Inside Canada’s Billionaire Sexual Assault Trial
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges and outcomes of high-profile sexual assault trials in Canada, highlighting various cases involving powerful individuals.
For the last few years, it’s become almost a cliché to talk about how we’re in the middle of a new era of accountability when it comes to sexual violence. Whether it’s the prosecution of Harvey Weinstein or the ongoing revelations from the Epstein Files, the rich, famous and powerful appear to be having their crimes exposed and, on occasion, even punished. Here in Canada it’s been no different. There have been numerous media exposes on the prevalence of sexual violence in arenas as varied as media, sports, business, politics, the service industry and so many others. But when it comes to actually prosecuting these alleged crimes in the legal system, Canada’s track record has been much more mixed. The Jian Ghomeshi trial, which kicked off Canada’s #MeToo movement years before The New York Times expose on Harvey Weinstein, ended with an acquittal. On the other hand, billionaire fashion mogul Peter Nygard is now serving eleven years in prison for sexually assaulting four women in Toronto at the height of his fame and power. Quebec technology billionaire Robert Miller was arrested and faced two dozens charged, including sexually assaulting minors. But last year he was found unfit to…
Topics covered
- sexual violence
- accountability
- legal system
- high-profile trials
- Canada
- media coverage
- MeToo movement
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Hockey Canada, Epstein Files
Places: Canada, Toronto
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