Former Parti Québécois leader André Boisclair is expected to be sentenced Monday at the Montreal courthouse.
The former politician pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault with the help of a third party towards a first victim and one count of sexual assault in relation to a second victim.
All indications are that the 56-year-old will spend several months behind bars. Both the defence and the Crown suggested on June 20 that Boisclair be sent to jail for two years less a day after he pleaded guilty to both charges.
The sexual assault with a weapon charge in the first case was dropped.
However, Justice Pierre Labelle of the Court of Quebec did not render a decision on the bench and took it under advisement and it is therefore on July 18 that the former PQ leader and minister will know his fate.
The two victims, whose identities are protected by a publication ban, gave moving testimonies on June 20 at the courthouse following Boisclair's guilty plea.
Boisclair's lawyer, Michel Massicotte, argued that his client's judgment was "considerably impaired" during the events, while he was taking medication and consuming drugs.
He argued that his client had undergone multiple therapies after being charged and that he had undergone approximately 40 random drug tests, "all of which were negative."
The parties' joint submission is for a sentence of 18 months in prison for the sexual assault on the first victim and six months less a day for the sexual assault on the second.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 17, 2022.
Nichelle Nichols, who broke barriers for Black women in Hollywood when she played communications officer Lt. Uhura on the original 'Star Trek' television series, has died at the age of 89.
Trailblazer was a word used by many to mourn the passing of actor Nichelle Nichols, who died Saturday at age 89. Nichols broke barriers for Black women in Hollywood when she played communications officer Lt. Uhura on the original 'Star Trek' television series.
The federal Liberal government has quietly given itself more time to provide a 200-soldier force for peacekeeping, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first pledged to the United Nations nearly five years ago.
A small explosive device carried by a makeshift drone blew up Sunday at the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean Peninsula, wounding six people and prompting the cancellation of ceremonies there honouring Russia's navy, authorities said.
After growing rapidly and forcing more people out of their homes on Saturday, a wildfire in the South Okanagan saw minimal growth overnight.
No injuries have been reported after flames ripped through the popular restaurant on the shores of Puslinch Lake just outside Cambridge, Ont.
More than a year after Canada proclaimed Aug. 1 as Emancipation Day, Black leaders and scholars are renewing their calls for Ottawa to make a formal apology for the country's history of slavery and its intergenerational harms.
Scientists and activists attending the AIDS 2022 conference in Montreal on Sunday urged governments around the world to provide more resources to fight monkeypox.
Ukrainian student Iryna Parkhomchuk is using her past experience from the war, as well as her expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence, to help others struggling with their own mental health challenges.
A new study suggests that downtown Toronto’s economic recovery is lagging behind other urban centres and one of its authors says that it has now become clear that “we are not going back to normal.”
A man pulled from Lake Ontario after falling overboard off a tour boat near Ontario Place on Sunday afternoon has died, police say.
Some businesses and governmental services will be closed or running on modified hours this civic holiday Monday.
More than a year after Canada proclaimed Aug. 1 as Emancipation Day, Black leaders and scholars are renewing their calls for Ottawa to make a formal apology for the country's history of slavery and its intergenerational harms.
Khalehla Perrault, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia’s Department of Health and Wellness, said in an email that Nova Scotia is moving away from asymptomatic testing and therefore the supply of rapid tests in certain locations may vary.
Dorene Bernard and her mother Nancy Lutz both attended Shubenacadie Indian Residential School. But if you ask the two about the Pope’s visit, the mother and daughter don’t share the same opinion.
An 18-year-old male has been identified as the victim of a car crash near Goderich Saturday night that sent four other people to hospital.
The flag at the fire hall in St. Thomas, Ont. flies at half-mast as colleagues honour Nick Cheeseman, a firefighter who was killed Thursday night in a crash on the edge of the St. Thomas city limits.
If you’re looking for something fun to do over the holiday long weekend or you have some errands to run, here is an overview of what’s open and what’s closed this Civic Holiday Monday in London, Ont.
The Roberta Bondar Pavilion saw a special visitor this weekend, the Nao Trinidad, a replica of the flagship of famed explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Northern photography couple starts viral Instagram page Sorry Algonquin.
Pedestrians and cyclists in Calgary have extra room to roam over the August long weekend. However, some Calgarians question whether it’s still necessary.
Modern Vietnamese food, film and music filled the Prairie Emporium in southeast Calgary Saturday at the first-ever Vietnam Now festival. Linh Phan, founder of Hidden Saigon and the Vietnam Now festival, said it’s an event aimed at showcasing a different side of Vietnam and connecting with modern Vietnamese identity.
Thousands are expected to attend the Jalsa Salana Western Canada conference in Calgary at the Genesis Centre this weekend.
The day after a devastating fire consumed the Old Marina Restaurant in Puslinch, Ont., fire crews remained on scene Sunday, spraying water on the smouldering ruins of the historic building.
Just over a week after crews extinguished flames on the porch of a vacant Waterloo home, another fire has been reported at the same address.
Seven-year-old Brayden Van Dyke’s summer just got a whole lot brighter.
A campground at a popular B.C. provincial park is closed this long weekend due to flooding.
A car dealership in Prince George "constructively dismissed" a former employee during her maternity leave and, in doing so, discriminated against her, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has ruled.
The BC Wildfire Service says a fire burning about 21 kilometres southwest of Penticton saw minimal growth overnight, but low visibility is making it difficult to fight the flames from the air.
Canada's first California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) opened its doors in Edmonton this weekend to large fanfare.
New research may have answered a long-standing mystery by pinning a rough date on the earliest known humans in Canada's oilsands region.
An Alberta Emergency Alert was issued Sunday afternoon for a storm possibly producing a tornado in east central Alberta's Flagstaff and Paintearth counties.
With the Sandwich First Baptist Church filled with community members as part of Emancipation Jubilee festivities, the Black Council of Windsor-Essex says municipal leaders need to do more to help repair the relationship with Windsor's Black community.
Windsor has a big reason to celebrate Sunday, as local swimming phenom Kylie Masse won the silver medal during the 100-metre backstroke at the Commonwealth Games.
Thousands of car enthusiasts gathered in Lakeshore Sunday for “Cars for a Cause” to raise funds for the Canadian Mental Health Association, with a focus on youth mental health.
For the past 20 years on the August long weekend, family and friends of Mary "Bonnie" Baker have met at Central Park in Regina for a friendly game on the diamond, in remembrance of a Regina baseball legend.
A small explosive device carried by a makeshift drone blew up Sunday at the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean Peninsula, wounding six people and prompting the cancellation of ceremonies there honouring Russia's navy, authorities said.
They’re signs that all can see. Giant banners, advertising this year’s Grey Cup, are being installed on Regina‘s iconic Hill Towers.
A bright object spotted streaking across the sky on a sunny, bright morning in Ottawa was a meteor.
The United People of Canada says it plans to transform the former St. Brigid's Church in Ottawa's Lowertown neighbourhood into an "Embassy", creating "vibrant community spaces."
Ottawa resident Scott Ferguson is often forced to make a choice when it comes to affording food, rent and medical care, but he can't cover all the expenses.
A Saskatoon police officer says a recent Ontario car theft bust with ties to Saskatoon is another reminder of how transient crime here can aid criminal operations elsewhere.
RCMP in Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan have found the body of a 5-year-old autistic boy who went missing Friday evening.
The Saskatoon Fringe Festival is back once again for its annual 10-day stay in the Bridge City.
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