U.S. soldier who fled to Canada ordered deported

An American soldier who sought asylum in Canada after serving in the Iraq War will be deported to the United States.

The federal government says there is no risk in sending Corey Glass home, and he is scheduled to leave Canada on June 12.

Glass, 25, came to Toronto in August 2006. 

"What I saw in Iraq convinced me that the war is illegal and immoral. I could not in good conscience continue to take part in it," Glass said in a prepared statement.

"I came here because Canada did not join the Iraq War. Also, I knew Canada had welcomed many Americans during the Vietnam War."

Despite Ottawa's decision, Lee Zaslofsky, co-ordinator of the War Resisters Support Campaign and a Vietnam War resister, insisted that Glass would face severe penalties if he returns to the U.S.

"Corey Glass would be the first Iraq War resister to be deported from Canada. He would face imprisonment and severe penalties in the U.S.

"This goes against Canada's tradition of welcoming Americans who disagree with policies like slavery and the Vietnam War," Zaslofsky said in a press release.

Glass said he left the U.S. because fighting in Iraq wasn't what he signed up for when he joined the Indiana National Guard.

He said the U.S. military told him he could do humanitarian work and would never have to fight a war outside that country.

Some experts also say Glass could face anywhere from several months to several years in a military prison.

It is believed there are about 150 war deserters living in Canada.