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Tossing Pebbles in the Stream

This blog is my place to sit and toss pebbles into the stream. The stream of Life relentlessly passing before us. We can affect it little. For the most part I just watch it passing and follow the flow. Occasionally, I need to comment on its passing, tossing a pebble at it to enjoy the ripple affect upon Life's surface.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

War Resisters in Canada

Today there will be a vote in Parliament on a non-binding resolution which asks the government to allow war resisters to say in Canada. There are a small number of individuals who have chosen to leave the US rather than continue to participate in an illegal and criminal war on Iraq.
There numbers would be much larger if Canada had not changed it's immigration policy since the Vietnam War era when some 50,000 war resisters came and were welcomed in Canada.

I am not hopeful the present Conservative government while listen to this call for Canada to honour its historic role of offering refuge to those fleeing a country because of war. Sadly, our present Conservative government seems more interested in pleasing the Bush administration on a wide range of issues.

It is Canada's official position that the War in Iraq is an illegal war of agression (which we resisted US pressure , under a Liberal government, to join. By definition, (since Nuremburg) such a war is the worst of all war crimes.

Canada has a long history of offering refuge to Americans who have wished to flee the US. Much of East and Central Canada were settled by United Empire Loyalists who left, or were driven out, the the US after the War of Independence. Later fugatives slaves, "looked to the North Star" to find their way to refuge and citizenship in Canada at the time that slavery was legal in the US and the Fugative Slave Act was the law of the land to have fugative slaves returned to their masters. During the Vietnam War many young men found a welcome in Canada as a refuge from involuntary military service in another unpopular American military adventure. And now we again have an opportunity to make it easier for American War Resisters to come to Canada.

These and others who have sought to make a new life in Canada have made Canada what it is today, a country in stark contrast to our American neighbours.


Below is Bob Rae addressing a support for War Resisters meeting in Toronto. Bob Rae, a former Premier of Ontario and now a member of the Liberal Party opposition in parliament.







Below is Elizabeth Chow the partiamentary Immigration critic of the New Democratic Party.





For further information one could read a recent editorial article in the Globe and Mail.

Here is a blog devoted to the War Resisters in Canada issue. http://www.soldiersayno.blogspot.com/

There is a effort to lobby the government to pass the resolution and change the immigration regulations to allow war resisters to easily stay in Canada.

posted by Tossing Pebbles in the Stream @ 6:58 a.m.

3 Comments:

At 9:03 a.m., Blogger Anvilcloud said...

I have felt that the Liberals made a big mistake when they didn't choose Bob Rae as their leader.

 
At 2:14 p.m., Blogger Janet said...

I hope that the resisters are allowed to stay. When this appalling war first started, many Americans supported it. Now that the truth has gotten out (despite the Bush people's best efforts to suppress it), almost no one thinks it was a good idea.

 
At 6:12 p.m., Blogger possum said...

I am proud to say I was one of the earliest LOUD voices saying the war was not right and reminding people that he promised this war before he was elected and definitely before 9/11. My cousin who has saved my Sunday Musings since 1999 often quotes my Bush quotes from back then. He also promised ga$ would be $4 a gallon before he left office and repeatedly talked about the coming economic crisis, deep recession and global disaster - ALL BEFORE THE IDIOT WAS, um, ah, gee, he really wasn't elected, was he??? How the H*** did we let this happen?
As a Native American, all I can say is I'm sure none of my ancestors agreed to let his ancestors in, (they were probably illegal!) and I can promise I never voted for him.
Anyway, all we can do is hope and PRAY for the future, not just for you and me, but for the whole wide world. ANd be sure the spelling is correct - PRAY not prey... maybe he can't spell either.
Thank God for Canada.
(Can you see? I am waving my Canadian flag???)

 

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