Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
What Can Trudeau Do For Us?
On November 4 of 2015, Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party of Canada assumed office as the country’s Prime Minister. Indeed, there was a mixture of reactions into it especially if you’re not a supporter of the liberal party or their ideology. Anyhow, as much as I hate doing the “us and them” mentality, I will talk about what some of us have in mind with respect to having a new Prime Minister: What can Justin Trudeau do for us youth immigrants.
As I scroll on the liberal party’s website (www.liberal.ca/realchange/) for their platform, I thought that Trudeau is pretty much aiming for equality. That’s actually good news for us because now we can be sure that equality and fairness is not only one of the priorities of the government but it is being valued as well. I also saw a handful of things that I think will have some impact on us (in a good way, of course).
Prime Minister’s Youth Advisory Council
First, on “young people”, Trudeau’s government is planning on creating a council that will give a “non-partisan advice” to the Prime Minister about issues Canada is facing. The council is going to be composed of young adults ages 16-24.
What this means for us
If Trudeau actually goes forward with this, this could be good news for not just us, immigrants, but to all youth. Indeed there are already a lot of group or initiatives that are consist of youth such as us, but a group or rather a council dedicated to giving advice to the Prime Minister is pretty big deal. Imagine if one of those members in the council is an immigrant like us, we will have that opportunity to give advice to the prime minister on issues that involve us. I just think that advice coming from the people who are actually going to be impacted by such issues are the best people to get an opinion from.
Renewed Youth Employment Strategy
Trudeau’s government plan on creating 40,000 youth jobs including 5,000 youth green jobs each year for the next three years.
What this means for us
Well, this means jobs! I know it may not be particularly hard for us to obtain a part time job, but what mostly draws me to this plan of Trudeau is the “green jobs”. It may not be that related to immigration issues, but I think that this is a good starting place for us to build connections and with people who share our interests. Moreover, it’s not as easy to get a job that concerns the environment as most of these jobs often involve the agencies of the government and government jobs.
Residency Time credit for International Students and Temporary Residents
Finally, Justin Trudeau plans on restoring the residency time credit for international students and temporary residents. Additionally, they will also the Canadian Experience Class to lessen immigration difficulties faced by international students.
What this means for us
I think this a great example of how Justin Trudeau is trying to show that Canada is indeed a nation of diversity. Trudeau’s making it easier for international students to become residents here. I have often encountered international students who are having trouble making friends because in their head, they’re international students – not a resident, but someone whose life here is unsure. They don’t know if they can join clubs or group that cater to immigration matters even when they intent to live here for the rest of their life because they’re labeled as international students. Now, if Justin Trudeau actually executes this plan, this will help international students on a more social and, I guess, emotional level. They would feel more welcome and be encouraged to be part of the community. They will be also perceived as someone who are here to contribute to Canada and not the stereotypical “leech” that gets more privileges in school just because they pay more.
Hopefully, Trudeau stays true to this platform. Although, we already see that he intends on doing so as he recently appointed a gender-equal cabinet. It’s nice to see that Canada is going back to its principles – welcoming people who want a new start in their lives. With regards to us immigrants, I think that Trudeau will not fail us since he’s also quite young himself. I know that’s rather an absurd assumption, but I just think that Trudeau should care about the youth as his age was one of the attacks that his opponents used on him, claiming that he is inexperienced. I hope that this will compel Trudeau to appreciate our opinion as he knows firsthand what if he feels like to be disregarded because of your age.
5 Myths About Refugees
Disclaimer: At VANITY Blog, we encourage youth immigrants to speak up and express themselves. This post does not necessarily reflect the views or beliefs of VANITY Blog as an organization.
On November 13, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks occurred in and around Paris, France. Reports of Syrian passport being found near the dead body of one of the terrorists have caused many to attribute the cause of this terrorism to Europe's acceptance of 700,000 refugees and migrants this year. Even though there is a possibility that this passport might have been just forged since it has not even been verified by officials yet, a lot of Canadians are already expressing worry over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plan of resettling 25,000 refugees, saying that taking in refugees would only mean taking in terrorists. This is a groundless myth.
This post aims to dispel various myths about refugees by providing data and facts from credible sources.
Many local citizens disagree with taking in refugees because they believe that refugees will take their jobs, particularly the unskilled ones. This is actually a myth. Studies show that refugees actually play a big role not just in job creation, but in increasing the wages of locals as well. A study in 2014 shows that an increase in refugees in an area also increases the wages of people in that area. This may also be attributed to the likeliness of refugees to open businesses. Steve Jobs of Apple, Jerry Yang of Yahoo!, and Sergey Brin of Google are all refugees who have largely helped stimulate the economy of the United States.
Source: Washington Post
Source: NeverHome.ca
On November 13, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks occurred in and around Paris, France. Reports of Syrian passport being found near the dead body of one of the terrorists have caused many to attribute the cause of this terrorism to Europe's acceptance of 700,000 refugees and migrants this year. Even though there is a possibility that this passport might have been just forged since it has not even been verified by officials yet, a lot of Canadians are already expressing worry over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plan of resettling 25,000 refugees, saying that taking in refugees would only mean taking in terrorists. This is a groundless myth.
This post aims to dispel various myths about refugees by providing data and facts from credible sources.
1) "Refugees will take away our jobs"
Many local citizens disagree with taking in refugees because they believe that refugees will take their jobs, particularly the unskilled ones. This is actually a myth. Studies show that refugees actually play a big role not just in job creation, but in increasing the wages of locals as well. A study in 2014 shows that an increase in refugees in an area also increases the wages of people in that area. This may also be attributed to the likeliness of refugees to open businesses. Steve Jobs of Apple, Jerry Yang of Yahoo!, and Sergey Brin of Google are all refugees who have largely helped stimulate the economy of the United States.
Source: Washington Post
2) "They are crowding our healthcare system and stealing our services"
Some people also think that refugees interfere with Canada's healthcare system and steal other governmental services from locals. In reality, there is highly restricited access to basic health care services for all refugees in Canada. In 2012, the federal government announced major cuts to the Interm Federal Health Program that drastically reduced refugee access to basic health care. Later that same year, the Federal Court of Canada ruled those changes to refugee health care as unconstitutional. The Government has appealed that decision and health care for refugees and migrants remains slim.
Furthermore, in 2012 alone, 19 Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) offices across the country were closed down by the federal government, limiting the services that refugees and immigrants can access.
Source: NeverHome.ca
3) “They come here and they don’t speak our language!”
The federal government, in 2012, ended their annual $22 million dollar agreement with the BC government. Vancouver Community College (VCC), which trains nearly half of the province’s 9,000 ESL students, won’t have enough money to continue its programs past 2015. Forcing them to fire 70 instructors. The provincial government will now have to pick up the cost for ESL education, like other provinces. Stalling the process of transition into the labour force for new immigrants.
In an interview with the Globe and Mail, a staff who has worked at VCC for 33 years said, “A number of [ESL students] don’t really know where to go. We’ve had this huge program for so many years, filling all these different kinds of needs – English for work, for academic purposes, and literacy programs – and that’s just not going to be around.”
Source: Times Colonist
4) “It’s not our problem. Our government has done enough.”
There is this looming belief among those against taking in more refugees that the Canadian government has done enough to help. According to CIC, Canada took 23,286 refugees in 2013. In that same year, less developed and geographically smaller countries like Pakistan, Iran, and Lebanon took 30 times as many refugees as Canada did. Canada only ranked 33rd in refugees per capita in 2012, taking in 5 refugees per 1,000 people. Syria, Jordan, Chad, and Lebanon all took more than 20 refugees per 1,000 people.
The newly elected Liberal government has stated that they would take 25,000 Syrian refugees. Before the Liberal government was elected, the plans of the federal government had been to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees within 12 months.
Sources: Canadian Council of Refugees and ISSofBC
5) "Refugees are terrorists!"
Many terrorist attacks this year--most especially the attacks in Paris this month that left the entire world dumbfounded--have led many Canadians to vocally raise their concerns about the security threat of bringing in 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of the year. Many Canadians have even signed a petition to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to cancel his plan of resettling 25,000 refugees. Although I think that their concern around security is valid, there is insufficient evidence to support that bringing in refugees would mean Canada will be more prone to terrorist attacks. In fact, data and experts say that resettling refugees may actually do the opposite and decrease threats to Canadian security:
- *There is a three-level screening process that verifies the background and records of all refugees coming to Canada. First, refugees will be selected by the United Nations. Second, they will undergo an interview before they come to Canada. Third, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service will conduct their own front-end security screening to ensure that the information they have match with those submitted by the United Nations. This rigorous process exponentially decreases the risk of dangerous terrorists coming in to Canada
- *Terrorists attacks in Canada have been caused by local citizens. According to Global News, more than 263,000 refugees arrived in Canada between 2005 and 2014, but neither of the two terror-related attacks on Canadian soil last year were carried out by either refugees or immigrants; the attacks in St. Jean-sur-Richelieu and on Parliament Hill were both carried out by Canadian-born young men.
- *Delaying or cancelling our plans to resettle refugees may increase threat to national security. According to Anne Speckhard, Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Security Studies at Georgetown University, terrorists become terrorists because of exposure and pressure to adhere to radical and extremist ideals. Hence, the longer we leave the refugees in despair in conflict zones, the more prone they become to radicalization. This would only strengthen and solidify terrorist groups.
Sources: The New York Times, CTV News, and Canadian Council for Refugees
Man-made tragedies always generate public discussions that attempt to find out why they happen and figure out a solution to avoid that same tragedy happening again. Although I am a big supporter of utilizing social media as a venue for this public discussions, I am disappointed at how quickly some people have been using it to voice out their opinions without even looking at facts or thinking hard about the consequences of what they say. Hopefully this post serves as a reminder for everyone to avoid forming opinions without first looking at the facts.
(Editor's note: The graphics in this post were originally made for Check Your Head's Democracy Check Digital Media Campaign last month, and were made with the help of Katie and Rodney. Reuse and republication of these images were permitted by all the creators.)
- Sean
VANITY Blog is looking for Executive Board Members!
We are currently looking for talented immigrant youth and refugee youth to join our team! If you want to get invovled in your community, this is an awesome opportunity to make a difference! The full posting is below. If you have any questions, e-mail us at vanimmigrantyouthblog@gmail.com
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Organization: Vancouver Immigrant Youth (VANITY) Blog
Mission Statement:
We use the stories and experiences of immigrant
and refugee youth in Vancouver to inspire other young people who just newly
arrived in Canada. We help newcomer youth through three main ways: maintaining
a blog website for newcomer youth, organizing events for youth immigrants, and
interacting with youth immigrants through social media.
Position Description:
As an executive board member of VANITY blog, you
will be a part of a group who will be chiefly responsible in developing,
managing, and improving our blog website. You will be constantly working with
other 6-8 students to guarantee that our blog site remains appealing to young
audiences, make sure that each blog post published is exciting to read, and see
to it that our site becomes known by numerous students who are just starting to
settle in their new lives here in Canada. This could involve having a group
meeting once a month, holding weekly Skype and Facebook conversations to update
each other, and having an exclusive access to our blog account.
Aside from being a blog site, VANITY Blog is
also known for building communities through conducting workshops, organizing
events, and reaching out to youth through our social media channels.
So if you are a refugee, immigrant, and/or a
newcomer youth, DO NOT HESITATE TO APPLY TO BE A PART OF OUR EXECUTIVE BOARD!
Currently we are looking for people for the following positions:
·
Event Management Officers (Openings: 3)
·
Social Media Managers (Openings: 2)
·
School Ambassadors (Openings: 4)
·
Media Director (Opening: 1)
General Qualifications*
·
Refugee, immigrant, or newcomer youth (15-24
years old)
·
comfortable
in sharing his/her migration experience
·
passionate about inspiring other youth
·
Can balance studies and extra-curricular
activities
·
interested
in using social media as a tool to promote diversity
·
love for writing (whether in English or in your
own language!)
*These are just general qualifications. Specific positions require
different respective qualifications. Please go to http://bit.ly/vanityblogpositions to check
out the available positions and the position-specific requirements.
Benefits and Recognition
·
Valuable learning experience
·
Skill building: team collaboration, networking,
project management, etc.
·
Opportunity to meet new friends
·
Reference letters
·
Free tickets to youth events in Vancouver
Approximate Position Start
Date
September 25, 2015
Position Duration
10 months (September 2015 to June 2016)
Time Commitment
· *3-6
hours per week (flexible hours, most of this involves working online through
e-mail or Skype)
· *able
to attend meetings for two hours once every month!
To apply, please go to: http://bit.ly/vanityblogapply
What's Up, Vancouver? (September 2015)
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| A photo inside the Vancouver Aquarium, taken by David Ohmer |
The Fair at the PNE (with free concerts every night!)
Until September 7, 2015
Pacific National Exhibition
2901 East Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
More information
"Sea Monsters Revealed: The Exhibition" at Vancouver Aquarium
Until September 7, 2015
Vancouver Aquarium
845 Avison Way
Vancouver, BC
More information
Community Fun Fair
September 1, 2015
South Arm Park
Richmond, BC
More information
TaiwanFest
September 4-7, 2015
Vancouver, BC
More information
Art Deco Photowalk
September 5, 2015
Vogue Theatre
918 Granville St
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1L2
More information
Serbian Days
September 5-6, 2015
Vancouver, BC
More information
Vancouver Fringe Festival
September 10-20, 2015
Various locations across Vancouver
More information
BBQ Off the Bypass
September 13, 2015
#117 - 20353 64th Avenue
Langley, BC
More information
Hapa-palooza Festival: Mixed Voices Raised
September 16, 2015
Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch
More information
Project Everybody: Film and Art Festival
September 16, 2015
Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
More information
Bill C-51: The Insecurity of Human Rights - A Free Public Lecture by Alex Neve
September 17, 2015
SFU Harbour Centre
515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
V6B 5K3
More information
Greek Food Festival
September 25-27, 2015
4500 Arbutus
Vancouver, BC
More information
Etsy: Made in Canada Market 2015
September 26, 2015
UBC Robson Square
800 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC
V6Z 3B7
More information
Summer: A Period of Bliss
I prefer the chilling winter wind, but I should not overlook Vancouver’s
beautiful summer season, as well as the events that complement sunshine. Summer
might as well just be the best season of the year, it hosts many activities
that cater to everyone while giving extra time for students to spend on their
interests or with their relations. One might spend the summer with their
family, by learning something, or with fellow Vancouverites by attending events
during the two short months; while another might just finish Breaking Bad, and
compose academic essays during the two long months. In spite of personality
chasms, most will find themselves enjoying the two versatile months.
Vancouver is a small, densely populated city, but it keeps a noteworthy
collection of recreational facilities, cultural facilities, leisure sites, and
a perpetual cycle of cultural events, attaining everything from the city’s
diversity and its being the densest city in Canada, thus making the large range
of activities possible. The two months are reserved for fun along with personal
betterment, focusing only on one aspect… like all fun without work, or vice
versa… would deprive one of the Vancouver summer experience, which is quite
popular among tourists looking for outdoor activities and special events.
Moving on from the conjectures… I present my favorite
Vancouver events:
Canada Day (July 1, All Around Vancouver)
Bard on the Beach (June 11-July), Vanier Park
The Fair at PNE (August 22 - September 7, excluding August 24-31)
Vancouver Jazz Festival (June - July, concerts all throughout Vancouver)
Canada Day (July 1, All Around Vancouver)
- Join Vancouverites at Canada Place
- Richmond and Surrey also have fun festivities lined up on Canada Day!
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| Via Dennis S Hurd / “Many say that the building looks like the Sydney
Opera House (left). Also, it’s nearby Vancouver’s World Trade Centre (middle)” |
Bard on the Beach (June 11-July), Vanier Park
- A Shakespeare festival where one can watch live theatre
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| Via Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival / "For 2015, they will perform The Comedy of
Errors, King Lear, Love's Labour's Lost, and the world stage premiere of
Shakespeare's Rebel" |
The Fair at PNE (August 22 - September 7, excluding August 24-31)
- An annual tradition for most friends and families, the Fair offers: amusement park rides, summer night concerts, circus performances, live music, art exhibits, and much more!
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| via Mark Faviell / "The PNE played a vital role in Vancouver's military
involvement during WWII" |
- To celebrate jazz music, around half of the events are free!
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| via Vancouver 125 / "The festival attracts 565,000 fans over
two weeks. This May, Lady Gaga performed two jazz concerts with Tony
Bennett"
Vancouver Pride Parade (August 2, West End)
Honda Celebration of Light (musical fireworks competition)
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Vancouver's Prestige
This city is one of the best places to be
in. It has everything any person could ever want. The environment, culture,
climate, and the location are all conveniently compatible to my tastes, as well
as anyone I’ve ever talked to about Vancouver. For instance, the climate that
does not become too hot or too cold, but still changes enough to justify a
genuine winter and summer. The drawbacks, ranging from the minute to the
serious, are altogether outweighed by the Vancouver perks. Anyone can argue
against the livability, the quality of living, of Vancouver, but they will
eventually run out of reasons. Not surprisingly, Vancouver is always included
within the lists of the best cities to live in, and at the rate we’re going, we
can expect a more attractive Vancouver, problems transformed to treasures
unique to the city.
For now, I’ll only show the things I like
about the revered metropolis, the ostensible problems won’t have a significant
effect on you if you’re reading this. So, to begin with, one can experience a
perfect blend of temperatures even in the coldest winters and the hottest
summers. It never becomes too cold to hibernate in the home for half of winter.
It never becomes too hot to drink 8 liters of water during the summer.
Vancouver also has an attractive pattern in its weather. Rain doesn’t disparage
the beauty of the city, but it highlights the nature found inside the area. In
spite of this, on very rare occasions, Vancouver still gets affected by one in
a hundred storms. On the other hand, there is a lot of time and good days to do
something outdoors in Vancouver. So it’s generally fine to consider Vancouver’s
atmosphere, also its favorable air quality, as a wonder of nature.
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| "ANIREVO 2014, Vancouver" by roaming-the-planet |
An obvious reason for our good air is the
vast amounts of nature found everywhere. The mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests
make great activity places. There is a plethora of possibilities—winter
activities, summer hikes, calm boat rides, anything else that makes us feel
nature every once in a while. While budget could be detrimental to my points,
many people in Vancouver usually do these things for cheap or even free. Stanley
Park, as an example, is one of the things I absolutely hold in high regard. It
is a charming place, the inside is wonderfully natural, it is a place that
serves many people throughout the seasons, and the best part about it is that
it’s a park, so it’s free.
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| Aerial shot of Vancouver, courtesy of Evan Leeson
*Just beside Downtown Vancouver is Stanley Park…
which is consistently recognized as one of the best parks in the world.
|
Any rational person would agree that cultural integration is a problem for the old, not the young. It has also been stated, by many experts and TV figures, that racism would die with older generations. I would even assert this myself, I never notice anyone young projecting offensive behavior to others. This means that schools and their students are in good shape, the youth population will just add to Vancouver’s praises. A huge reason for this is the immigrant groups, the foreign transfers, and the location of the city. There are many newcomers here, barely any of them would feel alienated, they always have groups during their first moments, then they join the mainstream after they feel comfortable enough. Another reason is Vancouver’s location—it is at the bottom of Canada, beside the shoreline, and above another cultural hub, the US. It’s plausible to say that Vancouver has the stereotypical Canadian values and beliefs but devoid of the countryside-ignorance an isolated place could have. The high amounts of technological development is a reason, as well as the government of Canada itself, and again, debunking preset stereotypes, and behaviors, by fusing multiple cultures into one city.
Overall, I’d like to live in Vancouver, it would also be the most logical choice. However, personally, I just don’t want to settle in the place forever. Adults, especially those who are “easily bored,” won’t really like the perceived boredom in the city. A lack of infrastructure, perhaps as a result of a lack of population, might be the cause, besides the job problems. Anyway, this won’t be Vancouver’s conclusion, this is just the present. I won’t consider myself as part of the adults for around 10 more years. So, if Vancouver transmutes rocks to gold by then, I might just stay in here forever. A truly rare combination of simplicities.
Overall, I’d like to live in Vancouver, it would also be the most logical choice. However, personally, I just don’t want to settle in the place forever. Adults, especially those who are “easily bored,” won’t really like the perceived boredom in the city. A lack of infrastructure, perhaps as a result of a lack of population, might be the cause, besides the job problems. Anyway, this won’t be Vancouver’s conclusion, this is just the present. I won’t consider myself as part of the adults for around 10 more years. So, if Vancouver transmutes rocks to gold by then, I might just stay in here forever. A truly rare combination of simplicities.
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| "Telus World of Science" by Jason Mrachina
Rogers
Arena (left) and Science World (right; sparkling dome)
We lack many things, from
zoos to respectable financial districts… Vancouver is still a budding city
compared to other metropolises, it is quite young, but we have enough, like Science World,
for young thinkers; and Roger’s Arena, for sporty youths. Despite all the
shortages, our infusion of nature with a diverse society (more than 40%
have an Asian heritage)… offering us an influx of Asian restaurants,
yum… altogether makes Vancouver one of the most livable cities in the world.
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- Angelo
