Punjabi truck driver, who killed 16, set to be deported to India from Canada

Toronto, Dec 15

Indo-Canadian truck driver Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, who is serving an eight-year jail sentence for killing 16 young hockey players in a 2018 crash in Saskatchewan, is now another step closer to being deported to India.

A former international student, Sidhu had jumped the traffic lights at an intersection and rammed his truck trailer into the bus carrying players of the Humboldt Broncos hockey club, killing 16 and injuring 13.

A federal court on Thursday dismissed Sidhu’s application to stop his deportation. The Canada Border Services Agency has recommended that Sidhu be deported to India.

Sidhu, who is married and was granted parole earlier this year, pleaded that his deportation be stopped as he had a clean record before the tragedy.

His lawyer, Michael Greene, pleaded that the Canada Border Services Agency’s recommendation for his deportation be stopped.

Rejecting Sidhu’s plea, Chief Justice Paul Crampton said, "The facts underlying Mr. Sidhu's applications to this court were devastating for everyone involved. Many lives were lost, others were torn apart, and many hopes and dreams were shattered.

"Unfortunately, nothing this court decides can change much of those truly tragic consequences."

Justifying the decision to deport Sidhu to India, the judge said, “The officer's decision was appropriately justified, transparent and intelligible. It also reflected an internally coherent and rational chain of analysis, and meaningfully engaged with the key issues raised by Mr. Sidhu."

Sidhu’s last resort to stop his deportation is humanitarian and compassionate grounds.