Phone and write to Canadian Minister of Immigration Kenney today, “Let the Riveras and all U.S. war resisters stay” – phone 613.954.1064 or email minister@cic.gc.ca
On March 10, 2009 war resister and mother Kimberly Rivera was ordered to leave Canada, with her husband and three young children, by March 26 or face deportation. The Riveras have requested that their deportation date be postponed until June, when the school year is complete; however, the Canadian department of immigration pressed to have them deported as fast as possible, in order to speed up Kimberly’s ‘punishment’ at the hands of the U.S. military authorities.
Kimberly was the first woman service member to seek refuge through the Canadian government. In January of 2007, while home from an Iraqi deployment she decided she could no longer, in good conscience, participate in the war and occupation taking place in Iraq. At that point she went to Canada with her husband and two young children. In November of 2008, the family grew when Kimberly had a new daughter, Canadian-born Katie.
A large majority of Canadians, 64% according to several polls, want to provide a safe haven for soldiers who refused to fight in the Iraq War, just as Canada itself refused to do. Most Members of Parliament also support the resisters. In June of last year, the House of Commons passed a motion calling on their government to provide sanctuary to “conscientious objectors who refuse to fight in wars not sanctioned by the United Nations.” But the minority Conservative government ignored the non-binding motion and began to deport war resisters.
It is urgent that the Canadian government hear from American and Canadian citizens who both oppose the wars and occupations being pursued by our governments and from those who support resisters to those wars.
Please contact Minister of Immigration Kenney and Prime Minister Harper and let your voices be heard. Ask them to intervene to immediately stop the deportation of the Rivera Family!
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney:
Call 613.954.1064 (Ministry Office)
613.992.2235 (Parliamentary Office)
Or E-Mail at: minister@cic.gc.ca
Kennej@parl.gc.ca
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Call 613.992.4211
pm@pm.gc.ca
“If not for the efforts of … Courage to Resist, there’s no way that a president would spend the political capital to grant a commutation.”
