Urgent Action Required: Bolivian Activists Denied Entry to Canada

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that Sudbury is one of the stops in an upcoming tour of Canada by grassroots activists from Bolivia called the Bolivia Rising Tour. One of the sponsors of the Sudbury stop is a group that I am a part of, the Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty. We received an email from one of the key organizers of the tour, who is with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, that four of the activists are being denied entry into Canada, including one that is scheduled to come to Sudbury.

Here is what we received:

Please send a message asap to the Canadian embassy in Lima who have denied visitors visas to Canada for four of our Bolivian guests on the CUPW sponsored tour.

In an arrogant and embarrassing display the reason given is that these guests have more reason to stay in Canada than return home.

The four are:

Basilia Catari
Miguelina Villarroel
Ramón Escobar
Aydee Blanco

Tell them that these four are leaders of their communities who have generously spared valuable time to visit us. A great deal has been organized. Many here haven given there time and effort to set up events.

Please encourage the embassy to revverse their decision as soon as possible.

Send to:


re-lima.immigration@international.gc.ca

(Immigration)/Asistente del Jefe de Programa (Inmigración)
Immigration Section/Section d'immigration/Sección de inmigración
Canadian Embassy/Ambassade du Canada/Embajada de Canadá
Libertad # 130, Miraflores
Lima 18 Perú
Fax: (51-1) 242-2567


and fax to:

Ambassador G. Desrivieres, Canadian Ambassador to Perú
Fax: 011-511-242-4050

This is the sort of mobilization that blogs have the potential to be really useful for -- so please, if you are reading this in the few days after it is posted, take the time to send an email or a fax and let the embassy know that we want these people admitted!