Conservatives call on Anandasangaree to appeal Humboldt driver’s stay of deportation
Conservatives argue that the psychological harm to the Humboldt Broncos’ victims and their families was not adequately considered in the stay decision.
Author: Quinn Patrick
The Conservatives are calling on Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to appeal the recent decision of a Federal Court judge, who granted a last-minute stay of deportation to former truck driver and Humboldt Broncos killer, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu.
“Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, a non-citizen, plead guilty to 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm. Yet yesterday, he was granted a stay of deportation,” said Conservative MP Warren Steinley in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
“The psychological harm to the Humboldt Broncos’ victims and their families was not adequately considered in the stay decision. To the minister of public safety - will the Liberals appeal this decision and allow the families and victims of the families to be interveners.”
Anandasangaree responded by saying that the Liberals would “review the decision” and that he looked forward to “supporting the families in every which way that we can.”
However, he stopped short of confirming whether he would appeal.
The emergency order granted by Justice Jocelyne Gagné on Friday paused Sidhu’s deportation while the court reviews an ongoing legal challenge to the Canada Border Services Agency.
The challenge had previously refused to delay Sidhu’s removal as he tries to remain in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
Counsel representing the Minister of Public Safety, Alexander Menticoglou, opposed the stay, arguing that Canada’s interest in removing a criminally inadmissible individual outweighs Sidhu’s personal circumstances. Government lawyers pointed to the gravity of the 2018 tragedy that brought the case to national attention.
“The applicant is a convicted criminal and he’s responsible for the deaths of 16 Canadians,” Menticoglou said, according to CBC News.
“This ranks along the worst tragedies in Canada’s history, and we don’t have to assess the applicant’s moral blameworthiness for that crime.”
Lawyers representing Sidhu claimed he was “quite likely to commit suicide” upon being deported to India.
Sidhu was behind the wheel of a semi-truck that failed to stop at a rural intersection in Saskatchewan, colliding with a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos. The crash killed 16 people and injured 13 others, devastating communities across the country.
After pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm, Sidhu was sentenced to eight years in prison. He was granted full parole in 2023, but his permanent residency status was later revoked due to his criminal conviction, making him subject to deportation.
The Federal Court’s decision does not resolve the case but instead delays Sidhu’s removal until judges can determine whether the CBSA acted reasonably in denying his request for a deferral.
A timeline for that decision has not yet been announced.
Who is responsible for inexperienced truck drivers from India cheating on their tests and not being trained properly ???
Just wrong that deportation drags on and on in appeals, while the families of those murdered on the highway by a careless truck driver who could not bother to follow the driving laws nor rules of safety. The deportation order must be upheld.