Justin Trudeau: 5 Things To Know About Canada’s Prime Minister Willing To Take In Refugees #WelcomeToCanada

The United States just issued a temporary ban on immigration from select countries, but that hasn’t stopped other nations from opening their borders. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently welcomed those refugees the U.S. is now turning away. While countries across the globe react to the refugee ban, here are five things to know about Trudeau’s new stance.

For starters, BBC reports that Trudeau announced his stance against the ban on social media. In a special post on Twitter, Trudeau assured his followers that Canada’s borders would remain open to refugees from the banned countries.

“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith,” he wrote. “Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada.”

Secondly, there has been some confusion with countries because of the wording of the ban. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security originally declared the ban would include those refugees of the seven countries who have dual citizenship. This would prohibit certain Canadian citizens from traveling freely in the U.S.

After President Trump halts refugee program, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweets that they are welcome in Canada https://t.co/qAKEa4CFGD pic.twitter.com/gmkPTIpo7H

— CNN (@CNN) January 30, 2017

Fortunately, representatives from Trudeau’s office confirmed that dual nationals are not included in the ban. “We have been assured that Canadian citizens traveling on Canadian passports will be dealt with in the usual process,” a member of Trudeau’s office shared.

The statement also revealed that Mike Flynn, National Security Advisor for President Donald Trump, later confirmed “that holders of Canadian passports, including dual citizens, will not be affected by the ban.”

Thirdly, this isn’t the first time Trudeau has taken an open stance on immigration. NY Times reports that Trudeau made immigration a top priority after taking office in 2015. Trudeau wanted to specifically help refugees from Syria who were fleeing the country in the midst of a civil war. As of January, Canada has welcomed some 39,671 Syrian refugees.

“The prime minister is looking forward to discussing the success of Canada’s immigration and refugee policies with the president when they next speak,” Trudeau’s press secretary Cameron Ahmad said about meeting with Trump.

Justin Trudeau isn’t alone in his attitude towards refugees. Many Canadian citizens and groups have sponsored funds to help Syrian refugees get to safe zones. In fact, many Canadians are still not satisfied with the rate of refugees coming into the country and believe the process could be faster.

In addition to his stance on immigration, People reports that Trudeau is gaining popularity as a feminist. The Canadian Prime Minister is not shy about his feminism and won’t stop discussing it in public until it is no longer an issue.

“Quite frankly I talk about the fact that I’m a feminist as often as I can, and every time I do it gets huge reaction and media reacts and the Twitterverse explodes and things like that, because here I am saying ‘I’m a feminist,'” he shared. “I will keep saying that until there is no more reaction to that when I say it, because that’s where we want to get to.”

The final thing to know about Trudeau is that he’s actually part of a political dynasty. According to In Style, Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, was the prime minister of Canada and also took a progressive approach to policies. To say the least, Trudeau’s upbringing was anything but normal.

“There were days where I wouldn’t eat at school because we had to rush home to have lunch with the Queen, for example. At the same time, it was instilled upon us that this was a privilege and a responsibility, and nothing made us better than anyone else,” he explained.

The Trump administration has not responded to Trudeau’s message on social media.

Tell us! Whose side are you on when it comes to refugees – President Trump or Justin Trudeau? Let us know in the comments below.

[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]