Jeffry House Explained

Jeffry A. House (born December 29, 1946) is a retired lawyer who practiced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is best known for his efforts on behalf and representation of fugitive American soldiers and Indigenous protesters.

American soldiers

See main article: Canada and Iraq War Resisters.

House represented American soldiers applying for refugee status in Canada after they deserted the American military during the Iraq War, including Jeremy Hinzman, Josh Key, Kyle Snyder, and Brandon Hughey. The cases of Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey were heard and rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, the Federal Court of Canada, and the Federal Court of Appeal, while the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear the appeal.^[1]

The presence of US Army deserters in Canada was widely reported in the international news media, as well as in Canada and in the United States. During the Vietnam War, upwards of 60,000 U.S. draft evaders and military deserters found refuge in Canada.^[2]

Indigenous protesters

House has represented Indigenous protesters involved in the Ipperwash Crisis in Ipperwash Provincial Park, Ontario in 1995, especially Nick Cottrelle and Warren George, with the matter ending in an acquittal of the accused.

Biography

Jeffry House grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After a year as an exchange student in Norway, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1969. House was drafted into the US Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. In January 1970, House evaded the military draft and moved to Canada.

House received a master's degree in Political Theory from York University and a Law Degree from the Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He practiced law for four decades. For six years, House served on the quasi-judicial tribunal enforcing the Ontario Human Rights Code. His decisions involve an early gay rights case in which spousal benefits were awarded to same sex partners (Clinton & Mercaz), and the Northwestern General Hospital case, where Crown disclosure obligation was held to apply in Human Rights cases.

In 1991, House was counsel on the Osborne decision in the Supreme Court of Canada which struck down the law which prevented public employees from participating in after-work political activities.

References

• "UW grad in Canada aids deserter", The Capital Times
• "U.S. war objectors are seeking sanctuary in Canada: What will be their fate?", Refusing to Kill
• Jeffry A. House's lawfirm's website
• Breaking Ranks documentary website
• "Breaking Ranks", Mother Jones
• "Jeremy Hinzman leads way for US war resisters in Canada", Not In Our Name
• Federal Court to review US military deserter case, CBC
• "No refugee status in Canada for U.S. soldier", CBC
• "Judge to review case of war dodger", CBC
• "Canada refuses 'refugee' from the U.S.", CBC
• "U.S. army deserter claims refugee status in Toronto, Ontario", CTV
• "U.S. army deserter loses bid for refugee status", CTV
• "Army deserter plans next move to stay in Canada", CTV
• "U.S. war dodger may become prisoner of conscience", CTV
• "Court to review U.S. war dodger's asylum claim", CTV
• "U.S. war deserter tells refugee board of atrocities", CTV
• "Judge rejects claims of U.S. deserters", CanWest News Service
• "U.S. war dodgers to appeal Federal Court ruling", Canada Press
• "U.S. war dodgers will appeal refugee ruling: lawyer", Canada Press;
• "Asylum Denied To Army Deserter", CBS News – 60 Minutes II
• "Deserters: We Won't Go To Iraq; U.S. Soldiers Seeking Refuge In Canada May Face Serious Penalties", CBS News – 60 Minutes II
• "Lawyer for US deserters speaks with WSWS", World Socialist Web Site
• "From Vietnam to Iraq: American War Resisters Seek Refuge in Canada", Democracy Now
• "Will War Deserters Find Asylum in Canada?", Wall Street Journal
• "Perspectives", Newsweek
• "War Resisters Go North", The Nation
• "Canada denies refugee status to U.S. soldier c Blow to American antiwar movement", MSNBC
• "An Illegal, Immoral Order – an American soldier explains why he is refusing to fight in Iraq", MSNBC
• Activism Online; U.S. War Resisters In Canada
• JeremyHinzman.net – website partnership between Hinzman and his various supporters
• "US deserter denied Canada asylum", BBC
• "Canada denies asylum to Army deserter", The Seattle Times
• "Refugee or deserter?", Christian Science Monitor
• "Canada's romance with US military exiles", Christian Science Monitor
• "You wouldn’t catch me dead in Iraq", The Times Online (UK)
• "Un Américain qui a fait la guerre en Irak réclame le statut de réfugié", Le Soleil
• "La Cour fédérale entendra la requête d'un déserteur américain", Le Soleil

See also

• Canada and Iraq War resisters
• Indigenous peoples
• List of anti-war organizations
• List of Iraq War resisters
• Nuremberg Principles
• Nuremberg Principles, successes and failures in preserving the Principles, Canada

Further reading

• Amnesty International Report; Canada: Why there must be a public enquiry into the police killing of Dudley George https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr20/002/2003/en/
• One Dead Indian: The Premier, the Police, and the Ipperwash Crisis by Peter Edwards; https://web.archive.org/web/20071229095456/http://gemini.lib.pg.bc.ca:8080/OPACWeb/toDetailInfo.do

Audio and video resources

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation "Digital Archives" – Seeking Sanctuary: Draft Dodgers
• National Film Board of Canada – Breaking Ranks; The Documentary

External links

• Manual for Draft-Age Immigrants to Canada
• US Draft Resistance Resources
• War Resisters in Canada – online bibliography
• War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada

Notes and References

1. News: U.S. army deserter to be deported from Canada . August 3, 2024 . CBC News . August 13, 2008.
2. News: Jeff. Gray . US deserter's Canadian campaign . July 6, 2004. BBC. January 19, 2009.