Feb 06, 2023 • Last updated 2 days ago • 3 minute read
New York City is paying for bus tickets to the Canadian border for migrants who want to flee the Big Apple. The New York Post not only reported on the issue Sunday night, but they also confirmed it with top government officials.
Seems southern border states like Texas, frustrated with the flood of people coming across the Mexican-American border, have been sending busloads of people to progressive sanctuary cities. It’s a move that’s attracted widespread criticism from people saying it shows Texas doesn’t care about the plight of migrants and is inhumane.
Now it turns out N.Y.C. is doing the same thing by passing the problem on to Canada.
“Mayor Eric Adams’s administration pays various companies that run programs for migrants that include ‘re-ticketing’ so they can travel to other cities, a City Hall source said,” the Post reported Sunday.
As busloads of people from Texas arrive at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, National Guard soldiers direct the people coming off the buses to those handing out the free tickets that will take them to Canada.
“The military gave me and my family free bus tickets. I am going to Canada for a better quality of life for my family,” Raymond Peña told the Post.
Peña travelled north to the United States from Venezuela and then was transported to N.Y.C. Once in N.Y.C. he was given a bus ticket to Plattsburgh, NY, about 38 kilometres from the Canada-U.S. border.
Anyone who has followed the issue at Roxham Rd. over the past five years knows what comes next. The buses from N.Y.C. are met by cab companies who then take their passengers to the dead-end place where last year more than 39,000 people crossed into Canada illegally.
“There’s gotta be 100 people a day,” driver Tyler Tambini, 23, told the Post. “I do this all day. They get dropped off and I take them the rest of the way.”
The New York Post isn’t the first media outlet to follow migrants from N.Y.C. to the border, documenting the small but booming industry of cab and van drivers waiting to take passengers from Plattsburgh to the border. This has been well documented over the years even if many in Canada, especially the media, want to ignore this aspect of the story or downplay it.
As for the driver’s claim that there must be 100 people a day, that would be an understatement. Over the last year, most months saw more than 100 people per day over average and in December, 4,689 people crossed into Canada illegally for a daily average of 151 per for the last month of 2022.
Now we have proof that New York City, under Adams, a Democrat, is paying bus fare for people to come to Canada. Will Adams be denounced as heartless or cruel by Canada’s progressives?
What’s really shameful is that the people being offered tickets likely aren’t being told the whole truth. Are they told that crossing at Roxham Rd. is illegal and they will be arrested for doing so?
It’s true that they can claim asylum once they enter Canada, but to do that, and be successful, you need to be a bona fide refugee, not an economic migrant. Only about 50% of refugee claims are accepted as legitimate by the federal government and the rate is lower for those crossing at Roxham Rd.
Justin Trudeau imported the issue of illegal immigration into Canada from the United States. Now he has a problem that is getting bigger thanks to his political ally, Eric Adams, handing out bus tickets.
It would be nice if Trudeau had a solution for this issue other than lecturing Canadians.
blilley@postmedia.com
Migrants abandon NYC for Canada with taxpayer-funded bus tickets
“I am going to Canada for a better quality of life for my family.”
nypost.com
LILLEY: NYC now paying for bus fare if migrants head north to Roxham Road
People are being met at the bus station in NYC and offered a free bus ticket to get them to Roxham Rd if they will leave New York.
How did a B.C. gangster get a passport in a fake name? Feds won't say
RCMP won't even confirm if they are investigating the case of the real passport in a fake name
Author of the article:Kim Bolan
Published Feb 03, 2023 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 5 minute read
A year after former B.C. gangster Jimi Sandhu was shot to death in Thailand, no details have been released by any Canadian agency about how the 32-year-old obtained a legitimate passport with his photo beside a fake name.
Someone submitted a mail-in application for the passport in 2020 and it was issued out of Saskatoon on Jan. 28, 2021 — five years after the United Nations gangster was deported from Canada to his native India for serious criminality.
Sandhu used the passport to enter Thailand just eight days before his Feb. 4, 2022, assassination, allegedly by two Canadian hit men.
Royal Thai Police investigators found the passport along with cash and drugs in the luxury beachfront villa Sandhu was renting on the tourist island of Phuket.
Police Maj.-Gen. Khemmarin Hassiri confirmed to Postmedia that the passport was a mail-in application.
But Canadian officials have refused to comment specifically on how a convicted criminal thrown out of the country could get his hands on such a valuable commodity.
Sources told Postmedia that Sandhu used Canadian associates to apply for the passport. Once it was issued, one of those associates flew to Southeast Asia to deliver it to the UN gangster.
RCMP Cpl. Christy Veenstra said she couldn’t comment on whether there was even an investigation into the fraudulent Sandhu passport.
“As far as the passport investigation goes, at this time we can only say the RCMP generally does not confirm or deny if an investigation is underway unless criminal charges are laid. We therefore cannot provide further information on this matter,” she said in an email.
The federal Employment and Social Development department provided statistics to Postmedia on the number of mail-in applications per fiscal year from 2017 until now. The highest number of applications came in 2017-2018 with more than 1.7 million. The year Sandhu applied for his, that number had fallen to just 127,829 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government agency could not provide a breakdown for each province, saying that “passport processing is treated as a national workload.”
Asked about other cases like Sandhu’s, media relations officer Maja Stefanovska did not directly response, but said: “the Canadian passport is, and will remain, one of the most secure travel documents in the world.”
Applications are compared to databases “and the results are analyzed,” she said.
“We can’t share what is in those databases nor how those checks are performed. If analysis shows that all requirements are met, the application is considered `entitled’ and sent to the next step.”
An application then proceeds to second level security checks before it’s “deemed cleared for printing.” “The passport is then printed, quality assurance of the printed passport is performed, the passport information is reviewed against the system to ensure that the information in the book is accurate,” Stefanovska said.
“Furthermore, the passport chip is tested and if all verifications are successful, the passport is deemed ready for delivery.”
None of that explains how Sandhu was able to manipulate the system.
But his application was processed at a time when government services were hit with staff shortages due to the pandemic.
In its 2020-2021 annual report, the federal Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department noted the staffing shortages and closures of passport offices.
“Applications by mail continued to be received, but with processing locations closed or at limited capacity, there were delays in processing applications received at the beginning of the pandemic,” the report said. “With waves of lock downs occurring across the globe, offices abroad were also closed at times or offered limited services, inevitably reducing processing capacity.”
Data provided by the Canada Border Services Agency under the access to information act showed that between 2015 and the end of 2020, just 12 cases were found of people attempting to enter the country with counterfeit Canadian passports. Most of those were in 2019 and 2020 with seven and four incidents in each of those years.
Sandhu is not the first gangster with links to B.C. to get a fraudulent passport.
Wolf Pack gangster Rabih Alkhalil and his brother Nabil, who grew up on the Lower Mainland, got their hands on fake passports out of Ontario in 2014, allowing them to flee from Canada. Rabih was later arrested in Greece, though he escaped from a B.C. jail last summer in the middle of his murder trial. Nabil was shot to death in Mexico in 2018.
The Wolf Pack is suspected of hiring the alleged hit men who flew to Phuket to kill Sandhu. Ex-soldiers Matthew Dupre and Gene Lahrkamp were charged with first-degree murder. Lahrkamp later died in an Ontario plane crash. Dupre is fighting his extradition to Thailand. A third Canadian alleged to be involved in the plot has not been charged.
Supt. Duncan Pound, of B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said his agency was not involved in any probe of the Sandhu passport.
But CFSEU continues to investigate the larger conspiracy that led to the Sandhu assassination.
“We had an investigation here to see if we could gather evidence with respect to the conspiracy. And then obviously, that sort of made us the natural lead in terms of providing the Canadian support to the extradition request from the Thai police,” Pound said this week.
Article content
As for B.C. gangsters getting fake passports, he said: “Gang violence is not just a B.C. problem, or just a Canada problem.”
“Gangsters need to find ways to travel internationally. And an obvious challenge they face is being able to travel on a name other than their own. We would acknowledge that organized crime groups try and find ways to travel and escape the attention of law enforcement.”
kbolan@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/kbolan
torontosun.com
RCMP won't even confirm if they are investigating the case of the real passport in a fake name
Author of the article:Kim Bolan
Published Feb 03, 2023 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 5 minute read
A year after former B.C. gangster Jimi Sandhu was shot to death in Thailand, no details have been released by any Canadian agency about how the 32-year-old obtained a legitimate passport with his photo beside a fake name.
Someone submitted a mail-in application for the passport in 2020 and it was issued out of Saskatoon on Jan. 28, 2021 — five years after the United Nations gangster was deported from Canada to his native India for serious criminality.
Sandhu used the passport to enter Thailand just eight days before his Feb. 4, 2022, assassination, allegedly by two Canadian hit men.
Royal Thai Police investigators found the passport along with cash and drugs in the luxury beachfront villa Sandhu was renting on the tourist island of Phuket.
Police Maj.-Gen. Khemmarin Hassiri confirmed to Postmedia that the passport was a mail-in application.
But Canadian officials have refused to comment specifically on how a convicted criminal thrown out of the country could get his hands on such a valuable commodity.
Sources told Postmedia that Sandhu used Canadian associates to apply for the passport. Once it was issued, one of those associates flew to Southeast Asia to deliver it to the UN gangster.
RCMP Cpl. Christy Veenstra said she couldn’t comment on whether there was even an investigation into the fraudulent Sandhu passport.
“As far as the passport investigation goes, at this time we can only say the RCMP generally does not confirm or deny if an investigation is underway unless criminal charges are laid. We therefore cannot provide further information on this matter,” she said in an email.
The federal Employment and Social Development department provided statistics to Postmedia on the number of mail-in applications per fiscal year from 2017 until now. The highest number of applications came in 2017-2018 with more than 1.7 million. The year Sandhu applied for his, that number had fallen to just 127,829 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government agency could not provide a breakdown for each province, saying that “passport processing is treated as a national workload.”
Asked about other cases like Sandhu’s, media relations officer Maja Stefanovska did not directly response, but said: “the Canadian passport is, and will remain, one of the most secure travel documents in the world.”
Applications are compared to databases “and the results are analyzed,” she said.
“We can’t share what is in those databases nor how those checks are performed. If analysis shows that all requirements are met, the application is considered `entitled’ and sent to the next step.”
An application then proceeds to second level security checks before it’s “deemed cleared for printing.” “The passport is then printed, quality assurance of the printed passport is performed, the passport information is reviewed against the system to ensure that the information in the book is accurate,” Stefanovska said.
“Furthermore, the passport chip is tested and if all verifications are successful, the passport is deemed ready for delivery.”
None of that explains how Sandhu was able to manipulate the system.
But his application was processed at a time when government services were hit with staff shortages due to the pandemic.
In its 2020-2021 annual report, the federal Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department noted the staffing shortages and closures of passport offices.
“Applications by mail continued to be received, but with processing locations closed or at limited capacity, there were delays in processing applications received at the beginning of the pandemic,” the report said. “With waves of lock downs occurring across the globe, offices abroad were also closed at times or offered limited services, inevitably reducing processing capacity.”
Data provided by the Canada Border Services Agency under the access to information act showed that between 2015 and the end of 2020, just 12 cases were found of people attempting to enter the country with counterfeit Canadian passports. Most of those were in 2019 and 2020 with seven and four incidents in each of those years.
Sandhu is not the first gangster with links to B.C. to get a fraudulent passport.
Wolf Pack gangster Rabih Alkhalil and his brother Nabil, who grew up on the Lower Mainland, got their hands on fake passports out of Ontario in 2014, allowing them to flee from Canada. Rabih was later arrested in Greece, though he escaped from a B.C. jail last summer in the middle of his murder trial. Nabil was shot to death in Mexico in 2018.
The Wolf Pack is suspected of hiring the alleged hit men who flew to Phuket to kill Sandhu. Ex-soldiers Matthew Dupre and Gene Lahrkamp were charged with first-degree murder. Lahrkamp later died in an Ontario plane crash. Dupre is fighting his extradition to Thailand. A third Canadian alleged to be involved in the plot has not been charged.
Supt. Duncan Pound, of B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said his agency was not involved in any probe of the Sandhu passport.
But CFSEU continues to investigate the larger conspiracy that led to the Sandhu assassination.
“We had an investigation here to see if we could gather evidence with respect to the conspiracy. And then obviously, that sort of made us the natural lead in terms of providing the Canadian support to the extradition request from the Thai police,” Pound said this week.
Article content
As for B.C. gangsters getting fake passports, he said: “Gang violence is not just a B.C. problem, or just a Canada problem.”
“Gangsters need to find ways to travel internationally. And an obvious challenge they face is being able to travel on a name other than their own. We would acknowledge that organized crime groups try and find ways to travel and escape the attention of law enforcement.”
kbolan@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/kbolan
How did a B.C. gangster get a passport in a fake name? Ottawa won't say
RCMP won't even confirm if they are investigating the case of the real passport in a fake name
Now expecting buses from the US/Mexico border to Canada.
Why is this on an Azerbaijani newsfeed and not CBC?
Why is this on an Azerbaijani newsfeed and not CBC?
Only when it's La Migra doing the rape and killing, and taking payoffs from the trafficking.
Got to be real shitty where these folks are coming from to try to walk into Canada in Winter (even Southern Ontario’s version of winter). Not many stories of people trying to walk north into Canada across North Dakota and Montana.
Yeah. It really can be. Kinda like when your old folks got the fuck out of starvation and tyranny in Scotland or Poland or England or whereverthefuck.
Not many stories of people in North Dakota and Montana. Abbott and Duhsantis don't send 'em there.
Not this year...so far that we've heard of. Wasn't an entire family froze to death trying to get into Manitobaa couple years back?
Canada may fast-track immigration applications from people in earthquake zone
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Feb 09, 2023 • 3 minute read
OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Sean Fraser signalled this week that Canada may fast-track applications to come to Canada from people in the earthquake zones of Turkey and Syria.
Two major earthquakes rocked southwestern Turkey and northwestern Syria in a matter of hours on Monday, destroying thousands of buildings.
The confirmed death toll keeps rising, with more than 19,800 people killed and at least another 64,000 injured.
Tens of thousands more are homeless in the middle of winter and struggling to access food, water and shelter.
Fraser said his department is trying to figure out the effect on permanent residency applicants already in Canada’s immigration system to determine how to help them.
“This is a conversation that we’re having,” he told reporters.
“We’re trying to understand what the impact is on the clients who are in the system.”
On Wednesday, Canada deployed a disaster assessment team to the region to determine what additional aid from Canada is needed.
A team of search-and-rescue experts from British Columbia that independently offered to help was expected to begin on-the-ground work in the early hours of Thursday local time.
Many governments, including those of the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, India and European Union, have sent rescuers to the region. Countries including South Korea, Israel and Spain have deployed military personnel.
Canada’s decision about whether to send a Disaster Assistance Response Team could take a few more days, based on previous examples of such deployments.
When a 7.8 magnitude quake hit Nepal in 2015, Canada similarly sent an assessment team to the country first to decide what kind of support it could provide. It departed about a day after the disaster hit.
The earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people and injured at least 22,000.
About six days after Canada sent its assessment team, it deployed the response team, which included about 200 personnel.
The government reported that the team provided engineering, medical and mapping support. Its members also cleared roads, provided water filtration systems, distributed radios and removed some 3,000 cubic metres of rubble.
With time now running out to recover more people who could be stuck under rubble, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is pressing the international community to provide money for Turkey and Syria and work on physical access for aid to earthquake-stricken parts of Syria.
Canada announced on Tuesday that it was providing $10 million in humanitarian assistance.
On Wednesday, the government said it would also match up to $10 million in donations to the Canadian Red Cross earmarked for earthquake relief between Feb. 6 and 22.
Some groups, including the Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations, have urged Ottawa to do much more than it has so far.
“Relief efforts in Turkey and Syria will need far more support in the coming weeks,” NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson said in the House of Commons on Thursday. “Canadian partners are stepping up to help, but they need more support.”
She urged the government to match donations made to the Humanitarian Coalition, a group of 12 Canadian aid agencies.
International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan responded that a needs assessment is ongoing and “all options are on the table,” including an additional matching fund or a direct contribution to the coalition.
On Thursday, hopes were starting to fade of finding many more people alive, more than three days into the crisis.
The deaths reported so far have surpassed the toll from a 2011 earthquake off Fukushima, Japan, that triggered a tsunami, killing more than 18,400.
The Turkish Association of Canada is accepting donations of items such as blankets, clothing, boots, tents, sleeping bags and sanitary products at its office in Ottawa, to be sent to survivors who are in need of supplies.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Feb 09, 2023 • 3 minute read
OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Sean Fraser signalled this week that Canada may fast-track applications to come to Canada from people in the earthquake zones of Turkey and Syria.
Two major earthquakes rocked southwestern Turkey and northwestern Syria in a matter of hours on Monday, destroying thousands of buildings.
The confirmed death toll keeps rising, with more than 19,800 people killed and at least another 64,000 injured.
Tens of thousands more are homeless in the middle of winter and struggling to access food, water and shelter.
Fraser said his department is trying to figure out the effect on permanent residency applicants already in Canada’s immigration system to determine how to help them.
“This is a conversation that we’re having,” he told reporters.
“We’re trying to understand what the impact is on the clients who are in the system.”
On Wednesday, Canada deployed a disaster assessment team to the region to determine what additional aid from Canada is needed.
A team of search-and-rescue experts from British Columbia that independently offered to help was expected to begin on-the-ground work in the early hours of Thursday local time.
Many governments, including those of the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, India and European Union, have sent rescuers to the region. Countries including South Korea, Israel and Spain have deployed military personnel.
Canada’s decision about whether to send a Disaster Assistance Response Team could take a few more days, based on previous examples of such deployments.
When a 7.8 magnitude quake hit Nepal in 2015, Canada similarly sent an assessment team to the country first to decide what kind of support it could provide. It departed about a day after the disaster hit.
The earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people and injured at least 22,000.
About six days after Canada sent its assessment team, it deployed the response team, which included about 200 personnel.
The government reported that the team provided engineering, medical and mapping support. Its members also cleared roads, provided water filtration systems, distributed radios and removed some 3,000 cubic metres of rubble.
With time now running out to recover more people who could be stuck under rubble, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is pressing the international community to provide money for Turkey and Syria and work on physical access for aid to earthquake-stricken parts of Syria.
Canada announced on Tuesday that it was providing $10 million in humanitarian assistance.
On Wednesday, the government said it would also match up to $10 million in donations to the Canadian Red Cross earmarked for earthquake relief between Feb. 6 and 22.
Some groups, including the Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations, have urged Ottawa to do much more than it has so far.
“Relief efforts in Turkey and Syria will need far more support in the coming weeks,” NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson said in the House of Commons on Thursday. “Canadian partners are stepping up to help, but they need more support.”
She urged the government to match donations made to the Humanitarian Coalition, a group of 12 Canadian aid agencies.
International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan responded that a needs assessment is ongoing and “all options are on the table,” including an additional matching fund or a direct contribution to the coalition.
On Thursday, hopes were starting to fade of finding many more people alive, more than three days into the crisis.
The deaths reported so far have surpassed the toll from a 2011 earthquake off Fukushima, Japan, that triggered a tsunami, killing more than 18,400.
The Turkish Association of Canada is accepting donations of items such as blankets, clothing, boots, tents, sleeping bags and sanitary products at its office in Ottawa, to be sent to survivors who are in need of supplies.
Canada may fast-track immigration applications from people in earthquake zone
Immigration Ministe signalled this week that Canada may fast-track applications from people in the earthquake zones of Turkey and Syria.
Nah, when I feel like going to Canada, I usually cross at Niagra.
No desire to stay longer'n a week or two. After that, the joke wears thin.
Ottawa appeals ruling directing government to help repatriate four men in Syria
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Feb 10, 2023 • 1 minute read
OTTAWA — The federal government is appealing a judge’s declaration that four Canadian men being held in Syrian camps are entitled to Ottawa’s help to return home.
In a filing today in the Federal Court of Appeal, the government asks that a ruling last month by Federal Court Justice Henry Brown be set aside – and be placed on hold while the appeal plays out.
In his ruling, Brown directed Ottawa to request repatriation of the men as soon as reasonably possible and provide them with passports or emergency travel documents.
Brown said the men are also entitled to have a representative of the federal government travel to Syria to help facilitate their release once their captors agree to hand them over.
The Canadians are among the many foreign nationals in Syrian camps and jails run by Kurdish forces that reclaimed the war-torn region from the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
They include Jack Letts, whose parents John Letts and Sally Lane have waged a public campaign to pressure Ottawa to come to his aid.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Feb 10, 2023 • 1 minute read
OTTAWA — The federal government is appealing a judge’s declaration that four Canadian men being held in Syrian camps are entitled to Ottawa’s help to return home.
In a filing today in the Federal Court of Appeal, the government asks that a ruling last month by Federal Court Justice Henry Brown be set aside – and be placed on hold while the appeal plays out.
In his ruling, Brown directed Ottawa to request repatriation of the men as soon as reasonably possible and provide them with passports or emergency travel documents.
Brown said the men are also entitled to have a representative of the federal government travel to Syria to help facilitate their release once their captors agree to hand them over.
The Canadians are among the many foreign nationals in Syrian camps and jails run by Kurdish forces that reclaimed the war-torn region from the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
They include Jack Letts, whose parents John Letts and Sally Lane have waged a public campaign to pressure Ottawa to come to his aid.
Ottawa appeals ruling directing government to help repatriate four men in Syria
The federal government is appealing a judge's declaration that four Canadian men being held in Syrian camps are entitled to Ottawa's help.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada.” Meanwhile, Canada’s Third Safe Country Agreement with the United States mandates that a refugee has to apply for status in the first “safe country” he or she alights in, meaning that a refugee claimant can’t cross legally into Canada from the U.S., as they would have to apply there first. Taken together, the effect was to encourage illegal crossings to make claims in Canada.
And so, as an illegal crossing, Roxham Road was in business.
And what a business it has become. Taxi drivers ferry migrants from the local bus station for $60 a pop. New York City is paying bus companies to transport migrants close to the border. There are even websites dedicated to helping people cross.
Tasha Kheiriddin: Trudeau can't be trusted to take Roxham Road seriously — National Post
What on earth is happening at Roxham Road? The “irregular border crossing” in Quebec first hit the headlines in 2017, when 18,836 people crossed there into Canada from the United States and claimed refugee status. After dropping to three to four thousand people a year during the pandemic, the...
Canada to introduce open work permit for Iranians, simplify process to stay
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Nojoud Al Mallees
Published Feb 23, 2023 • 1 minute read
OTTAWA — The federal government is rolling out special temporary measures to make it easier for Iranians in Canada to stay.
As of March 1, measures will come into effect for one year to simplify the process for Iranians who are visiting, studying in or working in Canada to extend their stay and switch between temporary streams.
For Iranians already in Canada, an open work permit pathway will be introduced as well.
The federal government will waive processing fees for Iranians wishing to stay. It will also waive fees for passports, permanent resident travel documents and citizen certificates for Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Iran who wish to come back.
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made the announcement in North Vancouver Thursday was part of the federal government’s ongoing effort to support Iranians following unrest.
“Considering the gross and systemic human rights violations ongoing in Iran, some Iranians who are temporarily in Canada are rightly concerned about returning home at this time,” Wilkinson said.
Protests erupted in Iran in response to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police, leading to a brutal crackdown by the Iranian government.
In a press release, the government said information about applying for the new measures will be available on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website on March 1.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Nojoud Al Mallees
Published Feb 23, 2023 • 1 minute read
OTTAWA — The federal government is rolling out special temporary measures to make it easier for Iranians in Canada to stay.
As of March 1, measures will come into effect for one year to simplify the process for Iranians who are visiting, studying in or working in Canada to extend their stay and switch between temporary streams.
For Iranians already in Canada, an open work permit pathway will be introduced as well.
The federal government will waive processing fees for Iranians wishing to stay. It will also waive fees for passports, permanent resident travel documents and citizen certificates for Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Iran who wish to come back.
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made the announcement in North Vancouver Thursday was part of the federal government’s ongoing effort to support Iranians following unrest.
“Considering the gross and systemic human rights violations ongoing in Iran, some Iranians who are temporarily in Canada are rightly concerned about returning home at this time,” Wilkinson said.
Protests erupted in Iran in response to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police, leading to a brutal crackdown by the Iranian government.
In a press release, the government said information about applying for the new measures will be available on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website on March 1.
Canada to introduce open work permit for Iranians, simplify process to stay
The federal government is rolling out special temporary measures to make it easier for Iranians in Canada to stay.
If the Roxham Road crossing through which thousands of illegal immigrants are coming to Canada each month was in Ontario or B.C. or Alberta, I’d be willing to bet the Trudeau government would not be rushing to find a solution.
The Liberals’ political self-image is that of being the most welcoming, inclusive, generous government on the planet, so much so that they would rather leave our borders wide open (or let China’s Communist government muck around in our elections) than have any of their actions labelled as racist.
apple.news
The only Liberal instinct that surpasses never being seen as racist is their instinct to never antagonize Quebec.
If you doubt that, consider the Trudeau government’s first effort to make the issue of illegal border crossers go away was to sweep the problem under Ontario’s rug. Rather than shut down the Roxham crossing, the Liberals just hired a bunch of buses to take the illegals to Ontario.
Out of Quebec voters’ sight, out of Quebec voters’ minds.
apple.news
I’m confident if it were Ontario Premier Doug Ford or Alberta Premier Danielle Smith calling on Trudeau to recant his famous 2017 tweet, “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength,” Trudeau would be accusing a premier of racism.
But it was Quebec Premier Francois Legault who this week insisted “It’s time for Justin Trudeau to post another tweet to say stop coming.” So, the prime minister responded not by name-calling, but by hiring more buses and insisting he was trying to stop the flow of what he euphemistically calls “irregular” border crossers.
Imagine if it had been any other premier who said the flow of illegals was causing overcrowding in schools and hospitals, and adding to runaway housing prices. Trudeau would have smeared him or her with the Trumpist label in the blink of an eye.
Instead, Trudeau pleaded with Quebecers to give him more time because, well, apparently closing the border is complicated.
But, really, how difficult can it be to close one small outpost in the middle of nowhere straight south of Montreal?
This was an attempt to have their cake (unlimited access for refugees) and eat it too (appease Quebec’s government and voters).
The Trudeau government’s biggest rationalization at the moment is that Canada has a refugee deal with the Americans – the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) – which prohibits illegal refugees to enter Canada at official border crossings.
However, that doesn’t mean the agreement dictates we must take illegal crossers at unofficial openings, such as Roxham.
So, when the Liberals say they cannot close Roxham until they negotiate changes to the STCA, that’s not entirely accurate. Besides, even if it were true, what would the Americans do if we decided to barricade Roxham Road before the agreement had been amended? Break down our locked gate?
It’s much more likely the Biden administration would lodge an official complaint with an international dispute-resolution tribunal.
During the two or three years that process would take, Canada could prevent 3,000 or 4,000 illegal crossings a month.
Besides, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Cohen, this week admitted he was unaware of any negotiation over the STCA between his country and ours.
apple.news
(The current US proposal -- which has been panned by human rights advocates and immigration experts -- largely bars migrants who have not taken a legal pathway and instead traveled through other countries on their way to the US SOUTHERN border from applying for asylum in the US. It would take effect in May, 2023)
apple.news
The Libs might just be playing for time, fibbing about the reason Roxham remains while hoping Quebecers lose interest and Ontarians don’t notice the influx of illegals signing up for social benefits.
apple.news
apple.news
The Liberals’ political self-image is that of being the most welcoming, inclusive, generous government on the planet, so much so that they would rather leave our borders wide open (or let China’s Communist government muck around in our elections) than have any of their actions labelled as racist.
WARMINGTON: Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis won't be called racist by blackface PM — Toronto Sun
The Haldimand Norfolk MP is demanding an apology and Trudeau's immediate resignation from office
The only Liberal instinct that surpasses never being seen as racist is their instinct to never antagonize Quebec.
If you doubt that, consider the Trudeau government’s first effort to make the issue of illegal border crossers go away was to sweep the problem under Ontario’s rug. Rather than shut down the Roxham crossing, the Liberals just hired a bunch of buses to take the illegals to Ontario.
Out of Quebec voters’ sight, out of Quebec voters’ minds.
GUNTER: Trudeau makes Roxham border crossing Ontario's problem — Toronto Sun
If the Roxham Road crossing through which thousands of illegal immigrants are coming to Canada each month was in Ontario or B.C. or Alberta, I’d be willing to bet the Trudeau government would not be rushing to find a solution. The Liberals’ political self-image is that of being the most...
But it was Quebec Premier Francois Legault who this week insisted “It’s time for Justin Trudeau to post another tweet to say stop coming.” So, the prime minister responded not by name-calling, but by hiring more buses and insisting he was trying to stop the flow of what he euphemistically calls “irregular” border crossers.
Imagine if it had been any other premier who said the flow of illegals was causing overcrowding in schools and hospitals, and adding to runaway housing prices. Trudeau would have smeared him or her with the Trumpist label in the blink of an eye.
Instead, Trudeau pleaded with Quebecers to give him more time because, well, apparently closing the border is complicated.
But, really, how difficult can it be to close one small outpost in the middle of nowhere straight south of Montreal?
This was an attempt to have their cake (unlimited access for refugees) and eat it too (appease Quebec’s government and voters).
The Trudeau government’s biggest rationalization at the moment is that Canada has a refugee deal with the Americans – the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) – which prohibits illegal refugees to enter Canada at official border crossings.
However, that doesn’t mean the agreement dictates we must take illegal crossers at unofficial openings, such as Roxham.
So, when the Liberals say they cannot close Roxham until they negotiate changes to the STCA, that’s not entirely accurate. Besides, even if it were true, what would the Americans do if we decided to barricade Roxham Road before the agreement had been amended? Break down our locked gate?
It’s much more likely the Biden administration would lodge an official complaint with an international dispute-resolution tribunal.
During the two or three years that process would take, Canada could prevent 3,000 or 4,000 illegal crossings a month.
Besides, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Cohen, this week admitted he was unaware of any negotiation over the STCA between his country and ours.
U.S. delivers reality check: New border deal with Canada not top priority — CBC News
The U.S. has delivered a reality check to Canada: It's in no rush to get a border deal. Ottawa talks a lot about toughening an existing migration pact. Washington doesn't. There's a reason for that.
(The current US proposal -- which has been panned by human rights advocates and immigration experts -- largely bars migrants who have not taken a legal pathway and instead traveled through other countries on their way to the US SOUTHERN border from applying for asylum in the US. It would take effect in May, 2023)
Mexico rethinks asylum initiative after US announcement — CNN
Mexico is rethinking its approach toward asylum seekers after the Biden administration unveiled a controversial new proposal to limit asylum eligibility in the United States.
The Libs might just be playing for time, fibbing about the reason Roxham remains while hoping Quebecers lose interest and Ontarians don’t notice the influx of illegals signing up for social benefits.
Bused out of Quebec, francophone asylum seekers struggle to get medical services — CBC News
Over the phone, the woman's voice is regretful but hurried — she says she's sorry, but if the French-speaking migrant on the other end of the line cannot find someone to translate English, the doctor won't see him for the medical exam he needs in order to claim asylum in Canada.
'Birth tourism' on the rise in Canada — Toronto Sun
A report by the Department of Immigration says the incidence of suspected “birth tourism” is about 2,500 a year. These are foreign pregnant mothers on short term visits to Canada. “The number of estimated deliveries by short term visitors, i.e. ‘residual’ deliveries, shows an increasing trend in...
Trudeau said the only way to “effectively” close the crossing — which sits on the border of Quebec and New York state — is to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States — like the United States is doing with Mexico — right now.
“The only way to effectively shut down not just Roxham Road, but the entire border to these irregular crossings, is to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement, which is serious work that we are doing as a government right now,” he said. News to the USA, but Trudeau said it so it MUST be true!!
“We’re making real progress, but until we manage to do that, we need to continue to support our immigration system. We need to make sure that the resources are there, particularly for the province of Quebec because…Quebec. Duh!”
apple.news
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on the federal government Tuesday to close the Roxham Road border crossing within 30 days. Poilievre told Trudeau to just do what Biden is doing to Lopez Obrador right now. “What’s good for the Goose is good for the Gander ya’ Fuck’n Muppet!” accusing him of encouraging irregular crossings at Roxham Road and of not addressing a backlog of refugee claims.
“The only way to effectively shut down not just Roxham Road, but the entire border to these irregular crossings, is to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement, which is serious work that we are doing as a government right now,” he said. News to the USA, but Trudeau said it so it MUST be true!!
“We’re making real progress, but until we manage to do that, we need to continue to support our immigration system. We need to make sure that the resources are there, particularly for the province of Quebec because…Quebec. Duh!”
Closing Roxham Road won't stop irregular migrants coming to Canada: Trudeau — Global News
Trudeau said the only way to “effectively” close the Roxham Road crossing is to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on the federal government Tuesday to close the Roxham Road border crossing within 30 days. Poilievre told Trudeau to just do what Biden is doing to Lopez Obrador right now. “What’s good for the Goose is good for the Gander ya’ Fuck’n Muppet!” accusing him of encouraging irregular crossings at Roxham Road and of not addressing a backlog of refugee claims.