The decline and fall of Tariq Ramadan

2024/09/13 Leave a comment

Of interest:

Tariq Ramadan, the grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood and a well-known figure in the Islamic world, has been convicted of the rape and sexual coercion of a woman in a Geneva hotel, after a court overturned an earlier acquittal. Professor Ramadan has been jailed for three years, two suspended, over the 2008 incident.

The verdict marks a remarkable fall from grace for Ramadan, who was raised in exile in Switzerland, and skilfully navigated the Francophone, English and Arabic speaking worlds as an academic, campaigner and theologian. His father, Said Ramadan, was central to the Muslim Brotherhood’s development in Europe.

While Ramadan was convicted in a court in Switzerland, the repercussions of his downfall will be felt here in the UK. Ramadan’s X account currently gives his location as the United Kingdom and contains the description ‘Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford.’ He boasts a following of 721,000, numbers that many politicians or religious leaders could only dream of.

For a period, especially following 7/7, Ramadan was a poster boy for those in authority in this country who sought an Islam that the West could not only do business with, but more importantly feel comfortable about. Bright-eyed, handsome and articulate, Ramadan proved to be a very successful salesman, with audiences as diverse as the Metropolitan Police through to the leftist European Social Forum.

Ramadan’s talk of reform, a European Islam and apparent doubt about Islamic hudood punishments (these include amputation, stoning and flogging) were music to the ears of his audience. In his memoir, the former Head of Scotland Yard’s Muslim Contact Unit, Bob Lambert, thanks Ramadan in the acknowledgments. In 2008, Ramadan addressed the ‘Countering Insurgency and Terrorism’ conference, jointly organised by the Swedish National Defence College and UK Defence Academy.

To his critics, Ramadan was instead guilty of ‘doublespeak’ – saying one thing to western audiences, and another to Islamic audiences. Appointed to the Home Office’s ‘Preventing Extremism together’ taskforce in the wake of the 7/7 bombings in 2005, Ramadan would condemn violence, but not the Salafist ideology from which it has often emerged. That such beliefs are a rival to liberal democracy, and that giving them a leg-up may be a bad idea, seemed to be overlooked by many in power.

In 2014, Professor Ramadan sat on Baroness Warsi’s Foreign Office Advisory Group on freedom of religion or belief. Such commitments did not prevent Ramadan moving in elite circles in areas hardly known for such freedoms, most notably the Gulf. The post he formerly held at Oxford is officially known as the His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani Professor in Contemporary Islamic Studies, and is made possible by a benefaction by the Qatar Foundation, running into the millions.

Despite the seriousness of the accusations against him, Ramadan’s status ensured lofty support. In 2017, when accusations about Ramadan first emerged in France, concerns that they were motivated by his status as a ‘prominent Muslim’ ensured that the University of Oxford allowed him to continue teaching for three weeks, before granting a leave of absence. Eugene Rogan, Director of Oxford’s Middle East Centre stated:

‘It’s not just about sexual violence. For some students it’s just another way for Europeans to gang up against a prominent Muslim intellectual. We must protect Muslim students who believe and trust in him, and protect that trust.’

Here an element of snobbery also emerges; it is hard to imagine a university porter being given leave of absence, or attracting academic supporters, in such circumstances. In 2018, when Ramadan was remanded in custody in France, Muslim lobbyists MEND referred to a ‘weak accusation’ and demanded his release on health and human rights grounds.

By 2020, Ramadan had been released but remained indicted, prompting dozens of academics, politicians and activists to denounce the French legal system in a round-robin letter. Their number included high-profile broadcasters and the great and the good from the Islamic world.

Their letter asked: ‘Is there one form of justice for Muslims in France and another for everyone else?’ In June 2024, a French court decided charges against Ramadan could proceed. As due process has now been followed in Switzerland, a period of reflection should follow. Activists who promoted Professor Ramadan, and his supporters in the fields of counter-extremism, policing and academia have plenty to think about.

Source: The decline and fall of Tariq Ramadan

Filed under Islamophobia, Multiculturalism Tagged with ,

Kuwait revokes citizenship of more than 10,000 people with dual nationality

2024/09/13 Leave a comment

Of note (mainly from neighbouring countries):

Kuwait’s Central Agency for Remedying Illegal Residents’ Status (CARIRS) has revoked the citizenship of more than 10,000 people with dual nationality between 2011 and last month, the KUNA news agency has reported.

According to the agency, the step is the result of a full decade of Kuwaiti efforts to address the dual nationality file, and comes as a culmination of a campaign that began last year to confront those who obtain Kuwaiti citizenship illegally. Almost 1,000 such people have been detected to date. Kuwait does not recognise dual nationality and children with dual nationality have two years after reaching the age of 18 to decide whether to retain Kuwaiti nationality or keep their other nationality.

The Director of the Situation Amendment Department in CARIRS, General Muhammad Al-Wahib, told KUNA that 6,054 residents’ status had been changed to Saudi nationality; 1,188 to Iraqi nationality; 868 to Syrian nationality; 131 to Iranian nationality; 53 to Jordanian nationality; and 1,962 to other nationalities.

Al-Wahib pointed out that these statistics include individuals who have parents or relatives who own documents from different nationalities and do not include those who have other relatives with proven nationality.

He called on those wishing to amend their status to visit CARIRS in the Eastern Region, to settle their residencies and regularise their status according to the residency laws in force in Kuwait.

The Gulf state has in recent years intensified efforts to amend the status of those residing illegally in the country.

Source: Kuwait revokes citizenship of more than 10,000 people with dual nationality

Filed under Citizenship, Dual Citizenship, Revocation Tagged with

Chris Selley: Canada’s ‘immigration consensus’ endures, despite Ottawa’s worst efforts

2024/09/12 Leave a comment

Correct interpretation IMO. However, the current government’s approach undermines public trust in government competence in immigration and other areas, even as some corrective action is taking place:

….Environics also inquired as to why the shift occurred. And it’s very obviously for one major reason: The housing crisis. In 2022, 15 per cent of respondents agreed that “immigrants drive up housing prices (and lead to) less housing for other Canadians”; in 2023, 38 per cent agreed.

And they’re right. Add demand for a scarce product and prices go up. Canada absolutely should be able to cope with current or higher levels of immigration, and indeed thrive off of it. We’re not exactly short on land or high on population density. But our politicians have never been more motivated to address housing scarcity, and the results have been utterly dismal. For heaven’s sake there were fewer home starts in June 2024 than in June 2022, according to CMHC data.

On the issues more typically associated with anti-immigration sentiment per se, the Environics data show no alarming spikes at all. Only four per cent of respondents cited “security risk” as a factor influencing their desire for less immigration. One-quarter said “immigrants are a drain on public finances (or) cost too much,” or are “bad for (the) economy (and) take jobs from other Canadians” — up from 23 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively, which is hardly any change at all in the polling world.

In 2022 and 2023 alike, just 19 per cent of respondents told Environics there were “already too many people in Canada” — the strongest suggestion, I submit, that what we’re seeing here isn’t a backlash against immigration, let alone against individual immigrants and immigrant populations, but a call for some restraint until we get our crap together. Just nine per cent of respondents told Environics they thought immigrants make their community worse; 42 per cent said they make it better.

For 30 years, Environics has asked Canadians whether they think “there are too many immigrants coming into this country who are not adopting Canadian values” — something you hear often from people who could fairly be called anti-immigration. In 1993, 72 per cent of Canadians agreed with that proposition. Three decades later, amid this so-called “backlash,” the figure was 48 per cent.

Especially at a time when Canadians seem more angst-ridden about the country’s economic future than I can ever remember — potentially fertile soil for xenophobic sentiments, as history shows — these don’t strike me as alarming numbers at all. That’s especially true considering we’ve been admitting more immigrants per capita than at any time since the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, and watching tens of thousands of people traipse illegally across the Canada-U.S. border claiming asylum, and been lectured about racism and intolerance by a government that has basically conceded all of its opponents’ points on the immigration file.

Wanting less immigration isn’t inherently a “backlash” unless the optimal number of immigrants is infinite, which it obviously is not. We have enough problems to deal with without inventing new ones. The immigration consensus lives, despite the federal government’s worst efforts.

Source: Chris Selley: Canada’s ‘immigration consensus’ endures, despite Ottawa’s worst efforts

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Lisée | La liberté d’expression à géographie variable d’Elon Musk

2024/09/12 Leave a comment

Good critique of “Citizen Musk:”

Lorsque Donald Trump a remporté l’élection présidentielle de novembre 2016, Elon Musk a soutenu que c’était bien la preuve que nous vivions tous dans une simulation. Comme dans le film La matrice. Une théorie veut en effet que les ordinateurs de la fin du siècle seront assez puissants pour simuler toute l’existence humaine. On peut penser que nous sommes les produits de la simulation d’un jeu pour ado de 2124. D’un ado un peu sadique, qui, lorsqu’il se lasse de torturer des fourmis à l’aide d’une loupe et d’un rayon de soleil, modifie les paramètres de notre logiciel pour nous voir souffrir.

Plus tôt cette année, le milliardaire Musk a changé d’avis. L’élection de Donald Trump en 2024 lui apparaît désormais essentielle pour préserver la démocratie américaine.

Oui, la préserver. L’homme qui a voulu renverser la dernière élection — et qui nous avertit qu’il n’acceptera les résultats de la prochaine que s’il gagne — est le seul qui peut, selon Musk, éviter le pire. « La stratégie de Biden est très simple : 1. Obtenez autant d’illégaux dans le pays que possible. 2. Légalisez-les pour créer une majorité permanente — un État à parti unique. » Le fait que le gouvernement Biden ait pour l’essentiel fermé la frontière depuis le début de l’année ne le fait pas changer d’avis. Le raisonnement est audacieux de la part d’un immigrant ; Musk est né en Afrique du Sud.

Il avait naguère d’excellentes relations avec les démocrates, d’Obama à Biden. Leurs politiques favorables au développement des voitures électriques et leur intérêt pour SpaceX, l’entreprise de fusées de Musk, ne devaient pas être étrangers à ce flirt. Mais depuis, Joe Biden a indiqué qu’il faudrait bien s’intéresser aux relations internationales d’Elon Musk.

Son activité, disons, « diplomatique », est devenue encore plus intéressante après l’invasion de l’Ukraine. Il a offert gratuitement aux Ukrainiens l’utilisation de son réseau satellitaire Starlink, essentiel pour le guidage des drones. Mais lorsque Kiev a voulu attaquer des bateaux russes qui, d’un port de Crimée, lançaient des missiles sur le territoire, Musk a bloqué l’utilisation de Starlink. Il affirmait craindre une escalade de la guerre. L’un de ses proches a raconté depuis que Musk tenait cette information de bonne source : Vladimir Poutine. Si les drones ukrainiens étaient ainsi utilisés en Crimée, lui aurait-il dit, une bombe atomique serait si vite arrivée. La Crimée a été plusieurs fois attaquée depuis. On attend toujours la première bombe A.

Si vous êtes comme moi abonné à son fil X, vous aurez remarqué que ses propres messages, très fréquents, apparaissent invariablement au sommet de votre page. C’est que Musk a modifié ses algorithmes pour être toujours la première chose que vous voyez. Liberté d’expression bien ordonnée commence par soi-même. On a pu le voir récemment relayer une photo truquée d’une Kamala Harris vêtue de rouge avec une casquette à la mode de Mao, annonçant qu’elle allait être une dictatrice communiste.

C’est savoureux, car Elon Musk est pris d’une totale timidité quand vient le temps de critiquer la Chine, le deuxième marché mondial pour ses voitures Tesla. Il exploite à Shanghai une méga-usine. La Chine avait interdit Twitter sur son territoire en 2009, ce dont Musk ne parle jamais, alors qu’il tempête chaque fois qu’un autre pays veut baliser ses activités. Il s’agit d’une défense de la liberté à, disons, géographie variable.

Une de ses déclarations de septembre dernier a fait fureur à Pékin. Pour Musk, la situation de Taïwan est « analogue à celle d’Hawaï ou quelque chose comme ça, une partie intégrante de la Chine qui ne fait arbitrairement pas partie de la Chine ». Sa position fut moins appréciée à Taipei, où l’idée de retirer leur liberté d’expression à ses 23 millions d’habitants ne fait pas recette.

Grand partisan du leader brésilien Jair Bolsonaro, qui a donné libre accès sur son territoire à Starlink, Musk en a fait la promotion pendant la campagne qui l’opposait à Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, puis a omis de faire bloquer par X les appels à la violence qui ont conduit à une tentative de renversement de Lula. Face à son refus de se conformer aux décisions brésiliennes sur la modération de certains comptes sur X, Musk a vu son entreprise interdite d’activité au Brésil, où elle comptait 40 millions d’usagers. Il est furieux.

Mais il ne l’est pas toujours. Ainsi, à la demande de son ami le président autoritaire de l’Inde, Narendra Modi, X bloque les comptes de centaines d’opposants au régime. Exactement comme X a bloqué, en Turquie, pendant la dernière campagne électorale, les comptes, là aussi, de centaines d’opposants au régime d’Erdoğan. Musk est récompensé : Modi a relaxé les règles d’investissement pour permettre à Tesla et à Starlink de s’installer chez lui. Erdoğan a aussi ouvert les bras à Starlink et a confié à SpaceX le lancement d’un satellite.

Ces épisodes ont mis en rogne le cofondateur de Wikipédia Jimmy Wales, qui a écrit sur X : « Si Elon pense maintenant : “Nous ne nous soucions pas de la liberté d’expression si elle interfère avec le fait de gagner de l’argent”, alors il devrait simplement l’avouer. »

La semaine dernière, Trump a annoncé que, s’il était réélu, Elon Musk aurait le mandat de rendre le gouvernement fédéral plus efficace. Cela promet. Lorsqu’il a acheté Twitter pour la somme colossale de 44 milliards de dollars américains, il a viré illico 75 % des salariés. Alors on attend avec impatience son plan minceur pour l’État américain.

Source: Chronique | La liberté d’expression à géographie variable d’Elon Musk

Computer translation:

When Donald Trump won the November 2016 presidential election, Elon Musk argued that it was proof that we were all living in a simulation. Like in the movie The Matrix. One theory is that computers at the end of the century will be powerful enough to simulate all human existence. We can think that we are the products of the simulation of a 2124 teen game. Of a slightly sadistic teenager, who, when he gets tired of torturing ants with a magnifying glass and a ray of sunshine, changes the settings of our software to see us suffer.

Earlier this year, billionaire Musk changed his mind. Donald Trump’s election in 2024 now seems essential to him to preserve American democracy.

Yes, preserve it. The man who wanted to overturn the last election – and who warns us that he will only accept the results of the next one if he wins – is the only one who can, according to Musk, avoid the worst. “Biden’s strategy is very simple: 1. Get as many illegals in the country as possible. 2. Legalize them to create a permanent majority – a one-party state. The fact that the Biden government has essentially closed the border since the beginning of the year does not make him change his mind. The reasoning is bold on the part of an immigrant; Musk was born in South Africa.

He once had excellent relations with the Democrats, from Obama to Biden. Their policies in favor of the development of electric cars and their interest in SpaceX, Musk’s rocket company, should not be unrelated to this flirtation. But since then, Joe Biden has indicated that we should be interested in Elon Musk’s international relations.

His activity, let’s say, “diplomatic”, became even more interesting after the invasion of Ukraine. He offered Ukrainians free of charge the use of his Starlink satellite network, essential for drone guidance. But when Kiev wanted to attack Russian ships that, from a Crimean port, launched missiles on the territory, Musk blocked the use of Starlink. He claimed to fear an escalation of war. One of his relatives has said since that Musk held this information as a good source: Vladimir Putin. If Ukrainian drones were used in this way in Crimea, he would have told him, an atomic bomb would have arrived so quickly. Crimea has been attacked several times since then. We are still waiting for the first bomb A.

If you are like me subscribed to his X-feed, you will have noticed that his own very frequent messages invariably appear at the top of your page. It’s because Musk has modified his algorithms to always be the first thing you see. Freedom of well-ordered expression begins with oneself. We could see him recently relay a rigged photo of a Kamala Harris dressed in red with a Mao-style cap, announcing that she was going to be a communist dictator.

It’s tasty, because Elon Musk is taken by total shyness when it comes time to criticize China, the world’s second market for his Tesla cars. He operates a mega-factory in Shanghai. China banned Twitter on its territory in 2009, which Musk never talks about, while it storms every time another country wants to mark its activities. It is a defense of freedom with, let’s say, variable geography.

One of his statements last September was all the rage in Beijing. For Musk, Taiwan’s situation is “similar to that of Hawaii or something like that, an integral part of China that is arbitrarily not part of China”. His position was less appreciated in Taipei, where the idea of removing their freedom of expression from its 23 million inhabitants is not a recipe.

A big supporter of Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro, who gave free access to Starlink on his territory, Musk promoted it during the campaign that opposed him to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, then failed to block by X the calls for violence that led to an attempt to overthrow Lula. Faced with his refusal to comply with Brazilian decisions on the moderation of certain accounts on X, Musk saw his company banned from activity in Brazil, where it had 40 million users. He is furious.

But he is not always. Thus, at the request of his friend the authoritarian president of India, Narendra Modi, X blocks the accounts of hundreds of opponents of the regime. Exactly as X blocked, in Turkey, during the last election campaign, the accounts, here too, of hundreds of opponents of the Erdoğan regime. Musk is rewarded: Modi has relaxed the investment rules to allow Tesla and Starlink to settle in his home. Erdoğan also opened his arms to Starlink and entrusted SpaceX with the launch of a satellite.

These episodes made Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales angry, who wrote on X: “If Elon now thinks: “We don’t care about freedom of expression if it interferes with making money,” then he should simply admit it. ”

Last week, Trump announced that if re-elected, Elon Musk would have a mandate to make the federal government more effective. It promises. When he bought Twitter for the colossal sum of US$44 billion, he fired 75% of employees. So we look forward to his slimming plan for the American state.

Filed under Other Tagged with ,

Are noncitizens really voting in US elections?

2024/09/12 Leave a comment

Spoiler alert. This detailed review indicates they are not:

With illegal immigration one of the top issues on voters’ minds heading into the 2024 election, Republicans are making a nationwide push to require proof of citizenship in order to vote. The GOP-run House of Representatives passed a bill that would do just that, the SAVE Act, in July – with support from five Democrats.

Former President Donald Trump has also repeatedly urged such measures, including in Tuesday night’s debate, alleging that his opponents are irresponsibly encouraging undocumented immigrants to vote. “A lot of these illegal immigrants coming in, they’re trying to get them to vote, they can’t even speak English, they don’t even know what country they’re in practically, and these people are trying to get them to vote,” he said.

Now Speaker Mike Johnson is saying that unless the House and Senate agree to the SAVE Act, he’ll shut down the government when the fiscal year ends Sept. 30 – though it appears he lacks the support within his own party to do so.

But Democrats, citing a lack of documented cases of noncitizen voting, say the law is unnecessary since it’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote. Moreover, they argue, it would result in disqualifying eligible voters. They accuse Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, of pushing this issue to lay the groundwork for claiming the election was stolen if they lose in November.

Is proof of citizenship currently required to vote?

The short answer is, citizenship is required in federal elections, but proof of citizenship generally isn’t, although some voters may provide that while establishing their identity and residency.

Sixteen municipalities allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, according to Ballotpedia. But elsewhere there’s pushback to the idea. Amendments to bar noncitizen voting are on the ballot this fall in eight states: Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

Source: Are noncitizens really voting in US elections?

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Lederman: Canadians must be allowed to see what’s in the Deschênes Report

2024/09/12 Leave a comment

Agree:

…Alti Rodal, the director of historical research at the Deschênes commission, has called for the report’s release, with proper context. “They are allegations only, that were minimally investigated,” Ms. Rodal told The Globe. “They were not well researched, let alone proven in a court.”

Concerns that this will turn into a witch hunt, and that the Ukrainian-Canadian community could be vilified, are understandable. But give the public some credit. You don’t keep information secret because there are racists – and Russians – who will use it for nefarious purposes. Nobody will blame Canadian children and grandchildren of alleged Nazi collaborators. Nobody is going to blame the Ukrainians on the ground right now, getting bombed by Russia.

But in a vacuum, speculation breeds. Release the report as part of that continuing commitment to transparency and let’s get on with it. There are crises that urgently require attention. They include Russia’s catastrophic war in Ukraine.

Source: Canadians must be allowed to see what’s in the Deschênes Report

Related: Top international scholars urge Canada to release war criminals report

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How did a Toronto terror suspect enter Canada? Immigration minister offers first details

2024/09/12 Leave a comment

Note of realism in terms of border security but will still raise questions about vetting of international students and where extra vetting may be warranted:

…“I think our American partner would be highly disappointed to see elected officials firing their mouths off about and speculating about this case and its outcome,” Miller said. “We owe it to Canadians to keep them safe, to actually let the process unfold.”

Miller also said that borders cannot be made 100 per cent secure.

“No one can pretend and stand honestly in front of you and say that a well determined actor can’t come to this country, and that’s why we have the security apparatuses that we have in this country,” Miller said.

Source: How did a Toronto terror suspect enter Canada? Immigration minister offers first details

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Federal public servants are to report back to the office again. Their bosses say they mean it this time

2024/09/11 Leave a comment

Unlikely that DM messaging will convince many and the unions risk attracting negative reactions given the prevailing practices in the private sector and setting the stage for even more rocky relations should, as likely, the Conservatives form the next government:

…A 2023 survey by Capterra found that 69 per cent of Canada’s hybrid workers are onsite two to three days per week; about 25 per cent have mandatory in-office days. In the U.S., Gallup found that 50 per cent are structured hybrid, with 22 per cent onsite a minimum number of days and 40 per cent are in the office 2-3 days per week.

But the government is different from the profit-and-loss-driven private sector. A non-partisan public service is built on an attachment to a mission, a public service ethos that Fox argues is best instilled by teamwork and working together.

The issue goes beyond worker and management rights. It goes to the core role of the public service.

Fox worries the sense of mission – which shone in the public service during the pandemic – will be lost if employees aren’t working together enough, raising questions whether they could handle another crisis on that scale.

“I think we do see a gap where people are not spending enough time together. That is big in terms of culture, and you’re not going to see productivity data (showing) how well you’re doing culturally,” said Fox.

The bureaucracy has also grown like gangbusters, with 80,000 people added over the past few years – many of whom haven’t worked in an office and haven’t been introduced to the culture in-person.

“There’s a risk that connections would be harder to establish in a crisis moment without that a basis of relationships and teamwork and things we had done together,” said Fox.

The compliance protocol for the return to office is onerous, with a heavy emphasis on protecting employees’ privacy while monitoring metrics like entry-card swipes at turnstiles and computer login locations.

The burden falls on front-line managers and supervisors, some of whom are not themselves keen on the mandate. Many of them, too, would prefer more freedom and flexibility and now must track daily attendance and ensure employees are where they should be, whether working in the office or from home.

Managers are expected to take daily attendance. The results will be compiled for bosses to monitor. If they spot anything that requires looking at specific employees, a whole process kicks in that can involve union representatives and privacy officials.

And those who fail to comply will face progressive discipline, including a warning, verbal and written reprimands, suspension without pay and, finally, dismissal.

It’s unclear how deep the resistance to the mandate runs. But what is clear is that the kind of workplace they are returning to has changed dramatically. Offices are being retrofitted or have disappeared entirely as the government pushes to cut its real estate portfolio in half.

While some junior employees have never worked in an office, others are going to  to workspaces with no assigned seating and personal space. Desks must be booked. Raffles are sometimes held to see who works on what day with their team to ensure there’s office space. Many pack up their equipment as they shuffle between office and home.

It’s a perfect storm for discontent.

At the same time, as one senior bureaucrat underscored, there may soon be a change of government. With Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s argument that the public service is too big and broken, the question won’t be whether they are at home or the office but rather whether they still have a job.

The Conservatives haven’t said anything about where they stand on return to office. They have been content to let the Liberals take the heat. Meanwhile, Liberals are dodging it by saying this is a public-service decision, not a political one.

Experts have also turned the spotlight on the bureaucracy, saying it is bloated, unable to deliver basic services, and is a drain on the country’s productivity.

Next week, Donald Savoie, one of Canada’s leading scholars on public administration, is releasing his latest book, Speaking Truth to Canadians About Their Public Service. He has long argued the public service has lost its way. The book chronicles how that has happened.

“I believe the federal public service is overstaffed; that it is providing a lower level of service to Canadians and that Canadians are losing trust in the institution,” he wrote. “I argue that it is the responsibility of the public service to provide evidence that I am wrong, not the other way around.”

Fox says that while public perception doesn’t factor directly into the return-to-office decision, decision-makers can’t ignore it, either. “It goes to trust: trust in government, trust in the public service, trust we are working to serve Canadians,” she said.

Source: Federal public servants are to report back to the office again. Their bosses say they mean it this time

Filed under Government Tagged with , ,

ICYMI: Les annulations de cours de francisation se multiplient sur la couronne nord faute de budget

2024/09/11 Leave a comment

Of note:

Les réductions budgétaires en francisation du ministère de l’Éducation sèment la consternation dans la couronne nord de Montréal, qui connaît un boom d’immigration. Au Centre de services scolaire (CSS) des Mille-Îles, ce sont 90 % des cours de francisation aux adultes qui ont été annulés et une vingtaine de postes qui ont été éliminés. Quant aux étudiants, eux, ils ne savent pas vers qui ou quoi se tourner.

Depuis la semaine dernière, « c’est la panique » chez l’organisme ABL Immigration, explique son directeur intérimaire, Alain Marginean.

L’organisme de Saint-Eustache est inondé d’appels depuis que le CSS des Mille-Îles a annulé presque toute son offre de cours de francisation des adultes en cette rentrée scolaire. Seulement trois classes, plutôt que 14, ont été ouvertes, et ce, uniquement pour la moitié de l’année.

« Ça appelle en continu depuis jeudi dernier », relate M. Marginean, un cadre du réseau collégial à la retraite.

ABL Immigration organise des activités de socialisation pour les nouveaux arrivants et offre différents services de soutien — comme aider les gens à s’inscrire aux cours de francisation offerts par le CSS.

Le directeur Marginean a l’impression de retourner en arrière. « Ça dépasse mon entendement. J’en ai vu, des conneries, mais ça, ça dépasse l’entendement », dit-il à propos des réductions imposées par Québec en francisation. Car, cette année, les ministères de l’Éducation et de l’Immigration ont décidé de limiter les budgets destinés aux cours de francisation donnés par les CSS.

Des parcours et une intégration freinés

Sehriban Naman et son mari — deux réfugiés kurdes — s’apprêtaient à commencer leur classe de francisation de niveau 5 (il y en a 12) quand ils ont appris la nouvelle. Ils sont découragés. « Mon mari ne peut pas se trouver de travail parce qu’il n’a pas la langue », explique la dame.

Le couple réside à Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac depuis 2023. Dans leur pays d’origine, la Turquie, les deux enseignaient. Mme Naman espère maintenant s’occuper de garde d’enfants ; son mari souhaite devenir plombier. « Pour trouver une bonne job, je dois prendre le français au niveau 5, 6 ou 7. Mais, maintenant, je ne peux pas », dit-elle.

La CSS des Mille-Îles confirme avoir dû abolir 21 postes d’enseignants en francisation cet automne. « Nous avons l’obligation de nous gouverner avec les règles budgétaires 2024-2025 du ministère de l’Éducation », a indiqué sa porte-parole par écrit. « Chacune de ces personnes a été contactée par l’équipe de direction […] et un second suivi a été fait par l’équipe des ressources humaines afin de leur offrir un autre poste. »

Dans une lettre ouverte au Devoir, des professeurs parlent de restrictions « sauvages, injustifiables et incohérentes » ordonnées par le gouvernement Legault. « Environ 250 nouveaux arrivants ne seront pas francisés cette année dans notre région. Ils devront retourner sur les listes d’attente interminables de Francisation Québec », déplorent-ils. « Si on se fie aux différentes mesures et lois mises en place pour protéger les valeurs, la langue et la culture d’ici par ce même gouvernement, c’est contre-productif. »

Les réductions décrétées par Québec touchent l’ensemble des CSS, mais l’effet sur l’offre de cours de francisation varie selon les endroits. Plus au nord des Laurentides, à Saint-Jérôme, le CSS de la Rivière-du-Nord ne rapporte aucun changement dans l’offre. Idem au CSS des Laurentides, basé à Saint-Agathe-des-Monts.

Mais à Repentigny, dans Lanaudière, le CSS des Affluents a dû réduire de 50 % son offre de cours en francisation, privant ainsi 200 élèves de cours et 20 enseignants de leur poste. Au CSS des Patriotes, basé à Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, le nombre de cours offerts est passé de vingt l’an dernier à sept cet automne.

Plusieurs directions de CSS qui disent avoir maintenu leur offre de cours affirment toutefois qu’elles ne prendront peu ou pas en charge de nouveaux groupes. C’est entre autres le cas des CSS Marguerite-Bourgeoys (à Montréal), des Navigateurs (à Québec), des Chênes (à Drummondville) et des Hauts-Cantons (en Estrie).

D’autres, comme le CSS de Sherbrooke, tablent sur une résolution du problème cet automne, au risque de devoir fermer des classes plus tard cette année.

Des solutions de rechange limitées

Depuis le début, le gouvernement Legault défend sa décision en plaidant que la demande en francisation est trop forte. En seulement deux mois, ce printemps, le nombre d’adultes inscrits en francisation dans le réseau québécois a atteint 26 656, alors qu’on en comptait 34 060 pour tout l’exercice 2023-2024.

Or, M. Marginean plaide que des régions comme la sienne en pâtissent beaucoup plus que d’autres.

Cela fait seulement quelques années que des cours de francisation sont offerts localement à Saint-Eustache et à Saint-Thérèse, fait-il valoir, et il a fallu se battre pour les obtenir. « Ça fait trois ans qu’on a gagné ça. On n’est pas intéressés à envoyer les gens à Laval ou à Saint-Jérôme. »

Le ministère de l’Immigration avait affirmé au Devoir à la mi-août que le nouvel organisme Francisation Québec (FQ) dirigeait les étudiants déboutés vers des solutions de rechange. « L’équipe de FQ […] surveille de près les capacités de tous les partenaires, dont les CSS. Lorsqu’un centre informe avoir atteint sa capacité, l’équipe procède à un aiguillage des élèves vers d’autres partenaires ayant de la capacité, que ce soit des CSS, des cégeps, des universités ou des organismes à but non lucratif. »

« Rappelons que les services de FQ s’appuient aussi sur des cours offerts en ligne », signalait-on aussi.

Sehriban Naman a jeté un regard sur les cours offerts à Laval, mais doute de pouvoir s’y inscrire. « C’est très loin et il faut que je fasse garder mes enfants près d’ici. »

Un autre étudiant de Saint-Eustache avec qui Le Devoir s’est entretenu, Enrique (qui a demandé que l’on utilise un pseudonyme, par crainte de nuire à son dossier d’immigration), dit, quant à lui, avoir essayé les cours en ligne sans grand enthousiasme. « Personne n’aime ça », dit-il. « La francisation, c’est pas juste la langue : c’est connaître des gens, être en immersion. »

Ces derniers mois, l’homme d’origine nicaraguayenne a commencé à travailler en soirée comme opérateur de machine dans une entreprise des environs, tout en suivant des cours de francisation le jour. « C’est important de continuer les cours, dit-il, parce qu’il y a beaucoup de choses que je ne comprends pas au travail. »

Source: Les annulations de cours de francisation se multiplient sur la couronne nord faute de budget

Computer translation:

The French budget cuts of the Ministry of Education are sowing consternation in the northern crown of Montreal, which is experiencing an immigration boom. At the Centre de services scolaires (CSS) des Mille-Îles, 90% of adult francization courses were canceled and about twenty positions were eliminated. As for the students, they don’t know who or what to turn to.

Since last week, “it’s panic” at the ABL Immigration organization, explains its interim director, Alain Marginean.

The Saint-Eustache organization has been flooded with calls since the CSS des Mille-Îles canceled almost all of its offer of adult francization courses this school year. Only three classes, rather than 14, were opened, and only for half the year.

“It’s been calling continuously since last Thursday,” says Mr. Marginean, a retired college network executive.

ABL Immigration organizes socialization activities for newcomers and offers various support services — such as helping people enroll in francization courses offered by the CSS.

Director Marginean feels like he’s going back. “It’s beyond my understanding. I’ve seen some bullshit, but that’s beyond comprehension, “he says about the reductions imposed by Quebec in francization. Because, this year, the Ministries of Education and Immigration have decided to limit the budgets for francization courses given by the CSS.

Braked courses and integration

Sehriban Naman and her husband – two Kurdish refugees – were about to start their level 5 francization class (there are 12) when they heard the news. They are discouraged. “My husband can’t find a job because he doesn’t have the language,” explains the lady.

The couple has lived in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac since 2023. In their country of origin, Turkey, they both taught. Ms. Naman now hopes to take care of the child; her husband wants to become a plumber. “To find a good job, I have to take French at level 5, 6 or 7. But now I can’t,” she says.

The CSS des Mille-Îles confirms that it had to abolish 21 teacher positions in Frenchization this fall. “We have the obligation to govern ourselves with the 2024-2025 budget rules of the Ministry of Education,” his spokeswoman said in writing. “Each of these people was contacted by the management team […] and a second follow-up was made by the human resources team to offer them another position. ”

In an open letter to Le Devoir, teachers speak of “wild, unjustifiable and incoherent” restrictions ordered by the Legault government. “About 250 newcomers will not be Frenchized this year in our region. They will have to return to the endless waiting lists of Francisation Québec,” they lament. “If we rely on the various measures and laws put in place to protect the values, language and culture here by this same government, it is counterproductive. ”

The reductions decreed by Quebec affect all CSS, but the effect on the offer of francization courses varies by location. Further north of the Laurentians, in Saint-Jérôme, the CSS de la Rivière-du-Nord does not report any change in the offer. Ditto to the CSS des Laurentides, based in Saint-Agathe-des-Monts.

But in Repentigny, in Lanaudière, the CSS des Affluents had to reduce its offer of francization courses by 50%, thus depriving 200 students of classes and 20 teachers of their posts. At CSS des Patriotes, based in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, the number of courses offered increased from twenty last year to seven this fall.

However, several CSS managements who say they have maintained their course offerings say that they will take little or no support for new groups. This is the case, among others, of CSS Marguerite-Bourgeoys (in Montreal), Navigators (in Quebec City), Chênes (in Drummondville) and Hauts-Cantons (in the Eastern City).

Others, such as the Sherbrooke CSS, are counting on a resolution of the problem this fall, at the risk of having to close classes later this year.

Limited alternative solutions

From the beginning, the Legault government defended its decision by arguing that the demand for francization is too strong. In just two months, this spring, the number of adults registered for francization in the Quebec network reached 26,656, while there were 34,060 for the entire 2023-2024 financial year.

However, Mr. Marginean argues that regions like his suffer much more than others.

It has only been a few years that francization courses have been offered locally in Saint-Eustache and Saint-Thérèse, he argues, and it was necessary to fight to obtain them. “It’s been three years since we won that. We are not interested in sending people to Laval or Saint-Jérôme. ”

The Ministry of Immigration had told Le Devoir in mid-August that the new organization Francisation Québec (FQ) was directing rejected students to alternative solutions. “The FQ team […] closely monitors the capabilities of all partners, including CSS. When a center informs that it has reached its capacity, the team refers students to other partners with capacity, whether CSS, CEGEPs, universities or non-profit organizations. ”

“Remember that FQ services also rely on courses offered online,” it was also reported.

Sehriban Naman took a look at the courses offered in Laval, but doubts that he can register. “It’s very far and I have to have my children looked after near here. ”

Another student from Saint-Eustache with whom Le Devoir talked, Enrique (who asked for a pseudonym to be used, for fear of harming his immigration file), says he tried the online courses without much enthusiasm. “Nobody likes it,” he says. “Francization is not just language: it is knowing people, being immersed. ”

In recent months, the man of Nicaraguan origin has started working in the evening as a machine operator in a nearby company, while taking francization courses during the day. “It’s important to continue classes,” he says, “because there are many things I don’t understand at work. ”

Filed under Integration Tagged with ,

Angus-Reid – Temporary Foreign Workers: Canadians support reduced program; few want workers to have path to citizenship

2024/09/11 Leave a comment

Although not covered in the summary, the data tables highlight that non-white are more critical than white (I would have preferred an immigrant, born in Canada comparisons):

Part One: Views of Temporary Foreign Workers program

  • Canadians say they hear more negative things than positive ones
  • Most say number of workers too high
  • Plurality say program should continue with changes

Part Two: Who benefits and loses from TFW program

  • Most see a boon for business at the cost of labour market and housing
  • Liberal supporters most positive, cross-partisan concern about impact on housing

Part Three: Concerns about treatment of workers, but little support for citizenship

  • Majority say businesses that can’t afford to pay wages Canadians will take should close
  • Many also say Canadians don’t want to do the jobs TFWs perform
  • Majority say businesses treat TFWs unfairly; half say government exploits them
  • Citizenship for TFWs not supported by many

Source: Temporary Foreign Workers: Canadians support reduced program; few want workers to have path to citizenship

Filed under Immigration Tagged with ,

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