The Ben Mulroney Show - Will the feds fight the courts in Humboldt Broncos deportation story?

Episode Date: April 30, 2026

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The Devil Wears Prada 2. He's the movie event 20 years in the making. Honestly, can't with the secrets anymore, so I think we just should tell her. Will you two please spit it out already? This Friday, be the first to experience it. Only in theaters. In light of the recent scandal,

I'm here to restore your credibility. Oh, because we're a team now. That's a nice story. The Devil Wears Prada 2 in Theaters Friday. I want to take you back to April 6th, 2018. When at a rural intersection in Saskatchew, a semi-truck trailer operated by a man by the name of Jaskeran Sadiou, failed to stop at a flashing stop sign.

and struck the Humboldt Broncos hockey team bus at full speed, killing 16, injuring 13, gutting an entire community and dropping an entire country into mourning. I remember I was hosting a morning television show at the time, and I had a tough time getting through the news reports. I had colleagues who had to leave the studio because the details were so gruesome. The entire country felt that pain. The entire country still today feels that pain. The investigation revealed that the driver of the semi was a novice driver.

He had missed the stop sign because he was checking his rearview mirrors. His employer was also later charged with safety regulation violations. Now, Sadoop pleaded guilty to 29 counts of dangerous driving. And it's not for me to say whether it was a light sentence or not, but 16 dead, 13 injured, eight years in prison. Apparently, it's the longest sentence in Canadian history for such an offense. Perhaps one day we can talk about whether or not it was the right sentence. He was granted full parole in 2023.

and these families in this small town were, have been dealing with the trauma, have been trying to heal and have been trying to move on. And for a great many of them, the final step that would allow them to take that next step was the deportation order. However, a judge in the, with the federal court at the last minute stated that because of reasons of mental health, possibly deporting a sedu could cause him irreparable harm. He has been suicidal. There's a humanitarian angle of it on it all for so many different reasons associated with this man and not the victims, but because of all these things that would happen that would be negative to him.

He's got a son who's got bad lungs and the area. India is bad and he might kill himself and his wife might not join him. For all of these reasons, we are going to stay his deportation. So at the moment where these families could finally perhaps breathe, knowing that the person who caused them so much pain was gone, he is being told he can possibly stay. And so we wanted to talk to one of the families, a member of the families, who is feeling those things today.

And so we reached out to Chris Joseph, the father of one of the victims, Jackson Joseph. And we had a conversation with him just before the start of the Ben Mulroney show. And we're going to start that conversation with him right now asking him about his reaction to the news that Sedu was not going to be deported. Chris, thank you so much for being here. What was your reaction when you heard that the bus driver that killed Sadiqar, that killed Sadiq? 16 young men was not going to be deported. Well, thanks for having me on, Ben. I had a lot of emotion.

One, as victims, we weren't told that, A, he was being deported that Monday. We also weren't told that on the Friday before that, that it was deferred. So that was all news to us. And the only reason I heard about it was because Karen Paul is from CBC, He reached out to me asking me for comment, which I found ironic because I told her I didn't have a lot of faith in her stories. But we're not, we're sort of the last to know. I can see why, I mean, as far as putting Mr. Sedu on an airplane as much as I would love to be at the airport, they don't want me there. They just want to tell me that he's gone, which is fine.

I get that. But, you know, we've had to rehash this a lot lately. and I have to try to go on the defensive all the time. And the narrative that's been portrayed about this man is that he's a simple, honest, humble man that made a horrible mistake and he lives with it every day. The man that I've gotten to know has been the exact opposite. He's been in it for himself since day one.

Let me ask about that. Yeah, because the narrative that I've heard was that this was a man who was, I'm sure not on the same level, but devastated by the pain that he had caused. And for that reason, he had, you know, admitted his guilt to spare the families, spare the community, indeed spare the country, the pain of a long protracted trial. And you're saying that's not the case.

Well, okay, at the time when he did spare us the trial, I believe that. I thought, you know what, he's, he is saving us the grief. It's going to be brutal if we go through a trial. But then we went to a sentencing and for four straight days, I listened to four straight days of victim impact statements from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Myself, the Joseph family alone had about 10. There was, you know, mom, dad, brother, sister, girlfriend, billet, grandma, grandpa.

So I sat through 29 families of that. And it was horrific anyways. I cried for four straight days. So it was already painful. But in hindsight now, we look back. on it and like, damn, like I wish that we would have had a trial because in the sentencing, nobody had to answer any questions. Nobody was put on the stand. We didn't find out who gave him his license. We didn't find out from the company that trained him. We didn't even find out

who's, we still to this day don't know who signed off on his license. That company went out of business and somehow miraculously the records got destroyed. So in hindsight, yeah, I would have love the big, ugly trial. The industry is really falling apart, and we need to expose some of that. But so then he said that, you know, we spared the families a trial. That was by design. That was for him. That was to get a lesser sentence to, you know, bargain down his sentence.

And then he said, you know, he was going to help make a difference in the trucking industry. And he said this to Scott Thomas. And when the parole board grilled him on. They're like, Mr. Sedu, you said that you were going to make a change in the trucking industry. He said, I am but one simple man. What can I do? And he said, I can't do anything.

Also in the parole hearing, he said, I don't know. I don't recall over a hundred times. So he hasn't done anything for anybody else. That is for sure. The day of the crash, he didn't help one person. He climbed out of his cab on its side. and there were people five feet from him dying, screaming. Yeah.

And he didn't help one person. He didn't call 911. And he walked around saying, I'm okay, I'm okay. Now, I've been a firefighter for 18 years, so I know what shocked and trauma is like, and I know that sometimes people freeze. But he did make a phone call, and he made one phone call to his boss.

His boss, Supermander Singh, got in the car and drove from Calgary out to Tisda. And the first thing they wanted to do is get in the cab and grab their logbooks. And the R.CMP wouldn't let them. I mean, we have heard time and time again, I said it just a few days ago that the most unnatural thing in the world is for a parent to outlive their child. And that happened 16 times over in the small town of Humboldt, as well as the pain and suffering that so many families have had to deal with with the survivors and the guilt. And so hearing that from Chris Joseph, knowing that the justice system in this moment, I believe, failed these families and has retramatized them, forcing them to relive this pain that is unbearable the first time. When we come back from the break, we're going to continue our conversation with Chris Joseph.

And we're going to ask him, now that we've heard from public safety minister Ananda Sangri, who said that the government is, looking into this judicial decision, does he have any faith that the government is going to do the right thing and put the lives of the victims and the survivors ahead of the person who caused all of this pain, or not just humbled, but the entire country of Canada. Don't go anywhere. This is the Ben Mulrini show. Need a vehicle that isn't afraid to make a splash? That's the Volkswagen Tauce.

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SUVW, German engineered for all. Amazon presents Jeff versus Taco Truck Salsa. Whether it's Verde, Roja, or the orange one. For Jeff, trying any salsa is like playing Russian roulette with a flame thrower. Luckily, Jeff saved with Amazon and stocked up on antacids, ginger tea, and milk. Habaniero? More like habanier, yes. Save the everyday with Amazon. Since the heart was ripped out of the chest of Humboldt with 16 young men killed in the prime of their lives and 13 more people's lives destroyed. by a collision that was due not to anything that they did,

but because of the actions of one man. We as a country have been following this story through its ups and its downs and its many twists and turns, hoping that the resolution, whatever it was, would give these people peace. And it looked like on the horizon, that peace would come in the form of the deportation of the man responsible for these deaths and this tragedy.

but because of the decision by a judge at the federal level, that deportation order has been stayed. The latest news today is that the government of Canada by way of the public safety minister, Minister Andes Angerey, says the government is doing everything they can to review this decision. So, and now with that as a backdrop, we give you the second part of our conversation with the father of the late Jackson Joseph, who died at 20, Chris Joseph, and I, I ask him about his faith in the government writing the wrong that was perpetrated, not just by the driver, but by this judge. You know, we're hearing now that after this judgment by the federal court judge,

that the government is taking an interest in reviewing this case. Do you have any faith that the government stepping in is going to have any impact on this decision? I mean, I hold my breath, I hope. I mean, already the government stepped in in the opposite direction. They should have just let CBSA do the work, but the federal judge stepped in the opposite direction. And then just the other day, one of the conservative members set up in the house and mentioned it,

and then the Minister of Public Safety said they would look into it. I don't really have a lot of faith. I think he just delivered some nice words. How do you feel, Chris, when you hear what is supposed to be someone of learned judicial background, someone who knows the law, someone who knows how to apply it, to take a stance focusing exclusively on this man

and the impact that deportation would have on him and his family without, I mean, you just referenced 20 impact, a victim impact statement for just your son. And this is one man and you have 20 people who were impacted by the death of your son. There's 15 others just like him. Focusing on the person who perpetrated the tragedy as opposed to those who are traumatized

and live with the tragedy each and every day. How do you feel about that? I think it's narrow, narrow-sighted, you know, short-sighted, narrow-minded. I understand that they want to look out for his best interest, too, but they gave the victim's family no account at all. all. So when he talked about being suicidal, well, guess who else been suicidal? Me? My whole family. Every family.

29 families, like not just 16 that passed away. So, and then you talk about, you know, he has a child with special needs, right? And I get that. And his wife talks about, you know, we're going to be separated. Well, there are good hospitals in India, too. It's not a prison sentence. And I believe it's just a game that they're playing that saying he's going to be, he is suicidal. and that the family would be separated. He said in his interview with Karen Paul's, his words were,

it hunts me when I run my fingers through my son's hair that I may not get to see him. Well, take a look at me, pal. The last time I ran my fingers through my son's hair was in a morgue. His body was banged up and bloodied and cold and it was because of him. And so the irony and the audacity of those words,

it's astonishing. So then what I have a big going on record saying he's, I've been saying he's selfish, right? But if he would go back to India and his wife doesn't go with him, I think that's pretty selfish on her part as well. Because it's not a death sentence to go back to India. Maybe the air quality is not as good, but they have plenty of doctors.

They have plenty of counselors. He has plenty of family resources back there. And Chris, do you think, do you think, if we're truly looking out for him, perhaps going back to India where he is not shackled to his crime and he's not followed around by it and there's distance between Humboldt and India, maybe he does have a chance for a fresh start? And I've been saying that since day one. Like, he is anonymous if he goes back there. He can live his life. He can spend time with his immediate family, his extended family. They have a lot of resources back there.

He doesn't have to go through this every time. And that's important. But what's more important is that 29 families, Canadian families don't also have to go through this every time he wants to get in the news. There are 400 people deported per week in Canada on average. That means this week, from Monday to Sunday, 400 people are going. And I'm pretty sure they didn't all kill more than 16 people.

So I just, I want to know what makes him so special. Other than it's a massive story, what makes him so much more special than the guy that stole a $5,000 car and gets deported? Well, you know, we were talking about it before we came on for this interview, Chris. And if what it takes is to say, well, you know, I may kill myself if I go back to India, it reminded us of stories that we've heard of, you know, people in relationships where, you know, one or the other person says, if you leave me, I'm going to kill myself. And by all accounts, I mean, that is a form of emotional abuse. Do you feel like in this case that either as a nation or you personally are being emotionally abused by the system that is doing this, that is keeping him here, that's doing this dance of trying to keep somebody here who has no right and is not entitled to be here? Absolutely.

I believe we're all being taken advantage of. And I believe that he and his lawyer and his family, I think they're gaming the system. I think it's suicide today. It's going to be something else tomorrow. I learned the other day that his original deportation was supposed to be April 20th. But he told CBSA that his son had a doctor's appointment that day. And could we please extend it one month or one week? And so they pushed it back one week.

Well, I went on record to say, I can't believe how it. his lawyer got before a federal judge in two days. Well, now I know it was one week and two days because they bought themselves some time. But first it was I have a child's doctor's appointment. Now it's I'm suicidal. First, April 6th, it was the sun was in my eyes. And then April 20th, let's say, roughly about three weeks later, it was flopping tarps. It's just been lies, lies, lies, lies, lies.

Now the flapping tarps, we don't know. that's a lie, that's completely unprovable, but I have driven that route. And the time that he says it, he went from point A to point B and stop, at his speed, not possible. It couldn't have been done. The sun in the eyes was dispelled right away. The next day, the RCNP said the sun was not an issue at all. Right. The people at the Pete Moss factory said his tarps looked good to me when he left.

So everything has been lies. And people are wondering why I can't forgive. And it's not because I'm angry. It's because the person that I believe that I'm supposed to forgive has not been forthright. And do you feel that the system... I don't find him honest at all. Chris, it feels like the system is not capable of eliciting that honesty. He's not being held to a high standard.

My last question for you, Chris, and then I'm going to... I'm going to thank you enormously for sharing with us, and then I'll let you get on with your day. But, Chris, this is, it feels to me, if you look at what the judge said, all right, so it's a sick child, it's a fear of going back to India, separation, possibility that he's going to hurt himself. This is a roadmap for future people to get out of deportation. It's get out of deportation by numbers. the roadmap has been set. Sure.

And also the standard has been set for, well, I mean, I mean, really who could you deport? If she doesn't go. Yeah. Like, who could anybody ever be deported? And, you know, people talk about compassion and forgiveness,

and Canadians are very compassionate and very forgiving. But does that mean the rules get to change? I don't think so. Like, we have many Bronco families that have forgiven him. And that's fine. And I'm happy for them that they've found that piece. I'm not forgiving him right now because I just don't see a quality person. But regardless, it's irrelevant.

Forgiveness or not, we have to have rules. That is what makes Canada such a great place. If we were lawless, Canada becomes a third world country and we're not a good place. So forgiveness is irrelevant. But we are soft and we have to be tough on crime. And we have to make sure that Canadians come first and that if there's a crime committed, we have to be tough on them. And if deportation is one avenue of being tough on crimes, then that's what we have to do.

The compassion, as far as I'm concerned, my friend, is that he got eight years in prison for the damage that he caused. That is compassion enough. And Chris Joseph, I thank you on behalf of everyone here at the show. we are sending our emotional support to you in any way that we can. Thank you very much. Thank you, Ben. Thanks for having me on. Seems like yesterday when we arrived here. Hi. The story we know.

You of all people know what secrets have done at this family is just the beginning. We've been to the 90s. The 70s? Even the 1800s. I think it was our last goodbye. So where will the pond take us next? What? You need to let me go. The hit Hallmark, original. series. The Way Home Final Season Sunday, April 19th, only on W.

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