University of British Columbia Press
Building Sanctuary
The Movement to Support Vietnam War Resisters in Canada, 1965-73
9780774825252
9780774825245
Distributed for University of British Columbia Press
Building Sanctuary
The Movement to Support Vietnam War Resisters in Canada, 1965-73
Canada enjoys a reputation as a peaceable kingdom. Yet during the Vietnam War era, Canadians met American war resisters not with open arms but with political obstacles and public resistance, and the border remained closed to what were then called “draft dodgers” and “deserters.” Between 1965 and 1973, a small but active cadre of Canadian antiwar groups and peace activists launched campaigns to open the border. Jessica Squires tells their story, often in their own words, bringing to light how these men and women shaped Canadian immigration policy, Canadian identity, and the course of Canadian-American relations in their quest to transform Canada into a refuge from militarism.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: War Resisters in Context
1 We Help Them Because Their Need Is Great: The Canadian Anti-Draft Movement
2 Transnational Connections: US Groups and Other Canadian Groups
3 Deserters: Treatment, Tactics, Identity
4 Opening the Border: 1969
5 The Limits of Left Nationalism: The Campaign to Open the Border
6 Hegemonic Reflections: Inside and Outside the Movement
7 Last Chance to Get Landed: Immigration Department Strategies, Anti-Draft Movement Responses, 1971-73
Conclusion: A Contested Refuge from Militarism
Appendices; Notes; Bibliography; Index