War Resister Action : Let Them Stay week : Jan 19 – 24, 2009

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"Let Them Stay" Week

January is a critical month for U.S. war resisters living in Canada. Canadians have made it clear through polls, vigils, letters, petitions, rallies, and many other means, that they want American soldiers who refuse to participate in the Iraq war to be allowed to stay.

The House of Commons passed a motion in June 2008 calling for the government to stop deportation proceedings against war resisters and their families, and to allow war resisters to apply for permanent resident status in Canada.

Yet the Conservative government is continuing to try to deport resisters. In January there are five resisters facing deportation:

January 20 - Chris Teske
January 22 - Cliff Cornell
January 27 -Kimberly Rivera, her husband Mario and three children
January 29 - Patrick Hart, his wife Jill and their son
January 30 - Dean Walcott

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has made it clear that his government intends to go against the will of Parliament and the will of Canadians. He has stated that the refugee claims of war resisters are "bogus" and that he "has no sympathy for them."

In response, people across the country are mobilizing as never before to stop Harper, in his unyielding support for George Bush, from sending war resisters to the United States to face punishment for exercising their conscience.

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Let Them Stay week Events:

MONDAY JAN 19, 2009

Letter-to-the-Editor Day
Send a letter to your local newspaper calling on the Conservative government to stop the deportations and let the resisters stay.

TUESDAY JAN 20, 2009

Leafletting Day
Choose a busy corner in your city and hand out leaflets in support of war resisters to help spread the word and involve more people. You can download a leaflet @ http://www.resisters.ca [4]

WEDNESDAY JAN 21, 2009:

Parkdale Friends of War Resisters community event
6:30pm, May Robinson Manor, 20 West Lodge Ave
Featuring Local Member of Parliament Gerard Kennedy
and war resisters Kim Rivera and Dean Walcott

Press Conference, 11:00 a.m.
Trinity St. Paul Centre
427 Bloor St. West

THURSDAY JAN 22, 2009:

National Phone-In or Email Day
Contact Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to tell them you support war resisters. Urge them to:

- stop the deportation proceedings against all U.S. Iraq War Resisters; and
- implement the Parliamentary motion from June 2008 to allow war resisters to apply for Permanent Resident status in Canada.

Please see CONTACT INFO above your for phone/email contacts.

FRIDAY JAN 23, 2009:

Visit or call your local MP
Call or visit your local Member of Parliament's office and tell them you support war resisters. If your MP is a Conservative, tell them you want the government to implement the Parliamentary motion to stop the deportations of war resisters and let them stay in Canada.

If your MP is a member of one of the opposition parties, remind them of their party's support for the motion and ask them to speak out publicly at this critical time against the deportations.

For City by City Events, please see: http://www.resisters.ca/letthemstay.html [5]
 

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