As other Western nations are seeing a surge in nativism and Islamophobia, Canada and its prime minister, Justin Trudeau, are proving an exception to the rule, said Cas Mudde, an associate professor of international affairs in UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs, in Vox.
“The only real outlier (to the nativist trend) is Canada,” Mudde told Vox: “(Trudeau) has handled, so far, the Syrian refugee crisis incredibly well, having taken in 25,000 Syrian refugees against the majority will. Initially, he wasn’t supported by the majority—but when they finally arrived, a majority of Canadians did support it. That’s one of the few encouraging lessons that we have seen over the last several years: that if you have a positive campaign, which is supported by a large portion of the media, that you can actually swing public opinion in a positive direction.”
