Friday, May 05, 2006

Desert Iraq for Afghanistan


You tell em Jack. But wait if the American deserters come up here do ya think they will sign up for our humanitarian operations in Afghanistan? And where will our troops go when they desert from Afghanistan?

Canada should welcome US deserters, Layton says
American deserters dodging military duty in Iraq share Canadian values and should be welcomed in this country, NDP Leader Jack Layton says."It makes a lot of sense to welcome these young people, recognize that they've taken a position that's exactly the same position that Canadians took," he said yesterday. "It would be inappropriate to send them back in my view ... We're glad they've chosen our country." Layton urged the Conservative government to grant sanctuary to young soldiers, noting Canada became a safe haven for Americans seeking to avoid the Vietnam draft more than 30 years ago."We should be looking at it," he said. "These young people are courageous individuals. They've made a decision of conscience."Layton denied that it would upset ties with the U.S. if Canada suddenly became a place of refuge for those fleeing that country's unpopular war."There are tens of thousands of people and their families now all across our country who came to us in an earlier period around the Vietnam War. I don't think that disrupted relations between the two countries."His comments followed an Ottawa visit by Cindy Sheehan, who has become an outspoken anti-war campaigner after the death of her son Casey in Iraq. She used a Parliament Hill news conference yesterday to urge Canada to offer sanctuary to U.S. deserters.


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
, , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments: