Canada no longer safe for conscientious objectors

TORONTO / Corey Glass, a former U.S. National Guardsman who deserted to Canada in 2006 to avoid serving in Iraq, was told Wednesday that his application to stay in Canada has been rejected.

A spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada confirmed Glass has been ordered to leave the country.

At a Toronto news conference, Glass pleaded with the federal government to support his cause.

“In almost two years I’ve been here I’ve been self-sufficient, and I’ve got many friends and I’ve got a life here,” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair that I should be returned to the United States to face unjust punishment for doing what I thought I was morally obligated to do.”

Michelle Robidoux, a spokesperson for the War Resisters Support Campaign, said Glass could be deported by June 12.