On July 24th of this year Justice Maria Carroccia acquitted Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote of sexually assaulting a woman in a London, Ont. hotel room in 2018. The hockey players who represented Team Canada and team officials had been in the city celebrating Canada’s world junior hockey gold-medal victory earlier that year.
A woman known only as E.M. alleged that on June 19th, 2018 she had been sexually assaulted in a hotel room by some or all of the team members which precipitated a trial that had been one of the most noteworthy in recent memory. Months of investigations and hearings from various concerned organizations led to the ultimate verdict exonerating the players.
It was decided in the end that the woman actively participated in and initiated the sexual activity, then made up allegations because she didn’t want to take responsibility for her choices that night.
Lori Norwood is the Centre Director for the Renfrew County Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Support Centre based in Pembroke. Lori had been following the story since it broke and was in the courtroom in London when the verdict by Justice Carroccia was read. Like so many who work with survivors of sexual assault Norwood was hopeful that there would be a favourable outcome for E.M but admitted that she was not shocked when it turned out to be the opposite.
Norwood spoke of a need for what she termed “trauma informed care” which essentially means that there needs to be expert organizations that better understand what victims go through in order to better change the very culture of the judicial system.
The question was raised during the conversation I had with Norwood as to whether this was simply another example of one lawyer (or set of lawyers) being better than the other leading to a verdict:
Central to the problem, she argues, is that the notion of “innocent until proven guilty” appears not to apply to alleged victims who are often vilified before even appearing where the assumption of having asked for it or flat out liar is often attached to the victim right off the bat. Norwood calls these “Rape Myths”:
In a statement released by Norwood immediately following the verdict, she states in part that:
“….Compliance or capitulation to expectations for sex in the midst of fear is very different from consent. That is: where No is unsafe or impossible, Yes has no meaning…”
Norwood talks of what she terms a “Trauma informed Approach” which explains the diversity of reactions to assault situations that are commonly heard from alleged victims in court proceedings.
Canada is a leading nation in the sport of professional hockey with an astounding 42% of all pro players hailing from Canada, according to the NHL. The sport is a big part of the very fabric of what it means to be Canadian and has over the decades lent credence to the acceptance of bawdy locker room behaviour. This can lead to crossing a line in the sand such as it did recently with the Team Canada defendants. Norwood says this is no myth, it’s a fact:
There were some positive outcomes from the trial, Norwood points out, concerning the need to have a renewed focus on the culture of the game and the need for heightened accountability on the part of senior hockey officials.
The conversation on a somewhat positive note despite the outcome of the trial which she sees as a glimmer of hope that future instances of this nature will be treated with a more informed and fair approach:
The Sexual Assault Centre is a safe place for women, non-binary, Two Spirit, genderqueer and intersex who have experienced sexual violence can receive free, confidential support.
We offer:
· emotional support to victims/survivors and assist them in responding to their own situation.
· Outreach and public education
· 24-hour crisis line 1800-633-3060
At the Renfrew County Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Support Centre We stand with E.M.
(Written By: Richard Evans)