Vox

The Ottawa Citizen reported recently that following a meeting between Jim Flaherty and provincial Finance Ministers, major changes to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) are coming and will be phased in gradually starting in 2011.

Canada’s Department of Finance issued proposed new regulations on credit card rules which are aimed towards: (i) targeting certain abuses of the credit card industry; and (ii) providing better transparency for all credit card users. Since the regulations are subject to consultation, they are not final but here are a few proposed changes to be aware of:

Last week, CBC Radio 1, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's flagship news analysis radio service, discussed the findings of a survey that found that the European visa application systems discriminated against Africans.

With summer and vacations coming and the dollar stronger than last summer, it might prove useful to remember the pre-9/11 days are gone. U.S. citizens now require passports or other federally approved documents to return to the United States from Canada.

Earlier this year, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada Minister Jason Kenney announced that Canada was considering a reduction in immigration numbers in 2009, based on economic uncertainty. Having met with his provincial and territorial counterparts to study the demand for immigration in regional labour markets, Minister Kenney has announced that the need for immigration remains strong in Canada. Immigration levels for 2009 will therefore not be reduced.

THE modern Commonwealth - a voluntary group of 53 nations - celebrated 60 years of existence on April 28. For all but four years, Queen Elizabeth II has been the head of the Commonwealth. Now, as the Commonwealth looks to the future, it also has to anticipate the need for a new head.

Even in the best of times in Zimbabwe, however, things would have been tough for a young person named Tawanda. As a child, Tawanda was the apple of his father's eye. Tawanda was born in a growth point 200 kilometers north of the capital city, Harare.

Kumi Naidoo, a South African founder of the Global Campaign Against Poverty, and a ONE member is petitioning the African Union to do more in Zimbabwe.

After a decade of political polarisation and international stand-off, the debate on Zimbabwe has finally been opened up to a wider reading public, thanks to Mahmood Mamdani’s ‘Lessons of Zimbabwe’ appearing in the London Review of Books and Pambazuka News.

How are Zimbabweans in Canada reacting to the news of the new unity government?

Trevor Taurai Chatikobo
When I witnessed people in Zimbabwe celebrating for this new government, my first reaction was that of immense astonishment. I could not believe people would actually exult at the signing of this ignominy of an accord. As I sat back and gave it more contemplation, trying to stature out why I wasn’t as ecstatic as those celebrating MDC supporters I saw on TV, new assumptions began to sink into my head.