The cost of lax immigration laws

Meet Richard Haynes. He's the one with the Rasta hat...firing the gun. Mr. Haynes will be a guest of Her Majesty for nine years or so. It would have been longer but he missed his target.

At his sentencing in Toronto today Mr. Haynes did not complain that his "community" is "over-policed". Instead he issued an apology -- doubtless sincere and heart-felt -- to his intended victim and the community of which they are a part.

In case you didn't guess, Walt can reveal that the "community" in question is the Jamaican or Jamaican-Canadian diaspora. Mr. Haynes must have felt considerable remorse at living up (or down) to the stereotype. How could he bring shame on such an industrious and law-abiding group? Shocking!

Mr. Haynes will be deported after he does his time. Perhaps his sense of shame will keep him from returning to Canada on the next plane out of Kingston, but I wouldn't bet on it. And if he does try to return, will his record result in his being stopped at the border? I wouldn't bet on that either!

Here are some questions which might be asked of the Minister of Immigration and/or the Minister of Justice.

• When and how did Mr. Haynes get into Canada this time? Was he (a) a landed immigrant; (b) a visitor or (c) neither of the above, i.e. an illegal alien?
• If he entered on a visitor's visa, when did the visa expire? Before the shooting?
• What is the government doing to find and remove visitors who overstay their visas?
• How was Mr. Haynes supporting himself, before his arrest? Was he working?
• If he wasn't working, was he receiving welfare or other benefits?
• Who paid for the lawyers who represented Mr. Haynes and his co-accused?

Canadian taxpayers are going to foot the bill for Mr. Haynes's room and board for the next five years or so. My guess is the tab will run to $400,000 or so. Add in the amount that has already been spent dealing with him, and we're easily up to half a million. And Mr. Haynes is just one of many criminals living in Canada illegally.

If "Call Me Steve" and his finance minister really want to save some money to pare down the horrendous deficit they've run up, they should take a look at the cost benefits of tightening up Canada's porrous borders.