Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Justin Trudeau Looking Into U.S. War-Dodger Issue But Gives No Commitments

The Canadian Press, 06 May, 2016 11:26 AM
    TORONTO — The Liberal government is reviewing Canada's stance on American war dodgers who have sought refuge in this country rather than fight in Iraq, Prime Minister Trudeau said Friday.
     
    Trudeau, however, gave no commitments that Ottawa might smooth the path to permanent residency for the conscientious objectors, some of whom have been forced to return to the U.S. to face prison terms, but said the issue was a live one.
     
    "It's one that we are looking into actively as a government," Trudeau said after a transit-funding announcement in Toronto.
     
    He did not elaborate.
     
    Outside the transit yard where Trudeau was speaking, a handful of protesters from the War Resisters Support Campaign quietly held up a banner and signs calling on the government to let them stay.
     
    Last summer, a campaigning Trudeau criticized the Conservative government under prime minister Stephen Harper for acting in a way he called "lacking compassion and lacking understanding" when it came to the American soldiers.
     
    "I am supportive of the principle of allowing conscientious objectors to stay," Trudeau said at the time.
     
     
    He called it "problematic" and "disappointing" and unworthy of Canada that Conservative MPs had cheered in the Commons in 2012 amid word that one of the Americans, a mother of four, had been arrested after deportation to the U.S., where she was later court-martialled and gave birth in prison.
     
    "I am committed...to restoring our sense of compassion and openness and a place that is a safe haven for people to come here."
     
    However, little appears to have happened since the Liberals took office last fall.
     
    In an email to The Canadian Press last month, a spokesman for Immigration Minister John McCallum said he had "no indication that a decision was made or is about to be made" on the issue.
     
    Starting a decade ago, scores of American military personnel who objected to the war in Iraq sought refuge in Canada. They argued the military effort had not been sanctioned by the United Nations and was illegal. Some have been fighting for years to obtain regular status while the government has sought to deport them.
     
    The Harper government, in particular, took a hard line on their presence, at one point calling them deserters and "bogus refugee claimants" and directing immigration officials to ensure they were returned to the U.S.
     
     
    About 15 of the soldiers are estimated to be still caught up in their fight to gain status in Canada, according to the resisters campaign
     
    Supporters say it is time the Trudeau government acted, noting it was his father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, who welcomed many American soldiers who came to Canada rather than fight in the Vietnam War.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Low-Income Seniors To Receive Extra Money For Wrongfully Denied Benefits

    OTTAWA — The federal government says it has paid out about $258 million to low-income seniors who were wrongly denied the guaranteed income supplement.

    Low-Income Seniors To Receive Extra Money For Wrongfully Denied Benefits

    Alex Trebek Says Canadians May Again Be Eligible To Apply To Be On Jeopardy

    Alex Trebek Says Canadians May Again Be Eligible To Apply To Be On Jeopardy
    Trebek, who has presided over the quiz show for more than 30 years, is in Ottawa to receive the key to the city and met Prime Minister Justin Trudeau briefly.

    Alex Trebek Says Canadians May Again Be Eligible To Apply To Be On Jeopardy

    The Challenges Facing Women Who Pursue Pregnancy After Breast Cancer

    The Challenges Facing Women Who Pursue Pregnancy After Breast Cancer
    The 36-year-old had no family history of the disease and hadn't even thought much about her breasts until she found a lump while nursing her daughter, Genna.

    The Challenges Facing Women Who Pursue Pregnancy After Breast Cancer

    Bombardier: Navdeep Bains Focused On Jobs, R&D And Head Office

    Bombardier: Navdeep Bains Focused On Jobs, R&D And Head Office
    Navdeep Bains says negotiations are continuing between the government and the aerospace giant with regard to the Montreal-based company's request for the money.

    Bombardier: Navdeep Bains Focused On Jobs, R&D And Head Office

    Victoria's Medical Marijuana Bylaw Deflects Concerns About Edible Pot

    Victoria's Medical Marijuana Bylaw Deflects Concerns About Edible Pot
      The bylaw will also keep the dispensaries 200 metres away from schools and licensed daycares.

    Victoria's Medical Marijuana Bylaw Deflects Concerns About Edible Pot

    Sentence Ending For Medicine Hat Woman Who Murdered Her Family When She Was 12

    Sentence Ending For Medicine Hat Woman Who Murdered Her Family When She Was 12
    The woman is now 22, but can't be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

    Sentence Ending For Medicine Hat Woman Who Murdered Her Family When She Was 12