THUNDER BAY -- Scandals surrounding former CBC Radio personality Jian Ghomeshi and comedian Bill Cosby could lead to sweeping changes in Ontario’s approach to sexual assaults.
Liberal MPP Daiene Vernile said as a direct result of the allegations surrounding the high-profile duo, the province is looking to create long-lasting and long overdue changes that will create an atmosphere where victims feel comfortable coming forward.
The interim report, expected in July, will likely also make recommendations about how to stem the tide of domestic violence and abuse against women that Vernile said is systemic in Ontario.
Vernile is chairwoman of a cross-party select committee on sexual violence and harassment that’s visiting communities throughout the province between now and mid-June, seeking input from stakeholders and victims on the current state of the problem and what needs to be done to turn things around.
It could be as simple as changing attitudes of police and the courts, who sometimes ask women what they were wearing or what they had to drink after reporting a sexual assault.
Those type of questions have no place in today’s society, Vernile said.
“These issues are irrelevant. We want to try to shift social norms and we want to look at what are the barriers that are preventing people from coming forward and reporting these abuses,” she said. “We want to take these recommendations, these issues back to Queen’s Park.”
Vernile added it’s almost shocking how prevalent the problem seems to be in Ontario.
But she said a conversation with her 21-year-old daughter was all the proof she needed that things aren’t getting better and in fact, it might be getting worse.
“She has said to me, ‘Mom, you have no idea what guys my age are like when they’re in a social situation or when they’re dating. They don’t seem to really have an understanding on what is proper treatment of the opposite sex.’”
Vernile said it has to start in schools, pointing out the Liberal government has introduced major changes to the sex education curriculum, that while controversial, address the issue head-on.
The new program will teach school-age children about the makings of a healthy relationship and consent.
“Young people, and all of us for that matter, need to know what it is to be in a healthy relationship.”
Northern Ontario faces its own unique set of challenges, with a growing Aboriginal population that faces higher levels of violence and is less willing to come forward to police when an incident occurs.
It’s similar to the situation facing members of southern Ontario’s Asian community, where for many there’s a stigma against going to police.
Liberal MPP Michael Gravelle (Thunder Bay-Superior North), said he’s glad the committee spent time in the city and will move on to Sioux Lookout on Friday.
He admitted what he heard from presenters was somewhat shocking.
“It’s been really important for us to hear this,” he said.
“As a government and a province … we heard a lot about some of the problems of people reporting incidences of sexual violence and how difficult that can be.”
Among the presenters on Thursday were representatives of Faye Peterson Transition House and the Northern Women’s Centre.
Both Gravelle and Vernile said the province is committed financially to making the necessary changes, which could include more counseling centres, among other solutions.
