MP lobbies to keep driver in Canada

Man who caused horrific bus crash has run out of appeals against deportation to India

- ALEX BOYD

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu is facing deportation, and his wife Tanvir Mann, a Canadian citizen, has said she will go with him. However, their young son's heart and lung problems complicate that decision.

CALGARY As the countdown to deportation begins for the driver who caused the devastating crash that killed 16 players and staff of the Humboldt Broncos, a Calgary member of Parliament is hoping to rally support in a last-ditch bid for forgiveness.

George Chahal says he feels a moral obligation to speak out on behalf of Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, who he argues has atoned for his role in a crash that shook the country.

“He has gone through the judicial system, fully co-operated, was released with full parole, has worked here in the community to provide for his family — and just wants an opportunity to be able to remain,” he said.

Chahal represents the northeast Calgary riding where Sidhu and his wife and young child live. He plans to travel across the country in an attempt to build a “coalition of support” for Sidhu, who had only been a commercial driver for a couple of weeks when he drove a truck loaded with peat moss through a stop sign in rural Saskatchewan. Sidhu was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to dangerous driving charges, and released on parole in 2023.

The crash struck a national nerve, raising questions about the meaning of justice in such an extraordinary case. Sidhu has long sought to remain in Canada, arguing he accepted his prison sentence without question.