Susan's Canada Online Blog

Canada has a huge backlog of immigration applications - well over 900,000 - and hundreds of thousands more people apply every year. Many people have been waiting years for their applications to be processed. The federal government says the first-come, first-served immigration process has also prevented Canada from admitting individuals with the skills and experience that Canadian employers need.

In an attempt to come to grips with the problem, amendments to the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act were passed this summer. The major changes to the process mean that Citizen and Immigration Canada will no longer have to process all immigration applications. They can now return applications (and refund the corresponding application fees) without processing them. The amendments also give the Minister of Immigration the power to issue instructions to set priorities for certain skills and occupations to allow labour shortages in Canada to be filled more quickly.

The federal government is currently consulting with provincial and territory governments and other relevant groups to define the priorities. The government says it still aims to keep "a balance between the economic, family reunification and refugee protection goals of Canada’s immigration system."

More on Immigration to Canada
Check Your Immigration Status Online
Temporary Resident Visas for Canada
Temporary Work Permits for Foreign Workers in Canada
Study Permits for Canada
Immigration to Canada

The price of gas seems to beat even the weather as a topic of conversation these days. Petroleum marketing specialists M.J. Ervin and Associates tracked the average price of gas at the pump at locations across Canada last week at more than $1.28 a litre. A new Statistics Canada study says Canadians have been slow to change their driving and commuting habits though. One of the reasons they give is that the higher price of gas has been partly offset by lower prices for other goods, including cars, as well as higher incomes.

Looks like it's time we all followed some basic energy conservation tips:

• Go Easy on Your Car Air Conditioner
• Reduce Idling
• Drive Smoothly
• Plan Ahead
• Check Your Tire Pressure
• Get Regular Oil Changes
• Inspect and Change Car Filters
• Save Your Transit Pass

Photo: Cocoon / Digital Vision / Getty Images

The Atlas of Canada has been a valuable resource of information on the geography of Canada for over 100 years. The online version of the Atlas of Canada makes the atlas maps and information on Canadian geography interactive and easily accessible for both research and education. Each revision of the Atlas of Canada brings new maps and interactive features, and lots of learning materials are included for teachers, parents and students.

More About Canada
Key Facts on Canadian Provinces
Origin of the Names of Canadian Provinces
Maps of Canada
History Maps of Canada

In the 1920s, five Alberta women fought a legal and political battle to have women recognized as persons under the BNA Act. The landmark decision in The Persons Case by the British Privy Council, the highest level for legal appeals in Canada at the time, was a milestone victory for the rights of women in Canada. Take a look at the Famous Five social activists responsible for that fundamental victory for Canadian women.

• Emily Murphy
• Henrietta Muir Edwards
• Nellie McClung
• Louise McKinney
• Irene Parlby

Photo: Nellie McClung, Canadian Women's Rights Activist
Cyril Jessop / Library and Archives Canada / PA-030212

More on Canadian Women in Government:
10 Firsts for Canadian Women in Government
Biographies of Canadian Women in Government
Canadian Women in History

The Cost of Banking Guide from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is an online tool that compares nearly 100 different account packages from the major Canadian banks and from other financial institutions in Canada. All you have to do is answer a few questions and the tool provides you with a shortlist of the accounts which meet your criteria. It's a good way to choose a bank account that meets your specific needs, and also a convenient way to see if your current bank accounts are still appropriate. Most of us complain about high banking fees, but the best way to keep them down is to shop around. This tool makes it easy.

More About Banking in Canada:
Canadian Banks
Canadian ATMs and Bank Machines
Personal Finance in Canada

The Seventh Book of Remembrance was created by Veterans Affairs Canada to honour the men and women of the Canadian Forces who have died in service to Canada, either overseas or in Canada, since October 1947. Like the other six Books of Remembrance, the Seventh Book of Remembrance is kept in the Memorial Chamber in the Peace Tower of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. Every morning at 11:00 a.m., a Turning of the Page ceremony is held to ensure that each page of each book is turned at least once a year.

Titled "In the Service of Canada," the Seventh Book of Remembrance is a living document, and will remain open for future commemorations when new names can be added. Veterans Affairs Canada continues to look for the public's input of additional information on the Canadian Forces members listed in the database, as well as the names of other Canadian Forces members who may be eligible to be listed.

More on Canada at War
Canada and the South African War
Canada and World War I
Canada and World War II
Canada and the Korean War

For years there has been a smattering of car scrapping programs in Canada which offered incentives for vehicle owners to get rid of old heavily polluting cars and switch to more environmentally friendly modes of transportation, including a newer car. Now the Canadian federal government is putting money into setting up a national car scrapping program. The program will be operated by the Clean Air Foundation, the folks who run Car Heaven, and it is expected to be fully operational in January 2009. In the meantime, the government is also giving funding to existing local car scrapping programs so they can expand their programs and incentives. These local organizations may then become part of the national network of partners who will help deliver the national program in 2009.

If you have a pre-1996 car or truck, it's worth looking into.

Cars and Energy Conservation in Canada
Save Gas and Money
Energy Conservation and Cars in Canada
Cars in Canada
About.com Auto Repair

The history of Chinese immigration to Canada is scarred by racism and discrimination. While Chinese labourers were welcome when needed to complete the dangerous portions of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the minute the national railway was finished, the government tried to get rid of them by imposing a head tax. Things got worse after World War I when the Canadian Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese immigration to Canada for nearly a quarter century.

Photo: Chinese Camp in Kamloops, B.C. 1868
Library and Archives Canada / C-016715

More on Chinese Immigration to Canada
Canada Apologizes for Chinese Head Tax
Chinese Head Tax Redress Payments
Chinese Immigration to Canada - CBC Archives
History of Chinese in Canada - Speech by Senator Vivienne Poy

If you've have a bad experience flying in Canada, you may want to turn to the Air Travel Complaints Program at the Canadian Transportation Agency. This federal watchdog handles and tries to resolve complaints from the flying public on issues that passengers haven't been able to sort out with the individual airline. That includes complaints on tickets and reservations, on the terms and conditions of carriage, such as lost luggage and being bumped from flights, and on air fares and cargo rates on routes served by only one carrier. The agency claims they resolve about two-thirds of the complaints they get. Some complaints result in an apology; others have been instrumental in changing airline policy. The agency is also a good place to check for information on how airlines and air travel work in Canada, so you can reduce the chances for nasty surprises on your trip.

More on Travel for Canadians
Canadian Travel and Tourism
Air Travel for Canadians
Travel Safety for Canadians
Apply for a Canadian Passport

Pictures of relief camps, soup kitchens, protest marches and drought are vivid reminders of the pain of the 1930s and the Great Depression in Canada.

Governments in Canada were slow to respond to the desperate economic and social conditions. Until the Great Depression, governments in Canada intervened as little as possible in the economy and social welfare was left to churches and charities.

The Great Depression led to the creation in 1934 of the Bank of Canada to manage Canada's money supply and help formulate monetary policy. The Great Depression also led to the beginnings of a social safety net in Canada, which now includes minimum wage, employment standards and programs such as health insurance and employment insurance.

Photo: Unemployed Parade in Toronto in the Great Depression
Toronto Star / Library and Archives Canada / C-029397

More Pictures of Canadian History
Pictures of the Battle of Vimy Ridge
Pictures of the Canadian Parliament Buildings Fire of 1916
Pictures of the Raid on Dieppe
Pictures of D-Day