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 U.S. war resisters to stay in Canada .

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 the following historic resolution:

[It is recommended that] the government immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members (partners and dependents), 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 that may have already commenced against such individuals.

In addition to this Parliamentary motion, according to a recent poll nearly two of three Canadians also favor U.S. war resisters being allowed to stay. Furthermore, many wonderful Canadians have opened their homes and their hearts to U.S. war resisters. Please continue Canada’s honorable tradition of being a refuge from militarism.

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.

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 Corey Glass and other current and future war resisters.

Sincerely,
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