In the wake of a Sri Lankan family murdered in Canada and a 19-year-old Sri Lankan national being accused of it, the Canadian authorities will place more consideration on precautions already in place for the mental health of students, according to an embassy source.
Febrio De-Zoysa, who is alleged to be in Canada as a student, was accused of six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, Ottawa police department informed in a post on X. Six Sri Lankans were stabbed to death in the household they lived in together, together with a 2 1/2-month-old girl and three young children.
The episode has prompted uncertainties in the minds of Sri Lankans about whether Canada will strengthen visa procedures for them in the future after this event. A political source, however, established that Canada would not do so since this was just a one-off occurrence.
Canada looks at it as a heartbreaking incident. They are sympathetic to an incredible level of the community. This is not even a subject. However, they will pay more attention to precautions previously in place for the mental health of students. We as a community will emphasize and have devices to guarantee our students have a support system. It’s not easy for students to live in these countries, the source said.
In the meantime, Canadian immigration and statutory law lawyer Viresh Fernando said the homicide of six Sri Lankan family members in Ottawa, Canada is an uncommon calamity.
He said Canada is a steady, rule-of-law-based civilization where regulations, guidelines, and procedures are built on normal existence. Whereas Canadian individuals from all walks of life have voiced shock and grief at what occurred in Ottawa, as a society will not respond in knee-jerk fashion by resorting to radical measures such as constricting visa requirements.
The fact that the fatalities of this horrific disaster are newcomers to Canada will not influence how we as a society retort to what is in spirit a real human disaster.
Canada is a rules-based country. As long as a Sri Lankan applies for a visa to Canada in good belief, either as an immigrant, student, or visitor, he or she will not encounter any problems. If visa candidates are trying to abuse the Canadian visa scheme by trying to claim refugee position or work unlawfully, our system will deal with them severely, deporting them after a complete and impartial hearing, Fernando who is of Sri Lankan origin said.
According to the Criminal Code of Canada, the suspect will be given six simultaneous life sentences with no chance of bail for 25 years if found guilty.
The suspect might plead not guilty by insanity. If the insanity defense is acknowledged, the suspect will be condemned to a mental institute for convicts. The accused will have free legal representation – private lawyers compensated by the province of Ontario’s Legal Aid Plan. The accused will be tried by a panel of 12 associates. The judge will simply confirm that the appropriate procedure is followed. Professional evidence will be called by the Crown and by the defense as to the psychological status of the suspects.
