Hours after American President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning refugees from seven Muslim countries into the US, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed them. Trudeau, on Twitter, said, “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada.” Canadian government spokesperson Kate Purchase told AP, “The Prime Minister is looking forward to discussing the successes of Canada’s immigration and refugee policy with the [US] President when they next speak.”
Trudeau also said he had instructed his National Security Adviser Daniel Jean to seek clarity on the US’ new measures. “Diversity is our strength,” he wrote, and posted a picture (above) of himself when he greeted a Syrian refugee child who moved to Canada in 2015. Trudeau has not directly criticised Trump though.
Donald Trump on Friday had signed an executive order banning the entry of Muslims from seven countries for at least four months, and indefinitely stopping Syrian refugees from coming into the US. A federal judge later stayed the order till February 21, as chaos erupted at airports across the country. The stay only applies to those who have already been stopped at airports, not those outside the US, reports said. Trump’s ban is retroactive, stopping even US green card holders from those nations from entering the country. He said he would give priority to “persecuted” Christians from Syria instead.
Canada has been vocal about its open refugee police after Trudeau became prime minister in 2015. It had taken in almost 40,000 refugees from Syria alone since November 2015. The country has however received flak for saying it will only allow 3,00,000 immigrants in in 2017.
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