SQLFusion - Bishop Eugene Larocque proclaims his innocence after revelation that the Projecy Truth sexual abuse probe forwarded a large file on Larocque to the Attorney General

Bishop Eugene Larocque Proclaims his Innocence

Larocque's file and those of 26 other men investigated by the Project Truth probe into allegations of sexual abuse, a paedophle ring and cover-up in Cornwall, Ontario, were sent to the office of the Ontario Attorney General to determine if charges would be laid. Despite the fact that Project Truth officers apparently believed there was sufficient evidence to lay charges, no further charges were ever laid.

(theinquiry.ca report)

"I do want to proclaim my innocence" implored Bishop Eugene Larocque, bishop of the beleagured Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall.

The Bishop’s proclamation of innocence came Monday morning, 28 May 2001, only hours after CBC-Radio’s Maureen Brosnahan greeted Canada’s early risers with the stunning news: the Bishop of the scandal-ridden Ontario diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall was himself under investigation as part of the "Project Truth" probe into allegations of sexual abuse.

According to Brosnahan, eighteen months ago Project Truth officers had forwarded Bishop Larocque’s file - "three volumes of documents on the bishop consisting of more than 1,000 pages of information" - to the Crown attorney’s offices in Toronto, Ontario with a recommendation that charges be laid. And, eighteen months later, for reasons unknown, no charges had been laid.

Brosnahan’s report was preemptive. In the days leading up to that morning of 28 May, Canada’s mainstream media had been abuzz over an announcement that Garry Guzzo, Member of the Progressive Conservative Provincial Parliament, intended to utilise his legislative immunity in Queen's Park to name suspect paedophiles in Cornwall. Guzzo - a Roman Catholic, lawyer and former family court judge - stated he knew the suspects’ names because they were identified in a document introduced into evidence during the Leduc sex trial. Those in attendance at the trial were familiar with the referenced document - a flow chart said to outline pertinent time lines regarding suspects in the Project Truth investigation. The document apparently lists the suspects who were investigated, the date their files were forwarded to the Crown Attorney, the date charges were laid and the dates of court appearances and so on.

According to courtroom testimony the referenced document lists the names of 68 suspects against whom Project Truth officers believed there was sufficient evidence to lay charges: of the 68, 15 were marked as charged and 26 were marked as deceased . That left 27 living suspects who had not been charged. According to the evidence the files of those 27 men had, like the file of the bishop, had been sitting in the AG’s office for 18 months.

Of course speculation regarding this latest twist from Cornwall abounded. Some suggested there was insufficient evidence to charge the bishop, period. Others speculated that the Crown had requested more information, or that the Project Truth officers hadn’t done their job. A few mused that such a file is a figment of the imagination and CBC would be in big trouble for fabrication. Some reasoned that this was definitely part of a conspiracy to bring down the Roman Catholic Church. Still others were convinced this was proof positive that the allegations of a paedophile ring and cover-up are true. And some did not hesitate to point the finger of suspicion at former Attorney General Jim Flaherty who was AG for the bulk of those months (17 June 1999 to 07 February 2001), and was well versed in things Cornwall ( Parliamentary Secretary to the AG 16 April 1997 to 10 October 1997 and interim Solicitor General 27 April 1998 to 27 July 1998) .

March 2006: five years more years have passed. There have been no further charges.