Leaders at Shopify, Macadamian Technologies, among signatories calling on the Canadian government to intervene

Leaders at local technology companies have signed an open letter calling on the Canadian government to offer an “immediate and targeted visa” to people from seven predominantly Muslim countries affected by the U.S. President’s travel ban, so that they can live and work in Canada.

• Trump’s sweeping executive order bars all Syrian refugees from entering U.S.
• U.S. won’t ban Canadian permanent residents, immigration minister says

The letter, which was posted online late on Jan. 28, had garnered more than 2,000 signatures from people in the technology sector by midday on Jan. 30.

It describes how people working in technology in Canada come from a range of ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations and religions, and how that diversity helps drive entrepreneurship and innovation.