June 26, 2000

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Cover

ABUSE OF TRUST

But the hill where it stood is visible, down a dusty gravel road, from Lorne Pratt’s grandmother’s house on the George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan. Sitting at the kitchen table, Pratt looks out the window and remembers the evening when, as a 12-year-old student, he tried to commit suicide on the second floor of the old brick residence—the only way he could think of to escape the constant sexual abuse he had suffered over a five-year period. By Jane O’Hara

Overture

Tom Long: Unilingual Anglo signs up 2,800 Canadian Alliance members in remote Quebec riding (though no one knows who they are). Next: Bloc Québécois to launch recruiting drive in Burnaby, B.C.!! Britney Spears: Teen queen of pop to front for tiny Ottawa Web startup aimed at selling clothes and stuff to kids.

PASSAGES

Awarded: At this years National Hockey League Awards, held in Toronto, St. Louis Blues defenceman Chris Pronger, 25, was named most valuable player, and top defenceman, by hockey writers. Other big winners included New Jersey Devil Scott Gomez, rookie of the year; Washington Capital Olaf Kolzig, top goaltender; Florida Panther Pavel Bure, most goals; Joel Quenneville of the Blues, coach of the year; Blues’ Pavol Demitra, most gentlemanly; and Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings, best defensive forward.

Columns

Politics and private lives

Courage manifests itself in different ways. For proof of Jean Chretiens steel, look to a period he likes least to talk about—early 1992, when the Chrétiens’ adopted son, Michel, was on trial for sexual assault. On many days when the House of Commons was in session, the leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition used to attend morning court sessions in Montreal, drive to Ottawa for Question Period, then return to Montreal to spend the night. By Anthony Wilson-Smith

Columns

Why should Canada be divisible?

Here we are, about to celebrate the country’s 133rd birthday, yet we’re still seriously debating whether we should split apart or stay together. Whether we should throw away the impressive history we’ve made, or insist that Canada is damn well indivisible and settle down to enjoying this bountiful land of ours. By Peter C. Newman

Cover

NO FORGIVING

It was not your standard sermon. When Rev. Chris Rushton spoke from the pulpit at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in downtown Ottawa three months ago, his topic was native residential schools and the role of Canada’s Oblate orders in running them. By Jane O’Hara

Canada

Canada Notes

It was, in the view of some, the worst altercation the Ontario legislature has ever witnessed. A gathering of about 1,000 anti-poverty demonstrators turned violent last week as some protesters threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at Toronto police. Mounted officers responded by charging the crowd, while police in riot gear beat protesters with batons.

Business

Obstacle Course

An optimistic banker might call the new federal regulations on bank mergers an approval process. But there aren’t many optimists left in Canada’s big banks after the battering they took when two such marriages were rejected in 1998. So the rules set out by Finance Minister Paul Martin last week were greeted by the unhappy lords of the vault as a disapproval process. By John Geddes

June 192000