Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

I am writing from the United States to ask that you abide by the June 3rd House of Commons resolution to create a program to allow conscientious objectors, including U.S. war resisters, to apply for permanent resident status in Canada and to cease all deportation and removal proceedings against them.

Please act immediately to implement the resolution to allow Jeremy Hinzman and other U.S. war resisters to stay in Canada.

The recent deportation of Iraq war resister Robin Long into U.S. military custody flaunted Canada's longstanding tradition of providing sanctuary to conscientious objectors and amounted to complicity in the U.S. war against Iraq - a war that Canada supposedly refused to participate in. Now, Jeremy Hinzman faces deportation threats, and other Iraq War resisters living in Canada wait to see if they will be next.

When more than 50,000 Americans refused to fight in Vietnam and emigrated to Canada, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau declared, “[They] have my complete sympathy, and indeed our political approach has been to give them access to Canada. Canada should be a refuge from militarism.”

On June 3rd, the House of Commons voted to uphold this rich tradition by passing a historic resolution to allow war resisters to apply for permanent residence status in Canada and to halt the deportation of conscientious objectors. In addition to this parliamentary motion, according to a recent poll, nearly two of three Canadians also favor allowing U.S. war resisters to stay. Furthermore, many wonderful Canadians have opened their homes and hearts to U.S. war resisters.

Today Canada again faces the moral choice of whether to give refuge to resisters of an unjust war. If forced back to the U.S., soldiers of conscience face years of incarceration and stigmatizing discharges. Although unlikely, even the death penalty remains as a possible penalty for desertion in wartime under the U.S. military’s Uniform Code of Military Justice. War resister Robin Long, when deported into U.S. military custody was given the maximum sentence according to the pre-trial agreement: 15 months of confinement and a dishonorable discharge. Jeremy Hinzman, if deported, faces the threat of a harsh punishment at the hands of the U.S. military.

I ask that the Canadian government respect the democratic decision of Parliament, the demonstrated opinion of the Canadian citizenry, the view of the United Nations, and millions of Americans by immediately implementing the motion and cease deportation proceedings against Jeremy Hinzman and other current and future war resisters.

Sincerely,
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