Federal court to decide on B.C. climate activist's pending deportation
A motion to stay the deportation of B.C. climate activist Zain Haq is being heard next week in Federal Court, according to the young man's lawyer.
The 23-year-old's hearing is scheduled for April 16, six days before he faces removal by the Canada Border Services Agency.
Haq's lawyer Randall Cohn is asking that the activist be allowed to remain in the country until his pending permanent residency application – which, if approved, would prevent his deportation – can be reviewed.
"The CBSA could have exercised its discretion by deferring his removal until after the sponsorship application is decided," Cohn wrote in a statement. "We now ask the Federal Court to review that refusal."
Cohn previously told CTV News he believes the application – which was sponsored by Haq's Canadian wife, fellow activist Sophie Papp – would likely be successful if given enough time to be processed by the government.
But if the young man is deported, the application would be cancelled and the couple would have to start the process over.
"I can't imagine being separated from my husband. He is a loving person. I support him completely, and my family does too," Papp said in statement.
Haq grew up in Pakistan before coming to Canada on a student visa, which was revoked after he was charged in connection with a series of protests that disrupted traffic across B.C.'s Lower Mainland.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.
In his decision, Judge Reginald Harris wrote that while Haq had previously "shown disdain for the rule of law" and "publicly encouraged others to break the law,” he had softened his approach since his arrest. The judge also noted that numerous people had submitted letters to the court speaking highly of the activist’s character.
"A review of them satisfies me that Mr. Haq is an intelligent, motivated young person who is a staunch protector of the environment," Harris wrote. "The letters also satisfy me that Mr. Haq can, provided he does so through legitimate means, be a catalyst for positive change."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Large numbers of New York City police officers begin entering Columbia University campus
Large numbers of New York City police officers began entering the Columbia University late Tuesday as dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters remained on the campus.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.