B.C. climate activist's pending deportation cancelled, lawyer says
The pending deportation of B.C. climate activist Zain Haq – which was scheduled for this weekend – has been called off, according to the young man's lawyer.
The Canada Border Services Agency contacted Haq to confirm he would not be subject to a removal order this Sunday as planned, lawyer Randall Cohn told CTV News.
"I can't speak with confidence about what the implications are for Zain's immediate or long-term status in Canada," Cohn said Friday. "We're just going to have to wait and see what we hear."
Supporters are expecting to learn more about Haq's case from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada over the coming days.
The update comes days after the Federal Court dismissed an application to stay Haq's deportation so that his permanent residency application – which, if approved, would allow him to remain in the county – could be reviewed.
Cohn suggested Haq's support from the community, both locally and in Ottawa, could have convinced elected officials to intervene in the case.
A petition calling on federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller to use his "discretion" to allow Haq to stay in Canada has been signed more than 2,500 times.
"The best-case scenario is that the minister has been able to move (Haq's) permanent residency application along, and that we'll hear at any moment that it's been approved," Cohn said.
More likely, the lawyer said, the government will offer Haq temporary status, which could at least allow him to find work and return to school while his application – which was sponsored by Haq's Canadian wife, fellow climate activist Sophie Papp – makes its way through the system.
Haq grew up in Pakistan before coming to Canada on a student visa, which was revoked after he was charged in connection with a series of protests that disrupted traffic across B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
The court heard Haq was involved with the groups Extinction Rebellion, Stop Fracking Around and Save Old Growth, the latter of which he co-founded.
He pleaded guilty to five counts of mischief and one count of breaching an undertaking, and was sentenced to seven days in jail and two months of house arrest last year.
Cohn said the decision to cancel his deportation, and to hopefully give him permanent residency, could demonstrate the government understands "the anxiety and hopelessness of young people" facing a future with increasing impacts from climate change.
"That gives me hope, not just for Zain, but that maybe the reality of the global climate situation is penetrating to people's thinking when it comes to politics and policy," Cohn said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Community mourns victims of fatal boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
Nicki Minaj detained by police in Amsterdam for allegedly possessing soft drugs
American rapper Nicki Minaj said she was held at Amsterdam Schiphol airport on Saturday on allegation of possession of soft drugs.
American Airlines drops law firm that said a 9-year-old girl should have seen camera on toilet seat
American Airlines has replaced the law firm that told a judge a nine-year-old girl was negligent in not noticing there was a camera phone taped to the seat in an airplane lavatory.
Public safety minister pledges to 'massively' reduce auto theft
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc insists the federal government is 'doing everything (it) can' to eliminate auto thefts in Canada, and he hopes to see 'a significant reduction quickly' following this week's announcement of new measures to counter the problem.
Three dead after vehicle leaves road in Shediac: N.B. RCMP
Three people have died after a vehicle veered off the road in Shediac N.B., Friday morning.
More enoki mushrooms, Lamborghini Urus and promotionally-gifted tumbler cups: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada, Transport Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued various recalls this week. Here's what you need to know.
A woman took her dog to a shelter to be euthanized. A year later, the dog is up for adoption again
Exhausted and short on options after consulting two veterinary clinics, Kristie Pereira made the gut-wrenching decision last year to take her desperately ill puppy to a Maryland shelter to be euthanized.