US Army Deserters Being Turned Away from Canada, No longer Welcome

by Warner Todd Huston | July 13, 2015 11:03 am

This is an interesting development. Stars And Stripes reports that since Prime Minister Stephen Harper got into office US military deserters claiming conscientious objection over their principles have found that they can’t run away to Canada and get protected status from the Harper government. They are being turned away.

Since the Vietnam war deserters from the US military have run away to Canada and been welcomed with open arms there. It has been a bone of contention between US and Canadian officials for over 50 years. But lately, not a single deserter has gained admittance and legal status in Canada[1].

When Army Sgt. Patrick Hart decided a decade ago that he would not serve in the war in Iraq, he expected to follow the same path as thousands of American war resisters during the Vietnam era and take refuge across the border.

But after five years of wrangling with the Canadian immigration system, he came back to the U.S. – and ended up in a military prison.

The country that once welcomed war resisters has developed a much different reputation during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan: Supporters say no U.S. soldier who has sought legal residence in Canada, either as a refugee or on humanitarian grounds, has been successful.

“Nobody’s won,” said Hart, a Buffalo native who exhausted his legal options then turned himself in to the Army, was court-martialed for desertion and sentenced to two years in prison.

There are an estimated two dozen U.S. military members still waiting out their fate in Canada, and the resisters’ movement is seen as nearing a crossroads. With a national election three months away, supporters are hopeful for a Liberal Party victory and more sympathetic stance toward American military exiles, but bracing for the possibility Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper wins re-election.

Quite an interesting turn of events, isn’t it?

I hate to admit it, but in many ways Canada is now more conservative than the USA. Another failure we can thank Obama and the Democrats for.

Endnotes:
  1. not a single deserter has gained admittance and legal status in Canada: http://www.stripes.com/news/us/us-soldiers-opposed-to-war-now-find-canada-less-hospitable-1.357644

Source URL: https://rightwingnews.com/democrats/us-army-deserters-being-turned-away-from-canada-no-longer-welcome/