Adil Charkaoui obtient sa citoyenneté après 19 ans d’attente | Le Devoir

2014/07/28 Leave a comment

Given the long history of being suspected of terrorism-related activities, and the Government’s unsuccessful defence of the use of security certificates in his case, quite a remarkable denouement being granted Canadian citizenship.

It does clear his name in that the Government did not find a way to deny him citizenship. He has a lawsuit pending against the Government but hopes to secure an out-of-court settlement:

Adil Charkaoui est officiellement devenu citoyen canadien jeudi, la première de trois étapes dans son combat pour laver son honneur.

M. Charkaoui n’y croyait presque plus, surtout avec le durcissement du gouvernement Harper, qui ne voulait même pas reprendre Omar Khadr de la prison de Guantánamo. « Je suis agréablement surpris, surtout que ça ne vient pas d’un gouvernement modéré », dit-il.

Sa mère, son père, sa femme et ses enfants étaient tous citoyens canadiens. Adil Charkaoui a dû patienter 19 ans avant de pouvoir en dire autant.

M. Charkaoui a fait l’histoire du droit canadien. Il a combattu avec succès deux certificats de sécurité lancés contre lui par le ministre de l’Immigration, afin de le renvoyer dans son pays d’origine, le Maroc. Les autorités le soupçonnaient d’être un « agent dormant » du réseau terroriste al-Qaïda.

While this effectively ends the terror-related charges, from an integration perspective, it is strange that he invites provocative Islamic speakers with respect to women, and then complains of Islamophobia when they are denied entry.

Could he not find speakers with more positive messages?

Adil Charkaoui obtient sa citoyenneté après 19 ans d’attente | Le Devoir.

Filed under Citizenship, Multiculturalism Tagged with ,

Permanent Resident Voting: A Movement on the Rise – But does it make sense?

2014/07/24 Leave a comment

I am not a fan of allowing Permanent Residents to vote although I understand the rationale of supporters.

We have enough problems encouraging citizens to vote and it remains to be seen whether Permanent Residents would have significantly greater interest in voting.

More significantly, there are relatively few differences between citizens and Permanent Residents in terms of rights, social programs and other benefits (and responsibilities) and to a certain extent, if Permanent Residents can vote, this may reduce the incentive to become citizens.

Of course, in the context of the new citizenship act making citizenship harder to acquire, this may increase pressure to allow municipal voting. The old argument about Canadian citizenship being relatively easy to acquire in a relatively short period of time applies less and less:

Finally, we must connect with and support groups who are currently engaging other critical advocacy for newcomers. Earlier this year, the city of Hamilton proclaimed itself a sanctuary city – in other words, the city committed to ensure that every resident, regardless of immigration status, has access to city services. It is no coincidence that a similar proclamation in Toronto preceded the successful motion on permanent resident voting. City Vote must situate itself within the broader movement to ensure newcomers have equal rights and opportunities in Canada.

Thankfully, the campaign has a history of strong partnerships within this larger newcomer-serving community. Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office, a multi-service community hub in central Toronto, incubated the campaign in 2008 and helped it grow. Maytree has been supporting policy development and hosting forums on the issue since 2007. Groups as large as the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and as small as warden Woods Community Centre have offered their time, energy and support. The foundation for growth is solid and diverse.

Permanent Resident Voting: A Movement on the Rise.

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Serving in foreign militaries

2014/07/24 Leave a comment

Serving in the IDF or other foreign militaries raises sensitive issues related to dual loyalty (see my earlier article Which Country Would You Die For?).

Serving in a foreign military implies a greater loyalty to that country, given the risk of ultimate sacrifice.

But serving in a foreign military, with its own discipline, regulations and codes, is distinct from extremist irregular forces without such developed frameworks (even if there are some common elements).

In the former in democratic societies the broad frameworks and values are largely similar. Needless to say, the same could not be said for those fighting for ISIS or equivalents:

Two Americans serving as lone soldiers were among 13 Israeli soldiers and scores of Palestinians over the weekend who died during the first major ground battle in two weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Max Steinberg, a 24-year-old sharpshooter in the Golani Brigade, was killed as well as Nissim Sean Carmeli, 21, from South Padre Island, Texas.

There were about 5,500 lone soldiers serving in the military in 2012, according to the Israel Defence Forces. Groups for families of lone soldiers, like the support group in Toronto, have recently started in Los Angeles and other cities, providing a support network as the fighting intensifies.

“Lone soldiers are a kind of star in Israel,” Jewish Journal reported. “For Israeli kids, army service is a rite of passage. But because it is a choice for the young members of the Diaspora who re-direct their own life paths to protect Israel, those enlistees are given a hero’s welcome — and a lifetime of Shabbat dinner invitations from their fellow soldiers, who become their surrogate families.”

‘I just want her to get through this in one piece’: Canadians serving with Israeli military amid Gaza conflict, parents say

And in LaPresse, a fairly critical look at Canadian Ambassador Vivian Bercovici’s one-sided perspective as seen through her tweets.

To be fair, she is simply expressing the Government’s policy on Israel and Palestine but given that she formally is the Ambassador to both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, she does seem to be even more one-sided than necessary:

Norman Spector, qui a été ambassadeur du Canada en Israël de 1992 à 1995 et chef de cabinet du l’ancien premier ministre Brian Mulroney, s’est dit surpris du «parti pris» de ces déclarations. «Cela me surprend de lire ses tweets et retweets», a-t-il affirmé.

«Par contre, à mon époque, l’ambassadeur était responsable pour les relations avec Israël et pour les relations avec les Palestiniens, ce qui n’est pas le cas aujourd’hui, si je ne me trompe pas», a-t-il ajouté.

Le bureau du ministre des Affaires étrangères, John Baird, a confirmé que cette dernière responsabilité incombe au Bureau de représentation du Canada auprès de l’Autorité palestinienne.

Le ministre John Baird n’a pas bronché lorsque La Presse lui a demandé de réagir. «Elle est là pour représenter les intérêts canadiens, les valeurs et la position canadienne, et elle le fait très bien», a déclaré un porte-parole par courriel. «Elle a tout notre appui.»

Des experts n’ont pas été particulièrement surpris en lisant ces propos. «Elle a été choisie au départ parce qu’elle avait ces convictions», a souligné Rex Brynen, professeur de sciences politiques à l’Université McGill.

«Je ne crois pas que cette distinction [entre diplomatie et activisme politique] existe réellement, a quant à lui noté le professeur Roland Paris, de l’Université d’Ottawa. Les diplomates ont plusieurs fonctions, et l’une d’elles est d’être un défenseur des positions de leur gouvernement.»

http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/politique-canadienne/201407/22/01-4785985-israel-les-tweets-de-lambassadrice-du-canada-font-jaser.php

Filed under Citizenship, Dual Citizenship, foreign policy Tagged with , , ,

Consumers More Borderless Than Multinationals – New Canadian Media – NCM

2014/07/23 Leave a comment

Environics Canada USFascinating market research and comparison between Canadian and American acculturation models and behaviours by Robin Brown of Environics.

The cliché of the melting pot versus the cultural mosaic appears to still apply, at least for those of Chinese and South Asian origin (two of the largest communities in Canada):

Our recent research compared Chinese and South Asian Americans and Canadians’ level of acculturation using Geoscape and & Environics Analytics CultureCodes see graph. These analytical tools classify the population into five categories of acculturation based on their home language, knowledge of English/French and period of immigration. We found much higher levels of acculturation in the U.S. than in Canada for both groups. This results from a number of factors, including the “melting pot” vs. multicultural culture of each country. Of course, this means that these populations will differ and marketing efforts to reach them must navigate that difference.

But, understanding the diasporas may not be the biggest challenge faced by multinationals. The current reality for many multinationals is that many of their consumers are in some respects more global than they are. There may be good business reasons why an Asian Canadian cannot find Nescafe iced coffee here in Canada, but consumers are not aware or don’t care about the constraints of separate business units, tariffs and supply chain logistics. They are connected globally and informed of products and services that are used by their ethnic diaspora across the world.

Consumers More Borderless Than Multinationals – New Canadian Media – NCM.

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Finance Canada survey finds Canadians at odds with Conservatives’ priorities

2014/07/22 Leave a comment

Interesting but not necessarily surprising. Those Canada’s Economic Action Plan ads may have not been as good value for money, let alone for taxpayers:

Public-opinion research for the federal Finance Department suggests key government policies are out of step with Canadians’ priorities, including the Northern Gateway project.

Members of focus groups consulted prior to the February budget had “little enthusiasm” for the proposed bitumen pipeline to the British Columbia coast — even those who said they support the controversial project.

And among the 12 groups consulted — from Coquitlam, B.C., to Bridgewater, N.S. — the economy itself was not a top-of-mind concern.

Rather, the groups spontaneously raised education, health care, pensions and veterans as their key issues.

They also called for more processing and refining of Canada’s oil resources at home, and to do so in a more environmentally safe manner.

The findings of the January focus groups, commissioned from NRG Research Group, suggest the Harper government’s central policy themes — trade and the economy, with an emphasis on energy exports — are resonating less with ordinary Canadians.

http://www.ipolitics.ca/2014/07/20/finance-canada-survey-finds-canadians-at-odds-with-conservative-government-priorities/ (pay wall)

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ICYMI: Myanmar Begins Controversial Citizenship Verification Process

2014/07/21 Leave a comment

Disturbing. Linking citizenship to ethnicity and religion in Myanmar:

Many Rohingyas are skeptical that a government that already classifies them as Bengalis will grant them citizenship based on the testimonies of village elders.

Washington has, in the past, pressured the Myanmar government on the 1982 Citizenship Law. And in its 2014 report on religious freedom, called on authorities to promote the rights of Rohingya Muslims and provide “durable solutions” for refugees outside the country.

Matthew Smith, director of the international human rights group Fortify Rights, says giving Rohingya equal access to citizenship rights is crucial to preventing the conflict in the future. He says foreign nations should press the government more on the issue.

“The fact that the immigration department is handling this issue is indicative of the perception that all Rohingya come from Bangladesh,” Smith said. “Immigration is an issue on all of Myanmar’s borders, but the wholesale denial of Rohingya citizenship, Rohingya ethnicity, has contributed to these abuses that we’ve been documenting now for two years.”

Have not seen much Canadian government representation on the citizenship issue although Andrew Bennett, the Ambassador for Religious Freedom, routinely mentions Rohingyas in his speeches.

Casts a blemish on Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar’s democratization.

Myanmar Begins Controversial Citizenship Verification Process.

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Expatriates: The Unofficial Ambassadors

2014/07/19 Leave a comment

More good thought-provoking commentary from Victoria Ferauge on expats. While written from an American perspective, relevance to Canada given the large number (close to 3 million) Canadians abroad:

The Face of Americans Abroad:  7 million people with very different reasons for being abroad and of every color, creed, class.  Some are indeed missionaries.  Many are teachers or professors.  There are retirees, economic and marriage migrants, true expatriates sent by their companies, and so much more.  The Peace Corps, for example, is still around.  There is also the military and former military.

There is an almost infinite number of combinations here that begin with who these people were before they left the US, why they went abroad, what they do and where they went or were sent and with whom.

[David] Kuenzi [author of Wall Street Journal Op-Ed] qualifies his statement by referring to three categories:  “businesspersons, scholars or trailing spouses” but these are only a small fraction of the Americans living abroad.

I think that the largest group of Americans abroad looks like this:  they don’t want any or minimal contact with the US government and other Americans while they are living abroad, they do not want to join any American organization be it Democrats Abroad, Republicans Overseas, AARO or ACA: they are keenly interested in being good denizens of their countries of residence, and these days more and more of them aspire to become citizens of those states.  They make no demands on the United States while they are abroad.  In many cases the very minimal protection of the US government is neither attractive nor relevant to them since they know the limits of the local consulates assistance a list of local lawyers who speak English and they understand that the US government will not expend political capital on their behalf to get them out of trouble.    And if it weren’t for the fact that they have to have a passport to enter the US to see family, they would probably forgo that as well.  What they want is to be left alone to go about their business and their lives.

Are these people good “unofficial ambassadors”?  I have no idea and neither does anyone else.

For those Canadian expatriates, or former expatriates among you, Victoria would appreciate your help in the following:

And for those of you who are members of other diasporas, I’d be very interested in knowing if a similar situation exists between you and your home country.

The Franco-American Flophouse: The Unofficial Ambassador.

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Overstating Citizenship “Fraud” – New Canadian Media

2014/07/18 2 Comments

Citizenship Fraud.037My take on citizenship fraud, with analysis of released numbers to date:

Some may argue that any fraud is unacceptable.

But the quest for perfection has to be balanced with the realities of efficient management and good service delivery.

There are more fraud issues with citizens originating in certain countries, both in terms of country of birth and likely country of application. From a risk management perspective, that is where the focus should be and likely is.

As the government addresses the backlog and implements the new Citizenship Act, we will see starting in 2016 whether it has achieved a reasonable balance between reduced fraud, efficiency, and accessibility of citizenship, meeting the Minister’s commitment of a one-year processing time.

Overstating “Fraud” – New Canadian Media – NCM.

Methodological Note: A number of readers have asked regarding the source of the numbers and analysis:

  • An ATIP request provided to me by a student listed the countries of birth for the 3,194 investigations;
  • Beyond the fact that this number was as of 31 March 2012, no details on which years were included (i.e., did all the cases of suspected misrepresentation pertain to citizenship applications in one year or, as I suspect, a number of years);
  • Other numbers were pieced together from public statements and communications material from the past few years. I integrated as best I could;
  • the percentage figures were calculated against the 5 year annual average of new citizens (2008-12);
  • I asked CIC to confirm and update these numbers. CIC declined, suggesting I file an ATIP request and sending along some communications material.

 

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The Benefits of Failing at French – NYTimes.com

2014/07/18 Leave a comment

On the benefits of learning a second language in terms of brain training and “fitness.”

So for all those public servants who struggled to learn French, think of the fringe benefits as you get older:

Last year researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Northwestern University in Illinois hypothesized that language study should prove beneficial for older adults, noting that the cognitive tasks involved — including working memory, inductive reasoning, sound discrimination and task switching — map closely to the areas of the brain that are most associated with declines due to aging. In other words, the things that make second-language acquisition so maddening for grown-ups are the very things that may make the effort so beneficial.

The quest for a mental fountain of youth, pursued by baby boomers who fear that their bodies will outlive their brains, and who have deeper pockets than Juan Ponce de León, has created a billion-dollar industry. There is some evidence that brain exercise programs like Lumosity and Nintendo’s Brain Age can be beneficial, but if my admittedly unscientific experience is any indication, you might be better off studying a language instead. Not only is that a far more useful and enjoyable activity than an abstract brain game, but as a reward for your efforts, you can treat yourself to a trip abroad. Which is why I plan to spend the next year not learning Italian. Ciao!

The Benefits of Failing at French – NYTimes.com.

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C-24 – Ottawa gives itself new powers to share personal information

2014/07/15 Leave a comment

Funny, I don’t recall this being mentioned in any of the government communications material:

The powers are included in Bill C-24, an overhaul of citizenship law passed last month, though have drawn little attention. The changes amend the Citizenship Act to allow Stephen Harper’s cabinet to draft regulations “providing for the disclosure of information for the purposes of national security, the defence of Canada or the conduct of international affairs,” including under international deals struck by Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander.

Cabinet will also now be permitted to allow the “disclosure of information to verify the citizenship status or identity of any person” to enforce any Canadian law “or law of another country.”

Ottawa contends the final regulations are still being developed and will comply with Canadian law. However, critics warn the changes could lead to Canada sharing citizenship and immigration details with foreign countries, whether verified or not, without oversight.

“This language gives them another legal basis for sharing information,” said immigration lawyer Lorne Waldman, who represented Maher Arar at a federal commission of inquiry a decade ago.

Mr. Waldman said the perils of unfettered information sharing are illustrated by that case. Mr. Arar, a Canadian of Syrian heritage, was jailed and tortured in his homeland, after RCMP wrongly flagged him as a terrorism suspect.

“Go back to Maher Arar,” said Mr. Waldman. “Sharing information is fine, but when you share information, make sure that the information sharing is accurate.”

But consistent with the Government’s approach to C-13 (cyber-bullying and surveillance).

Ottawa gives itself new powers to share personal information – The Globe and Mail.

Filed under C-24, Citizenship, Citizenship Act Tagged with , ,

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