Now he was keeping that promise As the refugees stepped off the plane he welcomed them to Canada He greeted families and helped them choose winter coats Trudeau had promised to admit 25 000 refugees by the end of February The United States planned to admit only 10 000 people in a year At the time US presidential candidate Donald Trump was calling for a travel ban on Muslims Governors of several US states were trying to block refugees altogether They were afraid of letting potential terrorists into the country Yet the leaders of all 10 Canadian provinces had agreed to take refugees Even opposition party members were in the airport Trudeau called it a wonderful night He declared that Canadians could not be described by one background race language or faith But
The newly arrived refugees needed coats for Canada's cold winters they did share similar hopes and values People all over the world had that in common The refugees were now permanent Canadian residents One day they could become citizens Trudeau believes that Canada succeeds because of its diversity As a world leader he will put that belief to the test
CHAPTER 2 O CANADA rnglish explorer John Cabot arrived on Canada's eastern coast in 1497 Many indigenous people lived in the region but Cabot claimed the land for England In 1534 French explorer Jacques Cartier made his first voyage to North America He navigated the St Lawrence River and mapped the surrounding land Cartier claimed the area for France He also gave Canada its name Kanata is an indigenous word for village The St Lawrence River is one of the largest rivers in North America
