Investigating the Role of Leadership in Scouts Canada Abuse Cover-Ups

Have Scouts Canada Leaders Covered Up Sexual Abuse?

Were you sexually abused while participating in Scouts Canada, or has your child been sexually abused as a scout? McKiggan Hebert represents Scout Abuse survivors across the country. A Halifax sexual abuse lawyer can fight for the justice and compensation you need and deserve.

In some cases, an institution’s leaders may share the responsibility for sexual abuse and be held partially liable for the damages suffered by sexual abuse victims. Does the leadership of Scouts Canada have any liability for incidents of sexual abuse?

What role has the leadership of Scouts Canada played in the cover-ups of sexual abuse incidents? Investigators have discovered disturbing details about the leadership of Scouts Canada and their responses to sexual abuse allegations.

Have Scouts Canada Leaders Failed to Report Abuse?

In 1992, Scouts Canada established a policy requiring its leaders to report sexual abuse allegations promptly to law enforcement authorities. But in too many cases, investigators have found that Scouts Canada leaders have failed to report sexual abuse claims.

In 2011, a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation investigation found that Scouts Canada kept a list of 340 sexual abuse allegations brought against scout leaders since the 1940s. Confidential settlements, in some cases, stopped victims from discussing abuse or admitting it had occurred.

Scouts Canada’s former chief commissioner, Steve Kent, said the investigation found no “systemic intent” to cover up incidents of abuse, but a subsequent investigation by the advisory group KPMG found at least 65 sexual abuse claims that Scouts Canada leaders did not report.

Have Scouts Canada Leaders Been Accused of Sexual Abuse?

If you or your child has been sexually abused by a Scouts Canada leader anywhere in Canada, arrange immediately to discuss your case and your rights with a Nova Scotia sexual abuse lawyer. Scouts Canada leaders who have allegedly committed sexual abuse include:

1. Donald George Schweyer: In 2007, Donald George Schweyer faced criminal charges for abusing five boys. In 2008, one of Schweyer’s alleged sexual abuse victims sued Scouts Canada, claiming the organization shared liability for Schweyer’s actions.

2. Gerald Arthur Conrad: In the 1980s and again in 2010, Conrad received convictions for sexually assaulting a child. In 2021, he was charged with sexual abuse in Ontario, and in 2022, he was convicted for abusing a child when he was a Halifax Scouts Canada leader.

3. Richard Turley: In 1975, Richard Turley kidnapped and molested an 11-year-old Nova Scotia boy. He was committed to a hospital, released in 1976, and allegedly molested three Boy Scouts in California in 1979.

4. Patrick MacDougall: In 1993, Patrick MacDougall received a conviction for sexually abusing several boys while he was a Scouts Canada leader in the 1960s and 1970s.

5. Paul Arsenault: An alleged victim sued Scouts Canada, claiming the organization shared liability for sexual abuse inflicted by Scouts Canada leader Paul Arsenault in Halifax in the 1970s.

What Else Should You Know About Scouts Canada?

Some may claim the leadership of Scouts Canada has failed to protect young people from abuse and has lacked transparency in its handling of abuse allegations, leading to doubts about the organization’s commitment to holding itself and its members accountable for abuse.

The Chief Commissioner of Scouts Canada has apologized to sexual abuse victims and acknowledged the harm they have suffered. Scouts Canada has also revised its screening procedures.

The organization now requires prospective leaders to provide references and submit to criminal background checks, and at least two screened leaders must be with young people at all times during their Scouts Canada participation.

What is Your Recourse After Sexual or Institutional Abuse?

If you or your child has been sexually abused while participating in Scouts Canada, a Halifax sexual abuse lawyer can recommend your best option for winning justice and recovering compensation. Those options include:

1. Criminal charges: If you report sexual abuse to the police and they find evidence of abuse, the abuser may be arrested, charged, and convicted. A prison sentence is possible, but a criminal conviction does not provide a victim with compensation.

2. Civil lawsuit: If you retain the services of a sexual abuse lawyer and your abuser is found liable in civil court, the abuser will be ordered by the court to compensate you for your pain, suffering, and medical expenses, including counseling costs.

3. Class action lawsuit: If several victims were targeted by the same abuser, the victims may collectively bring a class action lawsuit to recover compensation.

In every province and territory in Canada there is no longer a time limit for filing a sexual abuse or institutional sexual abuse lawsuit. Victims who are ready to come forward may initiate legal action even if the abuse took place years or decades ago.

How Will a Sexual Abuse Lawyer Represent You?

If you bring a sexual abuse lawsuit, you will need to hire a sexual abuse lawyer, but you will not pay any legal fees upfront. Instead, a Nova Scotia sexual abuse lawyer will handle your case on a contingency basis.

You will owe your lawyer nothing until or unless that lawyer recovers your compensation and wins the justice you are entitled to by law.

Many sexual abuse claims are settled out of court, but if an abuser denies an abuse claim or refuses to make an acceptable settlement offer, your lawyer will take your sexual abuse claim to trial, explain what happened and how you suffered, and ask the court to rule in your favor.

McKiggan Hebert Fights for the Survivors of Sexual Abuse

If a Scouts Canada leader sexually abused you, or if you believe your child has been abused in Scouts Canada, meet promptly with the legal team at McKiggan Hebert Lawyers. Your lawyer will need to locate witnesses and study the evidence before more time passes.

The McKiggan Hebert team has received international acclaim for our work on behalf of childhood sexual abuse survivors. We fight for and insist on justice in every sexual abuse case, and we offer sexual abuse survivors a free initial case evaluation with no obligation.

You can schedule that initial case evaluation by calling McKiggan Hebert Lawyers in Halifax at 902-706-2298. When you come forward as a survivor of sexual abuse, McKiggan Hebert will fight aggressively on your behalf.