6 April 2018 was a clear, sunny day in central Saskatchewan. Roads were bare and dry. Flat and straight too, as roads in that part of Canada tend to be. An 18-wheeler travelling at about 60 mph through a flashing stop signal at the intersection of Highways 35 and 335, and collided with a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos, a junior hockey team enroute to a game.
16 people were killed. 13 were injured, some of them for life. It took the Mounties a full three months to charge the driver of the semi, 29-year-old Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, with 16 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and 13 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily injury.
Mr Sidhu is a Sikh. (Not all Singhs are Sikhs, but all Sikhs are Singhs.) He had come to Canada as a "student", and been allowed to stay as a permanent resident under the forerunner to Immigration & Refugee Canada's TR2PR programme, explained in yesterday's post.
Another six months passed before Mr Sidhu pleaded guilty to the charges. He appeared in court without the turban which religious Sikh men must wear, but kept his beard and (one presumes) his special holy underpants. Whether he was carrying a kirpan is unknown.
Mr Sidhu was sentenced to 8 years in prison -- 6 months for each life he took. Under Canadian law, a sentence of that length should lead to immediate deportation, once the convict has done his time. But Mr Sidhu's lawyer has already sent volumes of paperwork to the Canada Border Services Agency arguing that his client should be allowed to stay in Canada "on compassionate grounds".
Somewhere along the line -- surely not while he was out on bail -- Mr Sidhu got married. It wouldn't do to deprive his wife and child of their husband and father. Moreover, his lawyer says, Mr Sidhu is suffering from PTSD. "This never leaves (Sidhu) so he's battling his own post-traumatic stress as are so many people who've been touched by this. He’s...really committed to making something positive out of a terrible situation."
One of those who were "touched", Chris Joseph, whose son Jaxon died in the crash, is one of several Broncos families who have written letters asking for Sidhu to be deported. He told the Red Deer Advocate that deportation is the law and laws are there for a reason. "I can appreciate how 29 families can feel different ways about him but, in my view, the matter of deportation is not about forgiveness. It's not about how you feel about a person. It's not about whether you think he made a single mistake. If he’s deported, I could maybe even toy with the idea of considering forgiveness. But if he’s not deported, then we're going to be even more hurt and I don't think I'll ever get to that place."
A decision was expected in November, but has been delayed until "later". Nothing to do with the Liberal government's "diversity and inclusiveness" agenda, of course.
Even if Mr Singh Sidhu is deported -- and you are advised not to bet on that -- there will be 1000s of other turbaned truck drivers barrelling along Canadian highways, especially in the "Greater" Toronto Area, just as they would do at home in "Khalistan". That you can bet on!
Investigators located the occupied vehicle in Etobicoke ON a short time later.
It is alleged that the driver attempted to flee but struck two unmarked police vehicles.
He then tried to get away on foot but was taken into custody.
A suspect, identified as Gursimranpreet Singh, is now charged with possession of stolen property and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
There are hundreds if not thousands of stories of this Liberal behaviour.
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