Canada welcomes all immigrants
— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed Canadian immigrants on Saturday in a sunny Twitter message written in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s order temporarily banning all refugees and many Muslims from travelling to the United States.
“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada,” Trudeau posted on Twitter.
The message comes one day after Trump signed a sweeping executive order to suspend the arrival of refugees for at least 120 days and impose tough new controls on travellers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen for the next three months.
Since then, travellers from those countries have been stopped from boarding US-bound planes, triggering angry protests and detentions at airports.
Some who were already in the air when Trump signed the executive order were detained on arrival, The New York Times reported.
But a federal judge blocked part of the Republican’s temporary immigration ban on Saturday, ordering authorities to stop deporting refugees and other travelers stuck at US airports. After speaking with Washington Canadian officials said late Saturday that Canadian citizens, including those with dual citizenship, would not be subject to Trump’s restrictions.
“We have been assured that Canadian citizens travelling on Canadian passports will be dealt with in the usual process,” said Trudeau spokeswoman Kate Purchase.
On Saturday, Canadian airline WestJet said it would reimburse passengers prevented from traveling to the United States under the new policy. “WestJet will comply with this executive order,” the company said in a statement.
“In the event there are foreign nationals from these countries on WestJet who are denied entry, we will be providing them with a full refund.” —