SATURDAY JULY 7 AT 10 AM . PARKING LOT OF GEORGE PEARSON CENTRE . 700 WEST 57TH AVENUE

Mr. Laiber Singh is a refugee claimant from Punjab, India. He is due to be deported at 1:00 pm Sunday July 8th from the George Pearson Centre, a long-term care facility for people with severe disabilities. Federal government authorities have hired a private jet at a cost of over $70,000 to fly Mr. Singh to New Delhi.

Mr. Singh is a 48-year old Dalit Punjabi man who came to Canada in 2003 and has been struggling for nearly four years to get refugee status. His refugee claim of persecution at the hands of state police has been rejected based mostly on minor inconsistencies and simply because the Immigration and Refugee Board judge simply ‘did not believe he was credible’, a highly subjective assessment.

Because the government has failed to implement the appeal process required by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (2002), Mr. Singh’s fate has essentially rested in the hands of one person. Furthermore, Mr. Singh has a pending Humanitarian and Compassionate Claim, yet is being deported prior to a decision being rendered on this application. As with so many other refugees, Mr. Singh’s refusal is a reflection of this structurally flawed refugee system.

Mr. Singh had an aneurysm in August 2006 that left him completely paralyzed and unable to feed himself. Mr. Singh spent four months at Vancouver General Hospital and has been at the George Pearson Centre receiving 24-hour care since December 2006. He is unable to feed himself and has close to no mobility. Prior to suffering from his aneurysm, Mr. Singh worked as a labourer, performing one of the many low-skilled and dangerous jobs that the Canadian economy depends on (im)migrant labour for.

It is outrageous that the Canadian government would deport a man who is already struggling to life a live of dignity and autonomy, and whose physical health is so fragile. Please join us in standing with Mr. Laibar Singh to demand a stop to this unjust deportation!

For more information call 778 885 0040. Support for Mr. Singh is being organized by a broad network of South Asian community groups, disability rights organizations, and immigrant/refugee rights groups.