Whereas The duty had announced last Tuesday that Mamadou Konaté would obtain a reprieve for an indefinite period, we now know that the expulsion of this Ivorian asylum seeker will be postponed for “about 8 to 12 months”.
In a decision released today, Federal Court Judge Patrick Gleason ruled that Mr. Konaté’s deportation, which was scheduled for October 5, will be postponed “until a decision on the merits be taken with respect to the judicial review of the decision” of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), reports Mr. Konaté’s lawyer, Mr.e Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.
The decision in question, on which the court will decide, is therefore that of expelling Mr. Konaté, a decision of course contested by his lawyer.
The two parties met urgently yesterday, as Mr. Konaté’s deportation date was fast approaching. It was first scheduled for September 30, then October 5.
This is the third stay to be ordered by the Federal Court for Mr. Konaté. “We believe that it is then high time that the IRCC [Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada] and the CBSA are seizing the opportunity to finally regularize Mamadou’s status in Canada,” said Mr.e Cliche-Rivard in a press release.
Recall that Mr. Konaté has been in Canada since 2016 and that he was an essential worker during the pandemic. He notably worked in the housekeeping of a CHSLD during the COVID-19 pandemic, and even contracted the virus during his mandate. He now works at Concordia University.
Such as The duty recalled on Tuesday, an expulsion would pose serious risks to Mr. Konaté, according to his lawyer, since he said he supported on social networks a former Ivorian politician sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted coup State.
It was because he had been part of a group that participated in attempts to overthrow a government that Ottawa had refused to grant him refugee status in the first place.