Federal judge prevents deportation of Humboldt Broncos killer
The emergency order by Justice Jocelyne Gagné paused Jaskirat Singh Sidhu’s deportation just days before he was supposed to be sent to India.
A Federal Court judge has granted a last-minute stay of deportation for former truck driver and Humboldt Broncos killer, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, temporarily preventing his removal from Canada just days before he was scheduled to be sent to India on Monday morning.
The emergency order by Justice Jocelyne Gagné pauses Sidhu’s deportation while the court reviews an ongoing legal challenge to the Canada Border Services Agency, which had previously refused to delay Sidhu’s removal as he tries to remain in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
Keann Bexte’s The Counter Signal is hosting a petition to have Jaskirat Singh Sidhu deported from Canada immediately in a bid to bring justice to the family and friends of those killed in the crash.
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.