Jeffry A. House (born December 29, 1946) is a retired

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

who practiced in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada. He is best known for his efforts on behalf and representation of

fugitive A fugitive (or runaway) is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also known ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

and

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

protesters.

American soldiers

House has represented

applying for

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

status in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

after they deserted the American

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

during the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

, including

Jeremy Hinzman Jeremy Dean Hinzman (born 1979 in Rapid City, South Dakota) is an Iraq War resister who was the first American deserter to seek refugee status in Canada. He enlisted in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division and desert ...

, Josh Key, Kyle Snyder, and Brandon Hughey. The cases of Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey have been heard and rejected by the

Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

, refused at the

Federal Court of Canada The Federal Court of Canada, which succeeded the Exchequer Court of Canada in 1971, was a national court of Canada that had limited jurisdiction to hear certain types of disputes arising under the federal government's legislative jurisdiction. ...

, refused at the

Federal Court of Appeal The Federal Court of Appeal (french: Cour d'appel fédérale) is a Canadian appellate court that hears cases concerning federal matters. History Section 101 of the Constitution Act, 1867 empowers the Parliament of Canada to establish "addit ...

, and refused at the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

. The presence of

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

deserters Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ar ...

in Canada was widely reported in the international

news media The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and th ...

, as well as in Canada and in the United States. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, upwards of 50,000 U.S. draft evaders and military deserters found refuge in Canada.

Indigenous protesters

House has represented Indigenous protesters involved in the

Ipperwash Crisis The Ipperwash Crisis was a dispute over Indigenous land that took place in Ipperwash Provincial Park, Ontario, in 1995. Several members of the Stoney Point Ojibway band occupied the park to assert claim to nearby land which had been expropriated ...

Ipperwash Provincial Park Ipperwash Provincial Park is a former provincial park on the shores of southern Lake Huron in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. Located near Grand Bend, the park was established in 1936. It contains a long sandy beach on the lakeshore, as well ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

in 1995, especially Nick Cottrelle and Warren George, with the matter ending in an

acquittal In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

of the accused.

Biography

Jeffry House grew up in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. After a year as an exchange student in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, he graduated from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

in 1969. House was drafted into the

US Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

during the

. In January 1970, House evaded the military draft and moved to Canada. House received a master's degree in Political Theory from

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

and a Law Degree from the

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the ''Osgoode Hall La ...

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 The Human Rights Code is a statute in the Canadian province of Ontario that guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination in specific social areas such as housing or employment. The code's goal specifically prohibits discrimina ...

. His decisions involve an early

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...

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 th
Osborne decision
in the

which struck down the law which prevented public employees from participating in after-work political activities.

Sources

"UW grad in Canada aids deserter"
''The Capital Times''

Refusing to Kill

documentary website

''Mother Jones''

Not In Our Name

CBC

CBC

CBC

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

CanWest News Service

Canada Press * ttp://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=d221e568-6c86-4c80-be40-c919497ec38b&k=15584 "U.S. war dodgers will appeal refugee ruling: lawyer" Canada Press;
"Asylum Denied To Army Deserter"
CBS News – ''

60 Minutes II ''60 Minutes II'' (also known as ''60 Minutes Wednesday'' and ''60 Minutes'') is an American weekly primetime news magazine television program that was intended to replicate the "signature style, journalistic quality and integrity" of the origina ...

''
"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

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''

''Christian Science Monitor''

''Christian Science Monitor''

''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''

Audio and video resources

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation "Digital Archives" – Seeking Sanctuary: Draft Dodgers

External links

US Draft Resistance Resources

War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:House, Jeffry Living people 1946 births Lawyers in Ontario Lawyers from Milwaukee American emigrants to Canada Vietnam War draft evaders Desertion University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni