Press Statement October 27, 2008

October 27, 2008

It is never too late for truth, justice and healing. That is the message of the men before you here today. It was over 50 years ago when many of these men, who were only young boys back then, encountered Father Laurent (Lawrence) C. Paquette. It was the 1950's and they were altar boys at St. Philippe parish in Grande Pointe. That parish is now gone but the memories of what these men endured are still very much alive today.

When the first case against Father Lawrence Paquette, brought by Wayne Thibert back in January of this year was announced, these men decided that it was time to deal with their demons. One by one, unknown to each other, they contacted my office and told their stories of abuse and betrayal by their parish priest.

In the end six men have stepped forward to confirm that Father Lawrence Paquette was indeed a sexual predator. Most were from the same parish in the same village but they did not know that each other had been abused. We therefore now know that Father Paquette was abusing altar boys in two different parishes, St. Gregory in St. Clair Beach and St. Philippe in Grande Pointe, over a period of 13 years.

This matter stretches back over a number of decades.
Father Paquette passed away in 1986. These victims therefore seek the assistance of the public in their pursuit of the truth. There are many questions which remain to be answered:

Did anyone report Father Paquette to the Diocese or other authorities?
Did Father Paquette offend in other parishes?
Are their other victims still out there?

Our review of Father Lawrence Paquette's parish assignments raise more questions. In 1944 he spent only one year at Immaculate Conception parish in Windsor. This is an unusually short assignment since priests were typically assigned to a parish for at least two years. Why the short assignment?

Then in 1951 he appears to not have been assigned to a parish at all - why?
In 1955 his assignment is listed only as "Rothwell Kent"; what does that mean? The final and obvious question is; was he assigned to small isolated parishes like Grande Pointe and St. Clair Beach because he was a known deviant? It would not be the first time we have witnessed sexually deviant priests ending up in small communities where one could expect any scandal of disclosure to be less than in a larger city.

Anyone with information concerning Father Lawrence C. Paquette is encouraged to contact Ledroit Beckett Litigation Lawyers at 1-866-674-4994 or rtalach@ledroitbeckett.com.

A final comment must be made about how long it took these men to come forward. Firstly, they should be commended and not criticized for finally speaking out. It takes considerable courage and strength to speak aloud about something so traumatic. Criticism of their decision only discourages other victims from speaking and ultimately favours the perpetrators whose crimes will go undetected and unpunished.

Delayed reporting of sexual abuse is a well known psychological reality. Because of that fact both our criminal and civil courts have long ago eliminated the legal barriers to the victims who report these crimes years and often decades later. There is no statute of limitation for sexual assault in our Criminal Code. In our civil system there is truly no limitation for seeking redress when the perpetrator was in a position of trust and authority as Father Lawrence Paquette was in this case. These men would much rather see Father Lawrence Paquette criminally tried for his crimes but since he is deceased the only route open to them is a lawsuit.

Secondly, the circumstances of these crimes also created pressures for these men not to step forward. They were abused in small tight knit communities where they and their families continue to live. In the case of Grande Pointe the community was also primarily French Canadian with a strong emphasis on faith and loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church.

At the end of the day they wish to now simply disclose the truth, seek justice and achieve healing. Ultimately they hope that their action in stepping forward helps another. Be it a young person who is struggling with abuse while we speak or another victim from decades ago who just needs to know that it is never too late to deal with the crimes of their childhood.