Inquiry has become a circus

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

Saturday, August 25, 2007 - 08:00

McIntosh, Claude

Local News - In most cities the circus comes to town for a couple of days and leaves.

Not in Cornwall.

This circus is called the Cornwall Public Inquiry. Some cynics call it an inquisition, and at times the slight seems to fit like a latex glove.

The circus is in its second year and nobody is sure when it is going to fold up the tent, round up the clowns and elephants and head out of town, leaving behind a tab that will be in the millions - and a lot of innocent people who, once again, have had their reputations dragged through the muck.

For all that money we are going to get a report that will talk about how the institutions should have handled cases . . . 25 and 30 years ago.

That's like holding a hearing to discuss auto safety in the 1960s and then author a report on how they can make a 1968 Chevy safer.

The ringmaster is the genteel Normand Glaude, the Sudbury judge appointed by Attorney-General Michael Bryant to take charge of the inquiry and "clear the air."

At this point, one has to wonder what Bryant had against Glaude to offer him the reins of the inquiry.

Did he find out Glaude voted for Mike Harris?

Glaude, in his thirst for transparency, has allowed some witness to make wild, unsubstantiated claims with impunity.

Good people, many without a remote connection to the Project Truth investigation, have had their reputations tarnished.

And in some cases, witnesses making the allegations have been allowed to skip cross-examination by lawyers representing institutions involved in the hearing.

Others have been allowed to make the allegations while having their identity protected.

Then there's the bizarre situation of alleged victims disagreeing with what they swore in affidavits given to the ambulance chasers.

Does the word perjury come to mind?

But the worst of the worst is allowing witnesses to yank out the "I'm too stressed to go on" card when it comes for them to be cross-examined.

Why are people being allowed to get on a witness stand, slander good people in the community and make wild claims about institutions, then be excused without answering a single question from the lawyers representing those people or institutions?

This week an alleged victim with obvious mental health issues - he claims to have been brainwashed by prison officials and that the CIA was allowed to put a chip in his brain so they could control him - came up with the incredible tale of how two city police officers threatened to kill him if he didn't stop making abuse claims against a probation officer and youth employment official.

The city police lawyer, an excellent attorney named John Callaghan, got his knuckles rapped for being a little too tough with the witness.

Glaude wants the lawyers to wear kid gloves when quizzing witnesses. The last wheel came off this inquiry when star witness Ron Leroux recanted his tale about a pedophile ring made up of prominent Cornwall and area citizens.

He said he made up the story.

Then he played the "I can't go on" card before any of the lawyers, particularly Alexandria-Cornwall Diocese lawyer David Sherriff-Scott, could question him.

It's doubtful he will be given medical clearance to return to the stand.

Next week, for the first time in memory, we'll have two circuses in town: the inquiry and the Shrine circus.

The Cornwall Community Police Service promotion list includes a milestone.

Det. Const. Shawna Spowart has been promoted to sergeant. She becomes the first female sergeant in the force's history. The historic appointment comes almost 25 years after the department hired its first female police officer.

Another promotion has Pierre Pilon moving from sergeant to staff-sergeant. His father, Roger, who served the force with distinction, would be proud of this one.