Write a letter to Stephane Dion
Dear Friends and Supporters –
We’re urging all those who support the US war resisters in Canada to write to the new Liberal Leader, Stephane Dion, to urge him to follow through on the support he expressed during last January’s election. Have a look at the letter below, and feel free to use it, or to write your own. Let’s let Mr. Dion know that Canadians won’t let him forget the war resisters! Dion’s email is Dion.S@parl.gc.ca His mailing address is shown in the letter below.
Peace,
Lee Zaslofsky
War Resisters Support Campaign
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Hon. Stephane Dion
Leader, Liberal Party of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Dear Mr. Dion,
RE: U.S. War Resisters in Canada
Congratulations on your selection as Leader of the Liberal Party.
I am writing to urge you to take action as soon as you can to help the US soldiers who have come to Canada to seek sanctuary because they oppose the Iraq War.
Several decades ago, a previous Liberal Leader, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, acted to make it possible for US war resisters opposed to the Vietnam War to settle in Canada. In doing so he stated "Canada should be a refuge from militarism". In those days, over 50,000 Americans were welcomed to our country.
Now the US is involved in another war in which Canada declined to take part: the Iraq War. And again, Americans are turning to Canada, in the hope that they will be welcomed as previous war resisters were. The numbers this time are much smaller -- probably no more than a few hundred. But the issue is the same.
Mr. Dion, last January, in response to a question at an all-candidates' meeting in Montreal on your position regarding US war resisters, you said "Oui aux objecteurs de conscience." ("Yes to conscientious objectors"). I urge you to follow through on that statement. Please join with the War Resisters Support Campaign, with Liberals like Bonnie Brown and Borys Wrzesnewskij, with the United Church of Canada, with the Canadian Labour Congress, and with thousands of individual Canadians to express your support for the war resisters -- and help them to settle in Canada.
Sincerely, |
