Crossing Into Canada

Compelling and intimate journeys, told in first person, by two generations of US war resisters who crossed into Canada in search of safe haven.

These powerful first-hand accounts of two generations of US war resisters track their search for safe haven in Canada and the assistance of the activists who supported them. During the war in Vietnam, Canada offered refuge to over 100,000 people fleeing conscription. More recently, approximately 300 US military personnel sought refuge as resisters against wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These two generations of refugee claimants travelled parallel routes, but met very different outcomes. Capturing a fascinating and unique set of cross-border histories—Canadian and American, collective and distinct—this volume reveals that the courageous decision to flee militarism and war never follows the same path. Editor Alison Mountz, also an immigrant to Canada, introduces and documents these compelling and intimate journeys, offering an inside look at how people resist war, cross borders, access asylum, survive detention, and build community. Crossing Into Canada is essential reading for those interested in war resister movements, Canada’s identity as a safe haven for those seeking asylum, migration across borders, and the importance of activism and social justice.