War Resister: War Resisters

war resister: It classified war resisters as criminals that were not eligible for residency in Canada under a policy called Operational Bulletin 202. "This is not a game, this is not a joke for me at all," Watson said from First United Church and addressed Trudeau directly. "I can see it in your eyes that you have far more compassion in your heart for than Stephen Harper had, or ever had for any war resister." War resister takes refuge in Vancouver church Drop war-resister policy: rights activists To live his life as an artist, photographer Corey Glass must stay in exile About 200 U.S. soldiers who fled the Iraq war came to Canada, and the policy reads that because deserting the military is a crime, war resisters may not be eligible for asylum, according to CBC. Now, Kwan, MP for Vancouver East, is calling on the Trudeau government to do away with the policy saying it is unfair to people like Watson. "He served in the Iraq war and when he left, he was being recalled to go back, and what he saw was something that prevented him from going back," she said "He is a conscientious objector, he believes strongly in having done the right thing in refusing to go back." Rodney Watson has been living in a Vancouver church for seven years after refusing to return to Iraq as part of the U.S. military. Watson and Kwan were joined by members of the B.C. NDP in calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reverse a policy implemented by the previous Conservative government. Watson said he deserted because of racial hatred he witnessed against Iraqis during his first tour of duty. Canada is estimated to have accepted around 50,000 conscientious objectors during the Vietnam War, including Dr. He has a son with a Canadian woman, but says he has never seen the boy outside of his makeshift church home. "His first steps were in this building while I was in sanctuary, I haven't been able to go to school to see his first day at school," said Watson. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.