Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a world-class lesson in compassion last night when he personally greeted refugees arriving at the airport:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a battery of politicians from across the political spectrum were on hand at the Toronto airport to greet the refugees.
“You are home,” Mr. Trudeau said to the first passengers to disembark after a 16-hour flight from Beirut on a Canadian military aircraft. “You’re safe at home now.” The premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, gave them winter coats.
Under a plan announced by Mr. Trudeau’s new government, a series of flights will bring 10,000 Syrian refugees into Canada by the end of this month and a total of at least 25,000 before March.
This is how you win the hearts and minds of Muslims worldwide. You welcome the fleeing victims of extreme violence, give them a new, safer life in the free world. He helped the refugees pick out their new winter coats to get them through their first Canadian winter. He addressed the media after the refugees arrived in a short but important speech that is a must watch.
This is a wonderful night where we get to show, not just a plane load of new Canadians what Canada’s all about, we get to show the world how to open our hearts and welcome in people who are fleeing extraordinarily difficult situations. They step off the plane as refugees, but they walk out of this terminal as permanent residents of Canada. With social insurance numbers, with health cards and with the opportunity to become full Canadians. This is something we are able to do in this country because we define a Canadian not by his skin color or language or religion or background, but by a shared set of values, aspirations, hopes and dreams that, much like Canadians, people around the world share.