Michael Espinal is just one of the hundreds of young soldiers who have fled to Canada seeking sanctuary after participating in the war in Iraq. He and his partner, Jennifer Harrison, now have working permits and live together in an apartment in Sudbury.
However Espinal, like most other soldiers who refuse to fight once they witness the reality of war, faces the possibility of a return to the U.S., where he could face a court martial, incarceration, and possible deployment to Iraq. It’s cases like this that motivated the War Resisters Support Campaign to call a pan-Canadian mobilization day Jan. 26, which involved various events all across the country, including Ottawa, Toronto, London, Thunder Bay, Victoria, Vancouver, and Nelson, B.C. A local rally was held at the main branch of the Sudbury Public Library.
“The bottom line is it’s difficult as a Canadian citizen who objects to certain American military behaviour to feel as you can do anything at all,” said Daryl Shandro, a member of the local branch.
“For us as Canadians and citizens of the world that disagree for them going to war in Iraq, this is one way, a very practical and doable way, we can bring that message to our own leaders and to leaders of the U.S.”
She added that it’s the least they can do for people who “are conscientious objectors who have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to the largest military machine on the planet.”
The special local gathering culminated in a walk to the post office so supporters could mail dozens of letters of support to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Leader of the Opposition, Stephane Dion.
The march was organized after the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration adopted a motion Dec. 6 recommending that the government immediately implement a program to allow soldiers their families to stay in Canada. It also called for an immediate halt to deportation proceedings in these cases.
Besides Shandro, there were a number of other speakers who took part in the event to raise awareness and support, including Aurelie Lacassagne, a professor at Laurentian University and long-time supporter of the campaign.
“Now that we have a motion from the standing committee, we need to make sure that this goes before the parliament and there will be something passed there to give them automatic status here,” she said.
“These people don’t have any status right now. They apply for refugee status, but they don’t have much money, and the only way they survive today in Canada is thanks to the help of these people here and the campaign.”
The number of war resisters in Canada currently stands at more than 100, but she expects that number to continue to go up.
“We know it’s not going to stop until this illegal war stops,” she said. “As long as the government doesn’t give them automatic status of residence we have to support them politically, but also financially.”
Meanwhile, Laurentian University’s Francophone student’s union donated $1,000 in support of the War Resisters last week, said Eric Blondin. The group is made up of 750 members and is part of the Canadian Federation of Students, which represents over 300,000 students across the province.
John Harvey, the leader of the parish at St. James Anglican Church also spoke at the event and assured everyone that, if that war resisters need to have sanctuary in a local church, they’d be welcomed there. In fact, when Espinal and Harrison first arrived, they received a lot of assistance from his congregation, mentioned Sharndo.
“Many people don’t understand that when you submit a humanitarian and compassionate appeal, that doesn’t keep you from being deported, she concluded.
“You need to have somewhere to go where you can’t be taken out of for the appeal to go through.”
Other speakers included Dave Nichol from Water’s Mennonite Church, Gordon Harris, Greater Sudbury’s federal candidate for the green party, and Scott Neigh, who’s with the group Sudbury Against War and Occupation.
Overall, the War Resister's Support campaign is a broad-based coalition of community, faith, labour and other organizations and individuals that have come together to support the material needs of war resisters when they arrive here and to campaign to persuade the Canadian government to provide sanctuary for them. Although there are only about 20 local members, there are a number of other branches across the country.
