Category: Canada

Jean Beliveau is Gone But Not Forgotten

Post author By Shelly W
Post date December 4, 2014
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Hall of Famer and Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau is gone, he passed away recently, but he is not forgotten and lives on in the hearts and minds of hockey fans everywhere. In 1972 Beliveau was elected to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and this honor was hard earned. As a Montreal Canadiens member Jean Belivea played for at least part of 20 different hockey seasons, he played in 1,125 games during his career, he had 712, assists, and he made 507 goals. These statistics are part of what man the man legendary, but it was also his attitude and the fact that he was a true gentleman.

Geoff Molson, current president of the Montreal Canadiens, said about the passing of Jean Beliveau “The Montreal Canadiens organization is extremely moved by Mr. Béliveau’s passing away. Like millions of hockey fans who followed the life and the career of Jean Béliveau, the Canadiens today mourn the passing of a man whose contribution to the development of our sport and our society was unmeasurable. Jean Béliveau was a great leader, a gentleman and arguably the greatest ambassador our game has ever known. Jean Béliveau was part of the Canadiens family for over six decades. The Canadiens organization will bring all the needed support to the members of Jean Béliveau’s family, and will work closely with them to organize the ceremonies that will take place in the coming days. On behalf of the Molson family, and all members of the Canadiens organization, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his beloved wife Élise, his daughter Hélène and granddaughters Magalie and Mylène.”

Tags Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens

Canada Economic Ft Mac

Temporary Foreign Worker Program Replacement Proposed by Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Post author By Shelly W
Post date December 4, 2014
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Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Temporary Foreign Worker Program replacement

According to the latest proposal by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business a visa program should be used as a Temporary Foreign Worker Program replacement. The visa program being proposed will include the opportunity for foreign workers to eventually become eligible for permanent Canadian residency. According to Dan Kelly, the president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business “Canada was built by people who decided to take a chance, come here and work hard to make a new life for themselves and their families. The Introduction to Canada Visa would open up those opportunities once again. You shouldn’t need a PhD to live the Canadian Dream.” One argument used by the organization for the visa program is that this would eliminate any current problems and relieve the worker shortage at the same time.

Canadian Federation of Independent Business president Kelly discussed Temporary Foreign Worker Program replacement with a new visa program, saying “Given the massive cost of turn-over, small businesses would much rather hire someone who is not temporary, but the permanent immigration system largely prohibits anyone with more junior skill sets. We need workers at all skill levels, including for entry-level jobs, and that need isn’t going away.” Some, like Jason Kenney who is the employment minister, do not see such a pressing need for the change. A spokesperson for Kenney provided an email response “The cap will significantly restrict access to the Program, while ensuring that Canadians are always considered first for available jobs, reducing employer reliance on the program and increasing wages offered to Canadians. We believe that employers must do more to hire under-represented Canadians like youth, Aboriginal people, and Canadians with disabilities, rather than bring in temporary foreign workers to fill jobs.”

Tags Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Temporary Foreign Worker Program replacement

Alberta Canada Politics

Will GSA Bill Pass in Alberta?

Post author By Shelly W
Post date December 4, 2014
No Comments on Will GSA Bill Pass in Alberta?

In Alberta parents will lose the ability to pull their children out of class when sexual orientation is being discussed if a new GSA bill passes. The new GSA bill is designed to protect the rights of sexual minorities in Alberta. The legislation is called Bill 10: The Act to Amend the Bill of Rights to Protect our Children, and it was introduced in an effort to prohibit discrimination that is based on sexual orientation while also protecting parental rights, and it provides recourse which allows a student to challenge a decision by a school board which rejects any gay straight alliance club by asking for judicial review of the decision.

According to Sandra Jansen, the Calgary-North West MLA “There shouldn’t be any roadblocks to students who want to set up gay-straight alliances in their schools and indeed the progress that we have made in this past year has been remarkable, in my opinion, with more and more GSAs being established all the time. This bill is aimed to ensure that in situations where those students aren’t supported, that the students, the parents and their advocates have a clear mechanism to challenge that position.”

The new GSA bill that protects sexual orientation in Alberta would affect the rights of parents, because the school will no longer notify parents ahead of time when sexual orientation will be discussed. According to Gordon Dirks, the Education Minister, the new GSA bill may cause some tension even in the court system. “No parent should be able to just pull their child out of class willy-nilly for no reason. Underneath this legislation, (parents) have an opportunity to express their opinion and to be heard and if they don’t agree, to appeal.” The issue of sexual orientation and GSA clubs has been very controversial, with people on both sides of the argument. Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman stated “The incremental argument is insulting. I’m sure that the black people, the Jews and the disabled people appreciated incremental progress just so that they didn’t get too many rights all at once.

Tags Alberta, GSA bill, sexual orientation

Canada

Government of Canada to make an announcement at the Public Service Pay Centre

Post author By news22
Post date December 3, 2014
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MIRAMICHI, New Brunswick, December 3, 2014 — Tilly O’Neill Gordon, Member of Parliament for Miramichi, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, will announce a milestone in the Transformation of Pay Administration Initiative.

Date: December 4, 2014

Time: 4 p.m.

Location: Miramichi Business Complex
408 King George Highway
Miramichi, New Brunswick

INFORMATION:

Marcel Poulin
Office of the Honourable Diane Finley
819-997-5421

Media Relations
Public Works and Government Services Canada
819-956-2315

Source:: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=911429

Canada

Harper Government Announces New Investment Agreements in Sub-Saharan Africa

Post author By news22
Post date December 1, 2014
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December 1, 2014 – Ottawa, Ontario – Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, and the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, today announced that Canada has signed foreign investment promotion and protection agreements (FIPAs) with three sub-Saharan African countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal. The FIPAs were signed by Minister Paradis and his counterparts from the three countries on the margins of the 15th Francophonie Summit and the first Francophonie Economic Forum, taking place in Dakar, Senegal, from November 29 to 30.

FIPAs help ensure fair treatment and create a more predictable and transparent business environment. Specifically, FIPAs set out clear rules governing investment relations, including dispute resolution and protection against discriminatory and arbitrary practices, creating a secure and predictable environment. Improving the business climate by increasing investment and trade will contribute to sustainable economic growth in those countries and to achieving the objectives of the economic strategy for La Francophonie.

Now that these agreements have been signed, countries will proceed with their respective ratification processes.

Captions:

Minister Paradis signs the FIPA with Côte d’Ivoire.

Charles Koffi Diby, Côte d’Ivoire’s Foreign Affairs Minister, signs the FIPA.

Minister Paradis and Mankeur Ndiyae, Senegal’s Foreign Affairs Minister during the FIPA signing.

Minister Paradis and Abdoulaye Diop, Mali’s Foreign Affairs Minister, discuss the FIPA.

Quick Facts

Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal are priority markets for Canada under Canada’s Global Markets Action Plan, with opportunities in various sectors such as mining, oil and gas, education, energy, infrastructure, sustainable technologies, agriculture and transport.
According to Natural Resources Canada, 2013 Canadian mining assets were worth $704.3 million in Mali, $221.1 million in Côte d’Ivoire and $631.9 million in Senegal, part of a total of nearly $24.1 billion in assets in sub-Saharan Africa for 2013.
Canada currently has FIPAs in force with 28 countries and is negotiating with many others.

Quotes

“Our government is committed to promoting the sustainable development of francophone communities through La Francophonie. This year’s Francophonie Summit is especially significant, given that discussions have focused on economics and economic relations. I am proud to have signed foreign investment promotion and protection agreements with these West African countries to support our mutual trade objectives and promote sustainable economic growth and greater prosperity.”

– Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie

“FIPAs will not only provide the protection and confidence Canadians investors need to expand in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal, they will also further strengthen Canada’s economic ties with sub-Saharan Africa.”

– Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade

Associated Links

Contacts

Rudy Husny
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Ed Fast
Minister of International Trade
613-992-7332

Maxime Robert
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
343-203-6238
maxime.robert@international.gc.ca

Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
Follow us on Twitter: @Canada_Trade
Like us on Facebook: Canada’s International Trade Plan-DFATD

Source:: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=910769

Canada

Temporary suspension of removals lifted for Haiti and Zimbabwe

Post author By news22
Post date December 1, 2014
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An additional six months to apply for permanent residence will be given to affected individuals

Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, and Steven Blaney, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, today announced that the temporary suspension of removals for Haiti and Zimbabwe has been lifted, effective immediately. With the suspension now lifted, affected individuals will be provided with an additional six months to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

The Government of Canada is implementing measures for individuals affected by the lifting of the temporary suspension of removals. All affected individuals will be given an additional six months to stay in Canada, with access to work permits. This will allow them enough time to either apply for permanent residence in Canada based on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) grounds or return home. In support of this measure, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will defer their removal pending a final decision on their H&C application.

Quick Facts

The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness may impose a temporary suspension of removals on a country when the entire civilian population faces a generalized risk as a result of:
A temporary suspension of removals is an interim measure. The CBSA and Citizenship and Immigration Canada review country conditions and make recommendations on whether to impose, maintain or lift a temporary suspension of removals.
The conditions in Haiti and Zimbabwe have improved and the Government of Canada considers that there is no longer a generalized risk to the entire civilian population in these countries.
An armed conflict within a country or place;
An environmental disaster resulting in a substantial temporary disruption of living conditions; or
Any situation that is temporary and generalized.

Quotes

“Haitians and Zimbabweans have demonstrated tremendous courage in recovering from the earthquake of 2010 and years of political instability. After a thorough review of country conditions, the Government of Canada is lifting the temporary suspension of removals to these countries as others of our international allies have already done.”

Steven Blaney, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

“Canada is one of the most generous countries in the world, and we have extended that generosity for over 10 years to Haitians and Zimbabweans by allowing them to stay in Canada because of unsafe conditions in their home countries. With the temporary suspension now lifted, the uncertainty has ended and Haitians and Zimbabweans will have the opportunity to apply to make Canada their permanent home.”

Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister