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Jillian Kestler-D'Amours is a journalist based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her work focuses primarily on human rights, Indigenous issues, refugees, immigration, the environment, and politics and culture in the Middle East-North Africa. She regularly writes for Deutsche Welle, Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera English, Arctic Deeply, Truthout, Al Araby Al Jadeed, TRT World, and Newsweek Middle East magazine. She also file radio reports for Free Speech Radio News and Deutsche Welle. Jillian previously worked as a staff reporter at The Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper, where she covered daily breaking news under real-time deadlines, human interest stories, sports, culture, arts, and business. Before joining the Star, Jillian briefly worked as a reporter-editor at The Canadian Press in Montreal, and an editor on the Americas desk at London, UK-based news website, Middle East Eye. Jillian was an online producer at Al Jazeera English in Doha, Qatar, in 2013 and 2014. She wrote hard news copy on AJE's 24-hour news desk, and in-depth features about political and social issues in Israel-Palestine, Canada, Algeria, Turkey, Egypt, Brazil, and other countries. She helped re-launch the channel's Middle East-North Africa online desk, including recruiting reporters and photographers, editing news and feature stories, and setting a coverage plan for the region. From 2010 to 2013, Jillian was based in Jerusalem. She worked as a freelance foreign correspondent for Inter Press Service news agency and Free Speech Radio News, and she contributed to Le Monde Diplomatique, Ha'aretz, Al Jazeera English, Al-Monitor, SBS Australia, Briarpatch Magazine, This Magazine, The Dominion, and others. Jillian has reported from Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Qatar, Israel-Palestine, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, the United States, and across Europe. Originally from Montreal, she is fluent in French. She also speaks intermediate Levantine Arabic.
Portfolio
Canada sees surge in refugees crossing from US
The article by Jillian Kestler-D'Amours discusses the increase in refugees crossing illegally into Canada from the US, driven by fears of President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Advocates, including Rita Chahal of the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council, note a significant rise in asylum seekers, particularly in Manitoba and Quebec. The surge is attributed to concerns over deportation, unfair asylum hearings, and the political climate in the US. The Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement, which forces asylum seekers to take dangerous routes, has been criticized by human rights groups. Despite calls to rescind the agreement, Canada's Immigration Minister Ahmad Hussen has stated it will remain. The article suggests that the number of illegal crossings into Canada is expected to rise.
How Canada Got Tough on Guns
In response to the deadliest mass shooting in Canada's modern history, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a ban on 'assault-style' firearms, enacting new regulations to prohibit the use, sale, and import of over 1,500 models. This move, welcomed by gun control advocates but criticized by gun rights groups, highlights Canada's relatively successful gun control measures compared to the United States. The article explores the history and impact of Canadian gun laws, the influence of gun lobby groups, and the broader implications for gun control efforts in North America.
Is Canada Violating Its Constitution by Sending Refugees Back to the United States?
The article discusses the legal and humanitarian implications of Canada's Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) with the United States, focusing on a Salvadoran woman's lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the agreement. It highlights the risks faced by asylum-seekers in the U.S., including prolonged detention and forced returns, and argues that Canada is complicit in these risks by returning refugees to the U.S. The article features perspectives from various advocacy groups, legal experts, and government officials, emphasizing the deteriorating conditions for refugees under the Trump administration and the potential violations of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Rights groups urge Canada to lift cap on refugee sponsorship after US bars entry to refugees and immigrants
Canada has decided not to increase its refugee intake for 2017, maintaining the plan to resettle 40,000 refugees despite calls from human rights groups to lift the cap on refugee sponsorship. This decision comes in the wake of US President Donald Trump's executive order, which prohibits entry to refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Rights groups, refugee advocates, and political parties in Canada, such as Amnesty International Canada and the New Democratic Party, are urging the Canadian government to respond by lifting the cap on private sponsorship and suspending the Safe Third Country Agreement with the US. The Canadian government has stated that it will issue temporary resident visas to those stranded by the US ban and has been assured by US authorities that Canadian citizens and permanent residents are not affected by the executive order. Protests have erupted in Toronto, with citizens expressing their opposition to the US travel ban.
Canada grapples with rise in hate crimes
The article by Jillian Kestler-D'Amours discusses the increase in suspected hate crimes in Canada, particularly against Muslims, following a deadly attack on a mosque in Quebec City. The Muslim Association of Canada's national director of community engagement, Memona Hossain, expressed shock at protests outside a Toronto mosque. Toronto Police Service is investigating these incidents, while Statistics Canada data shows hate crimes against Muslims have doubled. The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) notes a rise in xenophobic and anti-Muslim sentiment. A parliamentary motion, Motion 103, to condemn Islamophobia has sparked controversy and debate. The article also touches on the influence of global right-wing movements and the impact of Donald Trump's rhetoric on Canadian society.
From the 1960s until the 1980s, thousands of indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families by Canada’s child welfare services. Last week they filed a class action suit seeking damages against the federal government. I reported on what is known as the "Sixties Scoop," interviewing survivors and putting the chapter into a sociopolitical context.
Indigenous Communities ‘Reclaim History’ in Images of Canada’s Arctic
Project Naming is an initiative aimed at identifying Indigenous people historically depicted in Canadian Arctic photographs within the federal government's archives. For years, these images featured unnamed individuals, often labeled with generic or derogatory terms. The project, a collaboration between Library and Archives Canada, the Nunavut Department of Culture, Languages, Elders and Youth, and Nunavut Sivuniksavut, has digitized about 8,000 images and identified nearly 2,000 individuals, activities, and places since 2002. Heritage researcher Deborah Kigjugalik Webster has utilized the database to uncover information about Inuit special constables. The project has expanded to include Inuit in the Northwest Territories, Nunavik, Labrador, and First Nations and Métis communities. It allows for the sharing of oral histories and strengthens intergenerational connections within Indigenous communities.
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