Greer Shipping Ltd. v. Canada

This was an appeal from a decision of the Trial Division holding the agent of the ship liable for the costs of deportation of a crew member who deserted the ship while at Vancouver in 1992. The appeal turned on the definition of “transportation company” in the Immigration Act. The Federal Court of Appeal noted that the statutory definition had been changed in 1993 from “persons carrying or providing for the transportation of persons” to “persons carrying or providing for the transportation of persons or goods”. The Court of Appeal held that the old definition applied and that under the old definition a cargo ship was not a “transportation company”. Accordingly, the appeal was allowed and the agent was not liable for the costs of deportation.