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Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the truck driver who caused the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, killing 16 and injuring 13 others, has been ordered to be deported.
The decision came Friday at an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing in Calgary, reports The Canadian Press.
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Sidhu, who is from India, has permanent resident status in Canada but his lawyer said the decision was expected, as all that’s needed to deport Sidhu is proof that he’s not a Canadian citizen and that he committed a serious crime.
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Sidhu pleaded guilty to dangerous driving offences and received an eight year sentence after the novice truck driver ran a stop sign and collided with the junior hockey team’s bus at a rural intersection in Saskatchewan in 2018.
While Sidhu was granted parole last year, his lawyer said there are more legal proceedings to come and the deportation process could take months to years.
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Sidhu’s lawyer, Michael Greene, had fought Canada Border Services Agency recommended deportation, which was issued two years ago.
The Federal Court dismissed Greene’s applications in December. He had argued that Sidhu’s previously clean criminal record and remorse was not considered.
“This is part of the sadness of the whole process. We’re left with a situation where permanent residents have no rights whatsoever to have their personal circumstances considered,” Greene told The Canadian Press.
“Our only mechanism is (that) after he’s ordered deported, we’re going to ask them to give back his (permanent resident) status (based) on humanitarian grounds. But in the meantime, he has no status.”
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A pre-removal risk assessment is still to be conducted, according to Greene. Sidhu can also ask for a deferral while his request for permanent resident status is considered.
Several relatives of the crash victims have expressed their desire for Sidhu to be deported.
A survivor of the crash is set to compete at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, beginning in August.
Jacob Wassermann, 24, earned Canada a country quota spot in an event known as PR1 men’s single sculls in March. Wassermann, who was paralyzed in the crash, previously represented Canada in a continental qualification regatta in Rio de Janeiro.
Wassermann played goal for the Broncos.
With files from The Canadian Press
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