Amanda Follett Hosgood, northern BC reporter for The Tyee, has done a thorough job of detailing the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal examination of RCMP conduct after a staff member of a Burn’s Lake residential school was accused of sexually abusing an 11 year-old Indigenous child.
Information from the hearings is troubling.
Top brass at the RCMP took unusual interest in the case, apparently because the alleged abuser had become a very prominent individual.
Two days after the sexual assault complaint was brought to Burns Lake RCMP by a member of the Lake Babine Nation on July 11, 2012, the force circulated briefing notes that detailed the man’s accomplishments.
The updates went all the way to then-RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulsen, who would stay apprised throughout the 18-month investigation.
The briefings outlined high-profile positions held by the alleged abuser and honours bestowed upon him, describing him as a “well-known Canadian” who had “risen to prominence” and “remained prominent.”
. . . “If they [the allegations] are substantiated it will prove to be an embarrassment at a number of levels of government.”
Inside the RCMP’s Investigation into a ‘Well-Known Canadian’
The briefing notes may explain why the police seemed partial to the accused and dubious of the accuser and other alleged victims. One Indigenous person said she was asked repeatedly to take a lie-detector test, but the accused was not asked to undergo the same. In fact, police shared details of the accusation with Mr. Well-Known Canadian and kept in contact with his representative Marvin Storrow, a senior litigation lawyer who had also been involved with Vancouver’s 2010 Olympics.
Police accepted Mr. Well-Known Canadian’s assertion that he was subject to a “personal vendetta” by sports journalist Laura Robinson. She had written that his biography concealed time spent working at the Burns Lake residential school.
I wrote in 2012 that the man referred to as A.B. at the 2023 Tribunal hearings hurt his credibility by imprecise accusations he made and implied against Robinson. He said:
Having experienced this reporter on many occasions in the past this feels very much like a personal vendetta. And finally let me just say on the very first occasion that this was brought to my attention prior to the Olympics I was advised [
for] that for a payment, it could be made to go away. And as such I reported this to the police.
A careless person might have assumed that Laura Robinson had offered to drop the story if paid cash. A.B. did not say that, but his words were crafted to leave the impression. Of course, if police were told of an extortion attempt prior to February 2010 and no investigation occurred or charge was laid, we may be skeptical of the claim.
Besides, in our legal system, parties in dispute resolve matters routinely with settlements involving cash payments. Was there really any attempt at extortion? The primary RCMP investigator knew it was unrelated to the case at hand, but senior officers let the issue strengthen their view that the victim in the case was A.B., not those claiming he committed child abuse.
Bellehumeur asked Mackie about the connection A.B. made at his press conference between Abraham’s allegations and the alleged extortion. “You’ve determined that there was no such connection. Didn’t that raise some flags about, why is he making a connection that doesn’t exist?”
[RCMP investigator] Mackie said it didn’t.
The Tyee
Mackie even apologized to the lawyer of the accused. The people more deserving of an expression of regret were were the numerous Indigenous people whose voices were ignored.
Categories: Justice
in-sights.ca 
Remember when the allegations first hit the media. The media and others did do a “great” job of ensuring the alledged perpetrator of the crime, would not have this stick to him. Not so much for those making the allegations. At the time the sibling and myself were discussing the “situation”. It was our “conclusion, given the history of B.C. and Canada and the RCMP, the people who were the victims would not be successful in their quest for justice but the “well know person” would just skate through all of it because one, that person was “white, well known, ever more connected” and there could be a real loss of money, status etc if it were acknowledge that there was “something there”. In stead we got, “move along nothing to see here”
This post today, is interesting in its timing because RossK at the Gazetteer has an article up about lying, truth, non truth, media, etc.
When I think about this case it does leave me wondering why people in surrey want to keep the RCMP. Then there is also the class action suit by women who worked in the RCMP. After following those incidents its not hard to believe the “alleged victims” were telling the truth.
B.C. was still a very small town.
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thank you for the link to the Tyee article. Its very thorough and it confirms my suspecions of the time. Didn’t know there was a Human Right investigation. Finally some one from a little more distance.
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This was a massive cover up. I know exactly who the suspect is, as do you. Thanks Norm, e.a.f I will head over to Gazetteer to read.
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I remember all this hub bub during 2010 Olympics times. Nothing to see here folks…go back to the party!!!
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The issue of abuse at the residential schools, especially the Catholic run institutions has never been satisfactorily dealt with because it is a can of foul worms that would bring state against church and with Catholic Voters, would lead to electoral defeat.
Abuse at Catholic schools seems to be widespread and even the “Eye” suffered from the excesses of a Catholic education.
In a Catholic Kindergarten (was considered the best in Richmond at the time) my hand was whipped so badly I could not eat because I did not draw an “A” properly which lead my father to a showdown with the school authorities with the threat of the police, but the RCMP did not want any involvement with the church due to “Religious Freedoms” after my doctor forwarded a complaint to them.
I never went back and went to another Kindergarten in Richmond.
Until the government gets serious with child abuse at religious run schools, child abuse will continue and be legitimized with the unhinged.
Until the government (and that includes not only the Liberals and Conservatives, but the NDP and the Bloc Q) all child abuse allegations will be swept under the carpet.
It seems the police do not investigate because the government will not support the police investigating, which tells me that government lacks any sort of moral fibre to go after a religious order, no matter what they do.
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….When Irish eyes are smiling…
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How is Gord Campbell?
Conniving stench still lingers.
Will Kevin beckon?
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if Kev is elected lpremier don’t be surprised if either el gordo or lets go through a stop sign christy are appointed to some plum job or even L. Governor. el gordo did work in England representing Canada, annointed by Harper. There was something in the papers later about el gordo’s “behaviour” which wasn’t quite up to “code”. One staffer did file charges, but never heard much after that. Yes, birds of a feather……..
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