surprise resurgence: By 2040-41, the federal debt would top out at around 1.08 trillion before starting to fall, as compared to last year's prediction that it would reach 1.55 trillion by 2050-51, according to National Observer. The improvement is attributed to an overall boost in the fiscal outlook, particularly in the medium term, which comes after the Canadian economy mounted a surprise resurgence over the past 12 months. If such a scenario played out, the deficit would reach an annual high of 24.8 billion around 2030-31 before beginning to fall. While long-term predictions contain considerable uncertainty, Finance Minister Bill Morneau nonetheless said the projections prove the Liberal government's plan is bearing fruit. Our plan is working. We have an ambitious plan to grow Canada's economy by investing in people, growing the middle class and helping those working hard to join it, Morneau said in a statement Friday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

carl tobias: Hawaii, which is suing to stop the ban, has argued that it will be harmful because families will be separated and university recruitment will be hampered, according to CTV. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court lifted temporary lower court orders that had prevented the latest ban from taking effect. The 77-page ruling released late Friday says Trump's proclamation makes no finding whatsoever that simply being from one of the countries cited in the ban makes someone a security risk. The status quo was maintained when the 9th Circuit stayed its decision, said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. Given the shockingly rapid volley of executive actions and court decisions, this is surely just the latest in a long series of battles to come. The ruling was unusual, but it's a unique case, he said, noting the Supreme Court has not set argument dates because it has not yet decided to grant an appeal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

berlin wall: Such was the case for Detlef Wiedenhoft, who, as a young boy, got stuck behind the Berlin Wall in East Germany and could not join his mother in Canada for 24 years, according to Metro News. Hannelore Marcus had immigrated to Canada in 1957, leaving her infant son with his grandparents in East Germany. Sometimes, not being together is actually best. The border was open at the time and Marcus and Detlaf's stepfather planned on sending for the boy once they were established in Canada. It became almost impossible for him to join his mom. That took longer than expected the couple struggled to maintain employment and when East Germany began walling off its border in 1961, Wiedenhoft was trapped inside. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

edward moyo: Now huddled in five sprawling camps in Ethiopia, the refugees face ration cuts in the coming months unless more international support arrives, according to CTV. Their plight is often overlooked in a region where hunger and conflict in Somalia and South Sudan put millions at risk. But the problems for more than 200,000 Somali refugees are far from over. The projection we have is that our already reduced aid handout for these Somali refugees is sustainable only up to March 2018, Edward Moyo with the World Food Program told The Associated Press during a visit to one of the camps. And yet the number of new arrivals from Somalia continues to grow, at a rate of as high as 1,000 a day. How are we going to explain to a pregnant mother who has a number of other children that we are going to cut her ration beyond what she's already going through In nutrition centres across the camp that is home to nearly 40,000 refugees, health workers say they are seeing a growing number of Somali children with malnutrition. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jingle bells: Christmas exists in two worlds sacred and secular, according to Toronto Star. Even Father Christmas is seen more as secular Santa Claus than sacred St. Happy Holidays. Nicholas. Their favourite Christmas carols were Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, and Frosty the Snowman rather than O Holy Night. Having taught in the public school system for 25 years in a community where the majority of the students were of Christian heritage, Christmas meant Santa Claus, gift-giving, family get-togethers, special food, two-week holidays and very little mention of Jesus Christ. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

state trooper: Ahmed Aminamin El-Mofty fired at a Harrisburg police officer on Friday afternoon and later at a state trooper, wounding her before pursuing her, Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico said, according to The Chronicle Herald. He fired several shots at a Capitol police officer and at a Pennsylvania state police trooper in marked vehicles, Marsico told reporters, flanked by state police, Capitol police and FBI officials. There's no doubt a gunman who fired at police in several locations in the state capital, wounding one of them before they shot and killed him, was targeting police officers, a prosecutor said. The gunfire began shortly after 4 p.m. About 20 or 30 minutes later, he fired several shots at the state trooper, striking her with one of those shots. Friday, when the man fired several shots at a state capitol officer in downtown Harrisburg, striking his car several times and sending one shot that went very close to hitting him, Marsico said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

policy adviser: But so many foreigners had flooded into the country since January, he vented to his national security team, that it was making a mockery of his pledge, according to Toronto Star. Friends were calling to say he looked like a fool, Trump said. Five months before, Trump had dispatched federal officers to U.S. airports to stop travellers from several Muslim countries from entering the United States in a dramatic demonstration of how he would deliver on his campaign promise to fortify U.S. borders. According to six officials who attended or were briefed about the meeting, Trump then began reading aloud from the document, which his domestic policy adviser, Stephen Miller, had given him just before the meeting. Read more Article Continued Below Supreme Court's temporary OK for Trump's travel ban puts focus on Wednesday hearing in Seattle Under Trump, U.S. deportation arrests soar 40 per cent compared to year before More than 2,500 were from Afghanistan, a terrorist haven, the president complained. react-empty 168 Haiti had sent 15,000 people. The document listed how many immigrants had received visas to enter the United States in 2017. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

supreme court: The ruling says Trump's proclamation makes no finding whatsoever that simply being from one of the countries cited in the ban makes someone a security risk, according to Metro News. Hawaii, which is suing to stop the ban, has argued that it will be harmed because families will be separated and university recruitment will be hampered. However, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges put their decision on hold pending review by the U.S. Supreme Court, meaning the ban involving six majority Muslim countries will remain in effect. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court lifted temporary lower court orders that had prevented the latest ban from taking effect. The ruling but was unusual, but it's a unique case, he said, noting the Supreme Court has not set argument dates because it has not yet decided to grant an appeal. The status quo was maintained when the 9th Circuit stayed its decision, said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

university: Any professor at the University of Saskatchewan or the University of Regina who teaches a class on the history of the province or the Prairies consulted Saskatchewan History, says George Hoffman, according to CBC. He teaches Prairie history at the University of Regina and was a long-time subscriber of the magazine. The winter 2017 issue will be the last for the magazine, which was published by the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan and featured scholarly articles and memoirs, and also showcased the Provincial Archives' collection holdings. Over the years, it was an absolutely excellent publication in provincial and local history. It really led the way in many ways in Canada in this whole area, he said. As the last issue points out it was award-winning. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

whitby congregation: Such was the case for Detlef Wiedenhoft, who, as a young boy, got stuck behind the Berlin Wall in East Germany and could not join his mother in Canada for 24 years, according to Toronto Star. Read more Readers tried to help this man see his mom. Sometimes, not being together is actually best. But he said help someone else out' Article Continued Below Arsonist lit a fire under devoted Whitby congregation. But now she's expecting the best Christmas ever'Remember the baby born by flashlight in the 2013 ice storm Turns out he gets plenty of ice time react-empty 174 Hannelore Marcus had immigrated to Canada in 1957, leaving her infant son with his grandparents in East Germany. Then the community came together She's only 12 and she's had 17 major surgeries. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

border: According to a request for proposal obtained by the Star, the border agency is seeking a contractor who can provide and maintain the electronic system, including voice reporting with location based service and electronic monitory, according to Toronto Star. The border agency has been under tremendous pressure for its widespread use of lengthy immigration detention sometimes in maximum-security provincial prisons where convicted criminals are held for migrants whose identity is in doubt, who are deemed to be a danger to the public or who may not show up for deportation, even in some cases when they are not considered dangers to the public. Expanded electronic supervision tools such as the use of GPS electronic monitoring will be piloted in the Greater Toronto Area, said the Canada Border Services Agency, and could come as early as April. The CBSA's ability to monitor, track and locate individuals is critical to the success of the immigration enforcement program, the agency said in its tender issued Wednesday. In the latest incident in October, Teresa Michelle Gratton, a 50-year-old American citizen awaiting removal, died after she was found in medical distress inside a Milton jail. Article Continued Below Canada's immigration detention system has been under intense public scrutiny since 2016 after a series of deaths of detainees in immigration custody. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cape breton: In all the correspondence we had with Citizenship and Immigration Canada age was a factor, said John Hylas Smith, according to The Chronicle Herald. When I went online in 2005 and looked at the applications, there is a scorecard and after 50 years of age they start subtracting points. But Canada doesn't because they're too old. But despite being 58 years old at the time, Smith, like his wife Christina, was not one to be deterred. After attending a Natalie Mac Master concert in California, the music enthusiasts travelled to Cape Breton and decided this was where they wanted to live. He, a senior manufacturing engineer for an aerospace company working on the International Space Station, and she, a senior vice-president for Warner Brothers, were a couple that had spent their lives getting things done. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

enberg: Enberg's daughter, Nicole Enberg Vaz, confirmed the death to The Associated Press, according to CTV. She said the family became concerned when her father didn't arrive Thursday on his flight to Boston, and he was found dead at his home in La Jolla, a San Diego neighbourhood, with his bags packed. He was 82. His daughter said the family believes Enberg died of a heart attack but was awaiting official word. He'd been busy with two podcasts and was full of energy. It's very, very, very shocking, said Vaz, who lives in Boston. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

focus laser-like: The first step was to replace former Liberal leader St phane Dion as global affairs minister, according to Rabble. The new minister, Chrystia Freeland, has a degree from Harvard and worked as a high-profile journalist in New York City, London and Moscow. When the year began, the Trudeau government signalled it planned to focus laser-like on the new administration in Washington. The Liberal brains trust calculated that with her worldliness and charm the one-time globetrotting journalist would have more success than the earnest and professorial Dion. Global affairs professionals were not happy with that choice. Earlier, Trudeau had named lobbyist extraordinaire David McNaughton to represent Canada in Washington. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gualtiero bassetti: Interior Minister Marco Minniti and the head of the Italian bishops' conference, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, were to welcome them, according to Metro News. The U.N. refugee agency's Libya representative, Roberto Mignone, tweeted that he was travelling with 162 vulnerable refugees. The Interior Ministry said the refugees were due to arrive later Friday at Rome's Pratica di Mare military base. Italy said the women, children and elderly people were all entitled to international protection. Italy and the EU have come under criticism from human rights groups for helping the Libyan coast guard more effectively patrol its coasts to prevent smugglers from operating. It did not say what countries they came from. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

health services: W. Sistering is a community hub where women can access health services, employment counselling and housing support, and also take knitting or yoga classes and share meals with friends, according to Toronto Star. It is also increasingly being used as a makeshift home for women with complex health issues who can't get into the shelter system or afford a place to call home. We don't want that time to be a downer, we want that time to feel like they have someone in their lives, that they have someone who cares and that's us, said Karleen Spence, a community support worker at the 24/7 drop-in on Bloor St. At night, they spread out to sleep in reclining chairs or on mats on the floor. Article Continued Below With this coming holiday season, the number of women who are coming to Sistering has increased significantly, Bray said, especially as the temperatures drop. Wendy Bray, Sistering's fund development manager, said the goal year-round is to help women in a tough place feel loved and supported. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

medium term: If such a scenario played out, the deficit would reach an annual high of 24.8 billion around 2030-31 before beginning to fall, according to CTV. By 2040-41, the federal debt would top out at around 1.08 trillion before starting to fall, as compared to last year's prediction that it would reach 1.55 trillion by 2050-51. Finance officials predicted in a report released Friday that barring any policy changes, the federal government could be on track to run annual shortfalls until 2045-46, compared to projections last year that deficits would run to 2050-51. The improvement is attributed to an overall boost in the fiscal outlook, particularly in the medium term, which comes after the Canadian economy mounted a surprise resurgence over the past 12 months. We have an ambitious plan to grow Canada's economy by investing in people, growing the middle class and helping those working hard to join it, Morneau said in a statement Friday. While long-term predictions contain considerable uncertainty, Finance Minister Bill Morneau nonetheless said the projections prove the Liberal government's plan is bearing fruit. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

myanmar: Eliot Engel, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, contended that Myanmar authorities were committing genocide in Rakhine State, according to Metro News. He said it was stunning that the Trump administration has only designated one person from Myanmar over the bloody crackdown that caused a refugee exodus to Bangladesh. Rep. The United States imposed sanctions on Maung Maung Soe, who until last month was chief of the Myanmar army's Western command responsible for security operations in Rakhine. Katina Adams, a State Department spokeswoman for East Asia, said Friday the U.S. is continuing to consider options under U.S. and international law to help ensure that those responsible for ethnic cleansing and other atrocities face appropriate consequences. He was among 13 people worldwide punished Thursday under human rights legislation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

iyal: Mohammed and Razak Iyal lost all their fingers to frostbite after losing their way while walking through farmers' fields into Manitoba from the United States, according to CBC. Their harrowing story attracted worldwide attention. It's going to be sad but I will be more happy than being sad because I'm alive, said Seidu Mohammed, 25. Frostbitten asylum seeker wins case to stay in Canada Most refugees now waiting 16 months to have claims heard It's very difficult for me, said Iyal, 35. We can't forget about that night. Lose your fingers in just one night and your life just changes totally. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

official languages: Those not fluent in Mandarin may be a minority in the building, according to a tribunal decision from Dec. 13, according to CBC. English ousted as Wellington Court language dispute escalates We have two official languages in Canada English and French and in Western Canada, it's predominantly English, he said. In 2015, Andreas Kargut filed a complaint, claiming the Wellington Court strata council's switch to Mandarin-only meetings violated the rights of the owners who did not speak Mandarin. You know, we have our constitutional rights at stake here. Since the initial complaint, the two sides have unsuccessfully tried to find a solution, the decision read. Owners of nine other units in the building have joined the complaint, according to the decision. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ontario premier: Rae's interim report said refugee camps are deplorably overcrowded and pose a threat to human health and life itself, according to CBC. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed the former Ontario premier earlier this year to give him advice on the humanitarian crisis, which the United Nations has described as ethnic cleansing. Bob Rae issued his interim report on Thursday night on the crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims flee Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh because of a crackdown by Myanmar security forces. Seeing these words in print makes me realize how inadequate words are to express the extent of the damage and trauma.'- Bob Rae in his interim report Rae travelled to Bangladesh earlier this year to see the situation and has also met with a number of leaders, officials and non-governmental organizations in the region. Rae said those accounts included sexual violence as a weapon of war and there is clear evidence of sexual trauma among the women who survived. His interim report drew particular attention the plight of women, saying he heard detailed and graphic accounts from women who made it to Bangladesh about sexual violence and abuse at the hands of the Myanmar military. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

palestinian people: The list of countries devastated by conflict grows long, according to Toronto Star. Entrenched crises continued in Syria, Iraq and South Sudan. Canada has made contributions in 2017 to addressing many of those global challenges; but that has not always been backed up with consistent action at home. Widespread ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya people erupted in Myanmar, with hundreds of villages razed, untold numbers of people killed, and over 600,000 refugees forced to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. The Palestinian people marked 50 years of human rights abuse under Israeli military occupation. The crisis in Yemen deepened; the grim civilian toll exacerbated by a Saudi-led blockade that impedes humanitarian relief. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

shelters thousands: The American Civil Liberties Union posted the memo as part of its ongoing lawsuit over abortion access for immigrant minors in custody, according to Metro News. The document describes how the teen was raped in her home country and believed she had become pregnant as a result. The memo is addressed to Scott Lloyd, director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which shelters thousands of unaccompanied immigrant minors in the U.S. without legal permission. According to the memo, written by the Office of Refugee Resettlement's deputy director, she told a doctor during her first pre-natal visit that she wanted an abortion. In later visits, the teen reported the pressure her mother and a potential sponsor were putting on her to keep the pregnancy. The teen disclosed to the medical doctor that she preferred to harm herself rather than to continue with her pregnancy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

conversion: The rationale really falls under just the amount of research, as well as the individuals that we've spoken to, around the harm the lasting harms caused by that particular practice, according to Vancouver Courier. Conversion therapy, according to the committee's motion, is a range of pseudoscientific practices used with intentions of converting an individual's sexuality or gender identity into alignment with the heterosexual and cisgender majority. The city's LGBTQ2 advisory committee has asked the city to not grant business licences to anyone practising conversion therapies.article continues below Trending Stories Metro Vancouver housing prices to rise in 2018 Online fundraiser launched for victim in Burrard bridge crash One dead in Burrard bridge crash Co-owner of the infamous Elbow Room Cafe has died Jen Donovan, committee co-chair, says the move to ban conversion therapy which is also called reparative therapy is based on research that shows these kinds of therapies are harmful. As an umbrella term, it includes practices such as religious rites, behavioural modification therapy, medication use, and electroshock therapy or lobotomy.A cursory search for Vancouver care providers who offer conversion or reparative therapies yielded few results. However, it offers discipleship courses for people who want to heal unwanted self-identified same-sex attraction. However, the Courier did find a religious organization, Journey Canada, which states it is against conversion therapy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sports jacket: Photo Shannon Brinkman This converted photography studio, adorned with paintings of legendary black musicians, is sometimes dubbed the world's most famous jazz venue, according to Vancouver Courier. The All-Stars band features a turbaned drummer who executes with cool precision and a saxophonist in a professorial sports jacket who shakes his head wistfully when he's not playing. Virtuoso jazz musicians grace Preservation Hall in New Orleans. It just embodies coolness.article continues below Trending Stories Vancouver could move towards banning conversion therapy Metro Vancouver housing prices to rise in 2018 Online fundraiser launched for victim in Burrard bridge crash One dead in Burrard bridge crash However, when 85-year-old clarinetist Charlie Gabriel performs a virtuosic solo, my joy peaks. New Orleans celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2018, and I'm in Louisiana's largest and most diverse city to fight my obsessive need to associate everything with 1980's pop music. Why Because it unmistakably reminds me of the clarinet on Big Bad Bill Is Sweet William Now on Van Halen's 1982 album Diver Down. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

alto adige: South Tyrol, known as Alto Adige in Italian, was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire until after World War I. Residents voted after World War II to remain part of Italy, but tensions with Rome and Italian-speakers continued for decades, according to Metro News. Some 70 per cent of South Tyrol residents speak German. Italy's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that Angelino Alfano expressed appreciation to Karin Kneissl that the Austrian chancellor has offered reassurances that any initiatives involving Italy would be taken in co-operation with Rome. A further 5 per cent speak the Romance language Ladino. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.