The Trump Bump

Canadians like to stay neutral, so we refuse to comment on whether or not the growing number of Americans seeking refugee status directly correlates to president-elect Donald Trump. The U.S. boasts the oldest constitution and consequently the oldest democracy, so how can they also argue oppression and fear of harm?

Jamie Liew, a lawyer and professor at the University of Ottawa, is not surprised. "The rhetoric coming from the [Donald Trump's U.S. political] discussion ... was filled with a lot of concerning language, including hate; exclusion; deportation ... I could see why people would be concerned for their own safety, their own lives, and evaluate whether they could live (there). It really doesn’t matter what country [they come] from. That is not the central issue ... What really matters is how people are being treated on the ground, and protected by the state that they’re in."

Canada received 28 petitions this month. That may seem like a minuscule amount until you compare it to the five claims in November of 2015. Clearly, Donald Trump's politics come into question, but can those fleeing his reign actually achieve refugee status? Canadian government considers most Americans ineligible, because they cannot prove personalized persecution in all areas of the country. For example, Kyle Canty asked for political asylum last year on the basis of police brutality in the seven states he previously lived in. Although well prepared, the immigration board denied Canty citing the United Nation's grounds for maltreatment.

Do you think the increase in applicants can be attributed to November's election? Share your opinion in the comments!