Freedom Socialist • Vol. 29, No. 1 • February-March 2008
Hope for war resisters looking to Canada

by Gordon Frazier

Today, it's common knowledge that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was all about profit and power. However, many Americans - including military recruits - were tricked into initially accepting the war with bait-and-switch sales rhetoric. As war resister and military recruit Ryan Johnson put it, "When I signed up ... I was thinking there were weapons of mass destruction, that Iraq had ties to 9-11. Our president, our vice president, [and] Donald Rumsfeld lied to us. They betrayed the American people and they're betraying every soldier they send over there to fight a war based on false pretenses and greed."

Johnson and hundreds of other recruits are refusing to fight this war, and seek sanctuary in Canada. Like most countries, Canada condemned the 2003 invasion. But in December 2007, Parliament's Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration went further. It adopted a motion calling on Parliament to grant U.S. resisters sanctuary. The motion reads:

"The Committee recommends that the government immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members, who have refused or left military service related to a war not sanctioned by the United Nations and do not have a criminal record, to apply for permanent resident status and remain in Canada; and that the government should immediately cease any removal or deportation actions."

This is good news. But resisters still face possible deportation unless Canada's full Parliament acts in February. Activists are organizing a nationwide mobilization for January 25 and 26 to urge passage.

There are other ways to help the movement. Thousands of U.S. and Canadian citizens have written letters and thousands more have signed petitions urging Parliament to act. Letters may be sent to War Resisters Support Campaign, Box 13, 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7 Canada. A petition and other support materials and ideas can be found at www.couragetoresist.org/canada. The Courage to Resist Web site also lists individual resisters, any of whom would be heartened by letters from supporters.
 
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