MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 03, 2008

Canada Says: Let Them Stay
Provide Sanctuary to US War Resisters, says Council of Canadians

Ottawa – The Council of Canadians is calling on the Harper government to respect the will of Parliament and the Canadian people. Despite strong public support for war resisters who want to stay in Canada, the Harper government has remained silent, apparently content to let deportation proceedings continue, the organization says.

“The war resisters seeking refuge in Canada have shown tremendous courage in refusing to participate in an illegal war, and it is time the federal government let them stay,” says Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians. “It is shameful that the Harper government, so fond of telling us to support the troops, is trying to send these heroic soldiers back to persecution in the US or redeployment in Iraq.”

Stephen Harper’s adherence to the policies of George Bush is at odds with the views of the majority of Canadians who oppose the Iraq war and who have been supportive of refuge for U.S. war resisters. On June 27, Angus Reid published its poll results showing three in five Canadians (64%) are in favour of giving U.S. soldiers the opportunity to remain in Canada as permanent residents. A recent Strategic Counsel poll has revealed that 82% of Canadians oppose the Iraq war.

“Canadians support the war resisters. Parliament supports the war resisters,” says Dylan Penner, Media Officer for the Council of Canadians. “Over one million civilians have perished in the illegal war in Iraq and Canada made the right decision not to participate. How can we punish the war resisters for making the same decision?”

The Council of Canadians joins the War Resisters Support Campaign in calling on the federal government to respect the democratic decision made in the Parliament of Canada. On June 3rd, the House of Commons passed a motion calling for an end to deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and other war resisters.

The Council of Canadians is Canada’s largest citizens’ organization, with members and chapters across the country.

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