Trump's travel ban sparks concern
Chair of Islamic Centre of Yellowknife, NWT MP say people are worried; Ban suspended by federal judge but situation in flux
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The ripple effect of an embattled executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump extends to Yellowknife.
On Jan. 29, Trump decreed the United States would temporarily close its borders to citizens from seven countries - Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Iran, Iraq and Syria - in what he calls an effort to protect the country from the possibility of terrorist attacks. While the legal status of the ban is making its way through the court system, some Yellowknife residents are changing their travel plans to avoid having to enter the U.S.
Nazim Awan, chair of the Islamic Centre of Yellowknife, told Yellowknifer he has heard from a handful of people, including one person from Somalia, who are in this position. He said flights from Canada to those banned countries often touch down in the U.S. before travelling overseas, and Muslims he has spoken to are concerned they either would be denied entry to the U.S. either on their way out or on their way home.
Awan, originally from Pakistan, said he is worried about where Trump is going with his agenda.
"We had reservations being Canadian - not just Muslim - because his election has implications for Canada. But for Muslims his agenda is clear," he said. "I don't know how far he can go but it is surprising that he is doing this in 2017 in this global village. Building a wall and limiting countries is totally strange to me. It's difficult to understand his real motives."
On Friday, a federal court judge found the ban unconstitutional and suspended it nationwide. As of Monday, people with valid visas from those countries could enter the United States. An appeal court judge in California was scheduled to hear arguments to reinstate it from Department of Justice lawyers yesterday afternoon and, according to media reports, a ruling is expected this week. It is possible the question of whether the executive order is constitutional could eventually reach the Supreme Court.
Michael McLeod said targeting people - particularly refugees - simply because they come from mainly Muslim countries runs counter to Canadian values. He was in the House of Commons a week ago yesterday when MPs held an emergency debate to discuss the implications of the travel ban.
"Our country has a long history of welcoming millions of immigrants and refugees from different countries who speak different languages and follow different religions," he said. "That's where our strength comes from."
McLeod told Yellowknifer Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen is working hard to stay on top of the situation.
"He assured us that Canadians with dual nationalities who are travelling on Canadian passports are not affected by this order," said McLeod. "We're also told that Canadian permanent residents with a valid Canadian permanent resident card will continue to have access to the United States - the same as before."
In the first days of the ban, the U.S. Government sent mixed messages about how Canadians were affected. McLeod said there continues to be fluctuating interpretations of the ban and "clarity is being provided almost on a daily basis."
McLeod said Hussen has committed to providing temporary residency to anyone stranded in Canada as a result of Trump's measures.
He said he has not been contacted by any NWT residents who have had travel issues since the ban was put in place, although he has heard from constituents about it.
"We have heard from quite a few people in the NWT, from all walks of life, who have flagged this as a concern," he said. "We will provide them with the latest information and try to assure them that we have good communications with the United States and that our minister is on top of this."
McLeod conceded that at this point, there is not a whole lot the Canadian government can do to prepare for what Trump may or may not do.
"There have been a lot of executive orders being made," he said.
"They are not all going to be sitting well with some of the agendas we have as a government ... However we will take them as they come and we will deal with them. Things may change for the better. Our government continues to have a dialogue with him and educate him on where we are at. We are still partners with the U.S. on many fronts."
McLeod said the Prime Minister's Office continues to have contact with the Trump administration on many fronts. He is not aware of any specific meeting scheduled as of yet between the two.
He told Yellowknifer he invites any constituent who has concerns about the travel ban to contact his office at any time and he will do what he can to help.
