There's good news for the approximately 100 American soldiers who have quit the U.S. military to start a new life in Canada. A group of lobbyists is taking up their cause in Ottawa.
Retired U.S. Senator Tom Hayden will meet with NDP Leader Jack Layton and members of the Bloc Quebecois. He'll bring up cases such as those of Jeremy Hinzman -- a former U.S. soldier who went AWOL before being shipped off to Iraq.
Currently living in a small basement apartment with his family in Toronto, Hinzman is waiting for Ottawa to decide what to do with him.
If he's forced to return home, he could face the death penalty for going AWOL. Under Canada's immigration laws, he and his family are here illegally.
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http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1114092828942_109502028/?hub=TopStoriesEdited to add: Thanks to those who have pointed out the egregious errors in this article, it is appalling, imo.
I am adding a link to another article that seems to be more accurate regarding the same story:
American activist seeks Canadian haven for U.S. army deserters
OTTAWA (CP) - Tom Hayden, the legendary American activist of the 1960s, is asking Canada to provide a haven for deserters from the U.S. army.
Hayden, once a defendant in the notorious trial of the Chicago Seven and later a California state legislator, went to Parliament Hill on Thursday to ask the federal government to give special consideration to Americans who flee military service in Iraq on grounds of conscience.
He said American soldiers and reservists of today are in the same boat as Vietnam-era draftees and deserters who came to Canada to avoid service in southeast Asia.
He said the soldiers are coerced to volunteer for the army by lavish offers of cash and educational benefits.
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http://www.canada.com/national/story.html?id=1d4bf518-3411-4977-a366-e7122a0ff61d