Candian Parliament Votes for Asylum

Sean Purdy blogs:

Yesterday, the Canadian parliament voted 137-110 to give asylum to U.S. war resisters (known in the mainstream media as “military deserters”) and allow them permanent resident status. Officially, there are an estimated 200 U.S. soldiers who have fled to Canada in opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan but there are probably many more resisters who have not come forward yet.

The Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is free to ignore the decision since it was an unbinding motion. He has said as much. However, it is an extremely important victory in the campaign by the anti-war movement in Canada and the U.S. and will certainly put substantial pressure on Harper…