Confusion by a citizenship officer at a ceremony last week has delayed one person from becoming an official Canadian, but department officials are working to correct the situation quickly. Photograph by: Paul vanPeenen , Coquitlam NOW

Gaffe by citizenship officer delays process for candidate
By Bradley Bouzane, Postmedia News April 5, 2012 8:03 PM

Confusion by a citizenship officer at a ceremony last week has delayed one person from becoming an official Canadian, but department officials are working to correct the situation quickly.
Photograph by: Paul vanPeenen , Coquitlam NOW

OTTAWA — Confusion by a citizenship officer at a ceremony last week has delayed one person from becoming an official Canadian, but department officials are working to correct the situation quickly.

During a citizenship ceremony on March 29 in Ottawa, the officer believed the candidate was not properly articulating the Oath of Citizenship, which is a requirement at the ceremony. Upon review, it became clear a mistake was made.

Ottawa university professor Hassan Diab has been ordered extradited to France. Photograph by: Wayne Cuddington , Ottawa Citizen

Ottawa professor to be extradited to France on terrorism charges

Hassan Diab lawyer to appeal Justice Minister’s ruling

By Chris Cobb, The Ottawa Citizen April 5, 2012 8:02 PM

Ottawa university professor Hassan Diab has been ordered extradited to France.
Photograph by: Wayne Cuddington , Ottawa Citizen

OTTAWA — Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson’s decision to order Ottawa academic Hassan Diab extradited to France is a denial of basic legal and human rights, his lawyer said Thursday.

“This is a disappointing decision that politically I’m sure the minister found difficult to make in favour of Dr. Diab,” Donald Bayne told the Citizen. “It would have taken a great deal of political courage for him to do the right thing.”

Cut immigration rates during recessions: think-tank
By Peter O’Neil, Vancouver Sun April 4, 2012

High immigration flows during recessions are contributing to the poor economic performance of many newcomers to Canada, a new study argues.
(…)

OTTAWA — The decision of successive Canadian governments since the early 1990s to maintain high immigration flows during tough economic times has contributed to the poor performance of newcomers over the past 30 years, according to a study released Wednesday.

“During recessions economic outcomes deteriorate more among recent immigrants than among the Canadian-born,” wrote Arthur Sweetman and Garnett Picot in a paper published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy, a Montreal-based think-tank.

Ethnic coalition deplores kosher, halal criticism

Janice Arnold, Staff Reporter

MONTREAL — A coalition of various community groups is calling on Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Pauline Marois to distance herself from her agriculture critic’s comments on religious ritual slaughter.

Headed by Montreal city councillor Marvin Rotrand, the coalition’s 11 members are mainly from outside the Jewish and Muslim communities.

They include Dan Philip, president of the Black Coalition of Quebec; Noel Alexander, president of the Montreal Jamaican Association; Aurora Osdon, president of the Philippine Association of Montreal, and lawyer Walter Chi-Yan Tom, as well as Salam Elmenyawi, spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Montreal.

Elected officials besides Rotrand, who is the majority house leader at city council and longtime councillor for Snowdon, are Montreal city councillors Frantz Benjamin; Côte St. Luc councillor Dida Berku; and Ellie Israel, a commissioner of the English Montreal School Board.

UBC appeals professor’s racial discrimination complaint

By Jonny Wakefield

Chan is at UBC, which is about 80% Chinese

UBC is appealing a professor’s racial discrimination complaint to the BC Supreme Court.

A BC Human Rights Tribunal (HRT) decision called for a full judicial hearing over a complaint made by former UBC Education professor Jennifer Chan. But the university is arguing that the university’s internal review process has already put the case to rest.

Chan alleges that she was a victim of racial discrimination when considered for one of the university’s research chairs.

Chan, who is of Chinese descent, was a finalist for the Lam Chair in Multicultural Education but was not selected. She has argued that sloppy appointment procedures allowed racial bias to creep into the process. Chan filed a human rights complaint in May 2010. Earlier this year, the HRT declined UBC’s application to dismiss the complaint.

“The university believes the BC Human Rights Tribunal made some important errors in its preliminary rulings on the case of Associate Professor Chan,” said Lucie McNeil, Director of UBC Public Affairs.