The Commissioner at the Cornwall Public Inquiry
Justice Normand Glaude
In some quarters reaction was prompt to news that Justice Glaude refused to address concerns about his Cornwall connections until the Cornwall Public Inquiry launched.
The following letter was dispatched by James P. Bateman, a former Cornwall resident and long-time advocate for truth and justice for the beleaguered community. Bateman faced veiled threats by a number of “locals,” attempts were made to intimidate and silence him, and in the Fall of 2000, some time after he set up a Project Truth website, he was sued by former Bishop Eugene Larocque and Fathers Bernard Cameron, Ranald Roderick MacDonald, Kevin Joseph Maloney, Donald Bernard McDougald and Gary Ostler. Lawyers David W. Scott and David Sheriff-Scott represented all of the plaintiffs in the legal action. More on the lawsuit at another time. (Note: Both lawyers have been retained by the diocese and Larocque to serve as their legal counsel for the inquiry.)
15 May 2005: James Bateman letter to Ontario AG Michael Brant re Glaude appointment as Commissioner
Meanwhile local citizens discussed their concerns about (1) the appointment of Justice Glaude as commissioner for the inquiry and (2) the wording of the mandate.
A letter (scroll down) was sent to Attorney General Michael Bryant. A number of copies of the letter were dispatched, each signed by various numbers of victims, their family members and other concerned citizens. In the short period of time available approximately 200 persons signed the letter.
The Red Flag Committee was officially launched 17 June 2005 (scroll down for press release and mission statement). Many members of the RFC were also members of the Coalition for Action, a grass roots organization which had been in existence under various names since the Cornwall scandal first erupted.
Over the years Carson Chisholm, Perry Dunlop’s brother-in-law, was active and in the forefront in the fight for justice in Cornwall. Carson was a prominent and active member of both the Coalition and the Red Flag Committee.
By September 2005 it became clear that the Attorney General had no intention of intervening. The inquiry was about to launch with Justice Normand Glaude at the helm armed with a flawed mandate. On 25 September 2005 the RFC officially asked Justice Normand Glaude to recuse himself (scroll down for letter).
At the 11th hour, and after discovering a lawyer previously retained by the group was in a conflict, the Coalition decided to retain a lawyer to apply for standing and funding at the inquiry. It was thought that perhaps as a party with standing the Coalition could attempt to ensure that certain avenues of inquiry were pursued and questions posed.
Justice Glaude denied the Coalition’s application. This was the one and only group which applied for and was denied standing. Glaude indicated that the Coalition could re-apply a second time. The Coalition opted not to re-apply having decided Glaude had already clearly shown his bias (scroll down).
Red Flags
Read Them and Weep
The following Red Flag Committee Fliers were distributed by the Red Flag Committee at RFC meetings and throughout the city
- First Red Flags
- Points to Ponder
- Dunlop Statement
- MPP Brownell stay out of it handout
- A few facts (Office of the Attorney General Conflicts)
- The Advocates Society
- AG Crown conflict handout
- Why is Justice Glaude’s affiliation with an Ontario police/OPP agency a Red Flag?
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30 September 2005: Red Flag Committee asks Justice Normand Glaude to recuse himself
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Red Flag Committee’s
Open Letter to Ontario
Attorney General Michael Bryant
16 June 2005
Dear Mr. Bryant,
We need and want a new judge and a proper mandate for the Cornwall inquiry.
We, male victims of sex abuse in the Cornwall area, their families and other concerned citizens, were deceived and betrayed by you and your government. We insisted that the inquiry judge must have no connections to Cornwall. We demanded this after witnessing the terrible miscarriage of justice which ensued when a judge with connections to Cornwall – Justice Colin McKinnon – took the bench at the sex abuse trial of local lawyer and Church canon lawyer Jacques Leduc. You in turn promised a judge with no Cornwall connections.
You gave us Justice Normand Glaude. You told us he had no connections to Cornwall.
Here are Justice Glade’s problematic connections to Cornwall which we have found to date:
1. His grandfather was married and settled in St. Raphael’s West.
2. His father and his father’s eight brothers and sisters were born in St. Raphael’s West and baptized at St. Raphael’s Church.
3. There are more than 30 Glaudes listed in the phonebooks alone.
4. Two Glaude brothers, relatives of the judge, recently came forward with allegations of sexual abuse.
5. Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher, our local bishop, will represent the diocese during the inquiry. Durocher came from Sudbury three years ago, where he served as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie from 1997-2002. Justice Glaude, a Roman Catholic, is based in Sudbury.
6. Bishop Durocher and Justice Glaude both graduated from Ottawa U. in 1980.
7. Justice Glaude worked with the Ontario Police Commission. The OPP figure prominently in the allegations of cover-up. We are presently trying to get more information on Justice Glaude’s activities and contacts with the Commission. Justice Glaude’s office will not provide any of this information.
All of the above, along with the flawed mandate, has the look of a whitewash just around the corner. As for the mandate, we were floored when we discovered that it makes no mention at all of sexual abuse, a paedophile ring, or a cover-up. This makes no sense at all. It is imperative that the judge is specifically mandated to focus on the unique issues which have plagued Cornwall for years and prompted us to demand an inquiry, namely:
1. Persistent allegations of a paedophile ring involving, among others, lawyers, doctors, police officers, probation officers, businessmen, Roman Catholic priests and bishops, and
2. Persistent allegations of a cover-up, involving all of the above, as well as various institutions and organizations, such as the Church, various police services, the OPP, Project Truth, schools, school boards, Correctional Services, the judiciary, and the offices of the Solicitor General and the Attorney General. We also question why the judge is not mandated to pursue or recommend criminal charges? If there is sufficient evidence presented that a known paedophile is on the loose, surely, at the very least, our children should be protected?
In conclusion, we repeat: We need and want a new judge and a proper mandate for the inquiry. We will gladly wait a few more weeks for a proper mandate and a judge who has no real or perceived connections to the diocese, the area, the bishop, or the OPP – preferably a retired out-of-province judge. We do not care if he is bilingual and, in fact, never asked for a bilingual judge. There are excellent court translators available.
We trust you will act on this request promptly so that no further time is wasted and no more tax payers’ monies are wasted on a judge who is totally unacceptable.
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Red Flag Committee Launches
Press Release: For Immediate Release
Red Flag Committee For Cornwall
17 June 2005
The Red Flag Committee, an Ad Hoc committee, has been struck to address the alarming and growing number of red flags surrounding the recent appointment of Justice Normand Glaude as judge for the pending Cornwall Inquiry. Our Mission Statement is:
In the pursuit of justice we seek an out of province, retired, impartial judge with no connections – past or present – to the Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry area (S,D,&G) , not necessarily bilingual.
We ask that the mandate:
1. Address the persistent allegations of a pedophile ring and cover-up in S,D,&G
2. Be wide and far reaching
3. Leave no stone unturned
4. Be open and transparent
5. Provide no exclusions for anyone to be above the law
6. Examine fully the involvement of both the province and the church in the alleged cover-up.
For further information, contact:
Collette Chisholm:
Carson Chisholm:
Catherine Lee-Paul:
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18 June 2007: The Advocates Society (Callaghan Heinen Lennox Bryant Humphrey)
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(The text of the following articles and/or documents will be added and linked to in due course)
09 July 2009: Glaude asks for more time
01 April 2009: Money Makers
12 February 2009: A serious misrepresentation of the facts
05 September 2008: Glaude statement – reviewing “the overall ‘road map’ for the Cornwall Public Inquiry
12 May 2008: Statement of G. Normand Glaude: Commissioner, Cornwall Public Inquiry
13 May 2008: Commissioner calls for patience
11 April 2008: Argument Over Document Could Go To Higher Court
19 January 2008: Court Of Appeal Slaps Inquiry Commissioner
18 January 2008: Ontario Provincial Police vs The Cornwall Public Inquiry (Ontario Court of Appeal ruling)
19 January 2008: Appeal court rules inquiry will not hear two witnesses
19 January 2008: PROJECT TRUTH COMMISSION: Don’t expand inquiry’s mandate, judge told; Appeal court rebukes commissioner for broadening his mission ‘beyond all proportions’
18 October 2007: Statement of Commissioner G. Normand Glaude at Phase 2 meeting designed to help the Cornwall community move on to build “an environment of hope, trust and pride.”
19 October 2007: Inquiry work lauded at Phase 2 session
18 October 2007: Preventing Child Sex Abuse
20 April 05: early in the game when Justice Glaude was briefly touted as available and approachable
17 June 05 CBC Radio: audio file Glaude’s first press conference – refuses to answer questions (requires RealPlayer) Free Real Player download Justice Glaude’s intriguing first picks for staff Parties granted standing at the inquiry
1992: Divisional court rules Glaude erred in acquittal in sex assault trial R v. Vallieres
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The Appointment & The Controversy
Media coverage regarding the appointment of Justice Normand Glaude
Group wants city judge to quit inquiry
Normand Glaude heading up inquiry into alleged sex abuse in Cornwall
By Bob Vaillancourt/The Sudbury Star
Local News – Tuesday, October 04, 2005 @ 11:00
A formal court challenge may soon be launched to have Sudbury Judge Normand Glaude removed as chairman of a public inquiry into allegations of systemic sexual abuse in Cornwall.Carson Chisholm, of the Cornwall-based Red Flag Committee, said the group officially asked the judge to step down from the inquiry in a letter to him delivered last Friday.
The group has asked for response to the letter by mid-October. Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant announced Glaude’s appointment last spring. At the time, Bryant said Glaude was well-suited for the job because he had no connections with the community. However, since then, two people have come forward to say they are related to Glaude.
Ron and Charles Glaude, who both say they were victims of sexual abuse in the community, said their grandfather was the brother of Justice Normand Glaude’s grandfather. That is just one concern the Red Flag Committee has raised, said Chisholm. The inquiry will be delving into whether there was a cover up of allegations of abuse by the attorney general’s office or local Cornwall officials, such as the Crown attorney’s office. Because Glaude is a member of the Ontario bench, the attorney general employs him, Chisholm said.
Glaude was also a member of the Ontario Police Commission, which is also likely to occupy some of the inquiry’s attention. The attorney general’s office, which arranged for the inquiry, should not only do the right thing, but should be seen to do the right thing, said Chisholm, by removing Glaude, substituting a retired judge from another province. “Any question of bias by any kind of a reasonable person is reason enough for them to step aside.”
But Marie-Josee Lapointe, a spokeswoman for the inquiry, said Glaude “has stated numerous times, very publicly that if he believes his impartiality was compromised in any way shape or form, he wouldn’t have taken on the assignment.” Lapointe said Glaude has already told the committee that the time to raise concerns is when the commission opens. “He stated in June, and he made it very clear, there was an appropriate time and place to raise these issues and that groups that have concerns should get their counsel to bring these matters up at that time and place, which is the commission hearings.”
The judge has said many times that if there was anything that he felt would jeopardize his impartiality he would step down, Lapointe said. “This has not been the case.”
That is not how members of the Red Flag Committee see it, said Chisholm. “We believe our apprehensions are reasonable,” he said. “It’s the last chapter of the cover up as far as I am concerned.” The committee is now considering making an application in court to have Glaude removed, he said.
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Residents angry after reports of his local connections
Hayley Mick
The Ottawa Citizen
June 18, 2005
CORNWALL – The judge appointed to lead an inquiry into an alleged Cornwall sex abuse ring will maintain his post, despite reports two of the supposed victims are his great-nephews. “I intend to complete this inquiry to the fullest,” Justice Normand Glaude said yesterday. “If I had the slightest inclination that I would not be impartial, then I would leave.”
Judge Glaude was appointed in April by Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant to lead an inquiry into the investigation and prosecution of 15 high-profile Cornwall community members, including city officials, priests and lawyers. After the appointment, allegations were raised about a potential conflict of interest in light of the judge’s ostensible ties to Cornwall.Brothers Ron and George Glaude, 45 and 65, are among the alleged victims of a pedophile ring that operated in the Seaway city area for more than 40 years. A lawyer said they were the judge’s great-nephews.
Mr. Bryant said it was up to Judge Glaude to decide whether to recuse himself. Judge Glaude, who was born in, and now lives in Sudbury, said yesterday he didn’t know whether he was related to the men. He refused to comment on the alleged connection, saying those issues will have to be raised during the inquiry.
Several Cornwall residents were furious with his decision to continue. “It just reeks of sleaze,” said Carson Chisholm, spokesman for the Red Flag committee, an ad hoc group opposed to the appointment. “It’s just the last chapter of the coverup.”
Many Cornwall residents feel a cloak of silence has been thrown over the decades of sexual abuse of children and the supposed failure of authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. They fear this same attitude is reflected in the appointment of a judge who has familial and professional connections to Cornwall.
The provincial Liberals promised the inquiry in November after more than 100 charges against 15 men — laid in the wake of the OPP’s Project Truth — came to nothing. Justice Glaude said he is preparing for the inquiry, which he hopes will officially begin in the new year. He is working on a budget proposal, and said no expense would be spared in what is expected to be a long hearing.
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Sex-ring inquiry judge tied to Catholic Church
Sat, June 18, 2005
By MARK BELLIS, Sun Media
CORNWALL — Already facing questions about his ties to the community, the judge leading the public inquiry into an alleged sex abuse ring is now under fire for alleged links to the Catholic Church.In town to announce the lead council for the inquiry, Justice Normand Glaude dodged questions about his impartiality and his personal life.
With protesters in the next room waving red flags to symbolize the alleged “red flags” in Glaude’s background, the Superior Court judge faced questions from the media about whether he was a member of the Knights of Columbus, knew the current Cornwall bishop or whether he was related to two alleged victims that share his last name.
Glaude was appointed in April to look into the handling of sex abuse allegations involving prominent members of the community and members of the Catholic Church which were investigated by the OPP in a probe dubbed Project Truth. The investigation resulted in 114 charges against 15 men, including doctors, lawyers and priests, but only one person was convicted.
Glaude would not say whether he is a Knight of Columbus. But he did say he didn’t know Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher, nor did he know if the Glaude brothers were in fact related to him.
Brothers Ron and George Glaude, who recently identified themselves as abuse victims, said they were his second cousins.
Glaude said the mandate of the public inquiry “is a humongous one” and that he would have removed himself from it if he felt he could not do his job impartially.
“He should be replaced,” said protester Carson Chisolm, brother-in-law of Perry Dunlop, the Cornwall cop who exposed the alleged sex ring 10 years ago.
Chisolm noted Durocher and Glaude were both students at University of Ottawa.
Glaude announced that the commission counsel for the inquiry would be Ottawa lawyer Peter Engelmann, who specializes in human rights, labour and charter law. His role will be similar to a Crown prosecutor’s, asking questions of the witnesses that will testify at the inquiry.
No date for the inquiry was announced, but Glaude said a website would be set up to keep the public informed.
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Judge won’t recuse himself from sex-abuse inquiry
Last updated Jun 17 2005 03:41 PM EDT
CBC News
CORNWALL – The judge appointed to run an inquiry into an alleged sex-abuse ring in Cornwall will not step down, despite concerns he’s in a conflict of interest.Justice Norman Glaude reaffirmed his position Friday afternoon at his first news conference, where he announced that PeterEngelmann will serve as commission counsel. The Ottawa lawyer, with the firm Sack Goldblatt Mitchell, has 23 years of experience working in human rights and labour relations.
It was the first time the Sudbury judge publicly faced questions about his familial connections to the Cornwall area. While not at ease and reluctant to answer the questions about his links to the area, he remained steadfast in his determination to head up the inquiry.
If he felt any slight doubt in his ability to be fair, Glaude said he would step down, and those who disagree will have to bring it up when the inquiry begins this fall.
Glaude was appointed by Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant in April to head up the long-awaited examination of how the justice
system and other public institutions responded to allegations that a ring of men sexually abuse boys in the Cornwall area for decades.
A provincial police investigation called Project Truth resulted in 114 charges against 15 men, including doctors, lawyers and Catholic priests, but only one person was ever convicted.
When Bryant announced that Glaude would lead the inquiry, he said he was looking for someone with no connections in the Cornwall area.
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Inquiry judge related to alleged Cornwall abuse victims
Last updated Jun 9 2005 07:17 AM EDT
CBC News
The inquiry into allegations of a sex-abuse ring that operated in Cornwall suffered a potential setback Wednesday with the revelation that the judge is a distant relative of two alleged victims. George and Ron Glaude came forward at a news conference Wednesday claiming they too were abused by members of an alleged ring of high-ranking officials, professionals and clergy that sexually abused boys in the Cornwall area for decades.
The Cornwall brothers are planning to file lawsuits against their alleged abusers within 10 days.The Glaude brothers share a great-grandfather with Justice Normand Glaude, whom Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant appointed in April to head up the long-awaited examination of how the justice system and other public institutions responded to the abuse allegations.
A provincial police investigation called Project Truth resulted in 114 charges against 15 men, including doctors, lawyers and Catholic priests, but only one person was ever convicted.
When Bryant announced that Glaude would lead the inquiry, he said he was looking for someone with no connections in the Cornwall area.
In May, however, it was revealed that Normand Glaude’s grandfather grew up in the area, and was married in the same diocese.
At the time Glaude said he had no close relatives currently living in the Cornwall area, and that Bryant didn’t know about his family history because it wasn’t pertinent.
This latest twist has renewed calls for the government to remove Glaude from the inquiry, but Bryant continues to back his appointment.
“People have questions for the commissioner, they should direct their questions to the inquiry,” Bryant said Wednesday. “As for myself, facts are still to be determined, I have total confidence in Justice Glaude.”
An official with the inquiry said any concerns about Glaude’s suitability can be raised when the inquiry begins, which is currently scheduled for the fall.
Justice Glaude declined comment Wednesday.
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Inquiry tainted by judge’s Cornwall roots, say victims
CBC.CA News – Full Story :
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Last Updated: May 11 2005 09:37 AM EDT
The judge appointed to lead the public inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up in Cornwall has deep roots in the area, charge victims who have fought to get the examination.Last month, Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant appointed Justice Normand Glaude to head up the long-awaited look into allegations that a ring of high-ranking officials, professionals and clergy sexually abused boys in the Cornwall area for decades.
The inquiry will examine how the justice system and other public institutions responded to the abuse allegations.
One of the reasons Bryant chose Glaude was because he’s not from the Cornwall area. He was born in Sudbury, where he is currently the regional senior justice.
“No, I mean it was very important that the person involved not have any connection,” Bryant said last month when he appointed Glaude. “He is from Sudbury and has been in Sudbury for some time now.”
Bryant painted Glaude as an outsider, someone who would bring a “fresh perspective” to a troubled town.
But the attorney general didn’t mention that Glaude’s father was born in St. Raphaels, a few kilometres from Cornwall, nor that his grandparents were married in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall.
The discovery has upset people close to the inquiry, including victims like Ron Leroux:
“I feel like they’re going to make another cover-up, or they’re going to dance around it. They’ve been dancing around it for me since 1956,” said Leroux.
“To discover that his family was, in fact, from the area only serves to instill suspicion and fear in the community, and I think that’s counter-productive,” said John Swales, who works for a London, Ont., law firm advising many of the Cornwall victims.
Glaude dismisses the connection.
He says he has no close relatives living in the Cornwall area now, and that Bryant didn’t know about his family history because it wasn’t pertinent.
“I think if people have any concerns, when we start the hearings, when we get the office set up, then put it on the record and we’ll deal with it on the record,” said Glaude.
Area MPP Jim Brownell says he has no doubts about Glaude’s independence.
The attorney general will no longer comment on any aspect of the inquiry.
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Concerns Raised Over Perceived Cornwall Connection To Justice Glaude
(May 11, 2005) Modified: Wed 11/05/2005 10:52 PM
Cornwall News AM 1220
Concerns have been raised that Justice Normand Glaude, who has been appointed to head the Project Truth inquiry into sex abuse allegations, has past family ties to the Cornwall region. The revelations have come as a surprise to those speaking on behalf of alleged sex abuse victims. It’s been learned Mr. Glaude’s father was born in St. Raphael’s and his grandparents were married in the local diocese. This after the attorney general’s office assured residents the justice chosen would not have any link to the community. Citizens for Community Renewal spokesman, Paul Scott tells Jewel 1220 News he is surprised to hear of the connection. London law firm advisor to alleged Cornwall victims, John Swayles tells Jewel 1220 News he is troubled by the discovery, “The Attorney General, I believe said that this gentleman had no connection to Cornwall. I certainly accept his statement that he has no connection today, but it is a concern that is going to be there and it will have to be, I think, cleared up in some way, shape or form.” The attorney general’s office says since an independent inquiry has been set up neither the Minister or the Ministry will make any further comments on it. Justice Glaude is the Regional Senior Justice in Sudbury – the community where he was born. The CBC reports that Mr. Glaude did not inform the attorney general’s office of his family’s connection because he has no close relatives living in the Cornwall area now he did not think it was pertinent. He has not been available for comment to the Jewel 1220 News Centre
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Inquiry judge related to alleged Cornwall abuse victims
Last updated Jun 9 2005 07:17 AM EDT
CBC News
The inquiry into allegations of a sex-abuse ring that operated in Cornwall suffered a potential setback Wednesday with the revelation that the judge is a distant relative of two alleged victims. George and Ron Glaude came forward at a news conference Wednesday claiming they too were abused by members of an alleged ring of high-ranking officials, professionals and clergy that sexually abused boys in the Cornwall area for decades.The Cornwall brothers are planning to file lawsuits against their alleged abusers within 10 days.
The Glaude brothers share a great-grandfather with Justice Normand Glaude, whom Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant appointed in April to head up the long-awaited examination of how the justice system and other public institutions responded to the abuse allegations.
A provincial police investigation called Project Truth resulted in 114 charges against 15 men, including doctors, lawyers and Catholic priests, but only one person was ever convicted.
When Bryant announced that Glaude would lead the inquiry, he said he was looking for someone with no connections in the Cornwall area.
In May, however, it was revealed that Normand Glaude’s grandfather grew up in the area, and was married in the same diocese.
At the time Glaude said he had no close relatives currently living in the Cornwall area, and that Bryant didn’t know about his family history because it wasn’t pertinent.
This latest twist has renewed calls for the government to remove Glaude from the inquiry, but Bryant continues to back his appointment.
“People have questions for the commissioner, they should direct their questions to the inquiry,” Bryant said Wednesday. “As for myself, facts are still to be determined, I have total confidence in Justice Glaude.”
An official with the inquiry said any concerns about Glaude’s suitability can be raised when the inquiry begins, which is currently scheduled for the fall.
Justice Glaude declined comment Wednesday.
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Digging up the truth in Cornwall
Meet the judge who will lead the sex abuse inquiry
Kelly Egan
The Ottawa Citizen
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
A public inquiry always makes news and sometimes it makes waves; witness the tsunami that is Gomery.And so the choice of commissioner of inquiry is important, as his background — not to mention his every word — will be parsed for meaning. Judge John Gomery, recall, nearly detonated himself with a suggestion that Jean Chretien’s sponsorship golf balls showed the heart of “small-town cheap.”
The Cornwall sexual abuse scandal is, by some measures, more serious than Gomery. This is not a matter of wasted public funds.
People died here; careers were ruined; a whole city lived unsettled.
Into this landmined territory walks Mr. Justice G. Normand Glaude.
He has begun his work by deciding to grant media interviews, which seems rather clever. Any coverage that illuminates the man’s compassion can only help in his line of inquiry, which will carve through a jungle of hurt.
“The story goes that my mom asked me, once upon a time, what I wanted to do,” Judge Glaude said yesterday from Sudbury, where he is regional senior justice.
“I was just a young guy, maybe 10 or so. I said I either wanted to become the prime minister of Canada, or a judge. How’s that?”
Judge Glaude was born and raised in Sudbury, one of six children. He had a grandfather in the Chesterville area, however, and has childhood memories of cutting hay and milking cows in this part of the world.
He is an overachiever. A graduate of the University of Ottawa’s law school in 1980, he became a provincial court judge (criminal division) in 1990. He was only 35.
In 2000, he was named the senior justice for a Northern Ontario area around Sudbury that covers 250,000 square kilometres. In 2004, according to the Ontario salary disclosure act, he was paid $254,500. The first initial G. stands for George.
He is married with three children, two of them students at the University of Ottawa, the third living in the state of Washington. One of the first people he spoke to about taking the job was his wife, as it will take him from home for weeks at a time.
“Folks are going to have to realize that I’m not a superhuman.”
Fine. A mere Solomon would do.
To briefly summarize, a number of sexual abuse complaints were twice investigated by Cornwall police in 1993, resulting in no charges. A followup probe by Ontario Provincial Police in 1994 also came up empty.
Finally, after the city of 47,000 was humming with stories of coverup, the OPP launched Project Truth in 1997. It was exhaustive: 672 individuals were interviewed, linked to 69 complainants. Four years later, the police concluded there was no pedophile ring in the city, but laid 115 charges against 15 individuals. There was only one conviction.
One of the more delicate questions for the Glaude inquiry is this: How can complainants come forward, tell their stories, name names, yet not engage in a retrial of the failed prosecutions?
On the flip side, how can the rights of acquitted or innocent people be protected against wild accusation?
“That’s a very good point and a sensitive one. I don’t have all the answers right now. I have to get my team together. Lawyers, researchers, investigators. Once that is set up, and as we begin to look at how we’re going to deal with the information that’s coming in, those decisions will be made.”
When asked if publication bans were possible, he answered: “Oh, absolutely.”
He was more uncertain about whether the commission would ever answer the root question of whether a pedophile ring — formal or otherwise — existed in the city, possibly involving community and church leaders.
“Too early to tell. It will depend on how the evidence unfolds, that kind of thing.”
It is clear Judge Glaude intends to have a large amount of public input.
He is already talking about town hall meetings and a website with regular progress reports and an easy means of gathering written submissions.
Some of the abuse victims will want to come forward; others may not, he said. In any case, he will have a mountain of court transcripts to rely on. “A lot of what they have to say has already been documented.”
One of his main jobs at this point is to find a lead counsel, hire some staff and find an office in Cornwall. It’s unclear at this point what other parties — the police, the church, the Children’s Aid Society, possibly — will have standing at the inquiry.
Every commission has its own style, he said. What will his be?
“I like to get to the issues. I hope we don’t get bogged down into irrelevancies. Depending on the number of parties, it’s always difficult to manage a case with a lot of parties. One has to be careful not to go off on tangents.”
He hopes the inquiry will find answers, but not point fingers. It is a little unclear at this point how these two goals can be met.
“In the end, it’s my hope that everyone will say ‘Well, we were heard, we heard what other people had to say, we may not agree, but at least we heard the whole story and now we can get on it with it’.”
Public hearings, he hopes, should begin later this year.
Contact Kelly Egan at 726-5896 or by e-mail, kegan@thecitizen.canwest.com