www.theasianstar.com Vol 14
Issue 44 Saturday, November 28, 2015
Tel: 604-591-5423
Magna forms seating joint venture in China
“I believe in quality than quantity”- Ravinder Grewal
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First Liberal broken promise
Trudeau delays Syrian refugee resettlement plan
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rime Minister Justin Trudeau is abandoning his promise to bring 25,000 refugees to Canada this year, instead pushing back the resettlement effort to 2016. But his enthusiasm for bringing Syrians displaced by conflict to Canada has not abated, he said in Ottawa in an interview. Trudeau said he delayed the government-sponsored resettlement program because it was more important to “get it
right” than to fulfil his campaign pledge. “We looked at the logistics, we looked at what it would take to bring them in by Jan. 1, and we had options around that,” he said. “We realized that we wanted to make sure it was done absolutely right to ensure that Canadians who have been incredibly open and enthusiastic about it remain as positive about welcoming these families as they possibly could be.” Continued on page 6
Canada’s refugee plan ‘madness’ France’s National Front leader says
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arine Le Pen, the controversial leader of France’s farright National Front, is scoffing at Canada’s plan to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees with open arms, calling it “madness.”
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“There. I’ve said it. Madness,” she said In an interview with the fifth estate. “There are other ways to do it,” she went on, adding that the “danger is real — false passports. Continued on page 8
Rashida Samji seeks stay of Ponzi scheme fraud charges
former Vancouver notary accused of running a $110-million Ponzi scheme claims criminal charges against her would amount to double jeopardy because she has already been disciplined by B.C.’s securities regulator. According to one of her lawyers, Rashida Samji (pictured) will apply for a stay of proceedings at a provincial court hearing in February. She claims the case would violate her constitutional right not to be tried twice for the same offence. “The position that we’re taking is that Ms. Samji has already been tried and punished,” said lawyer Mila Shah. Fined $33 million Samji was fined $33 million
by the BC Securities Commission (BCSC) last January for defrauding more than 200 victims in a decadelong Ponzi scheme. She was also permanently banned from B.C.’s capital markets. Meanwhile, the Crown charged her with 28 counts of fraud and theft in 2013 in relation to 14 of her investors. Section 11(h) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right of any person “if finally found guilty and punished for (an) offence, not to be tried or punished for it again.” Shah said Samji will also argue that the criminal prosecution is an abuse of process in violation of Section 7 of the charter. Though rare, double jeopardy arguments have arisen before the courts
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Alberta MLA Manmeet Bhullar gets state memorial service on Sunday
fter several days of emotional tributes to the popular Calgary MLA, Manmeet Bhullar will receive a state memorial service in Calgary on Sunday. Bhullar, 35, was killed last Monday afternoon after he got out of his car in an attempt to aid another motorist on a snowy highway. RCMP said a vehicle skidded off the Queen Elizabeth II Highway north of Red Deer and rolled onto the median. Bhullar was one of two motorists who tried to help. A semitruck on the same stretch of highway lost control, hitting one of the parked vehicles and careening into the median. Bhullar was struck as he was walked between his vehicle and the rollover. He was rushed to hospital, but later died. No one else was hurt in the incident. The Progressive Conservative MLA for Calgary-Greenway will be memorialized Sunday at the Jubilee Auditorium. A viewing
begins at 9 a.m. and the service, which is open to the public, starts at noon. Conservative MLAs gather around a flag and flowers set on Manmeet Bhullar’s desk at the Alberta Legislature. The 35-year-old, who had represented Calgary-Greenway, once served as infrastructure minister under former premier Jim Prentice and was human services minister and Service Alberta minister in the Alison Redford government. Bhullar was a “warrior for fairness and justice,” who put others ahead of himself in politics and in his personal life, all the way up to his final moments when he helped someone in distress, friends and family recalled Monday. “The light in our lives went dark today,” Bhullar’s family said in a statement. “Manmeet Singh left us while he was doing what he loved more than anything — helping someone else… Continued on page 6
Another South Asian man killed in Surrey shooting
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South Asian was killed after Police are asking anyone with two men were shot in Surinformation about the shooting to rey on Saturday of last week. The contact the IHIT tip line at 1-877dead man was Surinderpal Singh 551-IHIT (4448) or email invesHehar, 45, a member of the Surrey tigators at ihittipline@rcmp-grc. Field Hockey Club. The other man gc.ca This was the 51st shooting survived after both were shot inside in the Surrey and North Delta area a car in the 15000 block of 66th AvSurinderpal Singh since the beginning of March. PoHehar, 45 enue just after midnight. Sgt. Stephalice believe many are linked to a nie Ashton, of the Integrated Homidial-a-dope turf war. The Surrey cide Investigation Team, said “investigators Field Hockey Club’s Facebook page conbelieve this to be a targeted shooting however tains well over a hundred comments from at this point there is no indication this shoot- mourners. Some described Hehar as “a great ing has any connection to any other investi- guy on and off the field,” a “great human begation within the Surrey area.” They have yet ing” and a “great individual always smiling.” to make an arrest. Continued on page 2