NTI is in the early stages of planning a possible delegation of Inuit to France to demand the extradition of Father Johannes Rivoire, a priest accused of historical sexual abuses in Nunavut. Pictured is Rivoire in an early, undated photo taken in Chesterfield Inlet. (Photo courtesy of Lieve Halsberghe)
NTI planning trip to France with goal of getting Rivoire on plane to Canada
Inuit delegation to demand extradition of disgraced priest accused of historical sexual abuses
A delegation of Inuit might soon be headed to France to seek the extradition of a priest accused of historical sexual abuse in Nunavut, an NTI spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. is in the preliminary stages of planning the trip, said Hannah Uniuqsaraq, director of self determination at NTI, in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
Johannes Rivoire, 91, spent more than 30 years in Nunavut between 1960 and 1992 as a parish priest, mostly in Arviat and Naujaat.
He was accused of sexually assaulting boys and girls during that time, some as young as six years old.
Rivoire left Canada for France in 1993, and has remained there since.
In February, RCMP charged Rivoire with indecent assault, stemming from incidents involving a young girl in Arviat and Whale Cove, alleged to have occurred between 1974 and 1979. While France has an extradition treaty with Canada, French law protects its citizens from extradition.
Previous historical sexual assault charges against the priest were stayed in 2017, after the Public Prosecution Service of Canada concluded there was no reasonable chance of conviction.
Lieve Halsberghe, a longtime advocate for addressing abuse by clergy, has been fighting for years to get Rivoire back on Canadian soil to face his accusers.
She was in Iqaluit on July 29 to witness Pope Francis’s speech outside Nakasuk Elementary School, where he apologized for the role members of the Catholic Church played in helping run the residential school system in Canada where abuses against Indigenous children occurred.
Halsberghe, who lives in Belgium, said she plans to meet with the delegation when it eventually gets to France, which could happen as early as September.
She said the best-case scenario for the outcome of the trip is “Rivoire gets on a plane to Canada. That is the actual goal.”
“The second goal is to inform the French public about harbouring these criminals,” she said.
In July, federal Justice Minister David Lametti confirmed an extradition request has been made by Canada to the government of France for the return of the priest to face justice in Canada.
Geez! Wait it out! A paid vacation for the NTI staff, how many are planning to go? Why do you need to send more then 1 person? Waste of money!
NTI is our justice system now?
If our federal justice system cant extradite him how does NTI expect to do so?
Kidnap him?
I am willing to come along and supervise the kidnapping, i m a experinced superviser.
Have you seen batman dark knight? Aluki will swoop in as she has no jurisdiction!
Like Ewan McGregor in Angels and Demons.
Nti get your priorities straight,this is past,many pressing issues at present time
typical ignorant comment, if your non-Inuk you’re racist and have little understanding of the issues we face! If you’re Inuk shame on you!
How can this comment in any way be considered racist? Insensitive perhaps, but it is in no way racist.
It’s understandable that a person might not like this comment, oh ima, but there’s nothing racist about it. Throwing that accusation around like a little grenade only works if it maps onto reality. If it doesn’t, you diminish yourself instead.
Oh ima, classic hate-filled response, from let’s assume the desk of your work computer. Let’s revisit the definition of racist, because it has become the rebuttal of choice for those who would rather just throw a quick sucker-punch in return rather than make an informed response:
“prejudiced against or antagonistic toward a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.”
please, go ahead and expand on how the OP’s inconsiderate comment is “racist”, or, do we just go ahead and ignore the meaning of the phrases we are spewing?
Put that money towards healing programs for those harmed by sexual abuse.
Seriously? NTI must be rolling in the cash if they can afford to send someone on this publicity stunt. Because that is all it is.
Great, send a group of highly placed management to France for a couple of weeks in the late summer early fall see the sights, drink some wine and on the last night smack this guy with a “forget me stick”, stuff him in a bag, throw him on a plane and try to sneak him through customs. Sounds like a true well thought out plan. Man to be a fly on the wall during that management meeting. You can’t make this stuff up.
I took a Graduate level course in Negotiations this past July. International negotiations was part of the course.
“If” this happens, and it is a big if. I think they will find a very large cultural rift between the two teams, as the two cultures have very different styles. From the text:
French negotiators, who value precision and clarity, conduct business principled by Napoleonic Law. Their style is often described as autocratic. Graham (1996) states that “the style of the French negotiator is perhaps the most aggressive of all the groups. In particular, they used the highest percent of threats and warnings . . . used interruptions, facial gazing, ‘no’ and ‘you’ more frequently compared to other groups”
President Aluki has a hard enough time speaking to her own staff. Hopefully she’s not the lead on this, but she most likely will because this will score her points with her fans.
There is nothing to negotiate. France does not extradite its citizens and the crimes would be prescribed there. This is just a politico-leisure trip.
French: Greetings foreigners.
You are obviously extremely ingnorant of our waysif you think that we respond well to ‘demands’, particularly from special interest groups. The most cursory study of our culture and history would have highlighted this.
We deal with peers – which is not you. Send a representative from the government of Canada and we will discuss delegating prosecution, but we don’t extradite our own.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
On who’s expense?
Under what article of the land claim that NTI is charged to ensure is implemented will they be operating under?
NTI represent Inuit, they are forced to represent Inuit as the Government of Nunavut isn’t doing that. If GN bureaucrats represented Inuit they would fight for Inuit, unfortunately, they don’t represent Inuit. GN takes care of 15% of the population
The GN is composed of virtually all Inuit mlas lol. NTI is elected by less than 7% of Inuit eligible to vote who do they represent? NTI is not a government it is a lobbying corporation for federal funding.
GN directors and managers who are the ones really controlling the government and driving the government are majority non-Inuit, the MLAs do the politics and try to direct the government but it comes down to the administrators and managers.
How has that worked for the GN so far?
I belive the top DM is Inuit and a number of others. Your ideas that the Ministers and Cabinet are powerless at the hands of Southern bureaucrats is naive and an example of the flawed ideology that NTI prays on. Did you know Aluki was a high ranking official with Department of Health? Rather than be judged by poor performance and no results she decided to change jobs and becoming the chief finger pointer (rather than actually do anything).
NTI is now doing the work of External Affairs? Territorial Organization have no jurisdiction on international affairs. otherwise it just a huge holidays trip for those on this trip. Get this, Canadian Government reps wouldn’t eve be at airport to meet you guys, but you can meet the press and rant and Johannes will be smiling.
a territorial organization….
Greenland, Iceland, New York…The NTI charge card has no geographic limits when it comes to pointless trips overloaded with NTI’s overpaid staff that don’t benefit Inuit. But somehow NTI isn’t willing to build a single house or shelter in the territory. Have a fun vacation NTI elites.
If they had the Government of Canada, would spend on housing, they have been pressing the GN and GOC to build more houses.
As an organization, they lobby and fight for Inuit not just what is under the land claims agreement. YOu wouldn’t have a job with GN if it were not for NTI. I am pretty sure you have a grade 10 education at the most or have NS Certificate which is not worth a lot.
By the looks of the grammar in your post ima, it looks like you have a grade 4 education, you may want to proof read your posts before hitting “Submit Comment” LOL
Will Thomas, with English being his second language it’s not too bad, what’s your second language and how is your grammar with that language?
Well, the most accurate part of your statement was that an NS certificate isn’t worth much. That is something that we can agree on.
I’m sorry but NTI delegates has no more power than any of us beneficiaries. Free paid holiday is all it is.
France does not extradite its citizens. Period. End of story.
However for those who have a vivid imagination, there is a second road block which would apply even if he was a Canadian citizen:
According to French law, the offenses are prescribed. While Canada does not have prescription for criminal offenses, France does. This means that even if the crimes would have occurred in France, they would no longer be prosecutable.
The only way he can get on a plane is if it is voluntary and why would he do that? No one can force him.
I suppose that early September is a good time to go to France for a vacation. It’s not too hot, the long queues are gone.
Talk about useless European laws, still amazes me how a country that thinks it’s so civilized and advanced can protect criminals and not corporate and work with other countries.
Gives us some perspective to why things are the way they are.
Useless ‘European’? Get out of your bubble – many countries are like that – Japan, China, nearly all of the 22 Arab countries, Vietnam, Brazil, Taiwan, etc, etc. Not a one of them is European or ‘Western’.
Don’t need to try, we see it, also don’t get so easily offended, Europeans consider themselves most civilized and gods gift to everyone. It’s why they have done cultural genocide around the world, tried to here in Canada. Birth place of apartheid where South Africa came to Canada to learn about it and use in South Africa.
So no, useless European laws to protect themselves from the uncivilized savage things they commit.
Apartheid in South Africa grew from the efforts of white South Africans to regulate relations between white and other residents after the British Empire abolished slavery in 1833, over the next few decades the government there kept passing legislation to try and keep the black population “in its place”. This all began before Canada existed as a separate country, and they needed no lessons from Canada to keep making it worse until Apartheid was formerly introduced in 1948.
So that claim, that they learned it from Canada, is an outright lie.
Sorry to Burt your bubble “apartheid laws introduced by South African governments were all adapted from laws that had been introduced here in Canada 10 years earlier.”
If you do some digging you can find this information, it’s a dark part of Canada’s history that most Canadians can’t accept or believe. As Canadians we see ourselves as nice people that say eh and sorry too much, but there is a dark history here and so much racism still today.
Most can’t even acknowledge this.
https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/2021/03/20/reflections-on-racism-and-canadas-dark-history.html
https://troymedia.com/politicslaw/indigenous-apartheid-system-canada/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada–South_Africa_relations
We need only look to the history of the Dorset and Thule people for a prime example of tolerance and civility to be modeled.
Do you really know what happened to the Dorset? Can we take a peek at your glass ball and see?
It’s about the same time the Europeans started arriving to Canada and the north, bringing all their diseases and infecting the Dorset and Thule people, there are very few evidence of what really happened, but for a large scale die off of a group through out the north in a quick manner would have to be strategically organized if you think the Thule people killed off the Dorset.
What we don’t want to talk about is when the Dorset people started dying off and disappearing it was at the same time as the Europeans started coming here. All the diseases they brought with them nearly killed off the Thule people also. But back to the conversation of Canada still practicing apartheid, it’s still going strong today but we like to look the other way and pretend we are a nice country.
Move aside “Nazi Hunters” and make way for the new show NTI: Dog The Bounty Hunter.
Excellent idea.
My wife and I once dressed as Dog and Beth for Halloween. I was a manly Dog and my wife has all the assets needed to play Beth!!
We would be willing to hire on to provide Specialist Training to NTI, as we are clearly the most qualified.
I was just gonna comment, “Mossad of the north” when I read yours.
I often wonder how it would be if there was no Catholic Church, this organization has damaged so many people in so many countries around the world. The Catholic Church is such a haven for pedophiles and it’s the largest organized pedophile ring in the world. This church has stolen so much from around the world, they are so powerful they have their one little country in Italy with their own laws.
They hide and protect pedophiles, if this church really wanted justice they would extradite these pedophiles right away but instead continue to protect them.
The Nunavut Land Claims mandate was to focus on Infrastructure, Education, Health, and Socio-Economic Development to sustain Municipalities across the territory but NO this certainly is NOT the case.
The Nunavut Trust certainly do NOT fulfil and sustain Socio-Economic Development, and NTI. The territorial government lacks infrastructure budgets! Many neglected projects and programs due to lack of territorial budget. Lists goes on…
Yeah GN only has over 2 billion dollars to work with in their annual budget, peanuts, not enough to build infrastructure such as deep water ports and complete them on time and be able to operate it.
It’s just 2 billion dollars a year, plan to retain and attract new nurses by planning ahead and reviewing what is working, what is not working, and implement changes to improve things.
One department can have hundreds of millions to work with but it’s just not enough, let’s continue to give the GN some slack here. ?
now to wait and see how the outcome will look like, lol. Gonna be an embarrassment for NTI and the whole Nunavut territory since it was publicly announced so everybody will be waiting to hear what the outcome was.
NTI Staff Listing:
Vacant Director of Inuktut Initiatives
Vacant Records and Information Manager
Vacant Senior Writer
Vacant Interpreter/Translator
Vacant Climate Change Coordinator
Vacant Trichinella Manager
Vacant Policy Advisor – Economic Development
Vacant Inuit Firm Coordinator
Vacant Policy Analyst – Housing
Vacant Policy Advisor – Fisheries
Vacant Implementation Officer
Vacant Senior Health Policy Analyst
Vacant Senior Inuktitut Policy Advisor
Vacant Social Policy Analyst
Vacant Director
Vacant A/Director
Vacant Director
Vacant Youth Program Coordinator
Vacant Wildlife Advisor
Vacant Resource Management Advisor
Vacant Coordinator GIS
Vacant Manager GIS
Vacant Information Systems Officer
Vacant Director of Finance
Trip to France and sue the GN. At least NTI has their priorities straight!
Who is the Director of Intelligence organizing this op?
It realy is a farce.
It’s bad enough to be incompatent and make very poor descions here in Nunavut. But to have NTI send one person or a delagation to France to demand. The extradition of one it’s citizens. Is absalutly useless. NTI is not even a law enforcement agency in Canada.
This is wasteful, emberassing, and just wrong. Does not one person at NTI know how international works. Please stop don’t go. If they do go I can hear. The laughter of the lowly French bureacrat laughing at them. Not one victim is being helped by this. As another writer said spend the money on mental health programs here.
France has been a beacon of human rights despite its colonial past for centuries, until the XXth century and French was the language of diplomacy, particularly after the 1789 revolution. That changed as a result of the ever increased influence of the US in the world. France also influenced many other countries by its legal system, particularly Napoleonic laws that codified civil matters which removed them from the judges’ domain. As well France is part of the European convention on human rights where the presumption of innocence is as strict as it is in the British legal system that we inherited here in Canada.
Now time limitation is a tool used in order to support the presumption of innocence and Canada has also time limitation for summary conviction offences between 6 months and 2 years but no time limitation for indictable offences. Yet, most countries in the world have time limitations for serious criminal offences because it is well established that justice delayed is justice denied and that prosecuting offences committed more than 25 years ago is an abuse of process, given that the evidence would be flimsy at best in most cases and the risk of a miscarriage of justice would be significant.
The French government is unlikely to change its laws to accommodate Canada or the NTI and it would likely be an exercise in futility to go that route. Yet, what can be done is to have Rivoire accept voluntarily to come back to Canada to face justice and/or have the Catholic Church convince him to face Canadian judges. If they can achieve that, it would be a step forward but don’t forget that our criminal court system is also based on the presumption of innocence and the Crown would still have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Rivoire committed the offences he is charged with.