A Sri Lankan family who lived in Canada for five years was deported Sunday when their appeal to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale to issue a reprieve failed.
Their flight took off from Montreal’s Trudeau airport Sunday evening, CBC News reported.
The family was applying for permanent residence in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. After review, their application was rejected.
Submit Your Press Release
Get your company news, announcements, launches, appointments and events in front of a wider audience.
The father of the family Robert Lawrence, who is Tamil, worked for the United Nations in the Eastern province during the war against the Tamil Tiger terrorists.
He has left the country in 2012 in hopes of protecting his family from any backlash for the work he did during that time.
After moving to Montreal, Lawrence’s family have since integrated into their community.
Lawrence’s family includes his wife, three daughters, son and daughter-in-law and four-month-old baby.
Before leaving their home in Parc-Extension, Robert Lawrence, the father of the family, said they were all very sad, but still love Canada despite their deportation.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada would not comment on the family’s case but said, “a decision to remove someone from Canada is not taken lightly.”
“Canada is committed to ensuring that people being removed from Canada are not sent to a country where they would be in danger or at risk of persecution,” spokesperson Scott Bardsley said.
NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice said deporting the family which had integrated into Quebec society over the years “makes no sense.”
