Premier Notley responds to Trump’s travel ban: ‘Alberta embraces the value of diversity’

As U.S. President Donald Trump works on a new executive order to replace his controversial directive suspending travel to the United States by citizens of seven mostly Muslim countries, Alberta’s premier is stressing her government’s position.

“We’re certainly going to do everything we can to make sure that people from all corners of the world that Alberta is a place that is welcoming, that embraces the value of diversity,” Rachel Notley said on Friday.

She was asked about Trump’s original travel ban – which temporarily barred citizens from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia from entering the U.S. – and the new version, expected next week, and its potential impact on Alberta and university students here.

Six per cent of the University of Alberta’s graduate students come from one of the seven countries, according to the faculty of graduate studies and research.

READ MORE: University of Alberta president vows support for those impacted by Trump’s travel ban 

“It’s a fast-changing situation,” Notley said.

She said the minister of advanced education is keeping a close eye on the evolving situation.

“If there are people that want to be part of our economy, want to be a part of our community, who can add value to it because they don’t believe they are as welcome as they once were in the United States then, quite frankly, Alberta is a place they should look to.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "If there are people that want to be part of our economy, want to be a part of our community, who can add value to it because they don't believe they are as welcome as they once were in the United States then, quite frankly, Alberta is a place they should look to."

READ MORE: Alberta biomedical engineer with Canadian permanent resident card denied entry to U.S.

At a White House news conference on Thursday, Trump said the new order would seek to address concerns raised by federal appeals court judges, who temporarily blocked his original travel ban.

READ MORE: Donald Trump is working on a new ‘streamlined’ travel ban: John Kelly 

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Saturday Trump is working on a “streamlined” version of his executive order.

READ MORE: Immigrants in US eye Canada as Trump threatens new travel ban

He said the Trump administration was surprised when U.S. courts blocked it from implementing the executive order and now “the president is contemplating releasing a tighter, more streamlined version” of the travel ban.

With files from David Rising, The Associated Press