title: Canadian tech companies ask Ottawa to issue visas after U.S. ban
text: TORONTO (Reuters) - More than 200 Canadian technology company founders, executives and investors called on Sunday for Ottawa to immediately give temporary residency to those displaced by a U.S. order banning the entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries. In an open letter, they said U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order, which temporarily bars travelers from Syria and six other countries while putting a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States, had already “impacted several in our community.”  “Canadian tech companies understand the power of inclusion and diversity of thought, and that talent and skill know no borders,” the letter said. Signers included John Ruffolo, who heads the venture arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, one of Canada’s biggest pension funds, and Tobias Lutke, chief executive officer of e-commerce software company Shopify Inc, which is valued at around $4.6 billion. The Canadian government has not said what action it could take, but in tweets on Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the nation welcomed those fleeing war and persecution. Canadian airlines have already turned back at least one passenger who tried to fly to the United States. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen will brief the media on the impact of the Trump order at 4 p.m. EST (2100 GMT) on Sunday, officials said. Local and national politicians across the political spectrum have already condemned Trump’s ban. On Sunday, the left-leaning opposition New Democrats called for an emergency debate in the federal Parliament. Canada is eager to attract skilled tech workers from abroad while also retaining employees and students who are often lured away by global companies. More than 300,000 Canadians work in California’s Silicon Valley. Canada has benefited from the raucous U.S. election campaign, with new Canadian work permits for highly skilled workers from the United States soaring nearly 54 percent in the first eight months of 2016. In November, Canada introduced new visa measures that would allow tech companies to quickly recruit foreign talent, including fast approvals and 30-day work permits. Daniel Debow, co-founder of a startup acquired by Salesforce.com Inc in 2012 and who is now building up an artificial intelligence company, welcomed the chance to hire talented people caught by the ban. “This utterly foolish action by the U.S. government is an opportunity 100 times greater to build Canada,” said Debow. “All we have to do is be ourselves, open our doors, and allow people to have a choice to come here.” 