Des Français désormais sans statut après avoir omis de fournir un test de français

2025/11/25 Leave a comment

All they had to do was provide proof of attendance at a French-language secondary or post-secondary institution:

…Mais un nouveau règlement d’Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada (IRCC) venait d’entrer en vigueur le 1er novembre 2024, au tout début du mois : les candidats au PTPD doivent désormais démontrer une compétence linguistique minimale en anglais ou en français.

« Étant de nationalité française — et ayant suivi des études en français, pour mon mari — , nous pensions être exemptés de cette condition », explique Sandrine Théron. Elle souligne aussi que, dans le portail d’IRCC où elle remplissait sa demande, il n’y avait aucun endroit prévu pour déposer le test de langue obligatoire. « Ce n’est toujours pas le cas d’ailleurs », ajoute-t-elle. Aucune attestation de réussite de test de français n’est donc déposée.

« Tout s’écroule »

L’été dernier, huit mois après l’envoi de leur demande, leur vie a basculé : le renouvellement des permis de Jacques et de Sandrine est refusé en raison de ce document manquant. Conséquence ? Ils perdent immédiatement le droit de travailler. « Quelque part, tout s’écroule », laisse tomber Sandrine Théron. « On se retrouve un peu démunis parce que sans activité professionnelle, on n’a plus de salaire. Alors, qu’est-ce qu’on fait ? »

La famille Villanueva-Théron est d’autant plus sous le choc qu’IRCC n’a pas envoyé de lettre d’intention de refus, comme c’est souvent le cas, pour donner une chance aux requérants de fournir les documents manquants. « Autour de nous, ça nous a été expliqué par le fait qu’il y a une volonté de durcir les règles et que, maintenant, dès qu’un dossier n’est pas [complet], quelle que soit la raison, il est rejeté. »

L’avocate en droit de l’immigration Krishna Gagné constate effectivement que le système « ne pardonne pas » même dans le cas d’une faute qui peut être en apparence mineure. « Demander un test de français à un Français d’origine… On est carrément en “Absurdistan”, mais c’est obligatoire », avance-t-elle.

Source: Des Français désormais sans statut après avoir omis de fournir un test de français

… But a new Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regulation had just entered into force on November 1, 2024, at the very beginning of the month: PTDP candidates must now demonstrate a minimum language proficiency in English or French.

“Being of French nationality – and having studied in French, for my husband – we thought we were exempt from this condition,” explains Sandrine Théron. She also points out that, in the IRCC portal where she was completing her application, there was no place to submit the mandatory language test. “This is still not the case,” she adds. No certificate of success in the French test is therefore filed.

“Everything is collasing”

Last summer, eight months after sending their application, their lives turned upside down: the renewal of Jacques and Sandrine’s permits was refused because of this missing document. Consequence? They immediately lose the right to work. “Somewhere, everything collapses,” says Sandrine Théron. “We find ourselves a little destitute because without professional activity, we no longer have a salary. So, what do we do? ”

The Villanueva-Théron family is all the more shocked that IRCC did not send a letter of intent to refuse, as is often the case, to give applicants a chance to provide the missing documents. “Around us, it was explained to us by the fact that there is a desire to tighten the rules and that, now, as soon as a file is not [complete], whatever the reason, it is rejected. ”

Immigration lawyer Krishna Gagné indeed notes that the system “does not forgive” even in the case of a fault that may be apparently minor. “Ask a French test from a Frenchman of origin… We are downright in “Absurdistan”, but it’s mandatory,” she says.

Filed under Immigration Tagged with ,

Reich: Sinister Pragmatism

2025/11/24 Leave a comment

Well worth reading. Parallels to the rise of Hitler and the Nazis and the supine nature of the German business community:

If you’re a multibillionaire, you might view democracy as a potential threat to your net worth. Control over a significant share of the dwindling number of media outlets would enable you to effectively hedge against democracy by suppressing criticism of you and other plutocrats, and discouraging any attempt to – for example – tax away your wealth. 

You also have Donald Trump to contend with. In his second term of office, Trump has brazenly and illegally used the power of the US presidency to punish his enemies and reward those who lavish him with praise and profits. 

So perhaps it shouldn’t have been surprising that the editorial board of the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post defended the razing of the East Wing of the White House to build Trump his giant ballroom – without disclosing that the Jeff Bezos-owned Amazon is a major corporate contributor to the ballroom’s funding. The Post’s editorial board also applauded Trump’s defense department’s decision to obtain a new generation of smaller nuclear reactors, but failed to mention Amazon’s stake in X-energy, a company that’s developing small nuclear reactors. And it criticised Washington DC’s refusal to accept self-driving cars without disclosing that Amazon’s self-driving car company was trying to get into the Washington DC market. 

These breaches are inexcusable. 

It’s much the same with the family of Larry Ellison, founder of software firm Oracle and the second-richest person in the world. Ellison is a longtime Trump donor who also, according to court records, participated in a phone call to discuss how his 2020 election defeat could be contested. 

In June 2025, Ellison and Oracle were cosponsors of Trump’s military parade in Washington. At the time, Larry and his son David, founder of Skydance Media, were waiting for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve their $8bn merger with Paramount Global, owner of CBS News. 

In the run-up to the sale, some top brass at CBS News and its flagship 60 Minutes resigned, citing concerns over the network’s ability to maintain its editorial independence, and revealing pressure by Paramount to tamp down stories critical of Trump. No matter. Too much money was at stake. 

In July, Paramount paid $16m to settle Trump’s frivolous lawsuit against CBS and cancelled the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, much to Trump’s delight. Three weeks after the settlement was announced, Trump loyalist Brendan Carr, chairman of the FCC, approved the Ellisons’ deal, making David chief executive of the new media giant Paramount Skydance and giving him control of CBS News. 

It is impossible to know the full extent to which criticism of Trump and his administration has been chilled by the media-owning billionaires, or what fawning coverage has been elicited. 

But what we do know is that billionaire media owners like Musk, Bezos, Ellison and Murdoch are businessmen first and foremost. Their highest goal is not to inform the public but to make money. They know Trump can wreak havoc on their businesses by imposing unfriendly FCC rulings, enforcing labor laws against them or denying them lucrative government contracts. 

And in an era when wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few individuals who have bought up key media, with a thin-skinned president who is willing and able to violate laws and norms to punish or reward, there is a growing danger that the public will not be getting the truth it needs to function. 

Source: Ultra-rich media owners are tightening their grip on democracy. It’s time to wrest our power back

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Gerson: Guess who’s at fault for all the world’s ills? It’s women again

2025/11/24 Leave a comment

Interesting commentary:

….If we have, indeed, produced too many college graduates, this is the sort of behaviour we would expect: greater class insecurity amid growing pressure to conform to ever more radical intellectual dogmas to maintain precarious footholds in narrow cultural in-groups. Who dares risk censure and dissent when there are 20 others just like you with nowhere else to go?

We’ve seen versions of this play out in both progressive and conservative spheres in recent years. Arguably, Ms. Andrews’s own essay is an example of this from the right: a radical position intended to secure her own status among a largely male conservative audience.

To the extent that elite overproduction is disproportionately female – our universities are graduating disproportionately more women – there may be some truth to the Feminization thesis. Women are different from men – indeed, there would be no reason to pursue equality of opportunity if we were all the same. But gender alone can’t adequately explain “woke.” Anyone who misunderstands this fact is just looking for an easy out that affirms some very ancient and easy biases. 

Source: Guess who’s at fault for all the world’s ills? It’s women again

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Saperia: Canada has lost control of its immigration system — and Canadians know it

2025/11/24 Leave a comment

Always interesting to see how advocates and organizations reinvent themselves by latching on to current issues. (Saperia previously was active in the post 9/11 Foundation for the Defence of Democracies which has morphed into Secure Canada with a similar focus on 9/11 victims.)

Some elements of that is proposed are in the process of being implemented in recent changes, others would run into charter and other legal challenges but the point of “endless” legal avenues is valid, as is the need for more effective enforcement.

Not surprising the focus on Iran, even though foreign interference seems to be a more substantive issue with respect to China, among others.

…1) End program-switching and restore security-first screening

Canada must close the loophole that allows individuals to enter as students, workers, or visitors — and then file asylum claims midstream or when their permits expire. This “program-switching” has turned temporary visas into back-door immigration streams, flooding the asylum system with what are often claims of convenience. Refugee protection should be reserved for those fleeing genuine danger, not for those seeking to extend their stay.

At the same time, Canada should return to a security-first approach by processing most immigration and refugee applications overseas, where proper vetting can occur before arrival. This would ensure that the system keeps track of who is entering before they arrive, preventing years-long appeals that erode public confidence. In-Canada processing should be reserved for genuine emergencies.

2) Enforce automatic deportation and end the culture of ‘compassionate’ leniency

Canadians should not need to debate whether a foreign national convicted of child abuse, domestic violence, or terrorism can remain in this country. Yet too often, the system allows offenders and their lawyers to game sentencing, strategically seeking reduced penalties to stay below deportation thresholds — and some judges accommodate this strategy, treating removal as an undue hardship rather than the natural consequence of committing a serious crime.

That mindset must change. Compassion must begin with protecting law-abiding Canadians, rather than shielding those who violate our laws. Conviction for any terrorism, espionage, violent or sexual offence, or crime against children should automatically trigger deportation, without plea bargains or discretionary exemptions that allow offenders to manipulate the system. Immigration is a privilege, not an entitlement — and decision-makers who mistake leniency for mercy compromise both justice and safety.

3) Address the CBSA Enforcement Crisis

Even the strongest laws mean nothing if no one is there to enforce them. Canada Border Services Agency officers face staggering caseloads, managing hundreds of complex security files each while navigating outdated procedures and chronic understaffing. Hundreds of veteran officers are now eligible for early retirement under new pension rules, threatening an enforcement vacuum at the precise moment that migration pressures are surging. Ottawa should immediately implement retention bonuses for experienced staff, fast-track recruitment of law-enforcement and military veterans, and establish a CBSA Reserve Corps to deploy trained retirees during processing, vetting and enforcement surges. Security capacity cannot be an afterthought; it is the foundation of the entire system.

4) Cancel the plan to fast track asylum claimants

Canada’s 2025 budget allocates $120.4 million to fast-track hundreds of thousands of asylum claimants into permanent residency, ostensibly to address processing backlogs. The government’s lack of clarity has created confusion about who qualifies as an “eligible protected person,” what mechanism will be used. Will this program resettled refugees, those accepted by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), or those granted protection through Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA)? This opacity obscures a fundamental security problem: in Canada’s immigration system, “clearing processing backlogs” has historically meant compromising security screenings in favour of processing speed and volume.

5) Close loopholes exploited by foreign regime operatives

Among the most urgent security gaps are those exploited by affiliates of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian regime. Despite Iran’s designation as a state supporter of terrorism, its operatives have used Canada’s immigration and refugee pathways to establish presence, intimidate dissidents, and launder funds. Dedicated IRGC investigation units within CBSA and CSIS — supported by enhanced intelligence sharing and clear legislative authority for deportation — are overdue. Canada’s openness must never shelter those who abuse it to commit foreign repression.

Throughout Canada’s history, immigration has been central to our success — but only when coupled with healthy realism, careful screening, rigorous enforcement, respect for the rule of law, and a firm commitment to a shared civic identity. The immigration reforms that Canada needs are significant, urgent, and essential to preserving public trust, public safety, and Canada’s standing as a nation that takes immigration seriously.

Sheryl Saperia is CEO of Secure Canada, where Sophie Milman is strategic advisor. Ches W. Parsons is a retired Assistant Commissioner of the RCMP and its former Director General of National Security. Secure Canada’s mission is to combat terrorism and extremism by creating innovative laws, policies, and alliances that strengthen Canada’s national security and democracy. 

Source: Opinion: Canada has lost control of its immigration system — and Canadians know it

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FIRST READING: Migrants are being screened on the honour system, MPs told

2025/11/24 Leave a comment

Would be nice if there was government reaction included in this article. Will await committee transcript to see if any substantive response but does contribute to undermining confidence in immigration and asylum:

Canada is so overwhelmed by refugee claimants that it is now standard practice to conduct security screenings on the honour system, the head of Canada’s border patrol union told Parliamentarians this week.

To speed things up, because we are short-staffed, we are allowing people into the country without first doing … security screening,” Mark Weber, president of the Customs and Immigration Union, told a meeting of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.

Right now, any foreign national showing up at a Canadian border post and claiming to be a refugee will be required only to fill out a security questionnaire via a smartphone app.

After that, the foreigner is cleared to enter Canada as a refugee claimant, a status that entitles them to free health care, access to public schools and work permits. In some cases, claimants can even receive taxpayer-funded lodgings.

In 2024, numbers released by the federal government’s Interim Housing Assistance Program showed that some claimants were receiving free meals and hotel rooms to the tune of $224 per claimant, per day.

And given the current backlog in processing refugee claims, even a false refugee claimant can expect to enjoy protected status in Canada for up to two years until their case is reviewed by immigration authorities.

As Weber told Parliamentarians on Tuesday, the only way to head off hostile actors abusing the system is to hope that they will “self-declare that they’re here for no good.”

“Our goal at the border is to build the file to be able to identify non-genuine claims, and right now we’re kind of relying on people to self-declare that they’re a non-genuine claim,” he said.

Weber said that border guards are no longer able to watch for “patterns and flags” that would show up in an individual posing a security threat to Canada.

Rather, their job is simply to collect basic personal and biometric data (such as fingerprints) before sending refugee claimants on their way.

Border guards aren’t even allowed to review the self-reported answers given by refugee claimants; that all gets sent to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

“Claimants spend significantly less time meaningfully interacting with officers, with the result of reduced security for the sake of expediency,” said Weber….

Source: FIRST READING: Migrants are being screened on the honour system, MPs told

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Immigration minister extends pause on new private refugee sponsorships to 2027

2025/11/24 Leave a comment

Unfortunate, one of the more successful programs, in terms of both outcomes and support of Canadians:

Immigration Minister Lena Diab has extended the pause on new applications through the Private Sponsorship for Refugees Program for another 12 months as the department works to clear its backlog.

New ministerial instructions were published in the Canada Gazette on Friday, along with a notice on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website.

The pause was to be lifted at the end of December but will now be in place for another year, until Dec. 31, 2026.

This pause applies to refugee sponsorships submitted by community organizations or groups of five or more individuals. These sponsors have to support the refugee for one year after they arrive or until they can support themselves, whichever comes first.

Applications that were submitted before the pause took effect on Nov. 29, 2024 will still be processed, according to the notice.

Gauri Sreenivasan, Canadian Council for Refugees co-executive director, called the extension a “cruel blow for refugees” in a phone interview with The Canadian Press.

“This decision basically denies Canadians the ability to exercise our own generosity. And in that way, it’s really tone deaf to who we actually are as a country,” she said.

“I mean, government’s really losing touch with who we are.”

Sreenivasan said refugee sponsors were preparing to submit new applications in 2026, when the pause was originally scheduled to end….

Source: Immigration minister extends pause on new private refugee sponsorships to 2027

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Conservatives plan to try and amend asylum system rules in border security bill

2025/11/21 Leave a comment

Will be interesting to what role the Bloc plays in committee. May well end up with the committee making amendments and the government and NDP rejecting all as was the case with C-3:

Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner said Thursday she plans to try and “amend the heck” out of the government’s border security bill, Bill C-12, with a host of measures targeting the asylum system. 

Her proposed changes include disallowing asylum claims from people who transited through Europe or another G7 country on their way to Canada and denying access to social benefits, except emergency medical treatment, for those with a failed asylum claim.

“I think Canadians want some change in this regard. Canada’s system for allowing and accepting asylum claims is pretty generous,” Rempel Garner said at a press conference on Parliament Hill.

“So somebody who’s failed a review, I think it’s fair that the only federal benefits that they receive is emergency health care and I think a lot of Canadians would agree.”

Rempel Garner said she also plans to propose changes to speed up the deportation of non-citizens if they are convicted of a crime or if their pre-removal risk assessment isn’t successful.

This includes clarifying the definition of “serious criminality” in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to be a conviction of an indictable offence, or a hybrid offence where the Crown proceeded with an indictable charge. 

Rempel Garner also said she will propose a ban on repeat pre-removal risk assessments if the initial one fails unless new evidence of changed circumstances is presented. 

She said increased rates of permanent and temporary immigration, in addition to increased asylum claims, have “broken” Canada’s system and contributed to declining support for immigration.

“I think everybody in Canada, (of) every political stripe, should be deeply concerned with public polling data that shows that Canadians are losing faith in the immigration system,” Rempel Garner said. …

Source: Conservatives plan to try and amend asylum system rules in border security bill

Some initial reactions:

…Fen Hampson, president of the World Refugee & Migration Council, said “there are arguments to be made for tightening up the system to prevent abuses but by the same token you don’t want to swing wildly in the opposite direction.”

He said banning people from claiming asylum who had passed through an EU or G7 country would bar Canada from accepting people fleeing war-torn states who, for practical reasons, have to pass through Europe to get to Canada. 

“You are likely going to have to stop somewhere on your way to Canada and it may be a few days or it may be more than that,” he said. “Few asylum seekers can book a ticket to fly directly to Canada.”

The border and immigration bill – known as Bill C-12 – will be considered clause by clause next week by MPs on the public safety committee. 

Ms. Rempel Garner told a press conference on Thursday that her party will table their amendments then. One would end federal benefits for failed claimants of asylum, beyond emergency health care…

Source: Conservative amendments to borders bill would make sweeping changes to asylum system, I’m going to amend the heck out of C-12 to fix Canada’s broken immigration system. (Rempel Garner’s substack post)

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B.C. college instructor fired over Hamas comments reinstated

2025/11/21 Leave a comment

Her comment appears to lack self-awareness given the nature of much of academic discourse:

Langara Faculty Association president Pauline Greaves said in a statement that she is grateful the troubling episode has come to a close.

“I understand many in our community were hurt and offended by what Dr. Knight said. But collegial dialogue and tolerance for views we don’t like are the bedrock of a robust, engaged academic environment.”

Source: B.C. college instructor fired over Hamas comments reinstated

Filed under Antisemitism, Multiculturalism Tagged with , , ,

Conservative MPs denounce ‘Liberal racism’ and DEI during Jamil Jivani event

2025/11/21 Leave a comment

Good example of some conservative perspectives on DEI, mirroring some of excesses of liberal perspectives:

….Jivani’s Tuesday event was primarily a broadside at progressive ideologies writ large, but it also referenced federal programs and initiatives. The Prime Minister’s Office was not immediately available for comment on the event, though Jivani said all Liberal MPs were invited to attend his forum, however none took part. 

Jivani — who spoke about his upbringing as the son of an Irish-Scottish mother and a Kenyan father — said people like him “should not be treated as charity cases” and should not be subjected to “lowered” standards to access opportunities.

“I also stand here in opposition to Liberal racism because I completely reject the twisted narrative of Canadian history that liberal elites use to justify the open discrimination against Canadians of European descent and their children. Your heritage in this country should never be used as a weapon against you,” the Bowmanville—Oshawa North MP said, eliciting applause. 

“It’s also my belief that together, we can end Liberal racism by speaking very truthfully and bluntly about what it is, and highlighting the ways that it manipulates our society and divides people against one another.”

In service of that goal, Jivani ceded the stage to three Conservative MPs to share their views on the subject: Calgary’s Shuvaloy Majumdar and two rising stars within Tory caucus, Newmarket-Aurora’s Sandra Cobena and Richmond Hill South’s Vincent Neil Ho….

Source: Conservative MPs denounce ‘Liberal racism’ and DEI during Jamil Jivani event

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Lost Canadians bill gets royal assent after years of parliamentary battles

2025/11/21 4 Comments

Will be interesting to see the actual take-up and to that effect, IRCC needs to resume regular reporting of citizenship proofs. Dispiriting that the government did not accept the annual public reporting amendment which, unlike other proposed amendments by the Conservatives and Bloc, did not fundamentally change the Bill.

Have a data request into IRCC for any analysis of the 4,200 pending applications and will share when received:

A bill allowing Canadians born outside the country to pass on their citizenship to future generations born abroad gained royal assent on Thursday, after years of parliamentary and judicial battles. 

The legislation, which cleared its final parliamentary stage in the Senate Wednesday night, reinstates rights of Lost Canadians and reverses 2009 changes made to the Citizenship Act by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, which stripped descendants of Canadians born abroad of their automatic right to citizenship. 

The government predicts tens of thousands of Lost Canadians could benefit from the change, but the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates about 115,000 could gain citizenship….

Source: Lost Canadians bill gets royal assent after years of parliamentary battles

Filed under C-3, Citizenship Tagged with

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