8.06.2009

let them stay: protest impending deportation of rodney watson

US war resister Rodney Watson has been ordered to leave Canada by August 10 or be deported. Please do what you can to stop this injustice.

TODAY in Richmond, BC

Rodney and his supporters will be visiting the office of Alice Wong, MP for Richmond. Wong, Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism, spoke on behalf of Jason Kenney in the most recent Parliamentary debate about war resisters.

Event: Iraq War resister Rodney Watson's visit to office of Alice Wong, MP

Date: Thursday, August 6, 2009

Time: 9:00 a.m. PDT

Location: Unit 360, 5951 No. 3 Road Richmond, BC

TOMORROW in Toronto

Event: Gather with supporters of war resisters in the Toronto area to protest the deportation order.

Date: Friday, August 7, 2009

Time: 4:30 P.M. EST

Location: Northwest corner of University Avenue and Queen Street West

EVERYWHERE, every day

Call and email:

The Right Hon. Stephen Harper
613.992.4211
pm@pm.gc.ca

Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
613.954.1064 (Ministry office)
613.992.2235 (Parliamentary Office)
minister@cic.gc.ca
Kenney.j@parl.gc.ca

Alice Wong, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister Kenney
604.775.5790 (riding office)
877.775.5790 (Ottawa office)
WongA1@parl.gc.ca

When you email Jason Kenney or Alice Wong, please copy the opposition party critics:
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

* * * *

Rodney Watson is a veteran of the Iraq War. After seeing the way Iraqi civilians were being treated by the US, he refused a second deployment, choosing to come to Canada instead. Watson now has a Canadian-born son, and seeks only to live in peace in his new home.

In June 2009, the Immigration Critics from all three opposition parties wrote to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney, calling on him to honour the will of Parliament and "not to use the Parliamentary recess to disregard the expressed will of the House of Commons with respect to the fair treatment of Iraq War resisters in Canada".

A majority of Members of Parliament voted twice to allow U.S. war resisters to remain in Canada, first in June 2008, then again in March 2009.

Despite this very clear mandate, Minister Kenney and the Harper Government continue to deport Iraq War resisters. Several war resisters already have been deported to the U.S., where they were court martialed and imprisoned. In addition to Watson, several other war resisters in Canada live under threat of deportation, including Kimberly Rivera, Jeremy Hinzman and Patrick Hart. All are parents of young children, and all are veterans.

In January, Minister Kenney publicly denounced U.S. war resisters as "bogus refugee claimants," revealing the government's blanket opposition to what is supposed to be an impartial process. The Minister's blatantly prejudicial comments were promptly denounced by Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Council for Refugees and have been condemned by a former chair of the Immigration and Refugee Board.

The majority of Canadians believe US war resisters should be allowed to stay in Canada.

The majority of Members of Parliament have voted to allow them to stay - twice.

It is time for the Harper Government to respect democracy and Let Them Stay.

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