Canada will offer temporary shelter to people stranded in the country as an aftermath of US President Donald Trump’s new order which bans the arrival of all refugees to the US for at least 120 days and barred entry for 90 days to people from seven Muslim-majority countries: Iraq, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
“Let me assure those who may be stranded in Canada that I will use my authority as minister to provide them with temporary residency if needed as we have done in the past,” Immigration Minister of Canada Ahmed Hussen said at a news conference.
Hussen said the Trump administration had assured Ottawa that Canadians holding dual nationality with those countries would not be affected by the US ban. He said that people from those banned seven countries if carrying a valid Canadian permanent residency card can still be given entry to the States. Despite the order banning people from the mentioned countries to enter US through Canada.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed immigrants to Canada, striking a sharp contrast with Trump’s sweeping executive order restricting immigration the previous day.
“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada,” Trudeau posted on Twitter. According to the latest Canadian census, from 2011, one out of five people in the country are foreign-born. Canada has welcomed more than 39,670 Syrian refugees between November 2015 and the beginning of this January, according to government figures.
