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As chaos and confusion swirl around U.S. President Donald Trump’s refugee ban, Calgary’s mayor is asking the Trudeau government to draft specific short- and long-term plans to welcome more refugees across the country.

“If the trend in the world right now is to close minds and close borders, then let us buck that trend,” Nenshi said Tuesday at a community event. “These are people in desperate need, that are fleeing violence and terror.”

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During last year’s resettlement campaign, Canada welcomed close to 39,000 Syrian refugees, about one-third of which were privately sponsored. But due to a growing backlog of applications, the federal government has since created a cap of no more than 1,000 privately-sponsored refugees this year.

“In the short term, the federal government needs to lift those restrictions . . . 1,000 is a very small number,” Nenshi said Tuesday.

“And in the long-term, let’s create some clear strategies,” he added, stressing that Canada will benefit by remaining open to citizens from around the world, including those banned from entering the U.S., many of whom are highly skilled and highly educated.