Justin Trudeau meets the baby Syrian refugee named in his honour

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come face to face with the Syrian baby named in his honour.

Their meeting took place at the Calgary Stampede on Saturday (15 July) where sleeping two-month-old Justin Trudeau Adam Bilan was passed to the prime minister for a brief moment.

Muhammed and Afraa Bilaan – refugees from Damascus in Syria – named their new-born after the 45-year-old politician in gratitude for his refugee policy, which has let thousands exchange their misery in war-torn countries for a new life in Canada.

More than 40,000 refugees have been resettled in Canada since November of 2015.

The Bilans arrived in Calgary in February of 2016 and Afraa became pregnant with the boy several months later. Baby Justin Trudeau was born in May weighing seven-and-a-half pounds.

In an earlier interview with CBC News, Afraa said it was her husband's idea to name the baby after the prime minister.

"My husband says 'How about if we name the boy Justin-Trudeau, like him,'" she said.

"I was a little bit shocked. When he says that, I smiled a little bit, a small smile, then I said, 'Yes, there is no problem, it will be like a small thank you for Justin Trudeau.'"

She added that choosing a non-Arabic name might have been deemed controversial back home, but felt it was an important gesture to make.

"It will be a big story because you know, the Arabic name and the English name, there is a big difference.

"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."