citizenship

Wednesday May 4, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Wednesday May 4, 2016 Citizenships of about a dozen people at risk after auditor general report Immigration officials are looking at revoking the Canadian citizenship of about a dozen people after the auditor general found the government isnÕt doing enough to root out fraud in the citizenship system. Michael FergusonÕs report uncovered instances of people with serious criminal records and others using potentially phoney addresses among those who managed to secure Canadian citizenship thanks to holes throughout not just the Immigration Department but the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency as well. The cases flagged represent just a fraction of the nearly half a million people whoÕve become Canadian citizens in the last two years, but that doesnÕt mean improvements arenÕt necessary, Immigration Minister John McCallum said Tuesday. ÒThe vast majority of the cases are clear but we are not happy if even one case is fraudulently obtained and that is why we are vigorously implementing the recommendations of the auditor general,Ó McCallum said. Recommendations related to improving information sharing between departments will be implemented by the end of the year, McCallum said. Another suggestion Ñ that officers be given more power to seize fraudulent documents Ñ is currently in a bill being debated in the House of Commons. Among the cases caught by Michael FergusonÕs team: four people who were granted citizenship despite having criminal records that would render them ineligible, and two who were approved despite having committed crimes after passing a criminal-background check. The audit also revealed it took seven years for officials to cotton on to the fact a single address had been used by at least 50 different applicants during overlapping time periods. Of the 50, seven became Canadian citizens. A review of 49 cases where an individualÕs address had been flagged as problematic concluded that in 1

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday May 4, 2016

Citizenships of about a dozen people at risk after auditor general report

Immigration officials are looking at revoking the Canadian citizenship of about a dozen people after the auditor general found the government isn’t doing enough to root out fraud in the citizenship system.

Michael Ferguson’s report uncovered instances of people with serious criminal records and others using potentially phoney addresses among those who managed to secure Canadian citizenship thanks to holes throughout not just the Immigration Department but the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency as well.

The cases flagged represent just a fraction of the nearly half a million people who’ve become Canadian citizens in the last two years, but that doesn’t mean improvements aren’t necessary, Immigration Minister John McCallum said Tuesday.

“The vast majority of the cases are clear but we are not happy if even one case is fraudulently obtained and that is why we are vigorously implementing the recommendations of the auditor general,” McCallum said.

Recommendations related to improving information sharing between departments will be implemented by the end of the year, McCallum said. Another suggestion — that officers be given more power to seize fraudulent documents — is currently in a bill being debated in the House of Commons.

Among the cases caught by Michael Ferguson’s team: four people who were granted citizenship despite having criminal records that would render them ineligible, and two who were approved despite having committed crimes after passing a criminal-background check.

The audit also revealed it took seven years for officials to cotton on to the fact a single address had been used by at least 50 different applicants during overlapping time periods. Of the 50, seven became Canadian citizens.

A review of 49 cases where an individual’s address had been flagged as problematic concluded that in 18 instances, citizenship officials didn’t follow up to see if the applicant actually met residency requirements.

The issues Ferguson included everything from officers seeming to ignore existing information about applicants, data entry errors that meant problems were missed, a failure on the part of security agencies to share information with the Immigration Department and officers not following their own procedures, like checking an applicant’s paperwork against a database of known fake documents.(Source: Toronto Star)

 

Tuesday October 6, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Tuesday October 6, 2015 Muslim women sound off on 'stupid' niqab debate Many prominent Muslim women in Canada say they have heard enough of the niqab debate and are ready for federal leaders to shift their sights toward issues, they say, matter. The Canadian Council of Muslim Women held an event Sunday in Toronto to hand out awards and discuss concerns in their communities. There was also an opportunity for debate between political parties on where they stand on issues affecting Muslim women in Canada. But the debate continued to focus on wedge issues rather than major themes affecting all Canadians. That did not sit well with some Muslim women, who say the topic is "just a way to gain votes" ahead of the Oct. 19 election. "Right now, the federal government is talking about women and [the] niqab, which is not an issue, even for Muslims," said Zarqa Nawaz, the creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie. "We're in a recession, what is the plan to go forward? Those are the things I want to talk about. Not about women in [the] niqab and why she can't sing the national anthem with her face covered. That's just stupid." Maryam Dadabyoy, community relations officer for the National Council on Canadian Muslims, appeared annoyed with the niqab conversation. She says the federal government should be inclusive of all Canadians. "It's an issue that won't go away and it's not even that important," Dadabyoy said. "We need to see a government that just makes us feel more a part of the community and not being ostracized," she continued. "Not very many women do wear [the] niqab, but it's being thrown in everyone's face." (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/muslim-women-sound-off-on-stupid-niqab-debate-1.3256417 Canada, citizenship, niqab, Islam, bigotry, #elxn42, #elxn2015, election, conservative, Islamophobia, stereotype, values, Canadian

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 6, 2015

Muslim women sound off on ‘stupid’ niqab debate

Many prominent Muslim women in Canada say they have heard enough of the niqab debate and are ready for federal leaders to shift their sights toward issues, they say, matter.

The Canadian Council of Muslim Women held an event Sunday in Toronto to hand out awards and discuss concerns in their communities. There was also an opportunity for debate between political parties on where they stand on issues affecting Muslim women in Canada.

Friday March 13, 2015But the debate continued to focus on wedge issues rather than major themes affecting all Canadians. That did not sit well with some Muslim women, who say the topic is “just a way to gain votes” ahead of the Oct. 19 election.

“Right now, the federal government is talking about women and [the] niqab, which is not an issue, even for Muslims,” said Zarqa Nawaz, the creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie.

“We’re in a recession, what is the plan to go forward? Those are the things I want to talk about. Not about women in [the] niqab and why she can’t sing the national anthem with her face covered. That’s just stupid.”

Maryam Dadabyoy, community relations officer for the National Council on Canadian Muslims, appeared annoyed with the niqab conversation. She says the federal government should be inclusive of all Canadians.
“It’s an issue that won’t go away and it’s not even that important,” Dadabyoy said.

“We need to see a government that just makes us feel more a part of the community and not being ostracized,” she continued. “Not very many women do wear [the] niqab, but it’s being thrown in everyone’s face.” (Source: CBC News)

Today’s cartoon from the Hamilton Spectator. #BBR

Posted by Engaged Democracy on Tuesday, October 6, 2015

 

 

Tuesday March 24, 2015

Tuesday March 24, 2015Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday March 24, 2015

What the Supreme Court Could Say About Ted Cruz’s Canadian Past

When Sen. Ted Cruz launched his presidential campaign Monday at Liberty University, he began by telling his parents’ stories of immigration from Cuba, on his father’s part, and overcoming the odds at home, on his mother’s part. One much-discussed element of Cruz’s personal story, however, got only a brief nod: “When I was three, my father decided to leave my mother and me,” Cruz told the audience. “We were living in Calgary at the time.”

Calgary, though part of Cruz’s American story, is not in the United States; it’s in Alberta, Canada. Though Cruz was born in Alberta, he only learned as an adult that his birthplace gave him Canadian citizenship, which he officially renounced last summer.

Though it’s a common misconception, being born in Canada does not necessarily exclude Cruz, the child of an American citizen, from the White House. In fact, he’s one of many potential presidents over the years who have been born abroad.

When Sen. Ted Cruz launched his presidential campaign Monday at Liberty University, he began by telling his parents’ stories of immigration from Cuba, on his father’s part, and overcoming the odds at home, on his mother’s part. One much-discussed element of Cruz’s personal story, however, got only a brief nod: “When I was three, my father decided to leave my mother and me,” Cruz told the audience. “We were living in Calgary at the time.”

Calgary, though part of Cruz’s American story, is not in the United States; it’s in Alberta, Canada. Though Cruz was born in Alberta, he only learned as an adult that his birthplace gave him Canadian citizenship, which he officially renounced last summer.

Though it’s a common misconception, being born in Canada does not necessarily exclude Cruz, the child of an American citizen, from the White House. In fact, he’s one of many potential presidents over the years who have been born abroad. (Continued: TIME magazine)

Friday March 13, 2015

Friday March 13, 2015Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday March 13, 2015

Niqab debate important for Canadians, religious freedoms, ambassador says

Canada’s ambassador for religious freedoms says he thinks it’s important that Canadians are having a debate about the place of the niqab in society.

Andrew Bennett says his office doesn’t get involved in domestic political issues; its mandate is to advocate for religious freedoms abroad.

But Bennett says he’s aware how fraught the issue of the niqab can be and that it’s important for Canadians to have a say.

The Conservative government’s decision to appeal a Federal Court ruling allowing a woman to have her face covered by a niqab while reciting the oath of citizenship has sparked a heated debate about religious rights in Canada.

The government argues Canadian values are at stake while the opposition says to ban the niqab goes against those very same values.

Bennett says he thinks the fact that Parliament is having what he calls a robust debate on the subject is wonderful and proof Canadian institutions are functioning.

Wednesday March 11, 2015Bennett spoke to The Canadian Press on Wednesday on the sidelines of a conference on religious freedoms in Ottawa. That same day, federal Conservatives were scrambling to clarify that their aversion to Muslim women wearing the niqab applies strictly to citizenship ceremonies.

But they struggled to explain why wearing the face-covering veil is no big deal in other spheres of life, including the federal public service, if — as Prime Minister Stephen Harper maintains — it’s contrary to Canadian values and “rooted in a culture that is anti-women.”

“That is what the prime minister said and that is a point of view that one can hold,” said Treasury Board President Tony Clement, who is responsible for federal civil service. (Source: Globe & Mail)

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Posted (with much negative reaction) at Yahoo News Canada.

 

 

 

Wednesday September 12, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Wednesday September 12, 2012

3,100 citizenships ordered revoked for immigration fraud

The federal government has started the process of revoking the citizenship of 3,100 people suspected of lying to become Canadians.

Speaking at a news conference on Ottawa Monday, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said the federal government is “applying the full strength of Canadian law” to crack down on individuals suspected of obtaining citizenship fraudulently or falsifying information required for permanent residency.

“Canadian citizenship is not for sale,” Kenney told reporters. “We are taking action to strip citizenship and permanent residence status from people who don’t play by the rules and who lie or cheat to become a Canadian citizen.”

CBC News has learned cabinet has revoked the citizenship of 19 out of the 3,100 people using cabinet orders so far. The orders in council do not include the names of the individuals and the government will not release the names.

To date, letters have been sent to at least 500 of the 3,100 or so citizens suspected of fraud. Individuals may appeal to the Federal Court to stop the process.

If they don’t respond to their letters, requests to revoke citizenship go to cabinet. The entire process is expected to take months.

This crackdown on fraudulent citizenships is part of an investigation into some 11,000 people who may be lying to apply for citizenship or maintain permanent resident status.

Kenney’s department is working closely with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Canadian offices abroad to track down suspicious cases. (Source: CBC News)