War resisters support campaign update 30 June 2005 1. JOSH AND BRANDI KEY TO TOUR AND SPEAK IN N. ONTARIO, WESTERN CANADA War resisters Josh and Brandi Key will take their four children on an extended trip this summer, leaving on July 9 from Toronto and heading north and then west all the way to Vancouver and the Island; then taking another route back. The trip will be a break from “summer in the city” and be an opportunity for them to see a major part of their new country, driving and camping out with the kids. But that’s just part of what they’ll do. Last month when Josh was in Winnipeg, he noted that “most people hadn’t heard anything about the war resisters”. Their trip will help to change that. Already several speaking engagements have been arranged (see our website for details). But Josh and Brandi hope they’ll be able to meet people throughout their journey and raise the profile of the Campaign wherever they go. Josh and Brandi are hoping that supporters will set up opportunities for them in their localities. If you are interested in helping the Keys get message out where you live, please let us know –  and make a point of checking our website for updates to their itinerary. 2. PRESS CONFERENCE CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO “LET THEM STAY” On June 21 the War Resisters Support Campaign held a press conference to call attention to the growing urgency of Government action to make it possible for the war resisters to find sanctuary in Canada without having to undergo the rigorous refugee claim process. Shirley Douglas, actor and activist; Wayne Samuelson, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour; Judy Rebick, professor and author: Gloria Nafziger, Refugee Coordinator for Amnesty International Canada, and Carolyn Egan, President of the Toronto Council of the United Steelworkers, were on the panel. War resisters Darrell Anderson, Cliff Cornell, Ivan Brobeck, and Ryan and Jenna Johnson were on hand as well (and got most of the media questions). Our event received wide coverage in spite of competition from the Live 8 announcement. The Toronto Sun carried a full story*; an article appeared in Maclean’s at about the same time*; radio station CFRB had a phone-in on the issue (most callers were on our side!); and CKNX in Wingham, ON had a 17–minute interview with Campaign coordinator Lee Zaslofsky. Montreal’s mass circulation La Presse also covered the event. 3. BILL SIKSAY PRESENTS OUR PETITION TO PARLIAMENT On June 21, Bill Siksay, M.P. (NDP –Burnaby Douglas) presented the first batch of our petitions to the House of Commons. The big stack of petitions had over 15,000 signatures – about half the number we have collected so far. We already have almost 3,000 more signatures, which are the first of a new stack to be introduced in Parliament later. Unfortunately our online petition, with close to 12,000 signatures, is not eligible for submission to Parliament. But we welcome those signatures since they, too, show growing support for the war resisters. We thank Mr. Siksay for submitting the petitions and for his eloquent public statement. 4. IF YOU PLAN TO BE IN THE OSHAWA AREA ON JULY 8, JOIN US FOR: Let Them Stay A Benefit for US War Resisters Seeking Refuge in Canada Speaking will be Josh and Brandi Key, US War Resisters who brought their family of 4 up to Canada. Josh served for 8 months in Ramadi and Fallujah, Iraq.  He is one of many US soldiers refusing to fight in Iraq and seeking refuge in Canada. Musical Guests: Poor Pelly & The Kent Boys, "Guitar pickin', harp blowin, banjo smashin', boot stompin, Grand Canada Highway Ramblin', cowpunk from the Dirty 'Shwa." Sean ‘the Sauce’ Maclean & 'Shwa expat - Sara Marlowe Friday, July 8th, 8:00 pm The Velvet Elvis, 221 King St. E., Oshawa $6 or PWYC All proceeds go to the War Resisters Support Campaign For more info: (416) 280-6456 or saramarlowe@yahoo.com 5. BRANDON HUGHEY HEARING TRANSCRIPT NOW AVAILABLE There has been no decision yet on Brandon Hughey’s June 2 refugee hearing, but the full transcript of the hearing is now available. If you ware interested, please visit our website and check under “Resources” for a PDF version. Brandon’s excellent, articulate testimony forms the major part of the document, but we urge you as well to check out the evidence of a systematic pattern of war crimes submitted by his lawyer Jeffry House – it makes chilling reading while giving strong backing to Brandon’s case. There is still no answer from the Federal Court on Jeremy Hinzman’s application to appeal the negative decision in his refugee case. The Court may respond in July or after the summer. In the meantime, Jeremy and his family continue to live in peace and safety – as do all the war resisters. 6. SOLD OUT PERFORMANCE RAISES OVER $2700 FOR CAMPAIGN On the evening of June 20, over 200 people packed Toronto’s Lula Lounge to take in a staged reading of “Bury the Dead”, an anti-war play by Irwin Shaw. A galaxy of Canadian theatre actors took part, donating their time to give a stunning performance. Among them were Arsinee Khanjian, R H Thomson, Shirley Douglas, Earl Pastko, Gale Zoe Garnett, Guillermo Verdecchia, Afua Cooper, and Steven Bush. The show included musical accompaniment and an appearance by rapper Red Menace along with “Everyday Heroes”, an art installation by the sponsors of the benefit, Artists Against War.  In the audience were Jeremy Hinzman, his spouse Nga and their son Liam, Brandon Hughey, Cliff Cornell, David Sanders, and Ryan and Jenna Johnson. Thanks to all who helped to make the performance a great success on every level. 7. PRIDE DAY PARADE A TRIUMPH FOR WAR RESISTERS Toronto’s Pride Day celebration centers on its huge parade, attended by tens of thousands of people from all over North America. This year, war resisters Brandon Hughey and Ryan and Jenna Johnson proudly carried the Campaign banner “War Resisters Welcome Here” as part of the United Steelworkers contingent. The response from the huge crowd watching the parade was enthusiastic. Campaigner Tom Riley, a Vietnam-era deserter, who has marched in every Pride Parade for years said he had never seen anything like it.  As the banner and its tiny contingent approached, a cheer would go up from the crowd, people would wave, give the ‘60’s V-for-peace sign, the current “rock on” sign, and push forward to receive Campaign buttons distributed by leading Campaigner Michelle Robidoux.  Message to Paul Martin: .Canadians will support a government decision to “Let Them Stay”. Before the Parade got started, NDP Leader Jack Layton dropped by the War Resisters contingent to say hello and reaffirm his strong support for the cause. 8. WAR RESISTERS RECEIVE WARM WELCOME AT CLC CONVENTION This month the Canadian Labour Congress held its national convention in Montreal. The Campaign had a good presence at the convention, and received a lot of support: Darrell Anderson and Ivan Brobeck received a standing ovation at the opening forum on Human Rights. In her keynote address to the convention, Maude Barlow highlighted the plight of US war resisters and recognized Darrell and Ivan. During discussion of a resolution on Canada's foreign policy, several speakers­ including Ontario Federation of Labour President Wayne Samuelson, CLC Executive Vice-President Marie-Clarke Walker and Steelworkers Toronto Area Council president Carolyn Egan ­ urged the Martin Government to welcome US war resisters. *Darrell and Ivan were warmly received at the youth forum, where the federal NDP Youth Organizer Andrea Peart announced that one of their major campaigns this year will be in support of US war resisters. We raised over $700 at the Convention with help from NDP Youth and from supporter Mike Seaward of the Steelworkers. As well, we collected 400 signatures on the petition. Our success at the CLC lays the groundwork for further outreach to trade unionists across Canada. 9. CHURCH COALITION ENDORSES CAMPAIGN KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives has endorsed our Declaration, joining the growing list of organizations and individuals who have given their backing to the War Resisters Support Campaign. This endorsement is particularly important because of the wide respect KAIROS enjoys throughout Canada due to its active work on many important issues. The coalition includes members from a wide spectrum of churches (see http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/who/members.asp for the complete list). We are very grateful for KAIROS’s public support, and we look forward to working together with KAIROS in future. 10. YOU CAN HELP THE WAR RESISTERS – VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND GET INVOLVED! We’re happy that this Update contains plenty of news about our successes. But the war resisters are still living in a state of uncertainty because the Martin Government has still not decided to offer them sanctuary. That means we still have lots of work ahead of us. That’s why we are once again calling on all those who support the growing number of US war resisters to help build the Campaign. We need funds, we need volunteers, we need endorsements from organizations, unions, church groups, and individuals. On our website www.resisters.ca you will find information, resources, and much else. Please visit us today, and get involved! Information: www.resisters.ca            (416 598 1222) home