Adami: Federal judge shows compassion immigration officers couldn't find

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews were nowhere to be found a few weeks ago when a 69-year-old woman needed help to avoid deportation on Sunday.

Their minions at Immigration and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) had already decided against showing any compassion for Valentina Laguto. They wanted her out of the country. Her daughter, Elena Polinario, an Ottawa resident and Canadian citizen, couldn’t get anyone in authority to listen to her pleas.

But luckily for the ailing Laguto, who also faced the heartbreak of leaving behind her husband of 46 years, Federal Court Justice Danièle Tremblay-Lamer decided this week that it was time for mercy. Tremblay-Lamer agreed with Laguto’s immigration lawyer, Julie Taub, that her client's situation was so unique that it could not be ignored. Laguto's age, ailments, the prospect of being separated from husband, Juan Hernandez, and ending up in Russia alone -- where the government there has already indicated she would not qualify for any social assistance -- made her case an exceptional one.