www.theasianstar.com
Vol 19 - Issue 24
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Majority of Canadians against accepting more refugees - poll A pre-election survey conducted for CBC News suggests Canadians are divided on immigration, with clear limits on the kind of migration they find acceptable. The government groups immigrants into three categories: economic, which are skilled workers and businesspeople, along with their partners and dependants; family reunification; and refugees or those admitted under humanitarian or compassionate grounds. More than threequarters (76 per cent) of respondents to a survey by Public Square Research and Maru/Blue agreed that Canada should do more to encourage skilled labourers to immigrate to the country, while 57 per cent said Canada should not be accepting more refugees. The results come as no surprise to immigration experts and advocates, who point to a negative shift in tone on migration around the world, especially when it comes to refugees. They say that trend is stoked by media coverage in Canada of asylum seekers crossing the country’s border with the U.S.
Continued on page 3 The government today banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based group that supports the cause of Khalistan, for its other anti-national activities. A senior official in the Ministry of Home Affairs said the decision to ban the outfit under Section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,1967, was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi. Noting that SFJ’s primary objective was to establish an “independent and sovereign country” in Punjab, the official said, a strong warning had been sent to “fringe groups operating
51% jump in desis getting Canadian ‘green card’ Interest among the Indian diaspora (including those based in the US) in acquiring permanent residency in Canada continues unabated. During 2018, over 39,500 Indian citizens obtained permanent residency in Canada under the express entry system (this figure constitutes 43% of the total number. According to recently released statistics, in 2018 Canada admitted more than 92,000 new permanent entry residents through its express entry system, which is a rise of 41% over the previous year.
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Former PM Harper condemns Sikh separatists, predicts close Modi-Scheer ties Former prime minister Stephen Harper condemned Canadians who promote Sikh separatism and predicted close ties with a controversial Indian government if the Conservatives win back power, underscoring in a recent speech the role south-Asian politics could play in the run-up to October’s election. Harper criticized those who “bring the battles of the past to Canada” and try to divide India, a rare attack by a Canadian politician on the movement for a separate Sikh homeland. His comments, earning a standing ovation from a pro-India audience, raised questions about whether his party is moving closer to New Delhi on an issue that has long roiled the Indo-Canadian community. Or if — as some Sikh leaders argue — the Hindunationalist Indian administration is itself Continued on page 3
India bans US-based SFJ from foreign soils that India will not tolerate secessionist activities, whether carried out in India or abroad” and would take strong action against such entities. He also said the ban decision was taken after wide consultations with “all major representative bodies of the Sikh community” and was “largely driven” by the report the Centre had received from the Punjab Government”. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), Punjab Police and Uttarakhand Police have registered 12 cases against SFJ actvists in India and made
39 arrests. “Their presence is minor in India. However, there is potential of mischief and, hence, the decision,” the official said. “Once the organisation is banned, the NIA can take up the issue with its counterparts across the world for further action,” he said, adding: “SFJ from time to time has been making numerous attempts to instigate Sikh soldiers and Sikh security personnel against the Union of India.” Continued on page 7
Canadian aid worker jailed for 9 years for sex assaults in Nepal A prominent Canadian aid worker convicted of sexually assaulting children in Nepal will have to serve nine years in prison, one of his lawyers said. The Nepalese judge who sentenced Peter Dalglish to nine years and seven years on each of two counts ordered the terms be served concurrently, Nader Hasan said. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Dalglish to pay his victims the equivalent of US$5,000 each. “We continue to be dismayed by the trial judge’s refusal to consider the overwhelming
evidence of Peter’s innocence and the inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case,” Hasan told The Canadian Press. “Peter’s family stands by him unflinchingly.” Dalglish, an Order of Canada recipient, was convicted last month after a police investigation and trial his lawyers described as a travesty of justice. His defence said it planned to challenge the decision and sentence, although the judge has yet to release reasons.
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