Deportations to Pakistan suspended until flood conditions improve

The massive humanitarian disaster unfolding in their homeland means deportees will get a reprieve

Conditions in Pakistan are so bad that the Canadian government has postponed the removal of 810 Pakistanis seeking status here. Floods hit Pakistan in July and have devastated the country, affecting close to 20 million people and destroying crops and infrastructure. It will take months, if not years, for conditions to improve there, which means people slated for deportation could be staying in Canada for the foreseeable future. Statistics from the Canadian Border Services Agency say that 97 per cent of the deportees are people who did not meet requirements for refugee status, but the other 3 per cent were ruled out on criteria that include criminal activity, security risks and health issues.