麻豆传媒

Skip to main content

Canada asked France to extradite priest facing sexual assault charge in Nunavut

NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq holds a photo of Fr. Johannes Rivoire, who is wanted in Canada for abusing children in Nunavut but now resides in France, as she speaks at a news conference calling on Minister of Justice David Lametti to investigate crimes against Indigenous people in Canada at residential schools, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, July 8, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq holds a photo of Fr. Johannes Rivoire, who is wanted in Canada for abusing children in Nunavut but now resides in France, as she speaks at a news conference calling on Minister of Justice David Lametti to investigate crimes against Indigenous people in Canada at residential schools, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, July 8, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Share
OTTAWA -

Ottawa has asked France to extradite a priest accused of crimes against children in Nunavut, the federal justice minister confirmed Wednesday as Pope Francis continued his tour of Canada.

鈥淐ollaboration and co-operation are essential to addressing the shameful legacy of residential schools,鈥 Justice Minister David Lametti said in a written statement.

鈥淲e are working with Indigenous Peoples to advance the important work of reconciliation in Canada. I want to assure you that it is important to Canada and its international partners that serious crimes be fully investigated and prosecuted,鈥 he added.

A spokesman for the Justice Department said the Public Prosecution Service of Canada made the extradition request for Johannes Rivoire, but did not say when and provided no more details.

this week as part of his visit to Canada, where he apologized to survivors of residential schools. They were government-funded, church-operated institutions that Indigenous children were forced to attend and where thousands suffered abuse.

Inuit leaders have called on the pontiff to personally intervene in the case of Rivoire, who was in Canada from the early 1960s until 1993, when he returned to France.

The Mounties said Rivoire is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant related to a new sexual assault charge laid in February related to an allegation of sexual assault against a female individual.

The Nunavut RCMP has said officers received the complaint last year regarding sexual assaults alleged to have occurred about 47 years ago.

Rivoire has previously avoided trial for multiple allegations of sexual abuse linked to his time as a priest in Nunavut.

A warrant was also issued for his arrest in 1998, but the charges were stayed in 2017. The Public Prosecution Service of Canada said then it was partly due to France's reluctance to extradite.

In March, Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, said he had asked the Pope during a meeting in the Vatican to speak with Rivoire directly and ask him to go to Canada to face the new charge. Obed said he also asked the Pope to request that France step in if Rivoire is not receptive.

On Wednesday, the French Embassy confirmed that Canada's judicial authorities had sent an extradition request for Rivoire to France. The embassy said the French Justice Ministry is currently processing the request and has asked Canadian officials for more information.

Lametti did not provided more details about the extradition request, but noted in his statement that it is unusual for him to comment even on whether one has been made.

鈥淓xtradition requests are regarded as confidential state-to-state communications, and as minister, I normally cannot comment on whether a particular extradition request has been made,鈥 Lametti said. 鈥淗owever, I am aware of the fact of an extradition request transmitted to France has been made public, which my departmental officials have now confirmed.鈥

Pope Francis is expected to visit Iqaluit on Friday, the last day of his visit to Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2022.

- with files from Kelly Geraldine Malone

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

BREAKING

BREAKING

The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected