A judge has rejected the applications made by the truck driver responsible for the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash, who was trying to stop being deported back to India.Jaskirat Singh Sidhu was sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in causing the 2018 crash in Saskatchewan, which resulted in the deaths of 16 people and injuries to 13 others. He pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous driving.The rookie truck driver from Calgary, who had recently become a permanent resident and got married, disregarded a stop sign at a rural intersection close to Tisdale, Saskatchewan. Sidhu then drove into the path of the bus carrying the Broncos junior hockey team players on their way to a playoff game.Earlier this year, Sidhu was granted parole but the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) had recommended his deportation.In September, Michael Greene, Sidhu's lawyer, presented an argument in Federal Court stating that border services officials did not consider Sidhu's clean criminal record and his expression of remorse for the accident.Greene requested that the CBSA conduct a second review of the case and overturn the initial decision."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," wrote Chief Justice Paul Crampton in his decision on Thursday morning."Unfortunately, nothing this court decides can change much of those truly tragic consequences.”Crampton stated that CBSA officials were impartial in their evaluation, considering both Sidhu's record and his "extraordinary degree of genuine, heart-wrenching remorse.""The officer’s decision was appropriately justified, transparent and intelligible," wrote Crampton. "It also reflected an internally coherent and rational chain of analysis and meaningfully engaged with the key issues raised by Mr. Sidhu.”Crampton stated that Sidhu may be deported to India despite having spent years building a life with his wife in Canada.Crampton also said that Sidhu still has the option to apply for permanent resident status on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
