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Girl Guides of Canada cancel U.S. trips over Trump travel order

Published  March 13, 2017 3:26pm PDT
Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — The Girl Guides of Canada are canceling all travel to the United States because of fears girls might have trouble at the border due to travel restrictions enacted by President Donald Trump.

Spokeswoman Sarah Kiriliuks said Monday the organization's membership is diverse and inclusive and leaders worried some girls could get left behind when a group tried to enter the U.S.

A temporary travel ban by Trump on citizens from six Muslim-majority countries also has Canadian schools concerned with how foreign-born students will be treated at the border.

Kiriliuks said the Girl Guides don't want to take the risk with all the uncertainty. She was not aware of any girls being turned away by U.S. officials.

The Girl Guides of Canada said in a letter to members it would not be approving any new trips to the United States until further notice.

"This just speaks to the Girl Guides of Canada and our commitment to inclusivity," Kiriliuks said. "We just want to make sure that no girl gets left behind."

A nationally sponsored trip to a California camp that was scheduled for this summer is being relocated. The group is encouraging local leaders to consider domestic trips instead.

Canadian schools are also considering cancelling trips to the U.S.

Jim Cambridge, superintendent of the Sooke School District in British Columbia, has said a number of trips planned for sports, music and educational purposes in the coming months are being reconsidered.

The Greater Essex County school board in southwestern Ontario decided recently to cancel a handful of trips over concerns of equity. And the Ottawa-Carleton District school board sent a letter to parents to confirm whether their children would participate in upcoming trips across the border to determine whether plans should go ahead.

Students in the Pembina Trails School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba, participate in many international trips, but superintendent Ted Fransen said the recent decision to cancel one was made easily.