refugees – David Akin’s On The Hill

Dalhousie prof: Kenney's ideological rhetoric on failed refugees obscures truth

Carrie Dawson, (left)an English professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, was watching and reading how Jason Kenney talked about the problem of failed refugee claimants who land on our shores while he was minister of citizenship and immigration. She has a few issues with the language Kenney and other Conservative government ministers used over the last several years on this topic. Dawson has a piece in the current issue of the University of Toronto Quarterly with the title “Refugee Hotels: The Discourse of Hospitality and the Rise of Immigration Detention in Canada.” I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by cutting straight to her conclusion:

Continue reading Dalhousie prof: Kenney's ideological rhetoric on failed refugees obscures truth

NDP Convention: 6-02-13 Resolution on Healthcare for Refugees

6-02-13 Resolution on Healthcare for Refugees

Submitted by Newton-North Delta

WHEREAS Conservative cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program excluded many refugees and asylum claimants from temporary health benefits;

WHEREAS the Conservative cuts are demonstrably impacting on refugees with legitimate health concerns, including vulnerable groups like children, pregnant women, cancer patients and the elderly;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the New Democratic Party of Canada condemns the Conservative cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program and the impact that it has had on the health of those seeking refugee protection in Canada.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the New Democratic Party of Canada will work to restore temporary health benefits to all refugees making asylum claims in Canada.

Motion passed.

Message to journos from Minister Kenney: Call us before writing sob stories from refugees facing removal

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney this evening released what is to me, at least, a remarkable statement that takes direct issue with some reporting in La Presse and also takes on the claims of a refugee — Kenney’s office calls her a fugitive — facing deportation.

Here’s the release in full (the hyperlinks, with more background, are provided by me): Continue reading Message to journos from Minister Kenney: Call us before writing sob stories from refugees facing removal