Should we let U.S. war resisters stay?

Re Time for Trudeau to act on war resisters, Opinion July 21 I disagree with accepting these war resisters. There is no comparison between the actions of then prime minister Pierre Trudeau and what is happening now. Back then U.S. soldiers were drafted and those who did not want to fight found a haven in Canada. Today U.S. servicemen and women join of their own volition, but when they decide something is not to their liking they desert.

Accepting these people in Canada would be an insult to the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, who did as they were asked, whether they believed it was right or not. They did not desert their post. It is also a great insult to the service men and women of both countries who fought and were wounded and to the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for their countries. Bruce Katkin, Brampton The issue of letting conscientious objectors from the U.S. army stay in Canada is a no-brainer. Of course they should stay here and have residency, or even citizenship.

We let asylum seekers from other countries into Canada, and these Americans are true asylum seekers. They have escaped from the evils of having to fight an illegal war in Iraq, which was a whim of their former president.

They are solid citizens who have made a life here for several years, so why would we want to send them back? Are we being bullied by the U.S. into doing this? How about we use our own good conscience and do the right thing. Let’s not torture these families any further. Jane White, Scarborough Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his immigration minister should immediately rescind the odious Operational Bulletin 202, an anti-democratic regulation that criminalizes conscientious objection. Continuing to threaten these former soldiers with deportation is part of the “Harper Hangover” that we urgently need to put behind us as a nation.

Canada has welcomed many war resisters in the past, to our mutual benefit, and we should again. David Heap, London, Ont.