By Amber Hildebrandt, CBC News Posted: Apr 13, 2011 4:17 PM ET

An email sent out by a Conservative campaign staffer in a Toronto riding seeking people in “national folklore costumes” to appear at a photo-op is an insulting use of so-called ethnic voters as props, critics say. Canadian Arab Federation president Khaled Mouamar received an email late Tuesday from a Conservative campaign staffer for the Etobicoke Centre riding asking “representation from the Arab community” for a Thursday visit from Stephen Harper. “Do you have any cultural groups that would like to participate by having someone at the event in an ethnic costume? We are seeking one or two people from your community,” the email signed by Zeljko ‘Zed’ Zidaric said.

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On behalf of No One Is Illegal-Vancouver, a migrant justice collective, we are writing to request your support in opposing the recent proposal made by the Conservative Government, just one day prior to the dissolution of Parliament, regarding “Conditional Permanent Residence” for sponsored spouses. We encourage you to read an op-ed in the Toronto Star on the issue here: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/970479–marriage-of-convenience

This proposed measure would apply to spouses and partners who have been in a relationship with their sponsor for two years or less at the time of the sponsorship application. These sponsored partners would have an imposed period of conditional status for two years or longer from the time that the sponsored spouse or partner becomes a permanent resident in Canada, with the threat of revocation of their permanent residency if CIC believes they do not remain in a ‘bona fide’ relationship.

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By Krystle Alarcon and Stephanie Law, 8 Apr 2011, TheTyee.ca

Satish Patel and his family are selling their home in Ontario and leaving everything behind to return to India. He waited five years for his parents to join him in Canada and he’s giving up. “I am the only son and I believe we have waited for much longer than normal,” said Patel, whose parents live in India. “I should have considered this before I applied for immigration. But now that’s already done and I have to see how I can move back sooner so my parents can be with me.” When Patel leaves, not only will Canada’s population decline by one, but one political party or another may lose a potential voter. In this federal election season, Patel’s predicament is emerging as an important issue in a number of close-fought ridings, including Vancouver South.

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See “Anti-abortion Activist” Minister Jason Kenney on this CNN clip from 1989 when he was a university student in San Francisco here.

And for people who speak French here is an article discussing, amongst other things,  Minister Kenney’s history comparing pro-choice activists and, I believe, homosexuals, to the klu klux klan.

Published On Wed Apr 06 2011. Toronto Star. Avvy Yao-Yao Go, Anita Balakrishna and Atulya Sharma

In this federal election, all major political parties are waving the “family friendly” flag. The Conservatives are particularly eager to win what they call the “very ethnic votes” as well as “women” votes. But while their campaign slogans say one thing, the Conservatives’ policies have been something else altogether, especially when it comes to immigration. The Harper government reduced the intake of parents and grandparents under family class immigration, especially from countries like India, while doing little to reduce excessive delays in processing time. Since the Conservatives took over in 2006, the number of family-class immigrants has gone down by 15 per cent, in contrast to the 31 per cent increase in the number of temporary foreign workers who entered Canada over the same time period.

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