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Richmond MP Raymond Chan

The Federal Court of Canada has agreed to hear a case involving the alleged mishandling of a Canadian Immigration procedure that may have precipitated a Chinese student's suicide.

The parents of Shi Ming Deng and their lawyer Lawrence Wong have also garnered the support of Richmond MP Raymond Chan.

Chan told the Asian Pacific Post that Deng’s parents and the whole Chinese community deserve to know whether improper or insensitive handling of Deng’s case may have driven him to such an extreme and unfortunate action.

Deng was an international student turned permanent resident. On March 16, 2004, he was convicted of aggravated assault following a psychiatric breakdown, for which he was treated in a forensic psychiatric hospital for nearly five months.

After once leaving and reentering Canada without incident, he re-entered Canada on October 26, 2005, only to be classified as inadmissible and have his travel documents confiscated by Canada Border Services Agency agents.

Deng ended his own life less than one month later on November 22, 2005 - following an inadmissibility hearing and deportation order that took place on that very same day. He was found in his Metro Vancouver home with the deportation notice at his side. An autopsy classified the cause of death as an overdose of over-the-counter sleeping tablets.

As the legal representative of Deng’s parents, Wong had sought leave to appeal from the Federal Court in Vancouver to examine the immigration procedures and processes in the lead-up to Deng’s death.

“The Federal Court rarely grants a leave to appeal cases like this,” said Wong. “The court must feel, as I do, that there is sufficient evidence of improper handling of procedures to warrant an investigation.”

In a press statement sent to the Asian Pacific Post, MP Chan said: “With this leave to appeal, the Federal Court will be able to look into what happened.

“I have always been overwhelmed by the welcoming and generous spirit of Canadians towards new immigrants,” Chan added. “New Canadians face immensely difficult struggles with language, culture and isolation from family and community, and so it is critically important that we ensure that they continue to be treated fairly, in equal accordance with all Canadian laws and procedures, and in line with Canada’s long tradition of accepting newcomers with open arms.”

“I hope that the Deng family can find some comfort with this leave to appeal. The improper handling of their son’s immigration procedures will no longer be ignored,” said Chan.
The Federal Court Hearing has been set for April 20, 2008.