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La ministre de l’immigration et des communautés culturelles du Québec a accepté de revenir sur les mesures annoncées avant le déclenchement des élections.

D’ici 2009 , les nouveaux immigrants devront signer une déclaration , une sorte de contrat démontrant qu’ils respectent les valeurs québécoises. Cette annonce faite le 29 octobre dernier par Yolande James, ministre de l’immigration et des communautés culturelles du Québec, avait créé une réelle polémique sur l’intérêt d’une telle mesure. Le « plan stratégique 2008-2012 » prévoit aussi des cours de français au Québec et dans le pays d’origine pour encourager l’apprentissage de la langue officielle. Plusieurs immigrants ont qualifié cette mesure d’électoraliste. Yolande James s’en défend: « Nous avions commencé une série de mesures avec la commision Bouchard Taylord, la loi pour l’égalité entre les hommes et les femmes. Le plan contient aussi une aide à l’intégration, à l’obtention d’un emploi », rappelle-t-elle.

Respecter les valeurs québécoises en signant un contrat ? Beaucoup de personnes ont peur que cette démarche ne soit qu’un feu de paille. Les nouveaux immigrants ne pourront être renvoyés chez eux car la mesure ne sera pas coercitive. Pour Yolande James, « il existe des lois qui encadrent le respect des valeurs québécoises. Nous reconnaissons le potentiel qu’apportent les immigrants mais on demande que les gens soient informés avant leur arrivée. On veut être sûrs que les gens sont informés de qui nous sommes avant de choisir de venir ici. »

Le plan de Yolande James a été annoncé le 29 octobre 2008. La date du lancement des élections provinciales? le 5 novembre 2008, une semaine plus tard… Il faudra donc attendre les résultats des prochaines élections pour savoir si ces mesures seront bien en application dès 2009.

Driving up trendy Montreal staple, St-Laurent Boulevard, I was stunned to the point of pulling over.  I triple-blinked, in disbelief, at the sight of a giant sign that read “YES WE CAN” next to the picture of a aluminum can, in the window of a soon to be open bar. What?! Are these people for real?

When Barack Obama spoke these three little words, it was not as a marketing ploy. It was a rally-cry for all those who’ve been held back, stepped on, passed over and denied. When Herbie Hancock spoke the same three words at the 2008 Grammys in his acceptance speech, it was first, an endorsement of President-elect Obama and second, it was an homage and recognition to the thousands of jazz players who’ve been held back, stepped-on, passed over and denied.

“It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom. It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.”

It was not meant as a not-so-cheeky publicity-stunt for obscure Montreal bars. The three words that gave millions a voice and hope are sacred and deserve respect.
Blogger’s note: I give Rolling Stone magazine a free pass since first, they continue to be as relevant and as cool as ever and second, they endorsed Barack Obama before it was cool to do so.

« J’ai quitté les dunes de sable pour trouver les dunes de neige » témoignait Sidi Mohamed Ould Hartane, conférencier à l’occasion de la journée culturelle de la Mauritanie. La Communauté mauritanienne au Canada avait organisé le samedi 15 novembre cette après-midi pour faire découvrir son pays aux habitants de Montréal mais aussi pour réunir sa communauté à l’auditorium de Verdun. Une exposition, dégustation de thé mauritanien et des débats ont rythmé les moments de partage entre les différentes communautés.

Moussa Guene, président du Regroupement Général des Sénégalais au Canada, était venu rencontrer la communauté mauritanienne. « Les sénégalais sont très proches des mauritaniens, il était important que je sois présent ce jour-là. »

« La communauté mauritanienne est en train de s’intégrer. C’est une population jeune et active mais qui rencontre des soucis d’embauche due à son manque d’expérience nord-américaine. Mais le Canada offre beaucoup d’opportunités. », indiquait Hassan Ahmdane, premier conseiller chargé des affaires administratives et financières, venu spécialement ce jour de l’Ambassade de Mauritanie à New York.

Plus d’Ambassade à Montréal

Le Canada ne possède plus en effet, depuis l’année dernière, d’Ambassade à Montréal. Un Consul honoraire a été nommé et fait aujourd’hui office d’Ambassade à lui tout seul. « Je suis un Canadien à qui la Mauritanie a demandé de la représenter. J’émets les visas, les visas de transit, je m’occupe de la validation des dîplomes. », explique Bernard Colas, consul honoraire de la Mauritanie à Montréal.

Si la CMC se dit apolitique, les tensions sont apparues lors d’un débat lancé sur « L’État de droit, la démocratie et le développement économique. », la Mauritanie ayant vu un coup d’état survenir dernièrement le 6 août dernier. Plusieurs participants ont regretté que ne soit pas abordée la question de l’intégration des Mauritaniens au Canada. Selon le président de la CMC, Ahmed Salem Ould Sidi, il s’agissait d’une question technique : « Nous n’avons eu des absences de dernière minute », explique -t-il.

Peu de discussion sur le « plan global d’intégration des personnes immigrantes et de valorisation de la diversité », présenté par le 29 octobre dernier par Yolande James, ministre de l’immigration et des communautés culturelles. Ce plan prévoit entre autre la signature d’un contrat qui visera à faire respecter les valeurs québécoises. C’est « une bonne chose » pour Ahmed Salem Ould Sidi qui considère que « la religion est entre l’individu et son dieu. »



La communauté mauritanienne est en très grand nombre à Verdun selon Alain Tassé, Conseiller municipal de l’arrondissement. « J’ai appris beaucoup aujourd’hui. Il y a beaucoup de communautés africaines à Verdun. J’ai d’ailleurs mis en place une politique de gestion de la diversité culturelle. », explique Alain Tassé, également Président de la Commission de l’urbanisme, de l’habitation et du développement communautaire de l’arrondissement de Verdun.

A new term for me today, brought to us by The Globe and Mail: cross-cultural psychiatry. British psychiatrist Kwame McKenzie is now practicing in Toronto, and he specializes in redesigning mental-health services for visible minority groups.  In an interview with Margaret Wente, McKenzie explains how minority groups may have mental health needs that are specific to experiences such as surviving trauma in their homelands or facing discrimination in Canada.

McKenzie makes valid points regarding how Canada could better respond to such issues faced by immigrants.  I was surprised by how inoffensive Margaret Wente was until she asked a telling question:

“Apart from the obvious issues of fairness and equity, why should we care?”

Because obviously, Ms. Wente, fairness and equity are not big enough concerns on their own; these words, clearly, are spoken by someone who has evidently never been on the receiving end of unfairness and inequity.  When Dr. McKenzie gives a very reasonable answer, Wente’s response is this:

“In other words, you’re saying that mental health is connected to much broader social issues?”

If there is a journalistic award for stating the obvious, Wente should get it.  I suppose in this case I can’t blame her, though, since the comment section of this story indicates the kind of anti-immigration right-wing yahoos that appear to be in scary majority in the Globe’s readership.  These people could use any opportunity possible to see the bigger picture regarding immigration in Canada.  Got a problem?  Get out of Canada is their answer.  Meanwhile I really think that if these people are so offended by the principles of socialized assistance upon which Canada is built, they should be the ones to go.  There are still two months of Bush left down south for those who believe in pulling themselves up by their boot straps.

WhoWeAre shot this video of Montreal’s own Audley Coley, an amazing dancer and performer. Audley also suffers from manic depression.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLpxFBTCi-w

Fresh on the heels of the Bouchard-Taylor commission is a new pledge that the Quebec government will require immigrants to sign. The pledge asserts “Quebec values” including French as an official language, gender equality and the separation of church and state. Link to the cbc.ca story is here.

This pledge doesn’t seem to have any practical application. What do they expect to happen: someone travels all the way here, refuses to sign the pledge, and Quebec manages to keep out those who don’t want to assimilate? Or, conversely, an immigrant signs and we can expect no cultural tension from then on in? The only real effect this pledge appears to have is to offend many and create further divisiveness both in Quebec and throughout Canada.

The comments on the CBC story are, as usual, more disheartening than the story itself: while some criticize the idea of the pledge, many do so while making fun of Quebec; others applaud the move as a good one to “protect Canadian culture.” Are we this insecure about Canadian culture that we think a pledge is going to protect it?

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Une centaine de personnes se sont réunies ce samedi 8 novembre pour manifester contre le silence du Canada face à la guerre qui a lieu actuellement en République Démocratique du Congo. Partis de la Place du Canada, des Congolais, des Canadiens et des Québécois se sont rendus à pied, sous la pluie, à l’ambassade du Canada sur la rue René-Lévesque.

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httpv://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=OhobvsUuogI&feature=related

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ozF9QDJms

One of the most poignant segments on television is “Coach’s Corner” with Don Cherry on Hockey Night in Canada. During its telecast Cherry takes time to solemnly display pictures of dead soldiers to honour their memory. It’s a long, few moments of reflection that makes one wonder how Afghanistan has become our Vietnam minor. As we watch, the inevitable question for many becomes: “Why are we there?”

Originally, in the aftermath of 9/11 in 2001, the international purpose was to free Afghanistan from the Taliban thus freeing it from harbouring terrorist organizations like Al-Quaeda and to capture the ever-elusive Osama bin Laden. The Canadian official objective of the mission was to defend our national interests, assume a leadership role in world affairs and help rebuild one of history’s most notorious failed states.

If the task of Operation Enduring Freedom in the aftermath of removing the Taliban wasn’t daunting as it is, the United States decided to shift focus away from Afghanistan and into Iraq in 2003 thus leaving Afghanistan extremely vulnerable to a rise of Taliban activity; which is exactly what has transpired.

As this video clearly shows, there are always unintended consequences to military action; especially in a region with a complex geo-political past such as Afghanistan. The issue isn’t if we can defeat them in a traditional military fight, the issue is if we’re willing to fight a long, protracted war to quell, if not outright defeat, the fanaticism that fuels the Taliban forces and its ideology.

Pressure has grown on Prime Minister Harper to pull out of the mission. However, Canada has pledged its commitment until 2011. We have to carefully weigh the implications if we’re to ever pull out before this time frame.

It remains to be seen what the United States will do in Afghanistan once the new administration under President Obama in 2009.

Whatever the decisions, it won’t make dealing with Afghanistan any easier.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll5baCAaQU

On the day of the American election my Facebook account was flooded with reminders and invitations to election events. My coworkers made plans to cut out of work early that day to gather at house parties to watch the election coverage. Election parties? Really? I don’t know anyone who hit the party circuit for the Canadian election a couple weeks ago.

I do realize that I’m comparing apples and oranges here. Our own election was poorly timed and widely opposed by most Canadians. Our celebrities didn’t upload clever YouTube videos to encourage young voters. And while This Hour Has 22 Minutes is a great show, it doesn’t exactly pull the same numbers as Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on SNL . Oh, and then there’s Barack Obama. As in, we don’t have anyone like him. Not even close. It’s no wonder we’re fascinated with him. He’s young, attractive, a powerful speaker and he’s endorsed by celebrities. And then there’s his politics. We like his politics, don’t we? Sure we do! He’s the opposite of George Bush, right? Good enough.

Now, I don’t mean to be glib or to be a killjoy here. Most of my friends are still basking in the afterglow (re: hangovers) from Tuesday night’s revelry, and although I’ve heard a lot of gushing about the new president, I haven’t really heard much talk about what this might mean for Canada. Don’t get me wrong; I am personally very hopeful that President Obama may usher in a new era for the United States. And that’s can be a very good thing for Canada. We all know that what happens in American doesn’t stay in America. I just think it’s time to put away the Obama party hats in favour of critical thinking caps.