If there's one thing we love here at ELLE (other than hummus, coconut milk iced coffees and party rings) it's Justin Trudeau.
And no, not because he's easy on the eye (although, that helps), but because he's a proud feminist, LGBTQ supporter, fun-loving, and has welcomed over 40,000 Syrian Refugees to Canada since 2015.
Who can forget that the same year, the Canadian government reportedly paid for about 163 privately sponsored Syrian refugees to fly from Beirut to Canada, and gave children boarding the plane in Beirut teddy bears holding Canadian flags?
Two of the 1,000 Syrian refugees who settled in the Alberta city of Calgary, Muhammad and Afraa Bilan, have shown their appreciation to Trudeau by naming their son after him, and the prime minister just got the chance to meet his mini-me namesake.
Over the weekend, Justin Trudeau met Justin Trudeau Adam Bilan at the Calgary Stampede rodeo this weekend, the BBC reports.
Numerous photos were taken of the adorable encounter, with Trudeau – who wore a gigantic Stetson hat for the occasion – giving the sleepy two-month-old a big cuddle.
According to the BBC, the child's parents fled to Canada from Lebanon last February with their two older children, four-year-old Naya and three-year-old Nael.
The baby's mother explained why they named their newborn after Trudeau to CBC, revealing: 'My husband says "How about if we name the boy Justin-Trudeau, like him?"'
'I was a little bit shocked...when he says that, I smile a little bit, a small smile, then I [say], "Yes, there is no problem, it will be like a small thank you for Justin Trudeau".
'In Syria, we name the boys like the parents, like my father's name or my husband's father's name, but now it's by appreciation for Justin Trudeau, we name him like this,' she added.
However, Muhammad and Afraa Bilan aren't the only Syrian refugees to name their children after the Canadian prime minster.
Parent Ahmed Doso reportedly told CBC: 'It's true the name Justin is Western and we are Eastern and Arabs but out of my admiration of Trudeau, I had no problem to name my son Justin — because I like this person.'
'For me, he is wonderful and compassionate. I hope all leaders, whether Easterners or Westerners, would be like him,' he added.
Don't we all, Ahmed. Don't we all.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
