Canadian Elections > Trudeau's Liberals Protect MPs Who Act Inappropriately Around Young Staffers and Ignore Complaints

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Liberal candidate allowed to run for re-election despite

past claims of inappropriate behaviour

Raj Saini denies making unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate comments

to young Liberal staffers

Ashley Burke · CBC News · 

Posted: Aug 31, 2021 1:14 PM ET 

Liberal candidate in Kitchener Centre, Raj Saini, pictured right of Justin Trudeau, has been accused of behaving inappropriately toward young female staffers. He denies the allegations. (Christopher Katsarov/Canadian Press)

The Liberal Party has given southwestern Ontario candidate Raj Saini the green light to seek re-election for his third term as an MP despite a series of allegations of inappropriate behaviour toward young female staffers that spanned his six years in office, CBC News has learned. 

Seven sources with knowledge of the claims described four different cases where Saini allegedly made unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate comments. Saini said he has never acted inappropriately toward staff. 

We all have different ideas of what 'acting properly' includes. Some people, like Saini, or ex-NY Governor Cuomo, or Weinstein, seem to think it is quite OK to approach staff members about sex. It isn't!

A former senior staffer who filed a Canadian Human Rights Commission complaint against Saini last year alleging unwelcome advances and harassing behaviour said it's upsetting the party is allowing Saini to campaign again under the Liberal banner in Kitchener Centre. The staffer said her experience in Saini's office contributed to her mental distress, and she eventually tried to take her own life in his office in March 2020.

"That's pretty devastating to me, knowing what I have gone through and that I've raised concerns over the last more than year and a half," said the former senior staffer. "It's disturbing to me.... It's also concerning to me that it could continue to happen to other people."

And not just Saini

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has maintained he has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to harassment in the workplace, and that he has led a feminist government. But his party also allowed MP Marwan Tabbara to run in the 2019 federal election despite a party investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made against him in the previous mandate. Tabbara later left caucus after police charged him with break and enter, assault and criminal harassment in an unrelated case last year. Tabbara's next court appearance is scheduled for tomorrow.

Liberals allowed MP Marwan Tabbara to run in 2019 despite sexual harassment investigation

Candidates in the election had until Monday to officially register with Elections Canada. Saini submitted his nomination on Friday and posted a photo on Facebook.

Senior member of government raised concerns during Saini's 1st term

The complaints against Saini date back to the Liberals' holiday (Christmas, for everyone else) party in December 2015, which more than 2,000 people attended including Liberal MPs, staff and supporters at the Shaw Convention Centre in downtown Ottawa. 

CBC News agreed not to name the sources with direct knowledge of the allegations because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the matter or were concerned about career reprisals.

Four female staffers reported to a senior Liberal staffer that Saini, along with his friend and mentee, Tabbara, were acting inappropriately with young female staffers at the holiday party, including "touching" or being "handsy," according to multiple sources. 

That information was shared with a senior member of the government who brought the concerns to the Prime Minister's Office and Justin Trudeau's chief of staff, Katie Telford, sources said. Both Tabbara and Saini remained in caucus.

Liberal Party knows nothing

The Liberal Party told CBC News in a statement "it has no record or knowledge of the matter." Tabbara's office declined to comment. 

According to multiple sources, Saini later followed another junior Liberal staffer around at several functions and asked for her phone number. 

In a third case, a female employee felt so uneasy with Saini calling her to his Ottawa office late at night, in some cases around 10 p.m., she brought an employee with her from another MP's office so she wasn't alone with him, according to another source. The Liberal Party also said it had no knowledge of this matter. 

'I remember feeling incredibly stressed out'

A fourth case involved the former senior staffer who wrote to Saini to say she was going to take her own life in his office by overdosing on pills in March 2020, according to a written complaint to the human rights commission. She said Saini alerted mental health services, and paramedics were sent to his office to attend to her. She was admitted to hospital.

"I remember being incredibly stressed out, feeling completely helpless," the former senior staffer said. "I felt like he had shown he could do pretty much anything he wanted to do to me. I felt like there was nowhere for me to turn."

On more than one occasion, she said, Saini put his hand on her thigh while they were in the car together and said the end destination of their drive was up to her. 

When the staffer asked for help with an issue at the office, Saini said he would help her if she was good for two weeks and then he winked at her, she said. 

She also claims he had outbursts where he'd be yelling and push her up against a wall by the shoulders. 

"In January of 2020, the MP screamed at me to burn my campaign T-shirt because I had voted at a riding association meeting to hear a candidate from an opposition party speak on environmental matters," the former senior staffer wrote in her complaint to the human rights commission. "The MP gave me a 20-minute verbally abusive lecture about loyalty, while repeatedly slamming his hands on his desk.

"The MP regularly treats me as his servant, expecting me to receive his verbal abuse and aggressions while keeping quiet. Raj Saini's attitude towards women stems from the 1800s."

No, I think it doesn't come from a certain time, but a certain place.

The source said the human rights commission said it doesn't have jurisdiction over members of Parliament so could not address her case, she said.

There is more on this story at CBC News.

Sexual Misconduct in Canada's Military is Persistent Because It Goes Right to the Top

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It's been several years now since sexual abuse in Canada's Armed Forces has been outed as a serious problem. In those several years, nothing of significance was done to address the problem. An inquiry a few years ago was completely ignored. Was that because the CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) himself was an abuser? He was, and the government knew it but ignored the accusations and even gave him a big bonus one year.

Canada's longest-serving CDS has been responsible for the military response to the fight against ISIS as well as Operation Honour, which was formed in response to a damning report that found an endemic culture of sexual misconduct throughout the Canadian military.

Now, his abuse victims have come forward and demanded justice. CDS Jonathon Vance was forced into retirement. His case is being investigated again.

Meanwhile, Admiral Art McDonald was named as his replacement in December 2020. In February, he stepped down as CDS because of allegations of sexual abuse. 

Canada's new defence chief Admiral Art McDonald steps aside amid investigation

Also in February, parliamentary hearings began into allegations that Vance was accused in 2018 of sexual misconduct, but the government hid the accusations and gave Vance a bonus. 

Parliamentary committee to begin hearing into allegations against former Canadian Forces chief

It became known in those hearings that the military Ombudsman took proof of Vance's misconduct to the Minister of Defence, Harjit Sajjan, who refused to listen and immediately threw the ombudsman out of his office.

Further research found that the accusations made it all the way to the PMO, the Prime Minister's Office and his chief advisor. It appears his advisors didn't think it was important enough to tell the PM. Trudeau came out recently and explained that no one knew that the misconduct accusations against Vance were of a sexual nature. No one seemed curious enough to find out. Misconduct must not be a very significant issue in Prime Minister Trudeau's office. Certainly, we know that Trudeau is not addicted to telling the truth. Like most far-left politicians, he goes by the motto: The end justifies the means.

At this point, the Liberals shut down the committee investigating the issue. The Conservative (Opposition) Party is demanding it resume the committee and require Trudeau's advisor, Katie Telford, to appear for questioning.

Tories demand more Vance allegation hearings, press for Trudeau’s top aide to speak

Now, our hapless Defence Minister has called for another investigation into the issue of sexual abuse in the military. They had one just a few years ago and largely ignored the recommendations. Consequently, sexual abuse continued to increase. How could it not when the top brass were allegedly practicing abusers? 

Military recorded more than 500 sexual assault reports during five-year effort to stamp out misconduct

His reasoning for calling another investigation is so they can commit themselves to implement all the recommendations. Really, it is probably just an attempt to mothball the issue while the Liberals call an election. There is no reason why they can't just implement the recommendations of the last inquiry. 

Ottawa launches another external review into sexual misconduct in the military

2 Party Leaders and a Federal Minister Resign as #MeToo Trashes Canadian Politics

The Stars are Falling - boy, are they falling

Nova Scotia PC Leader Jamie Baillie forced out over allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour'

CBC News 

Jamie Baillie has been forced out as leader of Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative Party following an investigation into "allegations of inappropriate behaviour." 

The party said it requested and accepted Baillie's resignation Wednesday morning, following an independent, third-party investigation arranged by the PC Party after it learned of the allegations.

That investigation concluded Baillie had breached the Nova Scotia House of Assembly policy on the prevention and resolution of harassment in the workplace, according to the party.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, party president Tara Miller and caucus chair Karla MacFarlane would not provide details about the allegations, but indicated sexual harassment was one of the claims.

Sources told CBC News the allegations involve a female staffer in the caucus office.

MacFarlane, who is the MLA for Pictou West, will become interim leader of the province's PCs.

She said the party became aware of the allegations — which involve one complainant — late in December and took immediate action, bringing in an "experienced" investigator. She would not identify the investigator.

Miller said the party received the report on Tuesday night and made the decision to request Baillie's resignation. That decision was supported unanimously by the caucus, she said.

Patrick Brown resigns as Ontario PC leader amid sexual misconduct allegations

By Mike Crawley, CBC News 

Patrick Brown stepped down as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario early Thursday, only hours after denying allegations of sexual misconduct, which one woman told CBC News happened while she was working for him. 

"These allegations are false and have been difficult to hear," said Brown in a statement issued just before 1:30 a.m. ET.

"However, defeating [Ontario Premier] Kathleen Wynne in 2018 is more important than one individual. For this reason, after consulting with caucus, friends and family I have decided to step down as leader of the Ontario PC Party. I will remain on as a MPP while I definitively clear my name from these false allegations." 

Election in 4 months
The allegations and the resignation leave the Ontario PCs in turmoil and without a leader, with the provincial election scheduled for June 7. 

Brown called a snap news conference at the provincial legislature on Wednesday night to deny the allegations, calling them "categorically untrue." The conference came just ahead of a CTV News report detailing allegations by two women dating back to when Brown was a federal MP. 

The woman, who CBC News has agreed not to identity due to the sexual nature of her complaint, worked for Brown in 2013 when she was 19 years old. 

The former staffer claims Brown sexually assaulted her after Hockey Night in Barrie, an annual charity game. At the after-party held at The Bank, a former nightclub in the downtown area, she said Brown's friend provided her with a series of free alcoholic drinks. 

The woman said she was "very" intoxicated by the time a group of them moved the party to Brown's home, where she says the MPP invited her into his bedroom. Brown started kissing her, she says, claiming she didn't kiss him back and froze up. Eventually he realized it was awkward and stopped kissing her, she said.

The woman said she told Brown, "I have a boyfriend and you need to take me home." She said she remembers feeling this was the safest way to manage things.

The next morning, she said, she woke up crying. She said she didn't tell anyone what happened immediately because she hoped things would go back to normal. At work that day, she said Brown called her but didn't mention what happened the previous night.

While she remained working for him, the woman said Brown invited her to travel to India with him as his assistant. She said Brown told her she would look good on an elephant. She agreed to the trip, she said, because she didn't know how to say no.

Later, the woman said, she "broke down" when she told her father about the incident at Brown's home and the invitation to travel with him to India. She didn't go on the trip, but said she continued working for Brown while she attended university. "It was an ideal student job," she said.

The following summer she returned to his office and said while she didn't have much contact with him, she remembers feeling "anxious" whenever they interacted. The woman claims nothing physical ever transpired between them, but he continued to make sexual comments to her.

After Brown launched his bid for leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, the woman says he told her he feared not being married would hurt his chances in the race, and alleges he said, "I wish I could find a 26-year-old version of you."

'These allegations are false': Brown
In an appearance only about a minute long on Wednesday night, a visibly distressed Brown said he had learned about the allegations a couple of hours earlier.

"I want to say: These allegations are false. Every one of them," he said. "I will defend myself as hard as I can, with all the means at my disposal. I know that the court of public opinion moves fast. I have instructed my attorneys to ensure that these allegations are addressed where they should be: in a court of law."

Brown stood alone at a podium during the news conference, walked briskly away without taking questions and left in a waiting vehicle.

The pressure on Brown to resign ramped up immediately. His top three campaign staff quit, saying they had urged Brown to step down, but he had refused. Then his caucus members held a conference call, during which MPPs demanded Brown resign. 

"In the interest of the Ontario PC Party we unanimously agree that Mr. Brown cannot continue serving as the Leader," said a statement from the caucus, issued by deputy leaders Sylvia Jones and Steve Clark. "Mr. Brown is entitled to a legal defence and due process, but he cannot lead us into an election as a result of these allegations."

Brown won the PC leadership race in 2015. He had served as a Conservative MP on Stephen Harper's backbenches for nine years, and was seen by many as a long-shot candidate. But he built a strong organization and signed up thousands of new members to the party from communities in the Greater Toronto Area that had shown little support for the PCs.

The PCs then enjoyed a wide lead over Wynne's Liberals in nearly all opinion polls throughout 2016 and 2017, while his party out-fundraised the Liberals and the Ontario NDP combined.

Brown launched his campaign platform in November, trying to position the PCs as a centrist party, ready to end 14 years of Liberal reign in Ontario but pledging not to reverse most of the Wynne government's key programs.

It is unclear who will replace Brown and how the new leader will be chosen. The statement issued by the deputy leaders said "caucus will immediately consult with party officials and members on best way to move forward."

The party constitution says when a leader resigns, the caucus must select an interim leader to serve until a leadership convention can be held. Diverting resources toward a snap leadership convention is likely to be the last thing the PCs want to do with an election campaign around the corner.

Some of the names being floated already as potential replacements for Brown include MPPs Lisa MacLeod and Vic Fedeli, who both sought the leadership in 2015, as well as the two deputy leaders, Clark and Jones.

This is a disaster for Ontario and for Canada as Ontario is easily its biggest province. Kathleen Wynne has been a nightmare for the province and has introduced sex education in schools focussed on teaching children about homosexuality and transgenderism rather than pedophilia which is a dramatically bigger problem. Her extreme left-wing views are helping move Canada to the far-left and will eventually destroy Canadian society as we know it.

Sport Minister Kent Hehr resigns from Trudeau cabinet amid sexual harassment allegations

By Kathleen Harris, CBC News

Federal Sport and Disabilities Minister Kent Hehr has resigned from cabinet pending an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement from Davos, Switzerland, saying he had accepted Hehr's resignation pending the outcome of the probe.

"Harassment of any kind is unacceptable and Canadians have a right to live and work in environments free from harassment," he said. "As a government, we take any allegations of misconduct extremely seriously, and we believe that it is important to support women who come forward with allegations and that is exactly what our government will do."

The resignation comes after posts to Twitter alleging inappropriate behaviour. A woman said Hehr made women feel "unsafe" and made verbally suggestive remarks, including "you're yummy."

The tweets said women felt fearful about getting in the same elevator with Hehr at the Alberta Legislature, where he was a member from 2008 to 2015, and that Hehr had made unwanted sexually suggestive comments.

CBC News has learned that a representative from the Prime Minister's Office spoke with Kristin Raworth today about her tweets.

Hehr issued his own statement, stating that the conversation society is having is a "very important one" and encouraged all women who have experienced harassment to come forward. Throughout my career I have always tried to conduct myself with respect towards others, and I understand the most important thing is how each individual feels," he said in a statement."

"I have been informed that an investigation into these allegations has begun and I welcome and respect this process. While this is ongoing, I have resigned from cabinet pending the outcome of the investigation. I do not want to be a distraction to all the good work ‎being done by our government."

Hehr will stay on as MP for Calgary Centre, and Science Minister Kirsty Duncan will take on the sport and disabilities portfolio.

'Extremely seriously'
During the news conference, Trudeau also saluted the women who came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown, who stepped down overnight while denying any wrongdoing.

 Trudeau said all allegations are taken "extremely seriously."

"My thoughts turn immediately to the women who came forward, knowing how difficult it is, it can be, to salute them for their courage and their leadership," he said. "I certainly hope their example will resonate and that the support of their friends, their families and the community at large remains with them."

Trudeau is making his way back to Canada Thursday.

Past criticism of Hehr
Hehr faced criticism in December from a Calgary woman engaged in a class-action lawsuit against the federal government who said he was "very condescending" when she contacted his office regarding an issue related to benefits while on maternity leave.

Jennifer McCrea had been fighting on behalf of a group of mothers who say they were denied benefits while on maternity leave and contacted Hehr's office in October 2016 after being encouraged to speak to local Liberal MPs about her case.

She asked him pointedly why Ottawa continues to fight sick women — a "loaded question" to which he allegedly replied, "Well, Ms. McCrea, that is the old question, like asking … 'When did you stop beating your wife?'"

"I didn't respond [with] anything because my jaw was on the floor," McCrea recalled.

Hehr admitted to sometimes being "brash" and "inappropriate" after the complaint.

Feeling 'belittled'
Members of a thalidomide survivor group have also complained about feeling belittled after a meeting with Hehr, and accused him of making offensive statements about their life expectancies.

One survivor said Hehr said they didn't have it as bad as they did when they were kids, then went on to say: "Well you don't have it so bad. Everyone in Canada has a sob story.'"

The minister denied at least one of their claims and said he has apologized if some of his comments were misinterpreted.

Hehr was shuffled into the sport and disabilities portfolios last summer from veterans affairs.

Trudeau has had to deal with other cases of allegations of sexual harassment and abuse in the Liberal Party, including:

In December 2017, the deputy director of operations in the PMO, Claude-Éric Gagné, went on leave while a third party investigated allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

In August 2017 (2nd story on link), Calgary MP Darshan Kang resigned from the Liberal caucus amid allegations of sexual harassment.

In May 2016, Nunavut MP and former federal cabinet minister Hunter Tootoo resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus amid allegations he had a "consensual but inappropriate" relationship with a female staffer.

And before the Liberals took office, Trudeau kicked two of his MPs — Massimo Pacetti and Scott Andrews — out of the caucus over allegations of harassment made by two New Democratic MPs.

Hehr's exit was just a matter of time and Trudeau should have expedited that exit before Hehr had time to do more damage. Kent Hehr's only qualification to be a minister seems to be that he is in a wheelchair. Hehr was being criticized daily for being rude and dismissive to women, and, oddly enough, to disabled people.

In Trudeau's diverse cabinet, appearance trumps ability and seems to be the only qualification. Excellent people were overlooked for cabinet posts because they had the misfortune of being white males. The quality of the Federal Cabinet has suffered for it.

Ottawa Woman Racked with Guilt, Anger After Police Returned Boy to Abusive Parents

'He wasn't lying. He was telling the truth and he was asking for help, and the help wasn't there'

By Laurie Fagan, CBC News 

    The woman, who lives about a block from the boy's Ottawa home, can't be named in order to
    protect his identity. (Laurie Fagan/CBC)

Five years after a gaunt, fearful, nine-year-old boy showed up on her doorstep, an Ottawa woman says she still struggles with feelings of guilt that she could have done more to protect him from his abusive parents, and anger with police for sending him back to them to endure months of gruesome torture and neglect.

The woman, a former neighbour who can't be identified to protect the boy's identity, testified at the trial of his father — a suspended RCMP officer — and his stepmother.

"It makes me sickened to my stomach that this could have been prevented, and I include myself in this," the woman told CBC News.

On Nov. 21, the 45-year-old Mountie was found guilty of aggravated assault, sexual assault causing bodily harm, forcible confinement and failing to provide the necessities of life. The boy's 38-year-old stepmother was found guilty of assault with a weapon and failing to provide the necessities of life.

"I will be haunted by this, and I am culpable as well. I didn't follow up and I trusted the police, I trusted the system, but he still had to endure all those horrors."

Signs of abuse, neglect

Gut-wrenching evidence presented at the couple's trial showed the boy, who's now 14, was beaten, sexually assaulted with a BBQ lighter, shackled and starved. 

'His eyes — you could see the fear and sadness in his eyes, and as a mother it was terrifying to see that. You never want to see that in a child's face.'

The boy, who lived near the woman, showed up at her home on a cold day in November 2011 wearing just a T-shirt and jeans. Her daughter, who was a classmate of the boy's, answered the door and came sobbing to her mother in the kitchen, "Mommy we have to adopt him because his parents aren't nice to him," the woman recalled.

The woman, a mother of three, brought the boy inside and gave him two pieces of cake and a glass of milk. As he ate he explained that his father made him do hundreds of pushups as punishment for lying or not finishing his homework, and if he didn't complete them he didn't eat.

The boy lifted his shirt so the woman could see his stomach.    

"I could see his ribcage. I could see his sunken stomach, and all the red on his stomach and forearms looked like carpet burns," said the woman. "There was also red ligature marks on his wrists."      

She questioned the boy about the marks, but he wouldn't tell her how he got them.

"His eyes — you could see the fear and sadness in his eyes, and as a mother it was terrifying to see that. You never want to see that in a child's face," said the woman, tears welling in her eyes.

Police returned boy to abusive home

She and her husband decided to call 911, and when police arrived they told them the boy's parents had also called to report him missing.

The woman said the boy sat in her lap and held her hand tightly as he told the two police officers about the mistreatment he suffered at home. She recalled how tiny and frail he felt.

    CBC Ottawa's Laurie Fagan interviews the woman, who can't be identified, in her home.
    (Jean Delisle/CBC)

She said she was shocked when the female officer barked at the boy, "Do you know if you are lying your father could go to jail?"

"You want maternal, you want kind, and the child hadn't eaten in two days, and you're defending the father?" the woman recalled thinking. "I said to her, 'He's not on trial here! He's the victim!'"

In her testimony during the couple's trial, the woman recalled the boy telling the officer, "I don't want my dad to go to jail."

The officers thanked the woman and said they were taking the boy home, about a block away.

She said she'll never forget the image of the boy walking with the police officers to their cruiser, pleading, "I don't want to go! I don't want to go!"

"I was heartbroken. I told the boy, 'Trust the police. They will take care of you.'"

Within an hour the male police officer returned and told her everything was fine, and said there was lots of food on the boy's family's kitchen table. The officer told her the boy and his father had a "little argument," but said the boy was in a "healthy, happy home."

Visit from stepmother

The next day the boy's stepmother showed up at the woman's house and told her the boy was bipolar and hadn't been taking his medication. The woman described the stepmother's behaviour as "odd" and lacking empathy for the boy.

    The boy's father, a suspended RCMP officer, and stepmother were found guilty of a number
    of crimes on Nov. 21, 2016. (Courtroom sketches by Sarah Wallace)

A few days later, still feeling uneasy, the woman went to see the principal at her daughter's school to share her suspicions about the boy's mistreatment, but a short time later the boy switched schools.

In February 2013, 15 months after the boy's visit to the woman's home, she was in her car when she heard a radio newscast that described police finding a nude boy wandering down an Ottawa street.

"They said the street name and all of a sudden my heart sank and I said, no, it cannot be, and to my horror it was. I was shaking and crying. I said to myself, 'You should have made some calls.' What do you do? What do you do?"

The woman immediately called police and told them what had happened more than a year earlier when the boy came to her door.

'He was telling the truth'

"There were signs that no one followed up on. If there was followup, the horrors that he had to endure, he wouldn't have had to endure."

"He wasn't lying. He was telling the truth and he was asking for help, and the help wasn't there."

The woman said she was pleased with the verdicts in the boy's parents' trial, but she believes police haven't been held accountable for their role. She said she'd like to speak with the two officers who returned the boy to his home.

"I would love to have that conversation with them and say, 'I know what I should have done. Do you accept the responsibility of what you should have done?'"

Ottawa police did not provide anyone for an interview, but in an emailed statement Monday, Supt. Don Sweet told CBC News the 2013 investigation that led to the charges against the boy's parents "considered all information — including the 2011 event when police responded to a call for service related to a missing persons file. It is the opinion of the OPS that the information, as presented in 2011, was investigated appropriately."

Police should be required to inform social services who should be required to investigate any accusation of child abuse. This was a big-time failure by Ottawa police; the boy's pain and suffering over the last year or so is their fault.

Finally, Online Pornography to be Studied for Its Effect on Children

Liberals to back Tory MP’s bid to study violent and degrading sexual material online

Kady O'Malley, Ottawa Citizen, Postmedia News

    Conservative MP Arnold Viersen wants MPs to investigate the public health effects of violent
    and sexually explicit online material. Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press

Conservative MP Arnold Viersen wants MPs to investigate the public health effects of violent and sexually explicit online material.

MPs on the Commons health committee may soon find themselves poking around some of the darkest and most disturbing corners of the Internet.

The government has announced it intends to back Conservative MP Arnold Viersen’s bid to have the committee “examine the public health effects of the ease of access and viewing of online violent and degrading sexually explicit material on children, women and men,” and report its findings back to the House next year.

In fact, by the looks of it, Viersen may well see his proposal pass with near-unanimous support, as the list of joint seconders reveals support within every caucus – even the Bloc Quebecois, and lone Green Party representative Elizabeth May.

The only real question now is when that vote will take place. Viersen kicked off the first hour of debate on Monday, but the motion has now been bumped to the bottom of the priority list.

Of course it has. After all, we're just talking about another generation of kids caught up in the rape culture.

That means it may not come back up in rotation before the House rises for the holidays in mid-December, which will push the start date for the study into the new year.

So, what's the hurry? What's a few dozen or a few hundred girls getting raped anyway? What's that compared to lowering the age of consensual anal sex?

C'mon Justin. Push this through, it is badly needed. The easy availability of porn is seriously affecting adolescent brain development.

Former Ottawa Teacher Charged for 1970s Child Sex Abuse

Another Canadian Teacher revealed as a pedophile

Donald Greenham, 73, faces 14 charges for assaults

on four teenagers, who police say he abused

in the 1970s while he was a teacher and a coach.

By: Emma Jackson Metro

A former Ottawa teacher faces 14 criminal charges related to child sexual assaults that took place in the 1970s and 1980s.

Ottawa Police began investigating former Ottawa-Carleton District School Board teacher Donald Greenham, 73, in June after a victim came forward alleging abuse between 1970 and 1982.

Police said three men and one woman are known victims, but there could be others.

The 14 charges include gross indecency, indecent assault on a male and indecent assault on a female, in keeping with the criminal code of the time.

Police said the victims were between 14 and 17 years old at the time, and the “multiple incidents” took place while Greenham was on duty as a teacher and a coach.

He was scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Anyone with information should contact the sexual assault and child abuse unit at 613-236-1222 ext. 5944, or anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Ottawa Mountie On Trial for Abusing Son Was Sexually Abused as Child

By Laurie Fagan, CBC News 

An Ottawa Mountie (left) and the victim's stepmother (right) were charged in February 2013 with aggravated assault, forcible confinement and failing to provide the necessaties of life in what investigators called "the worst case of abuse" they'd seen. (Courtroom sketches by Sarah Wallace)

An Ottawa Mountie on trial for the severe abuse of his son testified today that he was himself sexually assaulted as a boy growing up in Lebanon. 

Both the man, now 44, and the victim's stepmother were charged in February 2013 with aggravated assault, forcible confinement and failing to provide the necessaties of life in what investigators called "the worst case of abuse" they'd seen.

The woman is also charged with assaulting the child with a weapon, while the man is charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and assault with a firearm.

Both have plead not guilty. Neither accused can be named in order to protect the identity of the victim, who was 11 when the charges were laid.

The trial resumed today after being adjourned last fall.

Abused by neighbour, teacher

The man told the court that when he was eight, a boy living next door to him in Beruit assaulted him repeatedly over a one-year period.  

The man claimed he was later assaulted by another man, and again by a trusted teacher at the school where the accused worked with his father. 

"I was ashamed and embarrassed," the Mountie told the court.

The man, who is suspended without pay from the RCMP, recalled exact details of the sexual assaults, but remained composed during his testimony.

He said the abuse happened against a backdrop of civil war in Lebanon, with bombs exploding continually around the home he shared with his parents and five siblings.

"This becomes your reality," the man told the court. "Is the next [bomb] coming down on your head? That's how I lived."

"My life is no longer the same," he said. "I grew up asking why am I being targeted ... I lived with the guilt, shame and anger inside of me for the whole time."

So, you decided to make your son a target and fill him with guilt, shame and anger! Good goin'.

Nightmares continued

The man told the court he experienced nightmares about both the bombings and the sexual assaults for years, even after he came to Canada.

His lawyer, Robert Carew, asked him if the assaults played a role in his relationship with his son, now 14.

In addition to the sexual assaults he said he endured in Lebanon, the man told the court he witnessed another boy about his age performing indecent acts on children in his neighbourhood.

The man likened his own son to the boy he said he witnessed abusing other children. He said his son was "indecent in his touching" of other children, and said the boy had been caught peeking under stalls in a girls' washroom.

Good grief!

Asked by defence counsel asked if he thought his son was exhibiting sexual predatory behavior, the man replied: "Morally, he was dead to me."

The man also testified that while preparing for his entrance exams for the RCMP — a process that included a psychological test — an officer cautioned him against mentioning his ongoing nightmares related to his childhood in Lebanon.

Last fall the court saw a video of the man's son, naked and restrained in the basement of the family home. 

Testimony resumes Tuesday. This portion of the trial is scheduled for two weeks.

Ottawa Lawyer has Licence to Practice Revoked After Child Sex Charges

BY ANDREW SEYMOUR

John David Coon

Ottawa lawyer John David Coon has had his license to practise law revoked. He is wanted by Ottawa police for allegedly sexually assaulting a child.

An Ottawa lawyer who left Canada after being accused of molesting a little girl was allowed to practise law in this province despite a past criminal conviction for sexually assaulting another child.

Now, the Law Society of Upper Canada has revoked the licence of John David Coon.

The 49-year-old left this country in December 2013, just weeks before Ottawa police moved to arrest him on charges of sexual assault, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching a child — a four-year-old daughter of one of his clients.

Ottawa police believe Coon may have fled to Cambodia or Thailand and have expressed fear there may be other victims.

Coon had run a practice specializing in child protection. Good grief!

Ottawa

The newly announced revocation of his licence comes two years after it was first suspended after a complaint by the Ottawa Children’s Aid Society.

Law Society documents related to that suspension say Coon revealed in 2004 to the law society that he had been convicted of sexually assaulting a friend’s 12-year-old daughter in 1991.

Coon was given a conditional discharge and 15 months probation, meaning he wouldn’t have a criminal record if he followed his court-ordered conditions and stayed out of trouble.

Coon also told the law society that in the late 1980s he was attending a 12-step group program to address the “inordinate amount of time and money he spent cruising red light districts and hiring prostitutes.”

But the law society determined there was insufficient evidence to justify what is known as a “good character” hearing after Coon produced a “favourable” report from a psychologist who had treated him from 1990 to 1994, two favourable reference letters from past employers and another from his probation officer.

Susan Tonkin, a spokeswoman for the Law Society, said a past criminal record doesn’t preclude someone from receiving a license to practice law.

“The Law Society recognizes that people can rehabilitate themselves. A licensing hearing panel is concerned with the ‘present’ and a licensing applicant’s ability to establish that he/she is of good character at the time of the hearing,” she said.

The law society closed its file in 2005. Coon was given his license to practise law the next year, according to the decision.

Ottawa, Ontario is the Capital of Canada

Video of Restrained Boy Silences Ottawa Mountie's Child Abuse Trial

Stunned silence in Ottawa courtroom

CBC News 

Former Ottawa RCMP officer and his wife on trial for child abuse
 (Photo by Sarah Wallace)

An Ottawa, Canada courtroom was silent and the judge at one point shielded his face from onlookers as videos of an 11-year-old boy naked and restrained in the basement of his family's home were shown at the trial of a former Ottawa RCMP officer and his wife.

The trial continued Tuesday for the 44-year-old former Mountie and his 36-year-old wife who face several charges alleging severe long-term child abuse.

Each is on trial for aggravated assault, forcible confinement and failing to provide the necessaries of life. The woman is also charged with assaulting the child with a weapon, while the man is charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.

Both have pleaded not guilty. Neither accused can be named to protect the victim's identity.

The five videos, made one month before the couple was arrested in February 2013, were seized from the father's cellphone.

They show the small boy, breathing heavily and looking gaunt, with his ribs sticking out. In the videos, a man is heard repeatedly taunting and humiliating the boy, who was tied to the basement wall.

In some of the videos, the boy is shivering. In others, he breaks down crying, reported the CBC's Laurie Fagan.

Onlookers inside the courtroom were seen wiping away tears and the last video left Justice Robert Maranger shielding his face from those in court, who were left in a stunned silence, Fagan said.

Father admitted to tying down boy

The father has previously admitted in court to restraining the boy with a chain and plastic ties.

On Monday, the court saw the woman's police interview via video, which was taken after her arrest. She told police her 11-year-old stepson was "out of control" and that she feared for her safety, but denied any wrongdoing.

In 2013, the RCMP said the father had been on leave since May 2011. The reason for that remains under a court-ordered publication ban.

Police sources previously told CBC News the man was a member of the force's counter-terrorism unit.

The trial continues Wednesday as the court is expected to watch videotaped interviews with the victim.

Low Number of Reports of Sex Assaults at Canadian Universities - Way Too Low

An exclusive CBC News investigation has revealed that more than 700 sexual assaults were reported to Canadian universities and colleges over the past five years. The investigation also discovered that the numbers vary widely from school to school, even when adjusted for population. 

Acadia University in Wolfville, Novs Scotia, has the most reports of
sexual assault when the data is adjusted for population.

Overall, experts say the number of sexual assaults reported to Canadian post-secondary schools is surprisingly low, and an indication that they are doing a poor job of encouraging students to come forward.

"I find [the numbers] laughingly low," says Lee Lakeman with the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter and a leading voice on the issue of violence against women.

"It’s just not that possible that they're that low. I can get more reports of sexual assault by walking across the street on a campus [and asking students directly]."

Over the course of six months, CBC News contacted 87 university and major colleges across Canada to request the number of sexual assaults reported on each campus to the institution between 2009 and 2013.

Over that five-year period, more sexual assaults were reported to Ryerson University in Toronto than any other university or college in Canada, according to the survey conducted by CBC News. When the data is adjusted for population, Nova Scotia’s Acadia University has the highest number of reports.

Seventy-seven schools provided a complete set of data broken down by calendar year, but 10 did not.

At Ryerson University, which is situated in downtown Toronto, 57 assaults were reported to the university between 2009 and 2013. In 2013, Ryerson had a full-time student population of almost 24,000.

"Regarding the data, unfortunately, there is little consistency in how Canadian post-secondary institutions collect and report sexual assault data," the university told CBC News in a statement. "[At Ryerson] we also collect data that includes non-community members reporting incidents that have happened within our precinct, which extends over a large area of downtown Toronto.

In light of these inconsistencies in data collection and reporting across Ontario, universities are working together to developing common definition and data. We believe it's important to have clear, consistent, comparable information to better address this very important issue."

Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. saw 22 reports of sexual assault over five years. When adjusted for population, it has the highest rate of reporting in the country.

Stats can have dual meaning

Experts say the figures can have more than one meaning, and for that reason caution against coming to conclusions based on the raw data or the per-capita comparisons.

The release of a video in which students at St. Mary's University in Halifax
 sing a pro-rape chant helped start a national conversation about
 sexual assault on Canadian campuses

Actually, the national dialog on sexual assaults began a year earlier when Anne-Marie Roy complained about the 'culture of rape' at the University of Ottawa.

Anne-Marie Roy

While schools with higher numbers could have a higher rate of sexual assault compared to other campuses, it could also mean the school is doing a better job of encouraging students to come forward and report incidents.

And it could mean a university has a good system for keeping track of what is reported to them.

While the data can be interpreted in different ways, experts agree that this is the first time in Canada that a snapshot like this has been available.

In fact, it could help prospective students when choosing a school.

"As a parent or a prospective student I might want to say, ‘What are you doing about sexual assault? What are you doing about prevention? What is your policy?’" says Charlene Senn, a professor at the University of Windsor who studies violence against women on university campuses.

"[A higher number of reported assaults] may well be because they have more supportive services, so I would want to know that. But if there is an absence of those services, then likely that relatively higher rate is something to be concerned about."

Sexual assault reports low overall

Overall, experts say the number of students reporting sexual assault to universities and colleges is well below national averages.

"At a certain point, we noticed there was something strange, which was that the rates of sexual assaults on the campuses were considerably lower than the rates of assaults for the surrounding cities," says Jeffrey Rosenthal, a statistics professor at the University of Toronto who analyzed the data collected by CBC News.

A recent student survey at the University of Ottawa shed some some light on the actual rates of sexual assault at a major Canadian university.

It shows as many as 44 percent of female students experienced some form of sexual violence or unwanted sexual touching while attending the university.

Yet the CBC News survey shows that over the course of five years, only 10 students reported an assault to the U of O.

Dalhousie University, which declined to provide data for the CBC survey,
was recently rocked by a scandal involving misogynistic comments on Facebook.

"[The CBC survey] found such a variation across the country, I think that it can open up an important conversation. It could also open a conversation up about are we recording them all and how are we responding?" asks Holly Johnson, a criminology professor at the University of Ottawa and the architect behind the groundbreaking student survey at her university.

While the CBC News survey shows reports of sexual assaults to university campuses are very low, the numbers also demonstrate that reports are on the rise.

In 2013, 179 assaults were reported, a 21 per cent rise over 2012 and a 66 per cent rise over the number of sexual assaults reported in 2009.

More than 700 assaults were reported over the five-year period reviewed by CBC News.

Experts say schools ultimately need to do a better job of encouraging students to come forward to report a sexual assault, and they need to be more transparent. And they need to be far more consistent in tracking these assaults and the following-up of them.

"I think there is an ethical imperative, I think there is a political responsibility and I think in the long run it would pay off," adds Lee Lakeman.

"I think we are getting a loud message from students that they want change." Well, some of them do.

The World has Forgotten the Nigerian Girls

Mohammed Adam, The Ottawa Citizen

How easily the world forgets. It has been only three months, but it feels like a lifetime since more than 200 Nigerian girls were snatched from their school in the dead of night by the brutal Boko Haram. Vigils and marches around the world marked the girls’ 100 days in captivity, and Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan managed to emerge from his cocoon to finally meet the parents of the abducted girls. I guess we should thank God for his small mercies. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in his role as a UN global ambassador, tried to keep up hope for the girls’ return on the bleak anniversary, but his words had a hollow ring.

“The world has not forgotten these girls. Not in a 100 days. Not for one day,” Brown wrote.

Nigerian campaigner Maryam Uwais presses for the release of the abducted
Chibok schoolgirls during a rally to mark 100 days since 276 girls were taken

Yes it has. The universal outrage that greeted the abduction, and the massive effort to mobilize the global community to confront the terrorists and rescue the girls, has dissipated. Western governments talked tough, promised big, but in the end, did precious little to help save the girls. A world-wide Bring Back Our Girls campaign led by politicians, religious leaders and celebrities swept across continents and energized people. There was hope, but it was only fleeting.

Once the sad faces that tugged at our heartstrings disappeared from our TV screens, the outrage faded, and governments moved on to the next crisis in the headlines, promises forgotten. People returned to their busy lives, and the Bring Back Our Girls campaign fizzled. More than 200 girls are brazenly abducted, and what the world does is to shed a little tear, then shrug its shoulders and move on. It is hard to imagine the horror that confronts these girls every waking moment. The terror, the helplessness and the feeling of abandonment must be excruciating.

But concerned and dismayed as people around the world are, we all can’t just march into the Nigerian rainforest and snatch the girls back. That is the responsibility of the government, and the failure rests entirely with what passes for government in Nigeria. And this failure raises the fundamental issue of what use government really is, in many parts of Africa.

Dictators, politicians win elections, rig them or seize power all in the name of the people, but once in, look out for only themselves. Some of them plunder the kitty, leaving the vast majority of people impoverished. Others siphon proceeds from vast natural resources such as oil, gold and timber into personal bank accounts. And still others turn their countries into police states, jailing, torturing and killing their own kind. Now we have a government that shows little regard for the safety of its children.

It is inconceivable that a child would go missing in Canada or say Germany, and the government machinery would not go into overdrive to find this one human being (example: Madeleine McCann). Yet more than 200 girls go missing for three months and the Nigerian president doesn’t even bother to meet the grieving parents, until Pakistani teenager and child advocate Malala Yousafzai prods him.

Nigeria has the largest military in West Africa, and an equally large police and security force. Yet vast stretches of the northeastern part of the country have become no-go areas for government forces. Boko Haram has scared off the military and security forces, leaving towns and villages at the mercy of the heartless thugs. Since the abduction, dozens, including the fathers of seven of the kidnapped girls, have been killed by the terrorists. When villagers under threat ask for help, their government ignores them. Corruption is rampant, and the soldiers, poorly armed, poorly paid and motivated, have little or no inclination to put their lives at risk.

What’s happening in Nigeria is symptomatic of government in many parts of Africa: self-serving, uncaring and clueless. It is no surprise citizens are in despair. As for the girls, sadly the nightmare continues. All the rest of us can do is to keep praying for a miracle.

Mohammed Adam is an Ottawa, Canada writer.

Indeed! Please join me in praying for a miracle for the rescue of these girls. Because the government and military of Nigeria are what they are, it will take an act of God to save them. Fortunately, God still answers prayers.

Ex-Scouts Canada Leader Pleads Guilty to 16 Counts of Sexually Abusing 4 Boys

Honestly, I'm not picking on Ottawa, but this is the third story in two days from the capitol city. I'm surprised, however, that Stanley was not also a hockey coach.

Scott Stanley, a former Scouts Canada leader in Ottawa, has admitted in court to luring four boys with sexually explicit texts and repeatedly molesting them.

Scott Stanley, 30, is a former
Scouts Canada leader

Stanley, 30, was a Scouts volunteer for five years, beginning in 2009. He is also a former City of Ottawa lifeguard and swim coach.

He pleaded guilty on Thursday in the Ontario Court of Justice to 10 counts of sexual interference, three counts of luring and three counts of invitation to sexual touching.

The boys were between the ages of 12 and 15 at the time of the abuse.

The molestation began in the summer of 2012 and continued for a year and a half, according to an agreed statement of facts read in an Ottawa courtroom. Stanley took the boys to movies, hosted visits in his parents' basement and drove the boys to secluded locations, court heard.

Stanley told one boy not to tell anyone about the sexual abuse because he would get in trouble, court heard.

Another Scouts leader told CBC News that he warned the organization that Stanley was spending time alone with boys, despite the "two-deep rule" that requires scouts to always be under the supervision of at least two adults. He said some of the abuse could have been prevented had the organization heeded his warnings sooner.

Scouts Canada did not comment Thursday, but has scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. Friday

Stanley is expected to be sentenced on Sept. 25.

Would You Believe Another Ottawa Hockey/Child Sex Abuse Story

A former children's hockey coach who pleaded guilty to dozens of sexual offence charges is "the evil that walks the earth who deserves the maximum sentence," a victim told an Ottawa court at a sentencing hearing Wednesday.

Kelly Jones pleaded guilty in April to dozens of sexual offence charges relating to victims who were between seven and 15 years old at the time of the abuse.

The Crown argued at his sentencing hearing Wednesday that Jones should spend at least 11 years in prison for his crimes, while the defence argued for 48 months in jail.

Kelly Jones, a former bantam level
hockey coach, pleaded guilty to
sexually abusing several children

Statements from victims were heard at the hearing, including from the female victim, who told Jones "the day you raped me was the most devastating day of my life."

A publication ban protects the names of the victims, but Christopher Line asked that it be lifted in his case. He said he didn't tell anyone about the abuse for years out of fear of Jones, who used to be physically imposing.

"He had me believing he would kill my mother so I pretty much just kept quiet," Line said.

Another victim told the court: "I hate Kelly Jones and always will."

"To this day I still shudder at the thought of seeing him. Kelly Jones really did a number on my life," the victim said.

Jones, 58, apologized in court. "I am truly sorry for all the harm I've caused. I'm not that person anymore. I need to move forward," he said.

Jones pleaded guilty to charges including sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and sexual exploitation of a young male, which dated back decades.

Police first charged Jones in September 2013 for allegations he sexually assaulted a boy who played for a hockey team he coached. The incidents took place at Jones' apartment and, later, at a house Jones purchased.

Then, in October 2013, police laid more than 30 additional charges against Jones, including sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and sexual exploitation and intimidation.

More victims had come forward to police after hearing about the first case in media reports.

The second set of charges related to multiple incidents going back decades, some of which took place at Jones's residence. The victims were minor hockey players, baseball players and boys Jones came into contact with at a grocery store where he worked.

One assault took place during a camping trip in Algonquin Park. Jones invited a boy to go camping with Jones and his son, but when the boy arrived Jones said his son wasn't able to come. Jones then sexually assaulted the boy in a cabin, according to court documents.

Court heard Wednesday that 15 more complainants had come forward to report Jones sexually abused them.

Jones is expected to hear his sentence Aug. 18.

U of Ottawa Hockey Program Suspended for Season Amid Child Sex Assault Investigation

The suspension of the University of Ottawa's men’s varsity hockey program – over allegations of misconduct related to a sexual assault investigation – will continue for the 2014-15 season, president Allan Rock announced Wednesday.

Thunder Bay police launched an investigation after receiving a third-party complaint of a sexual assault on the weekend of Feb. 1, when the University of Ottawa's Gee Gees hockey team was in that city to play the Lakehead University Thunderwolves.

Head coach Réal Paiement, who was with the team during the road trip, was initially suspended with pay but has now been "relieved of his duties," Rock said. Paiement learned of the allegations "hours" after they occurred, and "devised and imposed measures by himself with respect to the team" — but did not inform the university, Rock said.

No charges have been laid, but Rock said the university is acting on the results of an internal review.

"We suspended the program — not the team," Rock said. "We know enough to say that what happened there was unacceptable so we're shutting down the program, the coach is being replaced, we're putting new policies and processes in place, and moving forward with a new program."

Rock launched an internal review and announced the team was suspended in March after learning of the "serious allegations."

University of Ottawa Gee Gees

An independent investigator was hired to conduct interviews about the events in Thunder Bay, including allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct, Rock said. The results of that review revealed that "the behaviour of some individuals in Thunder Bay on the weekend in question was unacceptable," Rock said.

"Their behaviour did not meet the university's expectations of our student athletes and was not in keeping with the university community's values," he said.

The final report will not be released, Rock said. "We want to avoid any interference with the ongoing police investigation and to respect the university's privacy obligations," he said.

He acknowledged that not all players on the team were involved in the police investigation into the alleged sex assault.

"The shadow cast by the allegations of misconduct has affected all members of the team, some unfairly," he said. "We cannot name names either way for fear of doing greater injustice or running afoul of the law ourselves."

The review also included an assessment of the university's policies, practices and procedures regarding sport management, ethics and student disciplinary processes. The results of that review were made public Wednesday, and all the recommendations will be implemented, including new guidelines for student athletes, Rock said.

The investigation did not involve the Lakehead Universit​y Thunderwolves hockey team, police said, and the assault is not alleged to have happened on university property.

The President of U of O, Allan Rock was a highly respected minister in a previous Canadian government. He will handle this mess about as well as it can be.