I am writing to enthusiastically support the application of Betty Triton as a lecturer. Betty is currently a senior graduate student in my laboratory. She joined my group five years ago, and will defend her thesis in about a month, March 2014. Betty has successfully tackled all aspects of her thesis work, whether technical or intellectual, with great determination. She has been recognized with numerous awards and scholarships. A manuscript on her main project will be submitted this coming month. She is an exceptional student, among the best I have seen in many Universities and Institutes where I have been, and I am confident that she will excel as a scientist, teacher, and mentor.

During her Ph.D. thesis, Betty was also a Teaching Assistant for three graduate courses and participated in mentoring programs for high school students. She engaged the students, directed work and/or class, and had great insights into what worked well in teaching. While doing this teaching or mentoring, which was her own calling and not required by our institute, she never let such activities keep her away from the bench, a testament to her ability to work hard and multitask. Moreover, at a personal level, Betty is a delight to work with. She is mature, independent, and resourceful, knowing when and where to seek advice and help.

She is full of enthusiasm, has the right drive, and genuine interest in teaching and in science, an analytical and keen mind, creativity and perseverance. She multitasks with ease and does not lose her focus on the goals she sets.

In summary, I have no doubt that Betty will be an outstanding teacher. Please do not hesitate to call or email me if you have any further questions.

Yours sincerely,
Lisa
Scholar

A. Montreal has had three distinct decades of rapid growth since the mid-19th century: 1851-61, 1901-11 and 1951-61. Demographic growth has largely been the result of an influx of people from outside the city, as the periods of rapid growth coincided with the arrival of large numbers of immigrants. The most significant growth, however, was a result of internal migration, as a significant number of French Canadians and smaller numbers of English-speaking Canadians living in Quebec rural areas moved to the city. Natural growth was also a major contributing factor after the Second World War.

B. Between 1966 and 1981, the number of city inhabitants declined, then rose slightly to stabilize at just over one million. During that period most of the population increase occurred in the suburban cities. In 1996, 31 percent of the metropolitan area population lived in Montreal proper, down from 80 percent in 1931. The 2002 amalgamation of the island of Montreal altered that trend as the city population rose to 1.8 million and to 53 percent of the metropolitian total.

C. For most of the 19th century 98 percent of Montreal's population was of French or British descent. The British were in the majority between 1831 and 1865, when French Canadians regained first place. At the turn of the 20th century, JEWS from Eastern Europe began to arrive, starting the process of ethnic diversification that accelerated during the 20th century.

D.Natural growth and overseas immigration increased Montreal's population between 2006 and 2011. By 2011 Francophone formed about 63 percent of the census metropolitan area (CMA) population; Anglophones accounted for 12 percent, and people whose mother tongue was another language was 22 percent. A further 5 percent of the population gave multiple responses. While most of Montreal's population is made up of people from North America and Canadians, people of French and European origins make up a significant sector of the population. People of Southern European, British, Italian, Irish, and Arab origins round out the top 10 ethnic origins found in Montreal.

E. Not in any of the paragraphs.

Despite this acceptance for different beliefs in Canada, some say religion can still potentially act as a barrier that prevents some immigrants from better integrating into Canadian society. Not long ago, federal Minister Jason Kenney created an unseemly stir when he justified his statement that the oath for citizenship should not be taken wearing a niqab. The minister said, - To segregate one group of Canadians or allow them to hide their faces, to hide their identity from us precisely when they are joining our community is contrary to Canada's proud commitment to openness and to social cohesion. Zunera Ishaq, a Pakistani-born woman living in Mississauga, sued against the ban claiming that it violated her Charter rights and didn't accomodate her beliefs.

Tahir Gora, CEO and director general, Canadian Thinkers' Forum says,
- There are many people who when they arrive here suddenly turn deeply religious, even when they were totally secular in their practices in their homeland. Many newcomers and immigrans continue to practice voluntary segregation. They don't wish to get integrated into the mainstream and this causes innumerable problems in these communities such as gender segregation, adherence to untenable dietary restrictions, rigid orthodoxy in sexual mores, and a view that the rest of the world is sinful.

Gora is leading a vocal movement within Canada to highlight the adverse effects - both sociopolitical and cultural - of orthodox religious practices amongst immigrants to Canada. He is a leading proponent of Canadian values, and has fearlessly raised his voice against the radicalization of the practice of Islam in Canada. Dr. Jagessar Das, the head of Kabir Society of Canada, and an ardent interfaith proponent, has the best insights into the evolving Canadian society and how immigrants can integrate. He says, - it doesn't matter which religion one belongs to, as long as one learns acceptance of differences. And I use the word acceptance and not tolerance advisedly.

Che Merville, vice-president, Ontario National Democratic Party, says, - The amazing thing about Canada is its commitment to inclusivity and acceptance. I think we can be secular, inclusive and respect the human right to believe or not believe in something greater than ourselves. Das, a previous recipient of Canadian Immigrant's RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award, quotes the 16th century Indian spiritual seer Kabir to illustrate this message:- Let's aspire to be humans, and if we succeed in that endeavor, we could even be divine.