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Greens express deep concern for elderly First Nations man threatened with deportation
The Green Party of Canada is calling on the Citizenship and Immigration department to exercise restraint and to ensure that due process is followed in the case Richard Germaine, an elderly First Nations man from the Penelakut Reserve, near Victoria, BC currently facing deportation to the U.S.
A resident of BC for 37 years, Mr. Germaine was abruptly apprehended by Immigration officials yesterday and is being sent to Vancouver to await a deportation hearing, which could take place tomorrow.
Mr. Germaine is of California Miwok Indian ancestry, but has no family or connections in the U.S., and has not lived there in almost 40 years.
Mr. Germaine’s wife, Maria George, belongs to the Penelakut First Nation and is a Residential School survivor. Together, they have 4 children and 14 grandchildren. A youth mentor and teacher of traditional skills, Mr. Germaine has been described as a leader in the Penelakut Reserve community.
Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada and MP for Saanich–Gulf Islands called on Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to take action on Germaine’s behalf, stating: “I urge Minister Alexander to personally intervene, so that Mr. Germaine and his family can be reunited and his status as a naturalized Canadian remedied. "
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