Today At 4:55pm CBSA Notified Laibar Singh that he is going to be deported Wednesday, January 9th 2008 At 4:30am. Laibar Singh has been at the Surrey Guru Nanak Sikh Temple since December 15th

URGENT ACTIONS:

1. We are meeting at the Surrey Gurudwara at 4:00AM – Join us if you can. Call: 778-999-9219 /604-779-7430 For More Information.(See Below For Directions)

2. VANCOUVER SUPPORT RALLY:
Wednesday, January 9th at 3pm
Citizenship Immigration Canada
300 West Georgia Street At Hamilton

“As a compassionate people Canadians should embrace Mr. Singh and not deport an individual who has the support of thousands of Canadians, trade unionists, disability advocates, and community organizations. He is a paraplegic man who needs our support and needs medical treatment, not immigration enforcement”
— Fred Muzin, President of the Hospital Employees Union

“A state that does not respect sacred space, of no matter which religion, is violating a “zone of peace, ” a “state of exception.” The deportation of Laibar Singh from Sanctuary and in the face of massive public support for this man’s right to dignity and to live with his community is a fragrant violation not only of Sanctuary but of the basic human rights of disabled persons, of asylum seekers and of the democratic will of a significant proportion of the population.”
Dr. Denise Nadeau , Interfaith Community Consultative Committee of the Interfaith Summer Institute.
“In a deliberate attempt to thwart public outcry and support, the Canadian Border Service Agency provided laibar singh and his legal counsel with less than ten hours notice. The decision to deport him at this absurd hour in the morning is malicious and under-handed”
— Harjap Grewal of No One Is Illegal

For more information:
www.supportlaibar.blogspot.com
www.noii-van@resist.ca

**Directions to this morning’s action:
take Knight Street
#91 East Surrey/Delta – over the Alex Fraser…
Take left exit 72nd Avenue
72nd to Scott Road
Right on Scott Road
Left in Surrey Temple Parking Lot (7050, 120th)

BRIEF HISTORY:

Mr. Laibar Singh came to Canada in 2003 and his refugee claim has been rejected based mostly on minor inconsistencies. Mr. Singh suffered from a medical condition in August 2006 that left him paralyzed and unable to feed himself. Prior to suffering from his aneurysm, Mr. Singh worked as a labourer. He received his first deportation order for July 8, 2007 but took sanctuary on July 7, 2007 in the Abbotsford Sahib Kalgidhar Darbar Gurudwara. While in sanctuary, Mr. Singh’s health deteriorated and he had to be hospitalized. On Monday August 13, while in the hospital, Abbottsford police and Canadian Border Services Agency officers detained Mr. Laibar Singh. Due to immense community and political pressure, Mr. Singh was granted a 60-day stay first on August 20th and then another stay on October 20th 2007, pending a decision on his humanitarian and compassionate claim.

His humanitarian and compassionate claim was refused in November 2007, rendered largely on the basis that he ‘does not have significant ties to Canada`. This is clearly a false assessment and one that appears to be motivated by the politics of the Conservative party rather than any real consideration of the facts, which includes over 40,000 petition signatures that were presented to Parliament in October 2007.

Laibar Singh was due to be deported on December 10, however, upwards to 1500 of Singh’s supporters rallied at the airport prior to his deportation, and peacefully blocked the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA) officials from getting to the taxi where Singh was waiting.