Domestic Violence Concern in Canada’s South Asian Community
After violent attacks on women from the Indo-Canadian community, Surrey MP Nina Grewal urged tougher laws in order to save more lives in the future.

Laws such as minimum mandatory sentences are needed to help women in domestic-abuse situations, said Ms. Grewal, Conservative MP for Fleetwood-Port Kells.

"We need tougher laws so criminals don't dare do anything. This should not be happening, and there should be zero tolerance."

"I know that new immigrants, when they come to a new community, they face challenges," she said. "It is a big problem, and women shy away from talking because they don't want to give the family a bad name. 'If I tell the police or anyone in authority, my husband or in-laws won't like it.' "
Recent Cases

- On Oct. 20, a nurse from Coquitlam, B.C., Gurjeet Kaur Ghuman, was riding in a car with  
  her estranged husband when he shot her in the head and then killed himself.

- Days later the burned body of Manjit Panghali was found in suburban Delta, B.C., She was
  four months pregnant. No one has been arrested in her death.

- October 29, Navreet Waraich, the mother of a four-month-old boy, was stabbed to death.
  Her husband Jatinder has been charged with second-degree murder.

- Nov. 5, 2006. Excerpt from TORONTO STAR- A 39-year-old man has been charged with   murder after his wife’s body was found in a Markham garage yesterday morning. York   Regional Police were called to the Kruger Rd. home in the Highway 48 and 14th Ave. area at
about 9:15 a.m. Saturday. Officers found the lifeless body of 31-year-old Thayalini   Subramaniam inside the garage, police said. The victim’s husband, Sugirthanraj   Kailayapillai, has been charged with second-degree murder. The cause of death hasn’t been
  determined as police await results of a post-mortem examination.

- November 7 – Excerpt from the Toronto Star
Residents of a townhouse complex in the Victoria Park and Eglinton avenues area are in   shock after a man killed his wife and teenage daughter before jumping to his death from his   in-laws' nearby apartment early Sunday. Two younger daughters were also in the townhouse   where the murders occurred, but were unharmed. Police said Kathiravelu Thayakumar, 39,   committed suicide at a highrise at 45 Sunrise Ave. around 3:30 a.m. His 36-year-old wife   Malini and their 14-year-old daughter Neruuya were then found murdered in the family   townhouse on Wakunda Place.

See Also:
Domestic abuse hidden among Indo-Canadians: forum
Last Updated: Friday, November 3, 2006 | 5:26 PM PT
CBC News
More than 1,500 people heard harrowing stories of domestic beatings of women in the Indo-Canadian community at a forum in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday night.
They packed a banquet hall to talk about the problem, which has gained urgency in recent weeks after two killings and an attempted murder, all involving Canadian women of South Asian descent. Radio India, a Punjabi radio station based in Surrey, hosted the forum.
Several women said isolation, shame and cultural barriers have hidden the problem of domestic violence in the community. Political leaders, including B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal, listened to their stories and promised to take action.

Immigrant system needs overhaul: Sgro
Backlog now standing at 800,000

India tops the list with the most applicants
Nov. 2, 2006. 01:00 AM
BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH
OTTAWA BUREAU

More details

OTTAWA—The federal government needs to make a dramatic move such as limiting the number of foreigners who can apply to enter Canada if it hopes to tackle the ballooning backlog of applications, a former immigration minister says.
 
Judy Sgro says she had the support of the former Liberal cabinet for a sweeping — and controversial — overhaul that would have all but eliminated the immigration backlog that now stands at 800,000.

"The world looks to Canada like we have this great immigration system. We do, but you're not doing the system justice by taking applications that aren't going to get processed for years and years and years," she said.

"It doesn't make any sense to us to be continually taking these names ... the reality is we need to change the system," Sgro said in an interview yesterday.

Instead, she wanted to move to a system that tailored applications to intake. Each immigration office around the world would be given a quota of immigrants in line with their ability to process the applications — as well as Canada's overall target for that year.
"If we said we'll take 1,000, when we have that first 1,000 we shut the door until we get those processed," she said.

Sgro said the plan died when she was shuffled from cabinet in early 2005, but she said yesterday that the growing backlog will dictate that some action is taken.

Earlier this year, Immigration Minister Monte Solberg floated the idea of restricting immigrant applications until the government has cleared the backlog. This week, he called the backlog "concerning."

"It ties up our resources ... It also undermines public support for the system and is extraordinarily frustrating for families," he said in an interview.

"We have to deal with it and at some point we have to find a way to bring applications into line with landings," he said.

However, other experts, including former immigration minister Denis Coderre said the backlog isn't the problem. It's the time it takes to process the applications that can vary from six months for spouses and children joining a successful applicant to several years in some cases for skilled workers.

India ranks as the top country in the backlog with 167,754 outstanding applications. That's followed by the Philippines at 71,386, China with 62,490 and Pakistan at 53,196.

Last year, 302,485 people applied to come to Canada. More than 260,000 were accepted. The number of applications is down from a high of 513,907 in 2001 but has started to inch up again in recent years. So far this year, 215,129 people have applied to enter Canada.

The immigration department notes that two-thirds of applications for spouses, partners and children are finalized within six months.

Citizenship and Immigration Minister tables the 2006 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/press/06/0617-e.html

OTTAWA, October 31, 2006 — The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, today tabled the 2006 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration. The report outlines Canada’s initiatives over the past year to attract and welcome newcomers, and provides a projection of the number of people expected to become permanent residents in 2007.

“Canada’s new government believes that immigration should play an important role in building our country and helping our economy grow,” said Minister Solberg.

Canada plans to accept between 240,000 and 265,000 newcomers as permanent residents in 2007. This is an increase from the planned range of 225,000 to 255,000 set out in last year’s Annual Report.

In tabling the Annual Report, Minister Solberg emphasized that it is also important to make sure that services and supports are in place to give immigrants every opportunity to succeed in their new home. In Budget 2006, the government committed $307 million in additional funding, for language training and other services that help newcomers settle in their communities. As well, $18 million was allocated towards establishing an agency for the assessment and recognition of foreign credentials. These measures support the long-term success of newcomers to Canada.

Progress on Canadian Goan Centre

Members of the Canadian Goan Centre met in Mississauga (Ontario) on November 5, 2006 for a briefing by the Steering Committee. The mandate given to the Committee at the inaugural meeting on October 1st 2006 was to explore various options for the setting up of a privately funded community center in the Mississauga area, capable of accommodating at least 400 persons.
In summary, the Committee reported the following:
• The initial proposal for converting an existing freestanding building, currently used as a 
   school, was not viable due to parking and other licence limitations.
• Converting an existing industrial building was capital intensive and would not meet
   community needs.
• A new build was viable, but would need time to plan, and given the possible decline in the
  commercial property market, a long term planning horizon (~ two years plus) was the
  prudent approach at this stage.
• A lease option can be viable and could give the Goan Community access to a facility by the
  spring of 2007.

The group then went on to tour possible premises on Tomken Road in Mississauga, just south of the Hwy 401 underpass. The consensus of group was that the Steering Committee pursue the lease option, and setup sub-committees to assist in various tasks such as marketing, finance, operations, renovations, etc.

The facilities are targeted to include the following:
• A hall capable of accommodating 40+ round tables, plus a dance area.
• Reception/meeting rooms for seniors, seminars, study groups, exhibitions, & committee
  meetings
• Catering, Coffee Shop, and Bar Facilities.
• Members lounge to access the facilities while other events are taking place.
• Rental office suites for services suited to community needs.

The setup of the organization is also in progress. Based on laws for private corporations, the number of shareholders is pegged at 45. The group already has 36 committed subscribers.

The CGC is also in need of a logo and invites ideas and designs from its members and the public at large. A small prize is in the offing.

The list for new subscribers for shares will be left open till the end of November.

For more information on the above, or to enroll as a shareholder, participate in logo design, or sign-up for membership please, send email to:
canadiangoancentre@gmail.com.

CIC Success Story: Dr. Rodrigues

More News

Dr. Hilary Rodrigues of Markland was born in Tanzania and moved to Newfoundland in 1975. Surrounded by the natural beauty of his new home, Dr. Rodrigues saw the potential of Newfoundland and Labrador’s wild fruits and berries. He was inspired to resurrect the local wine-making tradition and transformed an old, rural cottage into Newfoundland’s first berry winery. His first batch of three hundred cases sold out in a week. Before long, the company could produce 25,000 cases a year. Now, the winery is looking at exporting overseas. Tours of the facility are already available in seven languages: Italian, Swahili, Bulgarian, Gujaradi, Hindi and Canada’s two official languages.

Dr. Hilary’s business is a testament not only to the multicultural nature of Canada, but also to the potential that this country offers to newcomers. His wines have won many awards and his dedication and entrepreneurship have won him success. Recently, Dr. Rodrigues founded a new company called Natural Newfoundland Nutraceuticals, which will produce wellness products and power juices from nothing other than Newfoundland and Labrador berries. He is also adding 60 new jobs to the local community.
 

Goan Voice designed and compiled by Demerg Systems India for Silverline Technologies Ltd.,
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