I don’t like Canada more than any other gun-loving, anti-welfare state American, but I wouldn’t wish this on any country. A criminal (a seminary teacher who had sex with a 15-year-old student) has plea bargained to three years of exile. Immigration lawyers are questioning the idea’s legality.

Besides being bizarre, the punishment is simply too lenient. Three years in prison might have done the trick (though the maximum he’d have gotten is one), but three years in Canada, while terrible, doesn’t make up for using a position of authority to extract sexual favors from a minor.

However, I doubt the legal aspect of the case will go very far. A plea bargain means that the prosecution and the defense agreed to a sentence rather than go through with a trial. I wrote about a case in Wisconsin once where a woman agreed to sterilization. There was really no one to challenge the sentence, because the only injured party had consented to it.

The funniest thing, though, is that Canada might not let him in because of his criminal record.

Finally, Canadian readers, don’t take my insults too seriously. I’m from Wisconsin, which is practically Canada anyway.

Robert VerBruggen blogs at http://robertsrationale.blogspot.com.

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