Retired Canadian priest pleads not guilty to sexual assault

TRENTON, Canada

A retired priest pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a Canadian court to a sexual assault that allegedly occurred more than 50 years ago at an Indian Residential School.

Arthur Masse, 92, who was not in the courtroom, entered the plea through his lawyer, George Green.

The indecent assault involves a 10-year-old girl who was a student at Fort Alexander residential school in the province of Manitoba. Sexual and indecent assault are the same charge in Canada.

Masse was arrested and charged in June following a 10-year police investigation. The court hearing was held in Powerview, a small community of 1,300 people northeast of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

While authorities did not identify the victim, Victoria McIntosh, 63, of the Sagkeeng First Nation, stepped forward outside the courtroom and told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that she was the girl who Masse allegedly sexually assaulted.

She vowed to follow the trial to its conclusion.

"I'll be there every step of the way," McIntosh said. "Mr. Masse, come out and speak your truth as well, and I will speak mine."

Sagkeeng Chief Derrick Henderson suggested at an earlier court hearing that Masse be subjected to a sentencing circle, which is a First Nation justice process based on the premise that a crime is committed against the entire community, not just the victim. But the request was based on Masse pleading guilty.

Masse's next court date is Sept. 14.

The Fort Alexander residential school dates back to 1880, when it was founded and run by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Catholic order. It was a day school which First Nation and Metis children attended and lived at for 10 months of the year. It closed in 1970.

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Canadian Cardinal Ouellet accused of sexual assault

Marc Ouellet is accused in a class action suit that targets more than 80 members of clergy in archdiocese of Quebec, court documents show.

Marc Ouellet (R) was mentioned as being among the favorites at the last conclave that elevated Pope Francis to the papacy. (Tiziana Fabi / AFP)

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, once considered a strong candidate to be pope, has been accused of sexual assault in a class action suit that targets more than 80 members of the clergy in the archdiocese of Quebec.

The accusation is over the alleged abuse of a female intern from 2008 to 2010, when he was archbishop of Quebec, court documents showed on Tuesday. 

The allegation comes just weeks after Pope Francis visited Canada, where he apologised for the decades-long abuse of Indigenous children in Catholic-run residential schools.

Ouellet is a prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, one of the most important functions within the Curia, the government of the Vatican.

At the last papal conclave that elevated Francis to the papacy, Ouellet was mentioned as being among the favourites. All cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible. Ouellet is now 78.

When contacted by the AFP news agency, the archdiocese of Quebec said in a statement that it had "taken note of the allegations with respect to Cardinal Marc Ouellet" and had no further comment.

The Vatican did not immediately reply to AFP's request for comment.

READ MORE: Pope apologises for 'evil' against Canada's Indigenous people

'F' comes forward against Ouellet

The claims against Ouellet in the civil suit, which the Quebec supreme court ruled could go ahead in May, are among testimonies of 101 people who say they were sexually assaulted by members of the clergy and church staff from 1940 to today.

Ouellet's accuser identified only as "F," says the Cardinal assaulted her multiple times.

The accuser says she had the feeling of being "chased after," according to the documents. When the woman tried to raise the issue, she was told she wasn't the only woman to have such a "problem" with Ouellet, documents show.

She later was advised to write a letter to Pope Francis about her accusations. She was then informed that Francis had named someone to investigate Ouellet.

The woman has not heard of any conclusions in that investigation.

So far, the cardinal is not facing criminal charges.

Two sides of Ouellet?

In February, Ouellet opened a Vatican symposium on the priesthood by apologising for "unworthy" clergy and the cover-up of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, before an audience that included Pope Francis.

"We are all torn and humbled by these crucial questions that every day question us as members of the Church," Ouellet said at the time.

He said the symposium was an opportunity to express regret and ask victims for forgiveness after their lives were "destroyed by abusive and criminal behaviour" that was hidden or treated lightly to protect the institution and the perpetrators.

Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has striven to tackle the decades-long sexual abuse scandals, although many child protection activists insist much more needs to be done.

In Canada, the Church is facing several class action suits related to sexual misconduct. In the western part of the country, more than 30 students have filed suit against several officials at a Christian school, as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

READ MORE: Canada's indigenous community finds more evidence of 'cultural genocide'

Source: AFP

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Hockey Canada to Be Investigated After Settling Sexual Assault Complaints

OTTAWA — Following revelations that it has paid millions of dollars to sexual assault victims, hockey’s governing body in Canada said on Thursday that a former Supreme Court justice will lead an investigation into the organization.

The appointment of the justice, Thomas Cromwell, comes amid growing calls to overhaul the organization, Hockey Canada, and to transform the often sexualized culture that surrounds a sport that looms above all others in the country.

Marquee sponsors have abandoned Hockey Canada and the federal government froze millions of dollars of its funding after a sports television network reported in May that court documents showed the group had paid 3.5 million Canadian dollars to settle a lawsuit by a woman who accused members of the world junior team of sexual assault in 2018.

After that, Hockey Canada officials testified at a House of Commons committee that it had used a special fund to cover 7.6 million dollars to settle nine sexual assault and sexual abuse claims since 1989.

Further allegations of sexual assault involving Canada’s 2003 world junior championship team emerged in July. Several Canadians, including some politicians, blame Hockey Canada’s lack of oversight of the players, who were 18 to 20 years old at the time of the accusations, for the incidents.

The 2022 Junior World Championship, which was postponed in December because of Covid disruptions, will begin on Tuesday in the Alberta cities of Edmonton and Red Deer.

Mr. Cromwell’s investigation, which Hockey Canada said will start immediately, is one of a series that have been launched in recent weeks.

Last month, Hockey Canada announced that it would bring in an independent reviewer to determine what happened between an unnamed woman and players in London, Ontario, in 2018. Those finding will be reviewed by a panel of current and retired judges who will impose penalties that could include lifetime suspensions from the sport for players.

The police force in London, a city southwest of Toronto, has also reopened a criminal investigation into the 2018 episode.

“These revelations demonstrate a deep, toxic culture that allows people to act with impunity,” Pascale St-Onge, the country’s sports minister, told a House of Commons committee during a hearing in which she questioned the fitness of the governing body’s current management. “We know we have not done enough to address the actions of some members of the 2018 National Junior Team, or to end the culture of toxic behavior within our game. Hockey Canada, the whole country is watching.”

Ms. St.-Onge added that she will not accept “just a P.R. exercise” from Hockey Canada and urged the organization to also review racism with in the sport, as well has how it handles on-ice violence and concussions. Several weeks ago she ordered an audit to determine if any government money was used for out of court settlements. The government provides about six percent of Hockey Canada’s revenue.

Hockey Canada has apologized to Canadians in an unsigned statement.

“We have heard Canadians loud and clear and are committed to making the changes necessary to allow us to be the organization Canadians expect,” the statement said.

“We know we have not done enough to address the actions of some members of the 2018 National Junior Team or to end the culture of toxic behavior within our game,” it added. “We know we need to do more to address the behaviors, on and off the ice, that conflict with what Canadians want hockey to be, and which undermine the many good things that the game brings to our country.”

The review by Mr. Cromwell and two lawyers will not focus on the behavior of players, coaches and staff whether on or off the ice. Instead it will look into issues like whether there is sufficient control over how money is dispensed from a “national equity fund” that had been use to settle lawsuits, and whether Hockey Canada’s volunteer board of directors adequately oversees operations.

The inquiry will also examine Hockey Canada’s bylaws and management structure and provide interim findings and recommendations by November.

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