A refuge from militarism? The Canadian movement to support Vietnam era American war resisters, and government responses, 1965--1973

This thesis offers the first comprehensive history of the network of the anti-draft groups that sprang up to support the American Vietnam war resisters who came to Canada, in the years during which the phenomenon was at its height. It brings new insights into the development of this movement, especially concerning its interactions with government agencies and police, its methods, its internal tensions and debates, and its relations with the wider Canadian political culture.;All this occurred at a moment when the idea of Canada as a "refuge from militarism" was entering the vernacular as one of the key myths about the nation. The myth, which this thesis questions, has become that Canada, a more peaceful country than the United States, allowed the draft dodgers and deserters from south of the border to find refuge from militarism.;Inspired by hegemony theory and new institutionalism, this work seeks to explain this struggle for hegemony within an institutional understanding of government, which grants the bureaucracy a degree of autonomy, while recognizing the influence of the values of elites who were engaged in a war of position with social movements. It shows that the influence of citizens, or sections of the population, on government departments and officials' behaviour and decisions, and vice versa, underlies the history of war resisters in Canada. In particular, the actions of both local police and the RCMP, and Department of Immigration officials, illustrate the battle for hegemony in the realm of attitudes towards war resisters.;More precisely, it shows how the movement had an impact on government policy through various tactics. Government actions, such as police surveillance and policy shifts, affected the movement's priorities. In turn, the war resisters and their supporters contributed to debates about nationalism and Canada's relationship to the United States. This thesis explores specific relationships---between Canadians and Americans, activists and the public, as well as support groups and government agencies, including police. The actions of anti-draft groups in promoting the government's programs while still pressing for positive change were a characteristic case of interpenetration between the "state" and "society," and their mutual reinforcement.