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Is it the right choice to deport the man responsible for the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy?
A man who lost his son in the crash thinks so.
On Wednesday, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu lost his first bid to stay in Canada after his prison sentence ends.
It’s possible the decision could be changed through other means later down the line, but it could also mean that Sidhu will be deported to his home country of India when he’s set free from prison.
Former NHL player Chris Joseph lost his son, Jaxon, in the crash. Chris thinks it’s the right decision to deport Sidhu, for a few different reasons.
For one, if Sidhu is sent back home, it would bring Joseph some closure. He told Gormley that as long as the deportation issue is around, he’ll have to relive what he’s been through.
“We relive this every day anyway. That’s never going to change,” he said. “(The anniversary of the crash on) April 6 is coming up and March is a terrible month for all of us … So if I can take one little thing off my plate that I don’t have to relive every day, it’ll ease a little bit of burden.”
Joseph went on to say that deporting Sidhu is more than justified, considering the scope of the tragedy.
“I (have) to ask you this. If he were allowed to stay — (after) he killed 16 people, he permanently injured 13 others (and) he permanently traumatized multiple families … — where is that bar for a permanent resident that has to go? I know that it seems harsh, but do you set the bar at 30 deaths? Is that when somebody has to leave the country?” Joseph asked.
That being said, Joseph said his opinion isn’t out of a desire to hurt Sidhu.
“I don’t hold ill will towards Mr. Sidhu. In fact, if he wants to go back to another country, any other country, and raise a family, then I have no problem with that. This isn’t about me trying to punish him; this is about me trying to lessen my punishment, because my punishment is constant,” he said.
“Every single day I have to hear about it, I don’t see my son.”
He also said it could be a good thing for Sidhu. Joseph believes that Sidhu would constantly be scrutinized living in Canada, which he wouldn’t face in another country.
“For all we know, he could go and raise a family somewhere else. He could go somewhere where he’s anonymous … So I don’t see it as quite the punishment that a lot of other people see it. I see it as a bit of a release of burden,” Joseph said.
He also spoke to some criticism he has faced online for his opinion, something he says is deeply traumatizing.
“(It’s) the trauma of having to go through this constantly … the trauma of having to hear people think that I’m a mean person for having an opinion about a man that killed my son,” he said.
“I’d have to ask any of those people that feel the need to rebuke how I feel: Would you feel the same way if it was your child? There are so many people out there that have opinions, and they (have) healthy children. If you lose a child, I think it’s different.”