Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles says a staff error is to blame after a London MPP mistakenly sent out a press release saying that the five Hockey Canada players who had been accused of sexual assault had been found guilty.
London West MPP Peggy Sattler sent out the press release moments before the verdict even started to be delivered, saying the verdict was “a rare moment of justice for survivors of gender-based and sexual violence.”
The press release also highlighted a bill to designate the third week of September as Consent Awareness Week which would create an annual opportunity to promote consent education in communities, schools and workplaces.
The press release was retracted shortly after.
Stiles told CityNews they often prepare different versions of a release and “they put out the wrong release before [it] was out. And obviously that shouldn’t have happened.”
“We think about it ahead of time, as we all should, how we’re going to approach issues, especially difficult issues like this …. Media does the same thing. You think a bit ahead of time about what your response is going to be, or how you’re going to talk about the story, depending on the result. We do the same thing, and a staff person put out the wrong version.”
Sattler later sent out a second statement, again prior to the verdict being delivered, saying, “This is a difficult moment for survivors everywhere.”
“This trial has reignited dialogue about the importance of consent education across our province and within our institutions. It is a stark reminder of the systemic challenges that survivors face when seeking justice and the work that lies ahead.”
When the second statement was released, Justice Maria Carroccia was still in the process of reading her decision and the verdict had not been rendered.
Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote were all found not guilty to sexual assault in an encounter that took place in a London, Ont., hotel room in the early hours of June 19, 2018.
Carroccia began the reading of her decision by saying the complainant in the case did not present credible testimony.
In response to the second statement being released, Stiles said, “I think we know that the judge has said that she’s going to be waiving the charges, as I understand.”
Stiles added, “What I hope comes from this is actually more of an emphasis on conversation about what constitutes consent … I think we need it, particularly in our colleges, our universities, our schools and our sports teams.”
“We’ve seen this kind of thing happen far too often, and I think it’s time to have a real conversation about what constitutes consent. And the trial itself … there was a lot of ups and downs and ins and outs to that trial, very complicated situation.”
