Having lived and worked in many cities in Ontario over the years I can tell you that all this hugging is not the norm especially with the immigrants.   Try that with a new immigrant Muslim male or female in the workplace and at best you'll get off with a warning from HR .  And as you experienced if you tried any of this in rural Ontario you'd be given a one way ticket to the nearest Moshka yoga centre and told never to return.

I think it is safe to say that one should save the hugs for nearest and dearest and keep the hugs out of the workplace as a general rule except for those co-workers who one might consider a close friend.  

Someone needs to tell JT that all this hugging just makes him appear unprime ministerial.  Not sure if it is some irrational belief he has that it makes him seem more of a feminist but whatever the belief he needs to rein the habit in.