Justin Trudeau takes a stand against Trump's Muslim ban

Impact

President Donald Trump's ban on refugees is debuting with a lot of criticism — particularly because it discriminates on the basis of religion. As a result, world leaders are responding with pledges to step up with initiatives to resettle refugees, while reiterating their countries' commitment to take in refugees from around the globe no matter their faith. 

The first response came from right on the United States' northern border: Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau took to Twitter Saturday afternoon and said Canada would not be discriminating on the basis of a refugee's religion.

"To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith," Trudeau tweeted. "Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada."

Unlike the U.S., Canada has been settling Syrian refugees at a clip. In the past, Trudeau has even personally greeted planeloads of Syrian refugees. According to a resettlement program page on the Canadian government's official website, 40,000 Syrian refugees have found new homes in Canada. 

Other world leaders are supporting Trudeau. First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon linked to Trudeau's tweet and suggested Scotland would similarly welcome refugees, tweeting "#WelcometoScotland too."