Friday, August 31, 2007

GET RID OF THE IRB!

The Toronto Star run a story purporting to show that adjudications vary widely amongst Members of the Immigration and Refugee Board ( IRB), even after taking into consideration the assignment of cases to different Members on a regional basis. The story claims that, in the same regional group, there are wild inconsistencies in the decision-making process, and while some members accept virtually all claims, others accept a very small percentage. That the IRB is a useless body open to abuse from all sides has been known for years. The Liberals stacked the IRB with political hacks since its inception, and many defeated MPs, Senators' relatives, Liberal party fundraisers and others found a good gig to the tune of around $ 100K a year. On the otter hand, refugee interest groups such as the Canadian Council of Refugees constantly pressure the body to allow more positive decisions. Attempts to reform the Member selection process are half-hearted, pander to interest and ethnic group sand are not strictly based on merit. Nothing will ever change until it is abolished and replaced by a body composed of judges who will be lawyers with tenure, selected strictly on a merit basis, with adversarial hearings open to the public like every other court of law, and where bogus applicants can be challenged on there fabricated stories in open court, while people will also see the legitimacy of meritorious claims that are wrongfully denied by bad decisions. The Board has to go...the sooner, the better. It serves no purpose other than being a good way for bogus claimants to play the system for time, and may be even get lucky and get through, while legitimate claims languish in the lineup.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/251233

Thursday, August 30, 2007

LABOUR SHORTAGES PREDICTED IN THE IT INDUSTRY

A new study has been commissioned amid predictions o severe labour shortages in the IT industry by 2015 in Canada, unless drastic changes are made to the educational and immigration systems. One thing is clear and we do not need a study to see it: we aer not getting the kind of immigrants that the economy needs, and we are wasting valuable resources for purely political pandering. See story:

Monday, August 27, 2007

ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

A provocative article has just been published by MacLean's magazine, describing the frightening prospect of large numbers of Pakistani Islamic radicals entering Canada. Draw your own conclusions....it is worth reading.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

IMMIGRANTS GOING BACK TO SCHOOL

If you migrate to Canada, don't be surprised to learn that your qualifications are not up to par for the labour market. many immigrants must return to school to upgrade their skills and acquire more marketable ones. See interesting story in the Toronto Star.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

HIP HOP AND IMMIGRATION

Now, here is an interesting one for you. What an obvious publicity stunt!:
Jerome Almon, CEO of Detroit-based label, Murdercap Records has sued Canadian border officials for alleged racial discrimination. For the past decade he has faced long interrogations and has consistently been turned away when trying to cross into Canada, he contends. He has also subpoenaed celebrities such as 50 Cent, Oprah Winfrey and Jay Z in an effort to add weight to his law suit. He is asking for $900 million in damages coming from alleged loss of business.Additionally, he has reportedly named 95 border guards and two former federal immigration ministers in his law suit.Almon alleges that Canadians blame African Americans for the rising gang violence in cities like Toronto and Vancouver and deliberately make it more difficult for African Americans to cross over into Canada in an effort to discourage them from visiting.Almon wants Jay Z and 50 Cent to share their experiences when crossing the border into Canada. 50 Cent has in the past complained about his experiences when crossing into Canada; his G unit entourage was denied entry into Canada. Almon also subpoenaed Paris Hilton and Martha Stewart in an effort to show how easy it is for white people to enter Canada."There is a global war on hip-hop—they blaming us for everything and anything, and we got to stand up right now," Almon told a newspaper. "We got to take our hands out of our pockets and drop our backhand on them." Canadian officials have denied that they discriminate on the basis of race.
I look forward to seeing Paris Hilton on the sand....Pleeeeeeezzzzzzzzz
See story:

Friday, August 24, 2007

NOT A TERRORIST....JUST A FAKE

Here is an interesting twist coming out of Australia.....Draw your own conclussions...Advance Australia Fair....
Haneef colleague sacked
The Age (Melbourne), August 24, 2004
An Indian doctor who admitted to falsifying his resume has been dismissed from his job at a Queensland public hospital and now faces possible deregistration. Dr Mohammed Asif Ali was questioned and released without charge by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) last month as they investigated links between him and former terror suspect Dr Mohamed Haneef, who also worked at Gold Coast Hospital. The AFP said on August 1 that Dr Ali remained a person of interest to investigators. Queensland Health launched a misconduct investigation after Dr Ali - who was suspended on July 27 and is on leave in India - publicly admitted to forging parts of his resume relating to his work experience in India. Queensland Health director-general Uschi Schreiber today said Dr Ali's employment with the department had been terminated, based on his admission he faked about three months of his employment history on his resume when he applied for his job at Gold Coast Hospital. 'In my view Dr Ali has been dishonest in the way in which he obtained employment as a medical practitioner in Queensland,' Ms Schreiber said. 'Dr Ali has conceded he provided this false information in the belief that it would increase his prospects of getting a job. 'This represents an intention to deceive Queensland Health to secure a personal advantage.' The Medical Board of Queensland will meet on August 28 to consider cancelling Dr Ali's registration. Dr Ali's medical qualifications had been thoroughly checked by the Medical Board and independently verified, Ms Schreiber said. He met all the clinical assessments by senior doctors at the Gold Coast Hospital during his time there, she said. Dr Ali's lawyer Neil Lawler spoke to his client by phone today and said Dr Ali and his family were very disappointed. 'He is disappointed with the news, as you would expect,' Mr Lawler said. 'His family is also very disappointed with the news as they were planning to emigrate.' Mr Lawler conceded the sacking would likely lead to the cancellation of Dr Ali's working visa, and had potentially ended any prospect of his client returning to work as a medical professional in Australia.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/haneef-colleague-sacked/2007/08/24/1187462500672.html

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

QUEBEC AND IMMIGRATION

A recent poll claims that Quebeckers support current immigration levels, and that more Ontarians think that Canada received "too much " immigration. However, Quebeckers were not asked if they support non-francophone immigration....I think that is a very important question that must be asked before jumping to conclusions. In my humble opinion, this poll means NOTHING. I hope taxpayers did not pay for any part of it!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

MORE MEXICAN LABOURERS FOR CANADA?

As the summit between Canada and Mexico approaches, reports indicate that discussions may center upon bringing more Mexican labourers to Canada. Currently, about 12,000 Mexican low skilled agricultural workers come to Canada each year under a special program. They then go back to Mexico, but many simply stay under the radar. A sore point in Canada-Mexico relations is the increasing number of so-called "refugees" from Mexico, around 5,000 people a year, who enter as visitors and then claim refugee status, receive benefits, health care, social assistance, etc., despite that their cases are ultimately found to be groundless. This imposes a huge cost on the refugee determination system, and "clogs" it with bogus cases. Mexico is now the largest producer of refugee claimants for Canada, displacing many countries with a larger population, war, and worse human rights record. I received a call this week from a woman in Florida, seeking information on "the spacial program for Mexicans to claim asylum". According to her, some outfit in Florida has advertised a phone number, asking people to make an appointment, and "guaranteeing" a "good life in Canada". The holders of the number do not provide their name or position, but say that they are "experts in Canadian immigration". Apparently people attend at the premises, and are told that, for a hefty fee, they can be "taken to Canada" where they will be welcomed as refugees, given a work permit and a job, because "Canada needs more Mexican workers"......there is a sucker born every minute....

Thursday, August 16, 2007

CANADA DOES NOT NEED THIS HEADACHE

The Washington Post reported that the US government asked Canada to take some of the Guantanamo detainees who did not pose a security risk and resettle them in Canada. What a folly! Why would Canada need this problem and public relations nightmare? Makes no sense. The US should resolve its own public relations image, and deal with the detainees as it thinks fit...not our problem, sorry...See story:

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

SERGIO R. KARAS INTERVIEWED BY CKNW NEWS TALK RADIO 980 VANCOUVER

I was interviewed last night at 7:30 PM PST for half hour on "NIGHTLINE BC", on CKNW News Talk Radio 980 Vancouver, to comment on the difficulties in deporting Leon Mugesera and otter war criminals from Canada. It was an interesting program with lots of audience participation....the verdict was unanimous....get rid of them ASAP.

STRIPPERS WANTED.....AGAIN

A couple of yeas ago, former Citizenship and Immigration Minister Judy Sgro had to resign, partly because she showed favouritism towards a Romanian stripper ( or "exotic dancer", in its more politically correct form). The government then acted to remove the exemption from obtaining a Labour Market Opinion for strippers. Now it seems that the rejection rate at Visa posts is quite high...I suppose the dancers are having trouble showed the evidence :-). According to an article in the Toronto Sun , the situation is dire:

"Hundreds of foreign exotic dancers here on temporary work permits may go under cover if federal legislation that could ban the import of strippers into Canada becomes law, says an association that represents the women.
A public meeting is being held tomorrow at City Hall by the Adult Entertainment Association of Canada (AEAC), which is gearing up for a battle with Immigration Minister Diane Finley to scrap bill C-57. Meetings are also being held this month in Niagara Falls and Windsor.
"We are bracing up for a fight," said association spokesman Tim Lambrinos. "This bill is threatening our industry and our livelihood."
In the last two years, only 17 dancers were issued work permits to travel to Canada. So far this year, seven have been allowed in, Lambrinos said.
'REJECTION RATE'
"There's a 98% rejection rate by visa officers abroad," he said yesterday. "The government is trying to ban a legitimate business and legal occupation."
Up to 700 dancers, many in the Toronto area, who are here on work permits may not return home if they know they can't qualify to return to Canada, Lambrinos said.
"These women will be cut off and forced to go underground if that legislation goes through," he said.
"They know they won't be able to return if they leave Canada."
The foreign dancers are required to supply the demand of 33 clubs in the GTA, Lambrinos said.
Toronto lawyer Peter Rekai, who has been retained by the association, said he's prepared to challenge the law in the federal court if it is passed.
His group is also planning to meet with Finley and to appear before a standing committee studying the bill.
Immigration spokesman Karen Shadd-Evelyn said the amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act will help prevent foreign workers from entering situations where there is a risk of exploitation or abuse. "
I have always wondered what happened to the home grown talent......See the article at:

Monday, August 13, 2007

WAR CRIMINALS STILL IN CANADA.....WHY?

I was recently interviewed by Canwest Global Newswire on a troubling question: Why are war criminals and terrorists ordered deported by Canadian courts still in Canada, marking time and fighting deportation after exhausting all legal remedies? The case of Rwandan war criminal Leon Mugesera has been going on since 1993 and went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, which cleared his deportation as valid. But two years later, he is still here, trying to get more kicks at the can. A more outrageous case is that Mahmood Issa Mohammed, a terrorist from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) convicted in Greece of hijacking a plane on the tarmac of Athens airport in 1970, who managed to enter Canada under a false identity in 1988...Almost twenty years later, he is still here! What kind of message is Canada sending to the world? Due process does not mean 20 years in the court system. That is abuse of process and lack of guts from the part of the government. If these characters would be in jail while putting forward all those fancy (and mostly groundless) judicial reviews, I would bet you that their cases would be moving a lot faster...The Canadian public has the right to know why these individuals are still here....Is there an ulterior motive? Or is it simply incompetence? Are there political considerations involved? I say send them back ASAP. We need the government to LIMIT the rights of review for those involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity, or multiple crimes of violence. This should not be our problem. We are exceedingly naive otherwise, and let these people use us for years on end... and by the way...please lock them up while they appeal...it will give them an incentive to move things faster... Read the National Post story where I was quoted:

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=f6eb63eb-ba36-4300-a13c-3c292af4a3f4&k=0

Saturday, August 11, 2007

VIVE LA FRANCE? OU VIVE LE QUEBEC?

The Wall Street Journal published this controversial article on immigration to Quebec by...the French!!!!! It seems that they do not like it....Draw your own conclusions...

WHY IS THIS TEEN ROAMING THE STREETS?

Here is another prime example of why the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) should be replaced by REAL judges who understand the law and have tenure, rather than political appointees who are ....well...just that:
Teen Wanted In Tennessee Slaying Wants Refugee Status In Canada
August 11, 2007 2:58 p.m. EST
Valerie Chang - AHN News Writer

Edmonton, AB (AHN) - Canadian authorities are appealing a decision that could set a teenaged boy free in Canada to pursue a refugee claim even though he is wanted in Nashville, Tennessee on charges that include criminal homicide.
Police in Nashville believe that Nasser Muhsin, 16, shot and killed a man during a robbery last November. Before authorities there could arrest him, Muhsin made his way to Canada.
Muhsin, who surrendered to authorities in Canada in June, has been held at a youth detention facility in Edmonton pending deportation proceedings. However, Muhsin recently argued before the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) that he wants to be released from custody to pursue a refugee claim that might allow him to stay in Canada.
The basis for Muhsin's refugee claim is that he is a former member of the notorious Bloods gang and, because he left the gang in the summer of 2006, his life would be in danger if he returned.
On Wednesday, the IRB entered an order setting Muhsin free as long as he lives with his uncle in Edmonton and checks in with immigration officials twice each week.
Government officials appealed the IRB decision, and on Friday afternoon, Judge Robert Barnes of the Federal Court of Canada temporarily halted Muhsin's release, calling the IRB's order setting Muhsin free pending extradition to the U.S. "unreasonable."
The government's appeal of the IRB decision is expected to be heard in the fall.
I hope the IRB member who made this decision can sleep at night....I would bet you that this "refugee" claim could be dealt with faster and more efficiently while this fugitive is in jail....

Friday, August 10, 2007

SLEEPING BEAUTY?

According to a story published today in the Ottawa Sun a woman attempted to sneak into Canada while asleep in the cab of a truck....The brief story recounts the incident:

"A gamma-ray scan of a truck entering Canada at Lansdowne yesterday morning turned up a sleeping woman who has a criminal record.
According to the Canada Border Services Agency, the woman was in the cab of the truck when the driver, a 55-year-old Richmondville, N.Y., man, told guards he was travelling alone.
The woman, who's the driver's girlfriend, was returned to the U.S. because she was inadmissible to Canada.
Francis G. Sega is charged with failing to report a passenger in his vehicle and misrepresentation under Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. He is in custody and will appear in Brockville court next Friday. "


While this is a bit much, it is far from unusual. Many times there are people who, unwittingly or on purpose, aid and abet in the surreptitious entry of illegal aliens. A warning to them: it is an offence under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the consequences Can be harsh, including fines and jail time.

See story :

http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/BreakingNews/2007/08/10/4408541.html

Monday, August 6, 2007

THE TROUBLE WITH MEXICO...

Mexicans are getting a rough welcome to Canada according to a report in today's Globe and Mail newspaper....they claim that CBSA officers pressure them, go through their luggage and eventually send many back. This is new....but why? Simple: Mexicans are arriving in Canada pretending to be tourists and then making refugee claims in ever-increasing numbers. The number of Mexican claimants has grown five-fold in the last few years....the claims are mostly unfounded and eventually turned down. However, they are clogging the system, to the point that Mexico is the number one refugee-producing country for Canada. The solution is quite simple, yet politically charged: impose a visa requirement on Mexico, which is already the norm form every other Latin American country. The imposition of a visa will serve to scree en legitimate travelers and prevent bogus refugee claimants from reaching Canada. I say do it.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070806.wmexico06/BNStory/National/

Sunday, August 5, 2007

LATINOS COMING TO CANADA?

For decades, the US has been the magnet of Latino migration, legal and illegal. The porous Mexican border made it quite easy to sneak in, get a job and simply stay, with few fears of deportation. Now this seems to be changing, but is it really? According to a Toronto Star story, Latinos are heading north because their hopes of ever attaining legal status in the US are fading fast. I am quite skeptical of these claims: while there has been an increase of Latino migration to Canada, it has been mostly the product of Mexicans travelling on a visitors visa and simply making bogus refugee claims, advised by unscrupulous immigration "consultants". The increase has been five-fold, according to figures at the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), from an average of 1,000 a year to 5,000 a year. However, these numbers are a drop in the bucket when compared to the almost 8,000 illegal Mexicans entering the United States on a DAILY basis, and with a Latino population in the US that is the fastest growing ethnic group in the country and becoming a de-facto majority in many cities. I think the facts in Canada are grossly exaggerated. Latin Americans make a very small percentage of the total immigration to Canada, a very distant figure to the massive migration from China, India , Philippines and Pakistan...and while we need good LEGAL immigrants with the skills our employers need, we certainly do not need more bogus refugee claimants and illegals. See story:

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ideas/article/243034

Thursday, August 2, 2007

INTERESTING IMMIGRATION ANGLE TO VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPICS

Here is an interesting one: it seems that the authorities fear that hookers will attempt to apply for Study Permits to enter Canada for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The Vancouver Sun just run a story detailing how this would be accomplished by the would-be ladies of the night....It seems to me that the best course of action would be to restrict Study Permits to reputable schools that are registered and supervised by each Provincial authority, and to prosecute bogus schools and students, so the word can gt out that Canada is not soft on abusers. See:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=775276bc-f5d9-4acc-96fb-aace225fb027&k=16942
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