The Superior Court of Quebec has authorized a class action lawsuit against a missionary congregation of the Catholic Church for sexual abuse committed against more than 200 victims, many of whom were children, from 1940 onwards.
The lawsuit request was first filed in 2018 regarding the sexual assaults allegedly committed in Basse-Côte-Nord (Lower North Shore), Que., By Father Alexis Joveneau, who died more than 25 years ago, and others religious members of the congregation.
On Tuesday, the Superior Court authorized the lawsuit after a hearing that took place on November 1, which was attended by many of the victims from different communities by videoconference.
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The case claims that the Catholic group, the Missionaries Oblates of Mary Immaculate, founded by a French Catholic priest in southern France in 1816, was “very present” in many Innu, Atikamekw, Anishinaabe, Cree, Inuit and non-native communities. from Quebec.
The lead plaintiff in the case is Noëlla Mark, who is now 60 years old and lives in Unamen Shipu, a small Innu First Nations community in the province.
More than 200 alleged victims, both men and women, have contacted the law firm representing the plaintiff to sign the lawsuit.
The lawsuit states that the religious congregation is directly responsible for the sexual assaults committed by its members, adding that the congregation must have known that Father Alexis Joveneau and other priests sexually abused vulnerable people under their control.
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Attorneys representing the plaintiffs said Wednesday that more than 30 missionaries have been identified as alleged perpetrators.
The Superior Court ruling authorizing the class action highlights five chief priests in the case: Fathers Alexis Joveneau, Omer Provencher, Edmond Brouillard, Raynald Couture, and Edouard Meilleur.
Attorney Alain Arsenault said in 2018 that the abuse involved children ages eight to 10 and that it went on for years.
Anyone who believes they are being abused by the Missionaries Oblates of Mary Immaculate congregation should contact attorneys at Arsenault-Dufresne-Wee, the firm handling the case.
–With files from The Canadian Press
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