Petition for scientist banned from the United States

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 

To the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau

Prime Minister of Canada

To the Honourable Ahmed D. Hussen

Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

To the Honourable Kristy Duncan

Minister of Science

To the Honourable Jane Philpott

Minister of Health

The members of the Canadian scientific community are deeply concerned about the consequences of the executive order issued by the United States preventing individuals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.A. in the next 90 days. Science is a global endeavour that requires free exchange of ideas and this executive order, which effectively bans some of our colleagues from entering the U.S., affects us, our trainees, and our research1. We believe Canada can show leadership in these hard times by issuing visas to those scientists and trainees who are currently misplaced by the US Executive Order. Diversity has always been a source of innovation and strength in Canada, and we now have an opportunity to defend this important value.

This idea, first proposed by the Canadian tech community2 is a way to show support for scientists of all origins, religious belief and race, who work together to advance scientific knowledge, for the benefit of all humanity. Scientific research does not operate within borders. It is a truly international endeavor based on collaboration and free exchange of ideas.

With this temporary measure, we can help scientists and trainees who are displaced by the Executive Order to continue their work or studies until their situation is resolved. The U.S. is our biggest economic partner, and in many cases, U.S.-based scientists are our most important scientific collaborators. With a possibility to stay in Canada, the affected individuals could take advantage of their already existing scientific collaborations, others would have a chance to build new ones.

Canada stands to gain from this initiative. The strengthening and broadening of collaborations will benefit Canadian scientists. This welcoming gesture will also help attract the best international researchers, helping to fuel innovation and discovery in our country.

As our Prime Minister said in a statement on January 29th, “Diversity is our strength, and religious tolerance is a value that we, as Canadians, hold dear.” We believe welcoming our fellow scientists, banned for no reason other that their origins, is a way to stand for these important values.

Kristin Baetz, President of the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences
Ridha Joober, President of the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Freda Miller, President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience
Katalin Toth, Chair of the Advocacy Committee, Canadian Association for Neuroscience
Roger Jacobs, President Canadian Council of University of Biology Chairs
Jeremy Kerr, President Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution
Christine Szymanski, President Canadian Society of Microbiologists
Richard MacKenzie, President Canadian Association of Physicists

This open letter was drafted by the Canadian Association for Neuroscience and the Canadian Society for Molecular Bioscience and is supported by the Canadian Society for Microbiology, the Canadian Council of University Biology Chairs and the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Those individuals wishing to add their names to the list please sign below. 

1-    Examples include the recently reported cases here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/science/scientists-donald-trump-travel-ban.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/trump-travel-ban-winnipeg-1.3956909

http://www.metronews.ca/news/toronto/2017/01/30/torontonians-worried-about-effects-of-trump-travel-ban.html

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-the-u-s-for-many-canadian-travellers-with-dual-citizenship-uncertainty-lingers

2-    http://betakit.com/an-open-letter-from-the-canadian-tech-community-diversity-is-our-strength/

Current Supporters

#: 164

Maurico Terebiznik
University of Toronto at Scarborough

 

Anthony K C Chan
McMaster University

 

Mobeen Raja
The Hospital for Sick Children

 

Mary McQuaid
Centre de Recherche Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont

 

Lael Barlow
University of Alberta, Dept. Cell Biol.

 

Jaafar Amro
Université de Montréal

 

Michael Gold
University of British Columbia

 

Magda Stroinska
McMaster University

 

Sherri Christian
Memorial University of Newfoundland

 

Claire Malo
École de Travail social, Université de Montréal

 

Douglas Brown
Retired, Bishop’s University

 

Véronique Hamel
Université Laval

 

Ute Kothe
University of Lethbridge

 

Dr. Ivona Kucerova
McMaster University

 

Elisabet Service
McMaster University

 

Ana Inés Ansaldo
Centre de recherche de l’institut Universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal- Université de Montréal

 

Marianne Paul
UQTR

 

Ree Zheng
University of Toronto

 

Purnima Kompella
University of Toronto

 

John MacLeod
Queen’s University

 

Louise Duchesne
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

 

John Connolly
McMaster University

 

Phaedra Royle, Ph.D.
Université de Montréal

 

Claire Croteau
Université de Montréal

 

Douglas Shiller
Université de Montréal

 

Sameera Abuaish
University of Toronto

 

Colleen Gillon
University of Toronto

 

Eric R. Gauthier, Ph.D.
Laurentian University

 

Gil Privé
University of Toronto

 

Eric A. Shoubridge
McGill University

 

Yoanna Skrobik
McGill University

 

Sarah Robins
McGill University

 

Denis Arutyunov
University of Alberta

 

Andrea Globa
University of British Columbia

 

Trang Pham
University of Ottawa

 

Sophie St-Cyr
University of Toronto

 

Rene Harrison
University of Toronto

 

Shayna Deecker
University of Toronto

 

Steve Geoffrion
Université de Montréal

 

Julie Claycomb
University of Toronto

 

Nafisa M Jadavji
Carleton University

 

Bob Strome
University of Toronto

 

Michelle Collins
Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research

 

Virginia Pimmett
University of Alberta

 

Shelagh Campbell
University of Alberta

 

Randal N. Johnston
University of Calgary

 

Catherine Briand
Université de Montréal

 

Alan R. Davidson
University of Toronto

 

Geneviève Parent
Université de Montréal

 

Annie Devault
Université du Québec en Outaouais

 

Monica Dixon
University of Toronto

 

Geneviève Pagé
Département de travail social, Université du Québec en Outaouais

 

Marc Lavoie
Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal

 

Stéphane Guay
École de criminologie et Département de psychiatrie, Université de Montréal

 

Kenneth C. Welch Jr.
University of Toronto Scarborough

 

Michael Mowat
University of Manitoba

 

FATEMEH SHAHHOSSEINI
university of calgary

 

Junior West
University of Toronto

 

Anatol.G. Feldman
UdeM

 

Hugh Bennett
cGill University

 

Herman Yeger
Hospital for Sick Children

 

George Ronald Williams
Dept of Biochemistry, University of Toronto

 

Jorge Filmus
Sunnybrook Research Institute

 

Claudio Slamovits
Dalhousie University

 

Kathryn Vanya Ewart
Dalhousie University

 

Michael James
University of Alberta

 

Paul Melancon
University of Alberta

 

Vladimir Titorenko
Concordia University, Biology Department, Montreal

 

Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez
University of Toronto

 

Andrea Green
Université de Montréal, Dépt de Neurosciences

 

Christopher Yip
University of Toronto

 

Alain Vinet
Université de MOntréal

 

Phil Hieter
University of British Columbia

 

Kamal Said
Molecular Microbiologist

 

Debanjan Barua
University of Toronto

 

Cynthia Solek
Montreal Neurological Institute/McGill University

 

Wilfred de Vega
University of Toronto

 

Mathieu Quesnel-Vallières
University of Toronto

 

Elaine Beaulieu
University of Ottawa

 

Belinda Chang
University of Toronto

 

Reza Bayat Mokhtari
Ph.D cancer Biology and Developmental Stem Cell – Hospital for Sick Children/ University of Toronto

 

Lida Langroudi
Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto

 

David Sanders
University of Saskatchewan

 

Madiha Khan
University of Toronto

 

Professor Paul Hamel
University of Toronto

 

Jean-Pierre Perreault
Université de Sherbrooke

 

Kyungsoo Shin
Dalhousie University

 

Adriana Caragea
University of Toronto

 

Matteo Da Ros
University of Ottawa

 

Thomas H. MacRae
Dalhousie University

 

Ryan MacDonald
University of Toronto

 

Catherine Mounier
Université du Québec à Montréal

 

Emil F. Pai
University of Toronto/Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

 

Sanna Masud
University of Toronto

 

Leonard Foster
University of British Columbia

 

Masoud Jelokhani-Niaraki
Wilfrid Laurier University

 

William Trimble
Hospital for Sick Children

 

Anne-Marie Dion-Côté
Cornell University

 

Jean-Francois Couture
University of Ottawa

 

Vince Tropepe
University of Toronto

 

Tony Harris
University of Toronto

 

Stfean Taubert
UBC

 

Michael P. Walsh
University of Calgary

 

Gregory Kelly
The University of Western Ontario

 

Peter Stogios
University of Toronto

 

Elahe Alizadeh
Department of Medical Imaging, University of Saskatchewan

 

Imogen R. Coe
Ryerson University

 

John Bergeron
McGill University

 

Stephen G Withers
UBC

 

John Bergeron
McGill University

 

Dr. Michael Dufresne
University of Windsor (retired)

 

Cordula Enenkel
University of Toronto

 

Jacinthe Gagnon
INRS – Institut Armand-Frappier

 

John Bergeron
McGill University

 

Jay M Baltz
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and University of Ottawa

 

Vincent Archambault
Université de Montréal

 

Mohammad Sarhan
Associate Professor

 

Erin Kennedy
University of Ottawa

 

Larry Fliegel
University of Alberta

 

Walid Houry
University of Toronto, Department of Biochemistry

 

Bensun C Fong
University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine

 

Thien-Fah Mah
University of Ottawa

 

Brent J. Sinclair
Western University

 

Shernaz Bamji
Professor, University of British Columbia

 

Deirdre Laframboise
Canadian Climate Forum

 

Jeremy Kerr
University of Ottawa

 

Maria DeRosa
Carleton University

 

Jim Woodgett
Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute

 

Jaideep Bains
University of Calgary

 

Lynn A. Raymond
University of British Columbia

 

Dr. Derek Bowie
McGill University

 

Glen Pyle
University of Guelph

 

Peter L. Davies
Queen’s University

 

Michael Hendricks
McGill University

 

Martin Paré
Queen’s University

 

Susan Meakin
Western University

 

Christopher Yost
University of Regina

 

Melanie Woodin
University of Toronto

 

Blake Richards
University of Toronto

 

Frances Sharom
University of Guelph

 

Amy Ramsey
University of Toronto

 

Jason Tanny
McGill university

 

Jan K. Rainey
Dalhousie University

 

Doug Munoz
Queen’s University

 

Stephanie Borgland
University of Calgary

 

Vincent Poitout
Université de Montréal

 

Afnan Shahid
University of Toronto

 

Anastassia Voronova
Hospital for Sick Children

 

Dr. William Francis Colmers
Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute

 

Alanna Watt
McGill University

 

Tara Moriarty
University of Toronto

 

Tarik Moroy
Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal

 

Richard Robitaille
Université de Montréal

 

Michelle Scott
Université de Sherbrooke

 

Phil Hieter
University of British Columbia

 

Christian Baron
Université de Montréal

 

Dr. Bill Stanford
OHRI & University of Ottawa

 

Roger Thompson
University of Calgary

 

Charles Bourque
McGill University

 

Edward Ruthazer
Montreal Neurological Institute

 

Katalin Toth
Université Laval

 

Zafrin Islam
McMaster University

 

Kristin Baetz
University of Ottawa

 

Justin Nodwell
University of Toronto