During his first day back in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continued to avoid directly criticizing the American president’s recent executive order that bans citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States.

In question period Monday, New Democratic Party Leader Thomas Mulcair pressed the prime minister to condemn Trump’s edict.

“The American president has implemented ban on all individuals from a number of Muslim countries,” Mulcair said. “There have been no justifications offered but we all know there can be no justification for this. Does the prime minister agree that this targeting of people based on their religion or place of birth is an affront to our shared values as Canadians and supporters of human rights across the world?”

In responding, Trudeau chose his words carefully, keeping the focus on Canada and what the country stands for.

“I will always stand and defend the Canadian values of openness and diversity that we cherish so much,” he said. “We are a strong united people that are generous and open … because we’ve seen how much openness to the world and diversity not only makes us more prosperous but more safe as a country and as communities.

“I will continue to stand for Canadian values any chance I get, in this House and elsewhere.”

Trump signed an executive order late Friday prohibiting Muslim travellers from seven countries from entering the United States for 90 days. The ban affects citizens of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Libya. The White House has since clarified that the order does not apply to green-card holders and President Donald Trump’s national security adviser confirmed that Canadians with dual citizenship do not fall under the ban.

The order also suspends the American government’s Syrian refugee program indefinitely and applies a temporary ban on all other refugee resettlement in the United States for 120 days.

Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel and French president François Hollande have both condemned Trump’s executive order. Hollande went as far as to say the Trump administration’s “discourse” was encouraging “extremism.”

Trudeau took to Twitter the day after Trump issued the executive order. While his tweets made no mention of Trump or the ban, many have seen them as a subtle criticism or response to the policy.

To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 28, 2017

Trudeau also consistently avoided criticizing Trump throughout the U.S. presidential election campaign or commenting on Trump’s actions since.

When a reporter described Trudeau’s reaction to the executive order as “tepid” in comparison to Merkel and Hollande’s responses, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said she didn’t view the prime minister’s message the same way.

“I wouldn’t describe it as tepid, but much more needs to be done to back up those words,” May said, adding that Trudeau should “immediately suspend” the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement.

Liberal cabinet ministers, including new Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen and Global Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, have also exercised caution in addressing the ban since it came into effect and have deflected questions about the policy by focusing on Canada’s values and commitment to diversity.

Reaction from Conservative MPs has been mixed, while some NDP MPs have been stronger in their wording. In a letter she sent to Speaker Geoff Regan Sunday calling for an emergency debate on Trump’s ban, NDP immigration and refugee critic Jenny Kwan called the White House’s actions “alarming.”

“These immigration policies, instituted by Presidential Executive Order on Friday January 28th 2017, are a deeply distressing reincarnation of race-based immigration policies not seen since the Second World War,” she wrote. “A ban against individuals based upon race, religion, or country of birth, implemented by our closest neighbour, cannot be tolerated.”

Following question period Monday, Regan granted Kwan’s request for an emergency debate on the implications of Trump’s executive order on Canada. The debate will take place Tuesday evening.

With files from Kelsey Johnson