HALIFAX — An eminent Canadian political scholar says a Donald Trump presidency could prompt a flow of American political refugees akin to what happened during the Vietnam war.
Donald Savoie — who was at his second home in Florida as the vote occurred — says what initially seemed like an unlikely possibility could morph into reality if Trump follows through on threats to conduct mass deportations of illegal immigrants or reopen international trade agreements.
Savoie is a political economist at the University of Moncton who has authored one book on Canada's democracy, is working on a separate book that looks at the democratic system in both nations, and has observed multiple U.S. elections from his southern home.
Meanwhile, a Nova Scotia man who created the "Cape Breton if Donald Trump Wins" website says he had over 100 emails late last night as the U.S. election results came in, including some from well educated Americans who say they feel fearful about continuing to live in the United States.
Rob Calabrese says he will rename his site and expects he'll continue referring inquiries to official websites where would-be Cape Bretoners can pursue work opportunities and apply for immigration status.
The website for Citizenship and Immigration Canada crashed last night due to heavy traffic, but the agency did not offer a comment on whether it was due to excessive traffic from would-be U.S. emigrants.
