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Face veils banned while reciting Canadian oath of citizenship
Women will no longer be allowed to wear any face coverings while saying their oath of citizenship.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney made the announcement on Monday. The decision, which came after the complaints of citizenship court judges, is to be put into effect immediately.
With this ban, Muslim women must remove anything that covers their face such as niqabs or burkas, before reciting the oath of citizenship, the final step fpr immigrants in becoming a Canadian.
Kenney stated that saying the oath is a public declaration of joining the Canadian family, which muct be done freely and openly. Kenney also said the fact that women wore face veils while swearing their oaths was bizarre.
Calling the wearing of face veils a cultural tradition, Kenney said that they present a certain view of women that is not accepted in Canada.
Women who refuse to remove their face veils can remain permanent residents. While permanent residents can live in Canada, they are not allowed to vote or run for office.
Peace, harmony and empty beer cans
Remember the hungry and the homeless this holiday season as well as your empty beer cans.
A non-profit organization is campaigning for Quebecers to reimburse their empty cans over tossing them in the bin. Consignéco says that Quebecers lose twenty one million dollars worth of beer cans in the garbage and recycling bin each year.
The non-profit organization believes that society would be financially and ecologically better off if they were returned.
Sidney Crosby out again indefinitely
Sidney Crosby is experiencing concussion-like symptoms again and it may be a while before he’s able to return to the ice.
Crosby missed more than ten months after taking multiple shots to the head in January.
He started feeling symptoms again last week and hasn’t played since.
An ImPACT test that’s designed to diagnose concussions had promising results, saying that he does not have a concussion.
However, Crosby is planning to take his time and will not rush back into the game.
Iraq and the U.S. come to an agreement
President Barak Obama says that the US and Iraq will enjoy a normal relationship between sovereign nations after American troops have left at the end of this year.
Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri Maliki met in Washington to discuss Iraq’s future as troops are beginning to leave.
It was confirmed that no troops or bases would remain.
The U.S. is not concerned with Iranian influence on Iraq.
Quebecers are waiting longer for surgeries
Quebecers are waiting longer for surgeries according to a new report from the Fraser Institute. The average wait time in Quebec in twenty eleven increased to approximately twenty weeks. Despite the increase, Quebec patients are the third quickest in Canada to get the surgery needed.
The report suggests the main reason for delays in Quebec is the wait between getting a referral from a general practitioner and seeing a specialist.
Canadians in general are waiting longer for surgeries than they have in the last two decades. Ontario has the shortest wait time at fourteen weeks, while Prince Edward Island has the longest, at forty-four weeks.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development places Canada as the highest of eleven developed countries surveyed for wait times.
Russia uses Facebook to challenge election
The Russian government has announced on Facebook yesterday it will investigate the official reports on the conduct of polls, after being accused of electoral fraud by the public.
The statement was released following the massive anti-government protest that took place two days ago.
The message has been met with contempt by the public.
December 12th 2011
Produced By Melissa Mulligan
Read By Sarah Deshaies
Stories By Audrey Folliot, Gregory WIlson, Sofia Gay, Daniel J. Rowe, Esther Viragh
Cautious optimism for new climate deal
Environment Minister Peter Kent said a new global climate agreement could be reached by 2015. This comes after a UN summit in Durban, South Africa.
Parties at the conference agreed to begin negotiations on a new accord.
This would place all participating countries under the same binding commitments to control greenhouse gases.
The 1997 Kyoto Protocol will be extended under the Durban Platform. This was set to expire at the end of next year. The Canadian government has been opposing the protocol. It said it would not renew its commitment to the accord. The new climate deal would take effect by 2020 at the latest.
Bloc Québécois has a new leader
Former MP Daniel Paillé has been chosen as the Bloc Québécois’ new leader on Sunday.
The Bloc Québecois had a poor showing in last May’s election, going down to four seats from 47 seats in Parliament.
Current MPs Maria Mourani and Jean-Francois Fortin were also seeking to replace Gilles Duceppe as party leader.
More than a quarter of the Bloc’s members did not renew their membership this year.
As a result, they won’t be able to vote for the new leader.
Paillé says the party is one that fights and that it will move ahead.
Adele makes Billboard history
![Adele [21]](http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6173/6133938044_3defcd49f6.jpg)
2011 is almost over, but Adele’s year keeps getting better. She made Billboard history on Friday by setting a new record.
She is the first female artist with a top album, top single and top artist title in the same year.
She says she’s different from other artists because her personal life is private from the media. She says she hits a balance of being very private but also very honest.
The singer was also nominated for six Grammys last week.
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