Lasalle family returning to Cameroon amid uncertainty

While most Canadians are hunkering down over turkey and celebrating life in Canada, one Lasalle family will be saying goodbye to their adopted country, possibly for good.

“I don’t know how to express it,” said Cameroon native Hilary Fuh-Cham. “It’s like the world is coming to an end for us.”

The Canadian Border Patrol instructed Fuh-Cham to be at Trudeau Airport at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, when he, his wife and three children will board a plane back to Cameroon.

After years of fighting court battles for the right to stay under humanitarian grounds, Fuh-Cham and his family have accepted they’ll have to go back to Cameroon.

Fuh-Cham comes from a predominantly English-speaking part of Northwestern Cameroon, from a village called Weh.

According to Fuh-Cham, his father was the sub-chief of Weh. Fuh-Cham grew up apart from his father, and became a Roman Catholic at an early age.

According to Fuh-Cham, when his father died, he inherited the title of sub-chief, meaning he and his family would have to accept certain customs — such as female circumcision.

That’s the situation the family said they were fleeing when they arrived in Canada some seven years ago.

But the family has had difficulty establishing credible fears with the federal government.

When asked about their refugee claims, Nancy Caron, a Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokesperson, wrote in an email that “Mr. Fuh-Cham is a failed refugee claimant who has availed himself of several avenues of appeal without success,” and added that “Mr. Fuh-Cham’s claim lacked credibility.” The decision to send Fuh-Cham back has caused a severe reaction from the church congregation he belongs to in Lasalle.

“Disappointment, shock, a little bit of anger,” said Father Gerry Martineau, of the St. Jean Brebeuf Church, describing the congregation’s emotions. “It’s a great loss for us, as a community, but it’s a big loss for Canada.”

Both Fuh-Chams had full-time jobs, and two of their three children — their five-year-old daughter Telcy and four-year-old son Andy, were born in Canada. “As their parent I don’t think it’s fair. They’re not Cameroonians, they’re Canadians,” he said.

He added that after the struggle to stay in the country, he is unsure if he’ll ever attempt to return to Canada. For Martineau, Fuh-Cham’s ongoing battle is a Canadian tragedy.

“Especially on Thanksgiving weekend,” he said. “I don’t know how the system works, I just find the system isn’t working.”