Source: 2006 Public Use Microdata File, Statistics Canada.

Pakistani-Canadians: Falling below the poverty line
Murtaza Haider | 1 day ago

Pakistan-born immigrants are the new face of poverty in urban Canada. The Canadian census revealed that 44 per cent of Pakistan-born immigrants fell below the poverty line making them the second most poverty prone group of immigrants in Canada.

While they may project an aura of opulence during their visits back home, their life in Canada, however, is often full of struggle and frustration. Thousands of Pakistani trained engineers, doctors, and PhDs are driving taxis or are working as security guards in large cities. In fact, one in three taxi-drivers in Canada was born in either India or Pakistan. Several others are unemployed thus becoming a burden on Canadian taxpayers.

The latest Census data for income for 2005 revealed that Pakistan-born immigrants reported the second highest incidence for the low-income cut-off, a proxy for poverty line in Canada. In comparison, only 18 per cent of India-born immigrants in Canada reported being a low-income person or belonging to a low-income economic family. Immigrants born in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy and Germany reported the lowest incidence of poverty in Canada.

Source: 2006 Public Use Microdata File, Statistics Canada.

Unlike in the Middle East where the Arab governments do not allow assimilation of migrant workers, the Canadian government and the society to a large extent does not create systematic barriers that may limit the immigrants’ ability to succeed and assimilate in Canada. This is not to suggest that immigrants face no barriers at all in Canada. They in fact do. For instance, Pakistan-trained doctors cannot practice medicine without completing further training in Canada. The shorter duration of medical training in Pakistan necessitates the additional certification for doctors. Engineering graduates from Pakistan, however, face no such barrier because the engineering curriculum and the duration of training in Pakistan is similar to that in Canada.

Despite the opportunities (and constraints), Pakistani-Canadians have not prospered as much as immigrants from other countries have. In 2005, wages earned by Pakistan-born immigrants were on average 70 per cent of the wages earned by those born in Canada. In comparison, wages earned by the India-born immigrants were 86 per cent of the wages earned by Canadians. At the same time, immigrants born in America earned 20 per cent more in wages than those born in Canada. Similarly, UK-born immigrants also reported on average higher wages than that of Canadian-born.

Two men accused of organizing the MV Sun Sea's journey to Canada appear in B.C. Provincial Court in Vancouver on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. It was their first appearance on that charge. Lesly Jana Emmanuel is on the left, with Kunarobinson Christhurajah seated beside him. Jane Wolsak

Men charged with helping to organize MV Sun Sea voyage appear in court
SUNNY DHILLON
VANCOUVER— From Thursday’s Globe and Mail
Published Wednesday, May. 16, 2012 9:00PM EDT
Last updated Wednesday, May. 16, 2012 9:09PM EDT

Dressed in red prison-issued clothing, listening intently as a Tamil interpreter translated the proceedings, two men charged with helping organize the MV Sun Sea’s voyage into Canada made a brief appearance in Vancouver Provincial Court.

Kunarobinson Christhurajah and Lesly Jana Emmanuel were each charged this week with one count of organizing entry into Canada contrary to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Both men face penalties of life in prison and/or a $1-million fine.

Mr. Christhurajah and Mr. Emmanuel did not address the court during their first appearance Wednesday. The men stood behind a glass barrier in the prisoner’s box and followed the hearing through the interpreter. They remain in custody and will be back in court June 5 for a bail hearing.

A crowd protests changes to the province's immigration rules in front of Saskatchewan’s legislature on Tuesday. Photo Credit: Whitney Stinson , Global News

Canadian flag waving crowd protests changes to Saskatchewan immigration rules
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 4:11 PM

A crowd protests changes to the province’s immigration rules in front of Saskatchewan’s legislature on Tuesday.
Photo Credit: Whitney Stinson , Global News

A crowd waved Canadian flags in front of the Saskatchewan legislature to protest changes to the province’s immigration rules.

They say the changes announced earlier this month without notice or a phased-in period are a betrayal.

Under the new rules, someone in Saskatchewan can nominate only one family member at a time instead of nominating multiple relatives.

Family category nominees also require a high-skill job offer.

Pirubhai Garasiya immigrated from India in 1994, then moved from Ontario to Saskatchewan in 2010 because of the immigration program.

Garasiya wants to bring his only son to Canada, but worries that may not happen now because his son doesn’t have a job offer.

Samsu Mia, left, with his son Mostofa and daughter Meenara Akter, at their new restaurant. (Hallie Cotnam/CBC)

Ottawa refugee opens new restaurant
CBC News Posted: May 15, 2012 9:52 AM ET Last Updated: May 15, 2012 12:08 PM ET
Samsu Mia, left, with his son Mostofa and daughter Meenara Akter, at their new restaurant. (Hallie Cotnam/CBC)

A man who took refuge in an Ottawa church nearly a decade ago to avoid deportation has opened his own restaurant in the city’s west end.

Samsu Mia took sanctuary at the First Unitarian Church in 2003 fearing for his life after he criticized a government official in his home country of Bangladesh.

The church gave him refuge for 18 months until he was granted a ministerial permit to stay in Canada in 2004.

Mountie claims mental illness when wife was shot
By Tony Blais, QMI Agency

RCMP Const. Tirth Sehmbi in undated frame grab from Youtube.

EDMONTON – A former RCMP officer accused of shooting his wife to death at their Edmonton home is seeking to be found not guilty as a result of being mentally ill at the time.

Tirth Sehmbi, 39, is charged with second-degree murder in the July 10, 2010, slaying of Rajpinder Kaur Sehmbi.

In Court of Queen’s Bench Friday, defence lawyer Mike Danyluik said an agreed statement of facts would be submitted in the case on Sept. 17 and the matter would then proceed to a contested hearing to decide whether or not Sehmbi should be found not priminally responsible.

In earlier court proceedings, Sehmbi could be seen visibly shaking as he sat handcuffed and shackled.

RCMP Const. Tirth Sehmbi in undated frame grab from Youtube.

Sehmbi has been held in custody at Alberta Hospital and there have been previous court orders for psychiatric assessments to determine whether he was a potential candidate for a not criminally responsible finding.

The 30-year-old victim was found dead in the southeast Edmonton home the couple shared with their two young sons. The boys were not home at the time of the death. 

Azkar Khan says many members of the Pakistani community in Regina are upset over changes to a Saskatchewan immigration program. (CBC

New immigration rules slammed
CBC News Posted: May 12, 2012 2:52 PM CST Last Updated: May 12, 2012 3:00 PM CST
Azkar Khan says many members of the Pakistani community in Regina are upset over changes to a Saskatchewan immigration program. (CBC)

Anger and frustration were evident at a meeting Friday night in Regina where members of the local Pakistani community voiced their unhappiness with changes to a Saskatchewan immigration program.

The province announced changes to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program on May 2.

Among other things, the changes put a limit on how many additional family members may apply to immigrate until the original family has settled.

The people at the Regina meeting said the changes came without warning, catching some families who had already been making plans off guard.

Azkar Khan, who recently moved to Regina, said people at the meeting shared concerns that the changes, announced just over a week ago, will create unfairness.

“If I submit my two applications on 30th of April and my friend who is also eligible has those applications ready, but somehow couldn’t make it to the office, now the rules are changes for him,” Khan said.

(…)
“This is about the community and I can see other people are upset,” Khan added. “They’re crying. Because they made this move. It’s not easy to relocate in Canada.”

A rally was being organized for Monday to protest the changes.
With files from CBC’s Dani Mario