Nova Scotia

Fliss Cramman doesn't think she would survive deportation to U.K.

Fliss Cramman, who has been in Canada since she was eight years old, says she's terrified of what could happen to her if she's forced out of the country.

Hospitalized U.K. citizen who has been in Canada since she was a child may be deported due to criminal record

Fliss Cramman has been under guard in hospital since August. (CBC)

A hospitalized 33-year-old woman facing deportation from Nova Scotia to the U.K. says she's terrified of what could happen to her if she's forced out of Canada.

"I've been here 25 years of my life. My kids are here, my family is here, everything I know is here," Fliss Cramman said Tuesday from her room in Dartmouth General Hospital.

"I would be lost. I don't think I would be able to survive in England. And that's the sad part."

Cramman was born in England, but her parents moved the family to Ontario when she was eight.

In January 2014, she was sentenced to 27 months in prison for trafficking heroin and property offences, crimes she said were fuelled by addiction to drugs.

Under hospital guard

Cramman was released on parole in June, but immediately arrested by the Canada Border Services Agency to start the deportation process.

She's been under guard in hospital since August, when she suffered a perforated bowel and needed multiple followup surgeries due to complications.

For several weeks, Nova Scotia corrections officers kept Cramman shackled to her hospital bed. She was unchained after Nova Scotia Justice Minister Diana Whalen intervened.

The Elizabeth Fry Society's Emma Halpern says Fliss Cramman is being punished by a system that was supposed to care for her. (CBC)

Cramman wells up when she looks at the newspaper clipping she keeps beside her bed.

"It went right to the minister … It made me feel like I touched somebody's heart," she said.

Cramman said she isn't used to receiving support and has always had to fight for everything.

Rough upbringing

According to the Elizabeth Fry Society, Cramman became a ward of the court around age 12, but no one secured her Canadian citizenship.

According to documents from the Parole Board of Canada, Cramman suffered from the effects of violence and alcoholism in her home.

As a minor, she also suffered violent sexual abuse outside her home.

The Elizabeth Fry Society said Cramman is being punished by a system that was supposed to care for her.

Fliss Cramman keeps a newspaper clipping of her case beside her bed. (CBC)

"Fliss was failed by the state who had a duty to parent her when she was in their care through child protection services, and they neglected to get her citizenship," said spokesperson Emma Halpern. 

Halpern said Cramman is at risk of being deported next month, despite the fact her surgeon and health-care team believe it's essential for her to stay in Canada for a year to follow up on her medical care, including a colostomy reversal procedure.

Halpern, with the help of the Halifax Refugee Clinic, is drafting an application for Cramman to stay in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

However, Halpern said Cramman can be deported at any time during the two-year review process.

The Elizabeth Fry Society has offered to house her in Cape Breton with access to mental health programming and other supports, but Halpern said she can't move there because no government agency will cover the costs of her continuing medical care.

'What more makes you a Canadian?'

Cramman lost her health coverage when she was placed under an immigration removal order.

The Canada Border Services Agency will only pay for medical expenses while she's in custody.   

Meanwhile, Cramman said she wants to continue her education once she's recovered. She earned her GED while she was in prison.

She said while her passport is from the U.K., she's a Canadian.

"I have a Canadian accent ... I apologize after everything. Even if I stub my toe, I say I'm sorry. What more makes you a Canadian?" said Cramman.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jack Julian

Reporter

Jack Julian joined CBC Nova Scotia as an arts reporter in 1997. His news career began on the morning of Sept. 3, 1998 following the crash of Swissair 111. He is now a data journalist in Halifax, and you can reach him at (902) 456-9180, by email at jack.julian@cbc.ca or follow him on Twitter @jackjulian