No 51 US State! Message to US President Donald Trump, speaking at the "No 51 State" Rally in Vancouver
Canadian Press: Groups call on Ottawa to activate foreign influence registry as election approaches
Gloria Fung, past-president of Canada-Hong Kong Link, said Thursday there’s “still a vacuum” because Ottawa has yet to appoint a commissioner or explain exactly how the registry will work.
Fung appeared at a news conference Thursday with several other representatives of cultural communities concerned about meddling, intimidation and threats from abroad.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan, who also took part in the event, accused the government of moving too slowly on the foreign influence registry.
“Where is that registry? What does that registry look like, and what are the requirements for people to follow the law?” she said. “We have none of that information.”
Neither the office of Public Safety Minister David McGuinty nor his department had immediate responses to questions Thursday about progress on implementing the foreign influence registry.
OPEN LETTER: Opposing Mayor Sim’s motion to Temporarily Pausing Net-New Supportive Housing Investments in Vancouver
I recall my time at City Council, while I was the lone opposition member in a 10 to 1 council and there werem any policy decisions where we had disagreement, when it came to approvals for both social and supportive housing in the City, we always acted in unison in support of those developments in our community. Indeed, “Vancouver has long taken a leadership role in providing supportive housing”, and it has done this regardless of whether or not other municipalities have fallen short in also providing social and supportive housing.
While I also agree that the City cannot be a lone actor in bringing about sufficient dignified social and supportive housing, health care supports, including the full spectrum of mental health, harm reduction, addictions supports and recovery care needed to serve residents living in the Downtown Eastside and beyond, instead of advancing collaboration and partnerships, this motion does the opposite.
Worse still, this short-sighted vision peddles the "Not In My Back Yard" sentiment as a solution to challenges in the community. It is sending the wrong message that the development of supportive housing is bad for neighbourhoods.
At a time where there is so much discord, fear and uncertainty in our community, elected officials across all municipalities and levels of government need to come together, not to sow division but to unite in collaborating and delivering real solutions that are evidence-based.
Media Release: MP Jenny Kwan Presents King Charles III Coronation Medals to Outstanding Community Leaders
Vancouver—Jenny Kwan, Member of Parliament for Vancouver East, presented the King Charles III Coronation Medals to another 12 outstanding community members at Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre on February 24.
In December last year, MP Kwan presented the King Charles III Coronation Medals to 18 distinguished leaders in the community at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre. This is the second medal presentation for the Vancouver East Member of Parliament.
The Coronation Medal was established to commemorate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III on May 6, 2023. It is the first Canadian medal to mark a coronation.
The King Charles III Coronation Medal is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to Canada or to a particular provinces, territory, region or community of Canada, or who have made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada.
Toronto Star: This new Canadian immigration program is being heavily promoted by recruiters. Here’s why that’s causing concern
While foreign caregivers welcome the government move to grant them permanent residence upon arrival, Dulaca said Ottawa needs to immediately provide details about eligibility criteria, application procedures, applicable job experience and what documents are required and accepted. Details should not be released only on the opening day.
The concern is echoed by MP Jenny Kwan, the NDP’s immigration critic.
“There are serious concerns over the lack of any word from you on the details of such a program,” Kwan (Vancouver East) wrote in a December letter to Miller. “There is fear that your government could go back on its promise and that the new PR Pathway for Caregivers may not be put in place at all.”
City TV NEWS: Rally outside Vancouver college protests sudden termination of key English program
Dozens of students and instructors gathered at Vancouver Community College (VCC) Tuesday to protest the unexpected shutdown of the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program.
LINC, which has helped thousands of immigrants learn English, secure jobs, and work toward citizenship, is set to be terminated at the end of March due to federal funding cuts.
The move has left over 800 students without a clear path forward and more than 30 instructors without jobs.
“We found out just before winter break, and this was the first opportunity to get people together to raise spirits, because people have been really down.” said Frank Cosco, president of the VCC Faculty Association.
Toronto Star NEWS: ‘An ordeal that doesn’t end’: Lost Canadians’ citizenship at risk with Parliament suspended
If Ottawa lets the deadline lapse and the two-generation cut-off is thus voided, affected lost Canadians could just come reclaim their citizenship. If the court cuts the government some slack and grants another extension in light of the circumstances, the uncertainty will continue.
“During that extension period, we could very well be in an election, in which case, no bills could be passed,” said MP Jenny Kwan, immigration critic of the opposition NDP, and a staunch supporter of the bill.
Media Statement: In Response to the Hong Kong Government’s Issuance of a Wanted List for Overseas Pro-Democracy Activists
I call on the Canadian government to take urgent and decisive action to:
1. Strongly condemn the Hong Kong government’s NSL and the targeting of overseas activists, including Canadian citizens and residents, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Hong Kong.
2. Impose targeted sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for human rights violations and the erosion of Hong Kong’s freedoms.
3. Stop according any special rights or diplomatic status to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade offices in Canada.
4. Expedite the processing of PR application for Hong Kongers fleeing political persecution and to automatically renew their work and study permit in the meantime.
Global NEWS: UBC criticized for renting room to Hong Kong government for recruitment exam
“UBC, of course, can rent their space to anybody. However, from my perspective, I think that you should be looking at some ethical standards that should apply,” she said.
“In the very minimum, one would think that any organization, any institution that’s going to rent out a space to a government that is a regular, persistent, violent human rights violators, that they would apply some standards to it.”
Kwan suggested the university should have warned those taking the exam about the concerns regarding the NSL.
Kwan called UBC’s response “completely inadequate.”
“It’s just basically saying, well, it doesn’t matter. We’re blind to all of these issues,” she said.
“As a global institution, which is what UBC is, you would think that they would have a little bit more thought than to say, ‘We will just follow the regulations of basic rental requirements.’ That’s not good enough.”
Office Holiday Break
