U.S. deserters seek Canadian residency

TORONTO, April 20 (UPI) -- About 200 U.S. military deserters in Canada are awaiting a decision as to whether they can take permanent residency there, a group says.

The Buffalo (N.Y.) News reported Sunday a resolution before the Canadian House of Commons would allow deserters, including Patrick Hart, to seek residency there.

"This is home for me now," said Hart, 34, a Buffalo native living in the Toronto area with his wife and their son. "I love Canada. A lot of us have been here a few years and planted roots."

Hart told the newspaper he went AWOL because the reasons for going to war in Iraq were based on lies since no weapons of mass destruction were ever found.

"I understand that I volunteered for this and part of my oath was to defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. But what do you do if your enemy is domestic in the Bush regime?" Hart asked.

A spokeswoman for the War Resisters Support Campaign in Toronto said she believes it's likely Parliament will pass the resolution.

"I may be dreaming in color, but they have nothing to gain by deporting U.S. war resisters," spokeswoman Michelle Robidoux was quoted as saying.