Is Canada “right or wrong” in refusing asylum to US war resisters?

The federal government of Canada has asked a deserter from the U.S. army to return to the United States.

If he does not deport willingly by July 10, the government will banish him.

It is Corey Glass, a former sergeant, who is the first Iraq war resistor to be booted out of Canada. The process will definitely be followed up by other U.S. war resistors who are looking for refuge in this country.

A majority of the house of common voted for the motion urging the government to refrain from such an act. About 100 of the war resisters are believed to be in Canada. Yet the motion seems useless. Nothing obliges the prime minter to respect it. A poll revealed the most Canadians support the resisters along with several other organizations such as the Amnesty International and the United Church of Canada.

There is a definite change in the approach as far as the treatment of resisters is concerned. Earlier it was wide open for them, now it is not.

The fear of persecution is one vital reason why the war resistors seek for reason in Canada. The war resistors when returned to the U.S., the military sentences one year of imprisonment to the Iraq war deserters. The Immigration and Refugee Board, the courts and Immigration Minister Diane Finley have rejected this claim to be the ground of granting asylum to resisters.

However, those who are willing to expel the resisters have their own moral grounds. Their argument is that the volunteers make 100percent of the U.S. armed forces today which was not the case during Nam. The national post’s Jonathan Kay asks whether or not the Canadians should help the deserters to go back on his freely given world. This is technically true because guys like Glass signed army contracts of their free will, yet they are deceived. Some deserters also claim that the recruiters promised them of non combat jobs if they sign up with the army.

Another argument is that the resisters are unjustly claiming to be conscientious objectors. However, real conscientious objectors are against all wars while the deserters were only against this war. Fair enough. Yet to grant asylum only to those who are against all wars is setting too high a standard to achieve.

Critics of the resister have one more argument which is reasonably practical. They say that giving asylum would be bad for the troop as will undermine the U.S. war efforts.

Think about all and all seem right.