A legal expert says the punishment for the truck driver responsible for the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash will put CanadaB次元官网网址檚 sentencing provisions to the test.

Jennifer Quaid, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, said she believes it will be difficult for a judge to arrive at a proportionate sentence for Jaskirat Singh Sidhu.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a real test of our sentencing regime,B次元官网网址� said Quaid. B次元官网网址淭his is sort of the nightmare scenario where you have a mixture of B次元官网网址� factors that point in different directions if you look at our sentencing law.B次元官网网址�

Sidhu admitted he caused the collision that killed 16 people and injured 13 when he barrelled through a stop sign in his transport truck at a rural Saskatchewan intersection last April. Sidhu was not hurt.

He pleaded guilty to 29 dangerous driving charges and is to be sentenced March 22.

In a sentencing hearing this week, the Crown argued Sidhu should serve 10 years in prison and be banned from driving for 10 years. The defence, although citing cases with shorter sentences, did not propose a specific alternative.

Judge Inez CardinalB次元官网网址檚 task will be to find a sentence that strikes a balance between the consequences of the offence and the blameworthiness of the offender, said Quaid.

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While Sidhu pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, it was not a hit and run, he wasnB次元官网网址檛 impaired, nor was he speeding, or texting and driving, Quaid noted.

On the other hand, she said, the outcome of his actions was horrific.

B次元官网网址淥n the one side you got terrible consequences. On the other side you have a mistake that is not the worst of the mistakes,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淲hatB次元官网网址檚 the right answer?B次元官网网址�

She believes the Crown is taking a hard line in proposing a 10-year prison sentence.

B次元官网网址淚t doesnB次元官网网址檛 seem proportionate to his moral blameworthiness,B次元官网网址� said Toronto criminal defence lawyer Daniel Brown. B次元官网网址淚t doesnB次元官网网址檛 seem proportionate to his actions.B次元官网网址�

Brown said determining a proper sentence for Sidhu will be challenging because the judge lacks comparable cases.

He also said the typical signs of bad driving are missing. That makes it tough to craft a sentence that discourages people from a specific action, such as drinking and driving.

B次元官网网址淗ow do we deter other people from missing stop signs?B次元官网网址� Brown said.

B次元官网网址淗e wasnB次元官网网址檛 distracted by his cellphone,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址滺e simply missed the traffic signal.B次元官网网址�

Both Quaid and Brown said another significant factor Cardinal must weigh is SidhuB次元官网网址檚 guilty plea.

B次元官网网址淭his is a person who has exactly the reaction that we hope B次元官网网址� every person convicted or found guilty of a crime would have B次元官网网址� to have this deep reflection, this absolute acceptance of responsibility,B次元官网网址� Quaid said.

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press

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