Call on the Federal Government to Let War Resisters
Stay In
June, 2008, the Canadian Parliament passed a motion calling on the government
to stop deportation proceedings against war resisters and allow them to stay in
Canada as permanent residents.
The motion is in keeping with Canadian
public opinion. An Angus Reid poll shows that 64% of Canadians want U.S. Iraq
war resisters to stay.
The June motion was reaffirmed by the Standing Committee
on Citizenship and Immmigration in the new Parliament on February 12, 2009.
Yet
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason
Kenney continue to ignore Parliament and Canadians. Since the motion in passed
in June 2008, three war resisters have been forced to leave Canada. Several more
war resisters and their families are in imminent danger of deportation.
We
need to continue to make our voices and our opposition heard! Please call or email
the Prime Minister and the Immigration Minister and demand that they respect the
Canadian Parliament and implement themotion. Here
are the numbers to call:
The Right Hon. Stephen Harper
Phone: (613) 992-4211
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca Minister
of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney
Call 613.954.1064 (Ministry
office)
613.992.2235 (Parliamentary Office)
Or email him at: minister@cic.gc.ca
or Kenney.j@parl.gc.ca Please
cc the opposition party critics if you email Jason Kenney:
Liberal party
immigration critic Maurizio Bevilacqua: bevilacqua.m@parl.gc.ca
NDP immigration critic Olivia Chow: chow.o@parl.gc.ca
Bloc Québécois immigration critic Thierry St-Cyr: st-cyr.t@parl.gc.ca
* * *
It is more urgent than ever that we send a message to the Canadian
government that Canada needs to welcome US men and women who refuse to participate
in the illegal and immoral war in Iraq. There are three actions you can take today
to help support the war resisters.
Petition
Add your name to the petition calling
for the federal government to implement a provision to allow war resisters to
stay in Canada. Initial signatories
include June Callwood, David Suzuki, Maude Barlow, Shirley Douglas, Naomi Klein,
Ann-Marie MacDonald, and many others.
Please
download a copy of the petition,
sign it, circulate it and return it to the campaign.
Write a letter to the editor
Letters
to the editor are an important piece of the public debate on this issue. The majority
of Canadians opposed the war in Iraq and support the provision of sanctuary for
US soldiers. Send a copy of your letter to the campaign to resisters@sympatico.ca.
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