HispanicBusiness

February 4, 2009: US Iraq War resister Cliff Cornell was arrested when he crossed the border into the United States after exhausting all appeals to remain in Canada (http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=c74e9d3c-3582-43e8-b34e-352f4e25d473).

March 15, 2009: Members of Parliament Olivia Chow and Borys Wrzesnewskyj met with US Iraq War resister Robin Long in the Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar near San Diego. Long was court-martialed and sentenced to 15 months in prison after being deported from British Columbia by the Harper government (http://www.ctvnews.ca/mps-visit-deserter-in-u-s-prison-1.379609).

March 30, 2009: The June 3, 2008 motion was passed by Parliament a second time (http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=3681601&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2).

April 28, 2009: Cliff Cornell was sentenced to 12 months in prison and a bad conduct discharge after publicly expressing his conscientious objection to the Iraq War while in Canada. Prosecutors used footage of a television news interview with Cornell as evidence against him (http://www.straight.com/news/us-war-resister-and-ex-bc-resident-cliff-cornell-sentenced-one-year-prison).

September 18, 2009: US war resister and veteran Rodney Watson took sanctuary in the First United Church in Vancouver, BC, to avoid deportation by the Harper government. He remains there today (http://www.thestar.com/opinion/2009/12/24/why_a_resister_chose_canada_over_the_war_in_iraq.html).

July 6, 2010: Federal Court of Appeal issued its unanimous ruling in favour of Hinzman (http://www3.sympatico.ca/ken.marciniec/20100706-FederalCourtOfAppeal-HinzmanVMinCitizenshipImmigration_A-276-09.pdf).

July 22, 2010: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, at the direction of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, issued Operational Bulletin 202 which formalizes the bias against all US war resisters in policy that immigration decision-makers must follow (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/bulletins/2010/ob202.asp).

September 2010: Peter Showler, former Chair of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board, and Amnesty International Canada call on Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to rescind CIC Operational Bulletin 202 because it, "misstates the law and seeks to intrude on the independence of both IRB members and Immigration Officers," and "implies that military deserters from the US should be treated differently than deserters from other countries," despite there being, "no basis in law for that proposition." (http://www.resisters.ca/2010.09.29-Embassy_WithdrawUSWarResisterBulletin.pdf)

(http://www.resisters.ca/Amnesty_International_OB_202_sept_2010.pdf)

April 5, 2011: Federal Court of Canada rules in favour of US war resister and veteran Dean Walcott.

July 18, 2011: Federal Court of Canada rules in favour of US war resister and veteran Chris Vassey.

August 30, 2012: Canadian government orders US war resister Kim Rivera and her family to leave Canada by September 20th or face deportation. Kim is the first woman Iraq War resister to seek asylum in Canada. She and her husband Mario have four children, two of them born in Canada.

September 17, 2012: Federal Court Justice Near denies Kim Rivera a stay of removal, stating that it is only "speculative" that Kim would be arrested and court martialed if she is forced to return to the US.

September 20, 2012: Kim Rivera is arrested by US authorities after voluntarily turning herself in at the border. She has been charged with desertion and is awaiting court martial at Fort Carson, Colorado.

September 20, 2012: Conservative Members of Parliament break into applause upon the announcement of Kim Rivera's forced return to the United States.

January 26, 2013: Prominent Canadians publish open letter to the Prime Minister in support of US war resisters in The Globe and Mail.

February 1, 2013: Federal Court of Canada rules in favour of US war resister and veteran Jules Tindungan.



Contacts:
War Resisters Support Campaign
Michelle Robidoux
Spokesperson
416-856-5008

Alyssa Manning
Legal counsel for Jules Tindungan
manninga@lao.on.ca

War Resisters Support Campaign
Ken Marciniec
Communications volunteer
416-803-6066
communications@resisters.ca