Immigration
-
December 17, 2024
Parastoo Ahmadi’s groundbreaking concert: Symbol of defiance and hope | Maria Mahmoudian
In a momentous event that defied the oppressive norms of the Iranian regime, Parastoo Ahmadi recently held a concert without wearing a hijab. This courageous act of defiance took place at an undisclosed, clandestine location in Tehran, with tight security and limited attendance to ensure the safety of the performer and her audience. The concert, held this month, has since become a landmark in the struggle for women's rights and freedom of expression in Iran.
-
December 16, 2024
Federal fiscal update after Freeland’s shock departure features tax, legal changes of note to bar
Boosting the number of judges in Ontario’s Unified Family Court and Court of Appeal, making “bail and sentencing laws stricter,” and new civil remedies — and criminal penalties of up to $1 million for corporations — under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, were among the new measures proposed in the 2024 fall fiscal update by the minority Liberal government after Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland stunned Ottawa by resigning from the Cabinet a few hours earlier.
-
December 13, 2024
B.C. woman receives $3.3 million in sanctions for investment fraud
The B.C. Securities Commission (BCSC) has ordered nearly $3.3 million in sanctions against a woman who carried out predatory investment fraud “under the guise of helping Chinese students and tourists.”
-
December 13, 2024
Nova Scotia education minister moves to justice file
Nova Scotia has a new justice minister. Lawyer and former education minister Becky Druhan has been given the job of justice minister and attorney general following the Progressive Conservatives’ recent re-election as a majority government.
-
December 12, 2024
PBO releases overview of Ottawa's national housing strategy, cites challenges with certain information
The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) has released a report on federal government's spending this year on its national housing strategy, noting that the government is projecting how much housing it will provide but not how many people will be in need.
-
December 12, 2024
Immigration update: What’s coming (and not) with the new U.S. administration
Since September of this year, the number one question I have been hearing from clients is, “What will happen with immigration under the new Trump administration?” Individuals wishing to have access to the U.S. and/or work or live in the U.S. are concerned that immigration will become difficult or impossible under President-elect Trump’s rules and policies as he enters his second (and final) term.
-
December 10, 2024
CBSA annual report notes increase in smuggling attempts and inadmissible entries
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has released its year in review report for 2024, highlighting that between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, it “seized more dangerous drugs and firearms, and intercepted more stolen vehicles than in 2023.”
-
December 10, 2024
Canada sanctions Russian and Chinese officials, citing human rights violations
The federal government has announced additional sanctions against nine Russian officials and eight Chinese officials allegedly involved in human rights violations.
-
December 06, 2024
No Charter breach when police warrantlessly searched text messages in ‘exigent circumstances’: SCC
The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed 6-3 an Ontario man’s appeal of his drug trafficking convictions, holding that his Charter rights were not breached because “exigent circumstances” justified police, without a warrant, using a cellphone they seized from a drug dealer to impersonate that dealer and continue his texting with the accused to arrange what police suspected to be a purchase of fentanyl-laced heroin.
-
December 06, 2024
Indoctrination vs. education | Maria Mahmoudian
The story of Mohammad Hossein Fahmideh’s martyrdom during the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) serves as a striking example of how indoctrination can infiltrate an education system, shaping the beliefs and actions of youth. Fahmideh, a 13-year-old boy who sacrificed his life by blowing himself up under an Iraqi tank, was heralded as a national hero and martyr. This narrative was used by the Iranian government to mobilize young people for the war effort, embedding ideological conformity within the educational system.