War Resisters Support Campaign

When former U.S. soldier James Corey Glass signed up with the U.S. National Guard in 2002, he did so to aid in humanitarian disaster relief and to defend the U.S. against invasion. Three years later, Glass and his unit were shipped to Balad, Iraq, a city north of Baghdad in the war-torn region.

It was a mission he never signed up for and a war he objected to on moral grounds. In 2005, Glass went AWOL while on a two-week leave back in the U.S., eventually making his way to Canada. To some, he is a traitor. To others, he is a conscientious objector who has every right to not participate in an invasion of a country that posed no threat to his homeland. “There was no al-Qaida connection,” says a 25-year old Glass. “The weapons of mass-destruction weren’t there. They weren’t a threat to America. There was no reason we should have been there in the first place.”

While he has lived in Canada for the past two years, Glass soon faces the possibility of being sent back to the U.S. On May 21, 2008, he was informed that his application to stay in Canada had been rejected and he was ordered deported by July 10. On July 8, a federal court will decide whether or not to grant Glass an appeal of the deportation order. If the order is upheld, Glass will become the first U.S. soldier to be deported from Canada back to the U.S. since the Iraq war began in 2003. Back home, he likely faces two to five years in military prison and a bad conduct discharge (which is equivalent to a felony conviction). The discharge would severely impact his ability to travel and obtain employment, says Michelle Robidoux, a member of War Resisters Support Campaign.

The War Resisters Support Campaign is a coalition of organizations and individuals that supports U.S. soldiers seeking asylum in Canada because they refuse to fight in the Iraq war. According to Robidoux, there are over 50 U.S. soldiers in Canada who have refused to participate in the conflict.

Shortly before deployment to Iraq, Glass was promoted to the position of military analyst, a job he received no training for. “I was a communications guy,” he says. “I knew how to make phones and data systems work.” Glass says he feels deceived by the methods used by National Guard recruiters who told him they don’t fight wars overseas. “I didn’t want to fight in wars in other countries because I didn’t think attacking anybody in revenge is the right thing to do,” says Glass.

After five months in Iraq, he asked to be sent back home after witnessing what he calls abusive treatment of Iraqi civilians by the U.S. military, and a failure by the system to address the issue. His request was denied, but he was granted a two-week leave during which he returned home to Indiana. It was then he decided not to return to duty and spent the better part of the next eight months hiding in the woods. In 2006, with the help of some friends, Glass crossed the U.S.-Canada border. Since arriving, he has established a new life for himself, working odd jobs, most recently at a funeral home, and has a group of friends he considers family. He hopes to stay in Canada and to return to school to finish his degree in psychology.

Now residing in Toronto, Ont., the Indiana native has his hopes pinned on the Canadian federal courts staying his deportation order. “I don’t think it is fair that I should be returned to the United States to face unjust punishment for doing what I felt morally obligated to do,” says Glass. “I appeal to the Canadian people and the Canadian government to honour their tradition of respect for human rights and support my decision not to participate in this unjust war.”

An Angus Reid poll, released June 27, found the majority of Canadians (64 per cent) would agree to allow U.S. military deserters to stay in Canada as permanent residents. Amongst the provinces, Alberta had the fewest number of supporters (52 per cent), and Quebec had the highest (70 per cent).

On Dec. 6, 2007, the Canadian Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration adopted a motion that recommended the government immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate families to apply for permanent resident status in Canada. It also recommended the government immediately cease any deportations already in progress. The motion was passed in Parliament on June 3, with the unanimous support of the opposition parties. However, the motion is non-binding and the Conservative government, which voted against it, is expected to ignore the motion. According to Robidoux, federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley has rejected meeting with the War Resisters Support Campaign.

War Resisters Support Campaign urges Canadians to contact their member of Parliament or to call Finley to stop the proceedings against Glass and other U.S. war resisters.

To reach Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley dial

613-996-4974 or contact MP Diane Finley’s constituency office (Simcoe) at 519-426-3400.

HED: ALBERTA LIBERAL LEADER EXITS STAGE LEFT

After four years as leader of the Alberta Liberals, Kevin Taft has decided to let someone else take the reins of a party left limping after the last provincial election.

On June 26, Taft announced he will step down within seven months, but will remain in the legislature as MLA for his riding of Edmonton-Riverview. The Liberal party is in the process of deciding how and when a new leader will be chosen. While a handful of Liberal caucus members have expressed interest in the leadership position, including Calgary MLA Dave Taylor and Edmonton MLA Laurie Blakeman, no one has officially become a contender.

Taft entered the political arena after then premier Ralph Klein labelled him a communist for publishing his book Shredding the Public Interest, and challenged him to run for office. In 2001, Taft was elected to the legislature as an MLA, becoming the leader of the Alberta Liberal party three years later after the resignation of Ken Nicol.

The party saw some gains in the 2004 provincial election, winning 16 seats, but lost nearly half of them in the 2008 election, in which many expected further gains against a new premier. The NDP also lost half its seats in the election. The idea of an alliance between the Liberals and the NDP was tossed around after the March 3 election. However, that concept was soundly put to bed at an NDP convention held last month in Calgary, which saw 95 per cent of its members vote against it.

NDP leader Brian Mason called Taft a worthy political adversary and wished him success in his future endeavours. “Mr. Taft raised the level of political debate in this province, bringing an intellectual focus to policy discussions that served Albertans well,” Mason said in a press release. “His tenure as leader was marked by a strong devotion to his party and this province.”

The premier’s office has refused to comment on Taft’s departure. Classy.