@Noellenarwhal July 24:
Despite what happened today, every woman, who was ever a teen or a young woman who spent any time around packs of hockey bros, knows that she was telling the truth
And we all knew that this would be the outcome
@lalegault.bsky.social:
Justice for men, women, girls and boys would be
- the Diddy client list
- the Epstein client list
- the accused’s names in the Hockey Canada secret settlements.
@julieslalonde.bsky.social:
In a world where rape culture and entitled hockey players did not exist, this would be the most open and closed case you’ve ever seen.
“Would you agree with me that, logically speaking, you would only think of recording a consent video if there was some possibility in your mind that the person might later say they weren’t consenting?”
His drawing of where everyone was in the room is haunting. You just met this woman a couple hours ago, but readily admit that you had her on the floor when they were perfectly good beds around. But nope. You had her on the floor while the rest of you were seated or hovering over her.
@diasrt.bsky.social:
Also the judge has two kids so if they’re girls, they should know their mom is ok with rape
@lisab0923.bsky.social:
Not guilty does not mean innocent
@hilarywollis.bsky.social:
Everything about this case is stomach-churning.
The cruelty and dehumanization is chilling.
These young men don’t get it.
THEY altered this young woman’s life – forever.
They never will get it.
I think they totally get it. They just don’t give a shit about anyone but their spoiled ugly cruel selves. I think they’ll keep raping too, and believe they deserve to rape any way, anyone they want. And I believe the judge knows that and doesn’t give a shit either. I will never forget this nasty rape-enabling judge and will never forgive her.
They will raise the next generation of gang rapists.
@cassagogo.bsky.social:
that whole trial with 2 juries because the DEFENSE fked up? Sounds like the fix was in.Of course it was, the fix was in via the police not appropriately doing their jobs from the start. Rape by Hockey Canada is AOK by our authorities, including judges, because worshipping hockey, being glued to the games, keeps Canadians abused by the rich silent and complacent and brings in lots of money for the rich. Just look to the ultra vulgar judge in Alberta ok’ing settlement of the hideous mass rape of 156 kids working at Stampede by making all of us us pay for the rapist’s crimes via our escalating insurance!
@whenwefightwewin12.bsky.social:
The fact that these young men received a call from a friend inviting them to come help themselves to an inebriated female, and they actually went and helped themselves, tells me everything I need to know about their character. Shame on each and every one of them.
@diasrt.bsky.social:
Remember their names:In my view, right up there with Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Rapist Trump
Michael McLeod
Dillon Dube
Cal Foote
Alex Formenton
Carter Hart
@emmettmacfarlane.com:
This isn’t just a stupid take, it’s a risible one. A lot is wrong with how the justice system deals with sexual assault cases, but “female lawyers” who believe that everyone deserves a fair defence and in the presumption of innocence are not one of them. www.thestar.com/opinion/star…
@affablebutterfly.bsky.social:
Defense lawyers have an ethical duty to ensure everyone gets a fair trial, not to endorse the accused.
Blaming female lawyers for “serving misogyny” distracts from addressing systemic flaws that often allow guilty men to be acquitted. The focus should be on reform, not who defends whom.
@matthewparkhill.bsky.social:
Well seeing that 99% of sexual offences do not end with legal justice I’d say it’s the victims that aren’t getting a fair shake in our system.
@emmettmacfarlane.com:
And they never will if we decide it’s ‘wrong’ for women to have a role in one part of the system.
@mrb77.bsky.social:
Finding new ways to blame sexual assaults on women.
@darthputinkgb.bsky.social:
We’re at the stage where an adjudged rapist is hoping a convicted child sex trafficker can help end allegations of his pedophillia.
@dwms.bsky.social:
The judgement they showed tells me everything. How do you get yourself in a situation like that and not do the right thing.Because rapists don’t give a shit about anything than themselves and their cruel lust for power.
@diasrt.bsky.social:
here’s hoping #theNHL sees it the same way.
@trapdinawrpool.bsky.social:
FTR I believe the victim in the Hockey Canada gang rape case. Unreservedly and completely without a trace of doubt
@kitsparks.bsky.social:
I am unsurprised by the Hockey Canada rape case verdict. After the acquittal of Bassam Al-Rawi, who was caught raping an unconscious passenger in his taxi, it was made perfectly clear that in Canada the legal punishment for women who get very drunk is that anyone is allowed to rape you.I am not surprised either. I was sure the judge would let the gang rapists off, as usual in Caveman Bible-run Canada. Her every action made that clear to me, notably allowing the defence lawyers to behave hideously towards E.M., promoting myth after myth, also standard legal “practice” in rape cases in Canada. It was horrid, how the judge allowed E.M. to be abused; in my view, the judge was unable to hide her hatred of E.M. for daring to seek justice. (I experienced same hatred and disdain from judges on my case, that I think was because me, a mere Alberta woman living abused by Encana’s illegal frac’s (rapes of our aquifers) dared waste the courts’ time, seeking justice for crimes by the oil and gas industry – darling polluter of the uber rich. Me, a nothing female in their eye; it’s obvious that only men are deserving of a court’s time in Canada, same as only men are deserving of health research. I believe if I were a man, all the judges, notably CJ Bev MacLachlin, would have treated me and the case respectfully and lawfully instead of rudely and condescendingly and shitting unlawfully on Canada’s Charter, and not dared published lies about me, would not have been as rude to me, while protecting and enabling AER’s lies and crimes.)
Women do not even need to be drunk, for the police and courts to happily enable rapists. This is widely known, and one of the main reasons I avoid humans like the plague and why I was so deeply terrified to do the speaking tours. Women have zero rights when it comes to our bodies, religions and rape. And, worse, our hideous judges in Canada even enable vicious assaults of women by letting men – who intentionally get high by taking drugs – off via “automation.” Insane misogyny. Sick fabricated pathetic excuse. Vulgar, unjust, unfair, and grossly biased favouring men abusing women.
@trapdinawrpool.bsky.social:
I can’t help but to believe that through her actions and comments that the judge in the Hockey Canada gang rape case was predisposed to aquit even before hearing a single piece of evidenceI agree. A vicious gang rape, vicious police, vicious defence lawyers, vicious judge. It will take E.M. the rest of her life to heal, if she even can. I commend E.M.’s courage and am in awe of her. She’s served rape victims globally, more than any judge or politician has or ever will.
@sashafury.bsky.social:
From the judge’s comments in the Hockey Canada rape case, it’s apparent the judge presumes that her interpretation of whatever ambiguous sign—speech, body language—is objective fact while anything EM said constitutes a contradiction of what the judge insists is self-evident, tho it’s anything but.
@daviduzumeri.bsky.social:
Got the junior hockey rape case verdict pushed by Apple News and gasped out loud
@wronsweeney.bsky.social:
The hockey Canada case was a mess from the beginning. Everything about it was broken. The defense lawyers drew on every rape myth. The judge was incompetent.
Support to E and all survivors today.
@jetsshado.bsky.social:
Between 1989 and 2018, there was, on average, one alleged case of gang rape by professional hockey players every two years. And those are just the accusations that went public.
Sexual Assault Myths Abound in Former World Junior Hockey Players Sexual Assault Case: Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC) Responds by sasc-admin, June 2, 2025, The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa
At SASC, we stand in solidarity with all survivors of sexual violence and echo the OCRCC’s call to challenge the harmful myths that silence survivors and protect perpetrators.
Read the full statement below:
“Sexual assault has the lowest rate of reporting to police amongst all violent crimes. Despite years of sexual violence advocacy, awareness-raising and the work of community services to support survivors, this rate hasn’t changed: police-reported sexual assaults only represent about 6% of all sexual assaults in Canada[1].
As sexual assault survivor advocates, we often hear the question: Why don’t sexual violence survivors report? What can we do to get more survivors to report?
The experience of a young woman – a complainant named as “E.M.” in court documents, in which five former World Junior Hockey players were charged with sexual assault[2] – is a case in point of the reasons why survivors hesitate to report.
Over the last few weeks and five cross-examinations in court, E.M. has faced almost every harmful and victim-blaming sexual assault myth in existence.And the hideous judge allowed it. Unforgivable. She needs to be removed from the bench. Rape training won’t help her.
These myths include:
The myth that a person’s behavior or manner of dress signals their agreement to sex
This myth assumes “sexual intent based on a victim/survivor’s behaviours (e.g., drinking alcohol; having several sexual partners) or appearance (e.g., wearing revealing clothing)”[3], or the way they interacted with the accused: a more traditional read on this myth is that victims ‘ask for it’ (i.e. women provoke sexual violence by their manner of dress or behavior).
E.M.’s cross-examination has been replete with offensive assumptions about her intentions and wishes. For example, one lawyer made crude inferences, such as “As long as it’s a tall guy, you’ll go home with him?”, and put forward that E.M. felt “shame and embarrassment for the choices [she] made”. In response, E.M. clarified her wishes: “I made the choice to dance with them [the accused] and drink at the bar and not make the choice to have them do what they did to me at the hotel”[4].
The myth that a person’s sexual intentions are up to the interpretation of others destabilizes everything we know about sexual consent law.
In Canadian law, consent must be clearly given, and be present at the time the sexual activity in question takes place[5]—not before, not after, and certainly not assumed. None of us can make a guess at what someone wants sexually, simply because they appeared interested before; we also cannot assume consent for some acts, based on sex that has happened in the past.
This myth functions to cast doubt on the victim’s experiences and claims. If we believe it’s okay for others to interpret or assume our wishes, then consent becomes nearly meaningless.
The myth that people lie about sexual violence
The myth that people lie about sexual violence in order to gain favor, to harm the accused, or for revenge persists, “albeit without empirical support”[6]. Rates of false reports of sexual assault are extremely low[7]. Even so, E.M.’s cross-examination has seen repeated tropes about lies and misleading words (i.e. “That was your truth, but not the truth, right?”; “How would anyone know that your truth wasn’t THE truth?”; and “You didn’t say…”)[8].
To be clear, false allegations of sexual assault are not a common social problem. What is a common social problem is that survivors of sexual assault are not believed or supported when they share their stories. Indeed, survivors know all about the struggle that awaits should they dare talk about what has happened to them, or to name names. Survivors cite concerns about perpetrators not being held responsible, feelings of shame and embarrassment, a perception that victims will not be believed, and dishonour as barriers to reporting sexual assault[9]. The reality is that the odds of sexual assault being reported to police are actually about 80% lower than for other violent crimes[10].
We have mentioned just a few sexual violence myths here. We could cite many more that have been present in the defense’s agendas, as well as others that have been used to attack, humiliate and discredit E.M, and many relying on sexist tropes. These tactics are, unfortunately, both familiar and effective.
Labelling survivors who disclose sexual violence “as delusional, vengeful, exploitive, or an attention-seeker”[11] has been the going strategy to diffuse allegations – and relieve those accused of sexual violence of accountability – since time immemorial.
Why don’t sexual violence survivors report? We think this is the wrong question. Instead, under these conditions, sometimes we ask ourselves: why would they?
The impacts of sexual violence myths
When a high-profile sexual assault case makes its way through the criminal justice system, everyone sees and hears the proceedings: the victim, the accused, others involved or witness to the case, the public—and in this, others sexual violence survivors in our communities. The court is a space in which the public expects to see objective truths revealed. In sexual assault cases, like E.M.’s, we often see old and harmful myths instead.
Sexual assault myths are no accident: they exist as part of a larger system in our social culture that aims to keep sexual violence secret, and supress survivors’ voices. Sexual assault myths provide a key yet brutal function: they dismiss, discredit, demean and delegitimize survivors for the purpose of protecting perpetrators – who are often powerful, influential or valued people in our communities – as well as the institutions that shield them.
When they target survivors, myths tend to reflect the worst beliefs out there, leveraging offensive stereotypes about gender, race, ageism and more. For example, Black women are more likely to face physical or sexual objectification than white women, and Indigenous women face degrading racial stereotypes that make them vulnerable to sexualization[12]. In a courtroom, these stereotypes will be reflected back in the form of sexual assault myths that claim to tell a story about the survivor[13]. In a courtroom and the criminal justice system – “processes that are framed within an ideology that emphasizes objectivity and universalism”[14] – these myths and stereotypes are erroneously presented as truth.
In our communities, myths get in the way of justice and healing for sexual violence survivors. They blame the victim-survivor, contribute to the many barriers survivors face in getting support, and minimize the actions of the offender[15]. Many sexual violence survivors know the pain of facing sexual assault myths when they attempt to seek justice. Moreover, many know the pain of hearing myths repeated by those they love: one in five victims experience being made to feel responsible for their own victimization by others close to them[16].
Seeing these myths out front in a sexual violence case, or reiterated in the news, is harmful. For these reasons, it’s especially important that we speak out against sexual assault myths. It’s also important to know the facts about sexual violence: in Canada, charge and conviction rates for sexual assault remain discouragingly low[17]. More, some survivors face increased barriers in these systems: sexual violence impacting Indigenous and Black women, for example, must be understood “in the broader context of colonialism” and enslavement[18], in which sexual violence against women of color was not even considered a crime. For all survivors, the realities of sexual assault reporting ‒ and our criminal justice system’s effectiveness in holding offenders accountable ‒ continue to deter survivors from taking part in this difficult process.
The impacts of the criminal justice system on survivors
Testimony in a sexual assault case ‒ and a survivor’s willingness to provide it ‒ has the power to make a usually-hidden and serious incident visible.Which the Patriarchy, our courts, and rape religions hate. Yet like most sexual assault cases that see the inside of a courtroom[19], E.M’s testimony also carries an incredible burden. At once, the survivor’s experience becomes the centre of scrutiny. This scrutiny is evident in the aggressive cross-examination of E.M., the tactics of the defense, the near-constant deployment of sexual violence myths throughout these, and the fact that the accused are not required to testify at all. The victim is required to testify. The justice system sees survivor-victims as witnesses, and witnesses are led through their testimony by the Crown—a lawyer appointed by the state, and not the survivor’s own personal lawyer.
For some sexual violence survivors, this scrutiny is even more ferocious. Black, Indigenous and survivors of color, 2SLGBTQQIA+[20] survivors, and other marginalized survivors such as those living with a disability or poverty, are less likely to be believed, more likely to be blamed for their own victimization[21], criminalized[22], and more likely to see crimes committed against them minimized[23].
When systems feel punitive or indifferent, victims lose faith in them. Victims also often come to believe they performed poorly as witnesses – or worse, that they were in some way responsible for what happened to them, either by ‘inviting it in’ or not ‘resisting enough’ – when really systemic weaknesses had a role to play.
E.M.’s case has been the site of many system weaknesses and failures. Remember that when E.M.’s story became known, the handling of her case was met with public outrage. Hockey Canada – which is responsible for establishing rules and standards and promoting the sport – settled a lawsuit connected to her experience some time ago; Hockey Canada later revealed that the organization has paid over $8 million in settlements to different sexual assault complainants since 1989, using membership fees[24]. In terms of the criminal justice response, E.M.’s case was closed by London police when she first reported it, however it was re-opened in 2022 in response to the public’s call for action. Now, as the case finally proceeds through the criminal justice system, what stands out to us is an incident of sexual violence that was minimized or suppressed by more than one large, well-funded institution in Canada, and has now finally gone the distance—only to reveal yet more hardships for survivors.
It is our position that the system isn’t just broken. Instead it is, unfortunately, working as intended. OCRCC, others in the sexual assault support sector, and many decades of the anti-rape movement “have long documented the public silencing of women and children, especially as it has related to abuse and exploitation”; many “strategies and ideologies have operated to undermine or dismiss survivors”[25] of all walks of life, and while much progress has been made, these strategies and ideologies, including victim-blaming myths, continue.
Given this, we commend E.M., for finding the courage to continue to speak about her experience. We commend all survivors of sexual violence who choose to tell their stories—whether it be in a court of law, or to their close friends, family and other support people.
Finally, we recognize and commend those who never share or report their experiences—in Canada, this is by far the vast majority of sexual violence survivors[26]. The decision to not talk about or report sexual violence is grounded in fear, and in reality. We wish we could say that E.M.’s experiences with systems were an isolated event; but for sexual violence survivors, we know that, unfortunately, it isn’t.
If you are a survivor of sexual violence
If something has happened to you, please know that there are people who believe and support you.
- You can talk to a friend, family member or other person you trust
- You can contact a sexual assault centre. All support is free and confidential
- If something has happened to you and you are considering reporting, we can help you think through your options. If you are not considering reporting, that’s okay too
- Learn more about sexual assault centres in Ontario here
If you are a friend, family member or mentor, there are things you can do too
- You can be an ally to sexual violence survivors
- You can listen to the person’s story without judgement
- You can listen to the person’s story without expectations that they formally report
- You can help them to find safe places to get support
- If you work with athletes, you can provide access to prevention education about sexual violence: contact your local sexual assault centre, and ask to speak to their Public Educator
If you are with a community-level sports team:
You can connect your team with the violence prevention program OHL Onside, a program for Ontario-based hockey league teams run through local sexual assault centres.
Sport organizations can set an example as leaders in preventing sexual violence, and your local sexual assault centre can help. Community-based sexual assault centres have been providing prevention education since the 1970s. Preventing sexual violence can take many forms. It can mean:
- Talking with athletes about sexual violence and about their rights
- Talking with athletes about being a good bystander and standing up for survivors of violence
- Talking with athletes about preventing sexual violence
- Pushing back against offensive sexualized, gendered, transphobic or racist jokes
- Making clear what is acceptable behaviour as a team member/athlete and what is not
- Withdrawing support for organizations or initiatives that are not safe for young people or athletes.
By connecting athletes with information about sexual violence, we equip them with a clear understanding of their rights and their role in prevention. We can help others to learn about where to go in the community should they ever need support too.
As we have shared before, sport organizations like Hockey Canada must take a leadership role in ending sexual violence. This is a call to action—Hockey Canada and other sport bodies must act now. OCRCC and community-based sexual assault centres are ready to help.
Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC) stands in solidarity with all survivors of sexual violence. We have been believing and supporting survivors for over 40 years. We stand with E.M.”
Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC) is a network of 30+ community-based sexual assault centres in Ontario. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, go to https://sexualassaultsupport.ca/get-help/.
[1] Cotter, A., for Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics. Release date: August 25, 2021. Criminal victimization in Canada, 2019.
[2] Burke, A. for CBC News. Jan 24, 2024. 5 former World Junior Hockey players expected to face sex assault charges: report. Charges allegedly tied to 2018 group sexual assault in London, Ont., hotel room.
[3] The Learning Network on Violence Against Women. Overcoming Barriers and Enhancing Supportive Responses: The Research on Sexual Violence Against Women – A Resource Document. May 2012: 12.
[4] Dubinski. K. for CBC News. May 9, 2025. Woman says defence’s questions in world junior sex assault trial are an attempt to ‘discredit’ her
[5] Government of Canada. Criminal Code (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46). Meaning of consent, 273.1
[6] The Learning Network on Violence Against Women. Overcoming Barriers and Enhancing Supportive Responses: The Research on Sexual Violence Against Women – A Resource Document. May 2012: 16.
[7] Lonsway, Dr. Kimberly, Archambauly, Sgt. J., and Lisak, Dr. D. for The National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women. N.d. False Reports: Moving Beyond the Issue to Successfully Investigate and Prosecute NonStranger Sexual Assault. In The Voice: Helping Prosecutors Give Victims a Voice, Volume 3, Number 1
[8] Dubinski. K. for CBC News. May 9, 2025. Woman says defence’s questions in world junior sex assault trial are an attempt to ‘discredit’ her
[9] Cotter, A., for Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics. Release date: August 25, 2021. Criminal victimization in Canada, 2019.
[10] Cotter, A., for Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics. Release date: August 25, 2021. Criminal victimization in Canada, 2019.
[11] The Learning Network. Overcoming Barriers and Enhancing Supportive Responses: The Research on Sexual Violence Against Women A Resource Document. May 2012: 17.
[12] Woman Abuse Council of Toronto (WomanACT). (2024). Race and Gender in the Workplace: A Backgrounder: 11, 8.
[13] Pietsch, N. (2010). “I’m Not That Kind of Girl”: White Femininity, the Other and the Legal/Social Sanctioning of Sexualized Violence Against Racialized Women”. Canadian Woman Studies Les Cahiers De La Femme, 28(1)
[14] Marchetti, E. (2008). “Intersectional Race and Gender Analyses: Why Legal Processes Just Don’t Get It”. Social and Legal Studies, Volume 17(2), 155
[15] The Learning Network on Violence Against Women. Overcoming Barriers and Enhancing Supportive Responses: The Research on Sexual Violence Against Women – A Resource Document. May 2012: 14.
[16] Cotter, A., for Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics. Release date: August 25, 2021. Criminal victimization in Canada, 2019.
[17] See The Attrition Pyramid (Sexual Assault), page 2.
[18] Woman Abuse Council of Toronto (WomanACT). (2024). Race and Gender in the Workplace: A Backgrounder: 8, 10.
[19] Many don’t. Even when survivors do report, most sexual assault cases do not proceed through the criminal justice system. Just 36% of sexual assaults reported to police result in charges. Of those, only 61% make it to court. (Statistics Canada, 2024)
[20] This initial stands for “Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual.” It may also appear as LGBTQ2SIA, or in shortened versions such as LGBTQ2S or LGBT+. Learn More: The 519, Definitions/glossary or Egale Canada’s 2SLGBTQI Terms and Concepts
[21] Pietsch, N. (2010). “I’m Not That Kind of Girl”: White Femininity, the Other and the Legal/Social Sanctioning of Sexualized Violence Against Racialized Women”. Canadian Woman Studies Les Cahiers De La Femme, 28(1)
[22] Gharabaghi, K., Trocmé, N. and Newman, D. (2016). Because Young People Matter: Report of the Residential Services Review Panel.
[23] National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. 2019. Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: 628.
[24] Benchetrit, B. for CBC News. October 8, 2022. What is Hockey Canada and why does it matter?
[25] Hlavka, H. R. (2014). Normalizing Sexual Violence: Young Women Account for Harassment and Abuse. Gender and Society, 28(3): 340
[26] Using data from Statistics Canada, one researcher estimated the conviction rate for sexual assaults reported on victim surveys to be .3% to 1.6%. See The Attrition Pyramid (Sexual Assault), page 2.
Hockey Canada trial outcome a ‘crushing day’ for sexual assault survivors, says prof, All 5 members of Canada’s world junior hockey team found not guilty in sex assault trial by Sheena Goodyear, CBC Radio, Jul 24, 2025, As it Happens
As It HappensHockey Canada sexual assault trial has people talking about consent, says law professor
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
The woman at the heart of the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial may not have gotten the outcome she was hoping for, but her testimony has opened up much-needed conversations about consent and hockey culture, says an Ottawa lawyer.
A judge on Thursday found the five accused — all former members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team — not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman named E.M. in a London, Ont., hotel room seven years ago.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia said prosecutors could not meet the onus of proof for the charges against Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Callan Foote.
In her ruling, Carroccia said E.M. was repeatedly inconsistent in her testimony, failed to prove the sexual encounters were not consensual, and didn’t appear on surveillance footage to be as intoxicated as she claimed on the night in question.
After the decision, lawyers for all five plaintiffs took turns addressing reporters. Hart’s lawyer Megan Savard called the ruling “both gratifying and unsurprising.” David Humphrey, lawyer for Michael McLeod, called it “a resounding vindication.”
But Karen Bellehumeur, E.M.’s lawyer, called it disappointing. She credited her client for enduring nine days of testimony and cross-examination that she characterized as “insulting, unfair, mocking and disrespectful.”
“She is a remarkable person and truly a hero,”I agree. E.M. helped more rape victims globally than she’ll ever know Bellehumeur said of E.M. “Despite her feeling like this was the hardest thing she’s ever had to do, she chose to persevere and continue with the process.”
Daphne Gilbert, a law professor at the University of Ottawa who researches violence in sports, called the verdict a “crushing day” for sexual assault survivors, and worries it will make victims think twice about coming forward.of course it will. That was the judge’s preserve-and-protect-the-raping-patriarchy intent. I believe no Canadian judge is allowed to become a judge unless they agree to serve rapists and let them off whenever they can, while abusing the victims in court. I blame religions for the hideous view that women and girls are and must be treated as lesser beings than men and boys. Here is part of her conversation with As It Happens guest host Megan Williams about the trial and its impact.
What do you think about the trial outcome?
I’m not surprised that there were acquittals. This is an excellent judge who has an excellent reputation, and I could see a pathway to acquittal. It was just not the pathway that she chose that I would have agreed with.
To me, the evidence was clear that E.M. did not consent to what was happening in that room.me too And so what I was hoping is that the judge would take that and say, “But did the men have an honest, but mistaken, belief that she was consenting?”
That would have allowed her to dig deeper into what the men were doing, and how they were behaving, and whether they actually took any reasonable steps to make sure she was affirmatively consenting without intimidation or coercion or intoxication.
Justice Maria Carroccia said that she found E.M., in fact, did consent, “not vitiated by fear.” What does that wording say to you about how Justice Carroccia came to this decision?
It says to me, quite frankly, that she did not see up to 10 men in a room with a naked woman, where they all know each other and she doesn’t know them, and many of them don’t even know her name, that she didn’t perceive that as an intimidating situation.
And I think that just defies common sense and logic.
- A timeline of the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial and key moments
- IN DEPTHMaking sense of some of the evidence in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial
A big part of the trial was around two videos that defendant Michael McLeod took of E.M. in the hotel room, one in which she’s only wearing a towel, where she says that she is OK with what has happened to her. Justice Carroccia said E. M. did not display any signs of intoxication and had no difficulty speaking. How much do you think these videos played into the decision?
I certainly do not think that Justice Carroccia relied on them as evidence of consent. She didn’t say that because we had these videos, we can assume she was consenting. That would have been an error in law. There’s no such thing as after-the-fact consent.
It seemed to me that the justice was referring to the videos to say that she wasn’t as intoxicated as she had claimed that she was. The videos were taken at the end of the night, several hours after she had consumed the alcohol, and perhaps it’s true she didn’t appear intoxicated. But the Crown wasn’t arguing that she was intoxicated to the point of incapacity, so I’m not sure why that needed to be mentioned.Fuck, had those filthy fuckers gang raped me, I would have been in shock by the end, de-alcoholized, stunned sober. Surely a judge would know that. What a cruel fucker the judge is, serving rapists. She easily could have let the rapists off, while not denigrating and dehumanizing E.M., and ordering the defence lawyers to quit abusing E.M. in their uncalled for cruel attacks. Serving justice in rape cases does not ever require abusing the victims! FFS
‘We can marvel at E.M.’s courage,’ says lawyer for Hockey Canada trial complainant
Lawyer Karen Bellehumeur says her client, E.M., whose identity is protected under a standard publication ban, faced ‘insulting mocking and unfair treatment’ during cross-examination at the sexual assault trial of five former world junior hockey players who have all been found not guilty.
How do you think this kind of ruling will affect consent going forward, and particularly in the world of sports?
The only good thing, I think — and it’s at a credible cost to E.M. — but she has provoked conversations across the country about consent and about appropriate behaviour and about bystander intervention and about right and wrong. And I would want to see many Canadians boycott all things hockey, especially hideous rape-infested Hockey Canada
Those conversations in families with young men and boys, I think, is where we have to start in terms of changing especially hockey culture. Families will be talking about hockey players and and saying, I think, “This is not how I want you to be behaving.”
With files from CBC News and The Canadian Press. Interview produced by Sarah Jackson. Q&A edited for length and clarity
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Judge in Hockey Canada case – set to deliver verdict next week – is a veteran of the criminal courts My comments to this article I wrote the week before the ruling. Globe and Mail softened the unjust upcoming blow with their Patriarchal inappropriate pre-ruling fluffery and glorification of the judge, like so many articles oozing with the usual misogyny. Just gross. Gotta let boys be boys, and rape whenever they please. by David Ebner, Justice Reporter, The Globe and Mail
Two years ago, before Justice Maria Carroccia presided at the Hockey Canada trial, she was behind the bench for a long and complicated murder case in her hometown of Windsor, Ont.
Three men were accused of killing a young woman in a dispute over drugs and money. The trial stretched out more than four months under the spotlight of local attention.
Justice Carroccia had worked for decades as a leading criminal-defence lawyer in Windsor, where long-time colleagues say no one was involved in more trials. She was appointed to the bench in 2020.
The murder trial saw twists. The defence accused the Crown’s main witness of being the actual killer. At the end, to a packed courtroom, a jury found the three accused guilty.
In her five years as a judge, Justice Carroccia has overseen high-profile and complex cases, from the Windsor murder trial to sexual assaults. But none of it has generated the national attention and scrutiny as her pending verdict – set for July 24 – in the Hockey Canada trial.
Five men, former world junior players who all went on to the National Hockey League, have each been charged with sexual assault in connection with an alleged attack on a woman at a hotel in London, Ont., after a Hockey Canada gala in 2018. All five – Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote – have pleaded not guilty.
“She’s good with the law,” said lawyer Christopher Hicks of Justice Carroccia’s legal grounding.Ya, but when has the law served justice, humanity or fairness to rape victims in Caveman Rape Religion-Rule by Misogynistic Bible infested Canada? The “law” was created to protect rich white rapists, whether of air, land, water or other humans
Mr. Hicks, a top Toronto criminal-defence lawyer who has represented clients at the Supreme Court of Canada in more than a dozen cases, was counsel for one of the accused in Windsor. Big trials on serious allegations demand a judge’s savvy with voluminous and ever-evolving case law.
“She’s very steady, very calm,” said Mr. Hicks. “She would listen to you. I want to be able to discuss the law with the judge.”
Justice Carroccia’s work during the Hockey Canada trial, which started in late April in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and concluded in mid-June, focused on the difficult nuances of sexual-assault law.
The case, however, more broadly sits at a centre of public attention: a country’s long obsession with hockey, a continuing societal reckoning around sexual violence, and what is – and isn’t – consent.
Thursday’s verdict was supposed to come from a jury but Justice Carroccia declared a mistrial soon after the trial began. The case then almost imploded in a second mistrial in mid-May, as another jury was dismissed, and instead got to the finish line with Justice Carroccia going it alone behind the bench without a jury.
These are among the torrent of crucial decisions she has made. On the always-present crux in sexual-assault cases of admissibility of evidence, she twice ruled against the Crown on allowing a text message into the official record that could have bolstered the case against the accused men.Giving us good indication she’ll rule the usual way, shame and blame the rape victim, while coddling and protecting the rapists.
And now, instead of guilty or not-guilty verdicts from jurors, Justice Carroccia’s decision will land alongside detailed legal Patriarchalreasoning.
Many people, in the legal profession and across Canada, will judge her every word.
Justice Carroccia is ready for the moment. She believes the work of a Superior Court judge needs to be rendered in human terms. “A judge’s decision ought to make sense to an ordinary person, not just to lawyers, scholars and other judges,” she wrote in her application to join the court.
Her verdict on Thursday will be a culmination of a career steeped in criminal law.
Hockey Canada trial judge faces tough call on the invisible question of consent
Justice Carroccia is the daughter of Italian immigrants, the oldest of four children. Her father, Angelo, came to Canada in 1954 in his mid-20s and settled in Windsor. He was a construction crane operator. Her mother, Assunta, was a homemaker.
Her parents, who didn’t finished grade school, encouraged her education and she graduated in 1987 from the University of Windsor law school. She worked with Windsor lawyer Michael Gordner and struck out on her own in 2001.
“You have to have compassion for people,” said Mr. Gordner of Justice Carroccia’s success as a defence lawyer. “You have to be intelligent, to really understand criminal law, the philosophical Patriarchalbasis of the law. That’s an academic side. She understands the Raping Patriarchy, rape religions and big money making Gang Raping Hockey Night in Canadalaw.”
Her work covered everything from drug dealing and murder to police accused of wrongdoing. She also twice served as president of the local branch of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, speaking out on issues such as overcrowding in Ontario jails.
“Her commitment was profound, her willingness to help others,” said Windsor lawyer Frank Retar, who has known her for years.
When she was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court, a brief biography noted that Justice Carroccia was married and the mother of two daughters. “I view myself as a trial lawyer who ‘works in the trenches,’” she wrote in her judicial application.
The Hockey Canada trial shows how we need to be talking to young men
People who know her say Justice Carroccia has an easy smile and a hearty laugh, and likes to drive big black SUVs.WTF!!?? No concern for our pollution? Driving precisely such wasteful not needed excessively polluting vehicles! Especially in heavily public transit available southern Ontario? In court, she is said to speak clearly and concisely. She has a reputation for patience, and presiding over cases with authority and empathy. She has also taken a tough-on-crime approach at times, such as cases involving the drug fentanyl, after decades seeking leniency as defence counsel.This sure smells like a trash wash by Globe and Mail, what disgusting hogwash to try to prejudice Canadians to favour this judge with glory about her like she’s God!
An Ontario Superior Court spokesman declined to answer questions of why Justice Carroccia was chosen for the Hockey Canada trial, citing judicial independence. Judicial experts say experience and expertise are key when assigning a judge to a trial and the expected avalanche of public interest would have been a factor, a judge’s ability to navigate the legal shoals amid all the attention.
Questions about Justice Carroccia’s record as a judge, the number of jury trials or sexual-assault cases she has worked, were declared inappropriate to answer by the court spokesman. But in a Globe and Mail analysis of legal databases, incomplete but covering dozens of cases, Justice Carroccia has a range of experience in her half-decade on the benchthat’s a terribly short time as a judge, why not write five or four years? Why try to make it sound longer?, as she did as a lawyer.
Some of her judicial work is clear in two sexual-assault cases she handled that were reconsidered at the Ontario Court of Appeal.
One case was a 2021 conviction levied by Justice Carroccia in a domestic sexual assault that involved forced sex and choking. The person, sentenced to four years, on appeal argued that Justice Carroccia at trial mishandled the complainant’s evidence and made errors in accepting the complainant’s credibility. The Court of Appeal in 2024 dismissed the appeal.
In a second case, sexual interference with a 10-year-old girl, a man was sentenced to 4½ years. In her reasons for judgment in mid-2021, Justice Carroccia said: “As with most cases of this nature, the issue is credibility.”
Later, according to court documents, she noted Supreme Court of Canada guidance and said of the accused: “I do not believe his evidence, nor does it leave me with any reasonable doubt.”
On appeal, the man argued that Justice Carroccia misapprehended some evidence and erred in using other evidence. But the appeal court, in part of its 2023 ruling, said: “The trial judge did not err in her assessment of the evidence.” The appeal was dismissed.
Such reassessments of a trial judge’s work in sexual-assault cases are common at appeal courts. It is tough legal terrain. There are challenges of managing a trial and many issues on which there can be missteps, alongside the changing landscape of the law.
The Supreme Court, just last month, issued a unanimous ruling written by Chief Justice Richard Wagner that quashed a sexual-assault conviction and ordered a new trial. At issue was how the trial judge handled the admissibility of evidence of social-media messages.
“Trial management is really difficult,” said professor Janine Benedet, an expert in sexual-assault law at the University of British Columbia’s law school.
The Supreme Court, in a 2019 judgment, emphasized the important role of a trial judge in such cases as a gatekeeper. Challenges include defence cross-examinations. A trial judge, on the fly, has to make sure the defence doesn’t push beyond what’s allowed but also can’t unduly curtail questioning.
In the Hockey Canada case, when a second mistrial loomed, Justice Carroccia made the assertive push to carry on alone. The Crown was reluctant, having presented its case for a jury, but both sides ended up agreeing, in part because the complainant had gone through nine hard days of testimony.
Mr. Hicks, the Toronto defence lawyer who was part of the 2023 murder case in Windsor, said the fact that the trial didn’t fall apart reflects well on Justice Carroccia. “They all got on board because of her,” he said.
One person who has closely watched Justice Carroccia at work, from the vantage of grief, is Brenda Gingras. She is the mother of Madisen Gingras, the 20-year-old murdered in 2020 in Windsor and whose killers were convicted in Justice Carroccia’s court by a jury in 2023.
Brenda Gingras sat in court every single day of the months-long trial.
“I felt like she really listened to everyone,” said Ms. Gingras of Justice Carroccia. “I always wanted to meet her and thank her. Even though she was doing her job, I was grateful for her. I have the utmost respect for her.”What a propagandizing piece of shit article! Did Hockey Canada pay for it?
@krewechief.bsky.social:
Hockey rape case mistrial! I’m going with one of these entitled pricks is guilty of jury tampering. Lock them the fuck up. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/…
@prangemartin.bsky.social:
Mistrial declared for the gang rape case involving 5 Canadian hockey players.
No surprise.
The system is designed to silence victims and protect the violent.
@dekeseredy.bsky.social:
This will be one of the most important trials in Canadian history. Read our book Skating on Thin Ice: Professional Hockey, Rape Culture, & Violence Against Women for more detailed information on this case.
Refer also to:
2019: Our criminal justice system still doesn’t take seriously one of the most heinous acts a person can commit