Inquiry's rushed final weeks raise concerns 

Ottawa Sun 

17 July 1009  

By TERRI SAUNDERS, Sun Media  

The final report from an inquiry that spent three years examining institutional response to child abuse in the Cornwall area could fall short of its potential, a lawyer for abuse victims charged Friday.

Rob Talach, a lawyer with the London-based law firm Ledroit Beckett, which represented The Victims Group at the Cornwall Public Inquiry, said he wasn’t shocked the provincial government granted an extension to commissioner Normand Glaude on the delivery of his final report.

But Talach said the report itself may not be all it could be regardless of how long Glaude takes to put it together.

“The bricks which form the foundation for his report are half-baked,” said Talach. “He’s working with a shoddy product.”

After nearly three years of testimony from hundreds of witnesses, the Ministry of the Attorney General notified inquiry officials late last fall that the plugged would be pulled on hearings at the end of January 2009.

Final submissions from the more than a dozen parties that had standing at the inquiry were due by the end of February.

The parties, through Glaude, asked the ministry to extend the submission deadline. That request was denied.

“Those timelines were absurd,” said Talach. “And the fact things were so rushed near the end didn’t help.”

Talach said parties were working longer days in the final weeks of the inquiry, trying to cram in the last of the witnesses.

During that home stretch, lawyers had little time at the end of each evening to do anything but prepare for the following day. Talach said there wasn’t enough time for parties to put together comprehensive submissions to aid the commissioner in his findings.

The other result of the rush to the finish line, Talach said, was an examination of the ministry itself which fell short of expectations.

“That institution was the least penetrated of all the institutions which were looked at during the inquiry,” said Talach. “They had to rush through it in order to meet the deadline put in place by the ministry.”

Talach said many victims he’s spoken with are hopeful the extension will result in a more thorough report.

“We just hope it will continue to bring this issue to the public,” said Talach. “And we hope there will be recommendations in there that will result in real legislative change within our public institutions.”

The report is now due Oct. 15.

terri.saunders@sunmedia.ca