New Prime Minister of Canada, Paul Martin says
"Within a generation, the United States will not be the lone economic superpower.China and India are already accelerating global competition, shaking the foundations of the world economy.
Just as breakthroughs in information technology and communications powered the economic surge of the 1990s, the next decade will witness similar advances in technologies we've never even heard of today. All of this with a potential to revolutionize the way we work, the way we think, how we build the communities where we live and raise our children.

Whether it is our traditional industries or tomorrow's, these enabling technologies will transform our economic base. They will be the world's engines of growth.

Ours must be an economy driven by individual ingenuity and creativity; this means an education system second to none; this means committing to the pursuit of excellence and innovation. ""Across the country, a new guard is taking the centre of the political stage, demanding an end to our perennial problem - the uniquely Canadian combination of regional discord and inter-governmental bickering.

And, most importantly, the old insecurities about the Canadian identity have been replaced by increasing confidence, pride and ambition. A new sense of nationhood has taken hold - one that is at ease with our multicultural diversity and linguistic duality"

For text of the notes for Paul Martin's speech to the Liberal leadership convention today click here.

Immigration to Canada - Government trying to take care of Sharks preying on would-be migrants to Canada
Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the Hon. Denis Coderre, announced that as of April, 2004, the activities of immigration consultants who interact with Citizenship and Immigration Canada will be regulated. This is an historic development in Canada's immigration system, one that will significantly enhance consumer protection and reduce fraud.
The Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, a non-profit Canadian corporation, has been created. Effective April, 2004, immigration consultants who wish to file new applications with Citizenship and Immigration Canada or the Immigration and Refugee Board must be members of the Society.

See full article at: http://www.goacom.com/news/news2003/nov/msg00039.html
http://www.goacom.com/news/news2003/nov/msg00038.html

Canada Immigration - Delays in processing Spousal Category permits.
Nov. 1, 2003. 01:00 AM
Toronto Star
Applicant kept in dark about waiting times, treated rudely
ALLAN THOMPSON
In theory, applicants for permanent residency who are applying within Canada in the spousal category can get an approval in principle from the immigration department within 90 days.This tells the applicant they are almost certain to be approved and can get a work permit while the rest of the paperwork is done. That's how it's supposed to work - in theory. Having just spent what amounts to the worst seven months of my life waiting for my 90-day approval in principle on my inland/spousal sponsorship application for permanent residence, I'm wondering how many other inland applicants have survived the ordeal.
I still can't believe the cavalier manner with which misinformation was distributed to would-be immigrants to Canada.
The moment that most sticks in my mind is when, after mailing my application and waiting three months, I inquired about its status. I was curtly told there would be a delay of at least six to nine months due to a huge backlog of visa applicants and this backlog had been in place well in advance of my sending in my application. I "must have known what was going on," the Immigration Canada agent said.
The painful part is that if I had been apprised of the situation ahead of time, we would have applied from outside Canada and my family and I could have been spared the emotional and financial stress of moving to Toronto and waiting in limbo with no definitive end in sight. Well in advance of moving to Canada, I had phoned immigration several times, asking questions about the inland process and the requisite application.
I find it hard to believe no one (either from the Canadian consulate in New York City, or Immigration Canada) was informed or empowered to at least warn me there might be a problem in meeting the 90-day approval time.
I can only hope that other families have found their way through this nightmare. As for us, we ran out of momentum and money. After a year of this insanity, the stress became too much and we made the difficult decision to leave Canada and try to start over - again.
You have hit on one of the problems with the way the immigration department provides information. You don't just have to surf its Web site - http://www.cic.gc.ca - to find information on processing times. You practically have to scuba dive.
You would think there would be a bold icon on its home page to direct applicants, or more important, would-be applicants, to the latest information on estimated processing times. After all, this is what the immigration department does for a living. But the Web site does not provide one portal to information on processing times.
For an application made overseas at one of Canada's visa posts, you have to find the individual Web site for the Canadian embassy or mission that would handle your file.
The department's Web site does have an icon on the home page that says "Visa Offices." Half a dozen clicks later, you can get to the Web site of the Canadian embassy you are looking for, then click further to find its current estimates on processing times.
People who are already in Canada and have applications being processed inland have to take a different cyber route.
First, click on "On-line services," then choose "e-client application status," then select "Application Processing Times," then "Immigration Applications Processed in Canada."
Still with me?
The page that pops up next will give you a chart of estimated processing times for different types of applications. Once you make your way through the electronic labyrinth, the news is not good.
Let's say you filed an application for permanent residence, from within Canada, based on the fact that you are married to a Canadian citizen. Then you found yourself in the same boat as thousands of other would-be immigrants who file their applications from inside the country, rather than overseas.
Most of these applications are handled by the centralized case processing centre in Vegreville, Alta. And the backlog of files is so enormous that many immigration lawyers advise their clients not to use the inland route at all, even if they are automatically entitled to do so.
Right now, it is taking Vegreville more than six months to grant the approval in principle that is supposed to take 90 days for applicants with Canadian spouses.
E-mail: immigration@thestar.ca. Fax: 416-869-4410.

Goa to set up NRI cell in Canada, says minister
by Eugene Correia
Posted on goanet@goanet.org Nov 12, 2003
The Goa government will set up a Non-Resident Indian cell in Canada, according to Minister of Industries, Francisco D'Souza.
D'Souza, who also holds the portfolio of Law and Judiciary, said the cell would work to attract foreign investment in the state.
See article at: http://www.goacom.com/news/news2003/nov/msg00058.html

Konkani Lessons in the GTA - Dinner celebration
A dinner was held at The Flaming Copper Pot Restaurant in Mississauga on October 17 to celebrate the successful conclusion of the first phase of sixteen two hour weekly Konkani lessons in the GTA. Most of the fourteen students who completed the course attended. As usual, the food and the ambience was excellent and complemented by just as good service. The new proprietor, Mr. Felix D'Souza (an Anjuncar, I am proud to say) has maintained the standard set by Mr. Gerry Gomes.

The occasion was also used as a debriefing session in order to asses what worked well and what areas could be improved upon. The following is a summary of the points discussed.

1. Most felt that the best feature of the classes was the social and convivial atmosphere of the classes. "We were amongst friends and had a lot of fun" said Corrine.

2. The break after the first hour of the two hour session was felt to be too long and the snacks tended to get more elaborate as the weekly classes progressed. In future, the break would be no more than 10 minutes with just cookies and water offered.

3. Another suggestion was to separate the class into two groups - Beginners, i.e. those who are being introduced to the language for the first time and Intermediate, i.e. those who have some knowledge of the language. This way the lessons can be focussed appropriately.

4. The classes were originally meant to focus on "colloquial Konkani". However, this was not the case as it was felt that written and read Konkani would be more beneficial to the learning process. This proved to be more academic than practical and also more difficult than anticipated - particularly as there is no standard way to spell (or pronounce) Konkani in Roman script. One suggestion was to devote more time for students to appreciate the nuances of Indian sounds as defined by the Devanagri script. This did not find a lot a favour with the group as this would be difficult for the uninitiated. Another suggestion was that the classes in the future concentrate on short and simple spoken Konkani phrases and sentences and dispense with the reading and writing part. This way, the students will be better equipped to use what they learned in a practical way.

Post meeting note: In my discussions about our Konkani lessons with an associate of the Goan Konkani Troupe, the last point of "short and simple Konkani phrases . . ." was supported and reinforced by him saying that the students should be immersed into a Konkani speaking session where no English is spoken except by the tutor.

The next session of classes is planned for the fall of 2004.

Stay tuned.

Toronto novelist, M.G. Vassanji, becomes first repeat winner. His book set in Colonial Kenya in the 1950s
The In-Between World of Vikram Lall, Vassanji's fifth novel, is the story of Vic, an Indian-born Kenyan exiled to a small town on the shores of Lake Ontario. From his Canadian vantage point, Vic reflects back on his life in British-ruled Kenya, the complexities of his past, and the choices that shaped his life.
See: http://www.goacom.com/news/news2003/nov/msg00016.html

OTTAWA (CP) - People were warned Friday not to eat a certain brand of tandoori masala that may contain a carcinogenic food colouring not permitted for use in Canada.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it was recalling RAJAH brand Tandoori Masala that was sold in 100-gram, 400-gram, and 1-kilogram bags and 100-gram tins because the colouring used has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals. The affected packages have a best before date of 18 07 2005 (July 18, 2005), and may have been distributed nationally, the agency said in a release.

The mandatory recall order, issued by federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief, requires anyone selling, marketing or distributing the product to recall it.

Sudan 1, a red dye, is not allowed as a food colour in Canada.

For more information, consumers and industry can call the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at 1-800-442-2342