Two recent Federal Court rulings have reignited debate over whether Canada’s immigration and justice systems apply different standards to non-citizens convicted of serious crimes. Both cases involve permanent residents found criminally responsible for deaths, yet each has been granted another chance to remain in Canada despite previous deportation orders.

In Ontario, a man originally from Pakistan was convicted of dangerous driving causing death after a 2018 crash on the Queen Elizabeth Way that killed a 22-year-old woman. He received a short jail sentence and faced removal from Canada. The Federal Court overturned that decision, ordering a new hearing that must consider his rehabilitation potential and the effect deportation would have on his Canadian-born children, two of whom require learning supports.

In a separate case, a Portuguese-born man convicted of manslaughter in the 2013 killing of a McMaster University student was also given a new opportunity to stay. After more than three decades in Canada, his deportation order was set aside by the Federal Court, which found that decision-makers had not properly weighed his family ties, including the impact on his Canadian children with special needs.

The cases raise questions about why non-citizens convicted of serious crimes are being allowed to remain in Canada. Those granted the privilege of living here should be contributing to society, not engaging in behaviour that endangers others, and that citizenship should carry a clear distinction in how such matters are handled.