Building Sanctuary: The Movement to Support Vietnam War Resisters in Canada, 1965-73 (eng)

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.