Worldwide crisis when Trump tweets.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau created policy and administrative chaos when he tweeted out a welcome mat for the world’s refugees last winter. As the National Post reports, newly released emails show confusion within his own Liberal government as senior officials weren’t certain whether the tweet was political whimsy or a major policy shift.
Trudeau tweeted in January, “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada.”
The unrestricted invitation came within a day of President’s Donald Trump’s decision to ban refugees from some Muslim countries and Trudeau’s declaration was widely seen — especially on social media — as a defiant declaration of opposition.
But while hundreds of thousands of people around the world applauded Trudeau’s ambiguous promise, an Access to Information request reveals that the Canadian government department overseeing refugees and immigration wasn’t sure how to respond to the sudden increase in refugee demands.
After observing that Trudeau’s social media comments had become international news in a New York Times report, officials from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada begged for instructions on what to tell the people who were showing up at Canada’s embassy in Mexico.
“Guidance required on how to respond to increasing number of refugees enquirers in the region following change in U.S. administration and Prime Minister’s tweet.”