Canadian court rejects US Army deserter's attempt to avoid deportation

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Canada's federal court has rejected a US Army deserter's application for a stay of his deportation order. Federal Court of Canada Justice Anne Mactavish says in her decision Monday that Robin Long did not provide clear and convincing evidence that he will suffer irreparable harm if he is returned to the United States. Long, 25, fled to Canada in 2005 to avoid serving in Iraq. He was arrested in Nelson, British Columbia, last October on a Canada-wide warrant. Long, who could be deported as early as Tuesday, is one of about 200 American deserters believed to have come to Canada to avoid service in Iraq. So far, Canadian immigration officials and the courts have rejected efforts to grant them refugee status.