TORONTO - Shopify's CEO says it's a great time for Canadian startups to attract talent as the U.S. government is creating an uninviting environment for a lot of people.

Tobias Lutke says his company is receiving many more applications from U.S. job seekers than it did before the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Since Trump assumed office in January, he's signed a number of controversial executive orders, including a ban on travel to the U.S. from several predominantly Muslim countries, and other measures, such as withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Previously, Lutke says the e-commerce platform firm had to court talent for years to develop a relationship and convince potential employees to move north of the border.

Now, he says Shopify (SHOP.TO) is receiving unsolicited applications from all over the U.S. as some are deciding they may want to spend the next three-and-a-half years abroad.

Lutke, who has criticized Canadian government policy in the past for seemingly hampering firms' ability to attract international workers, said Ottawa is creating good awareness around Canada's value of multiculturalism.