Waterloo MPP pushes for more accountability for how sexual assault cases are handled

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A politician in Waterloo wants to see more accountability and transparency when it comes to sexual assault cases in Ontario’s justice system.

Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife said she is planning to renew her push for a bill known as “Lydia’s Law.”

The bill is aimed at improving transparency around sexual assault cases. It would also prevent delays by ensuring funding is allocated to eliminating court backlogs and require every police service that receives a sexual assault complaint make the complainant aware of the Independent Legal Advice Program delivered through Ontario Victim Services of the Ministry of the Attorney General.

Although Fife has been trying to get her private member’s bill passed since 2024, her latest push comes on the heels of a controversial decision regarding former neurologist Jeffrey Sloka.

On Friday, Sloka was found not guilty of sexually assaulting 48 female patients between 2010 and 2017. Dozens of women claimed they received vaginal exams, breast exams or exams of other intimate areas during appointments for neurological concerns.

Before the trial, Sloka’s medical license was revoked in 2019 and he agreed to never apply for registration again in Ontario or in any other jurisdiction.

The trial took four-and-a-half years, and ended with Justice Craig Parry saying he was satisfied there were valid medical reasons for the examinations Sloka performed at his clinic.

In his 1,002 page decision, Justice Parry addressed each of the 48 complainants separately, summarizing the allegations and noting, in his opinion, memory recall, reliability and inconsistencies were common themes among the accusations.

“After considering the evidence of each complainant, I have concluded that, to varying degrees, each provided unreliable evidence. With many of them, their memory, perceptions, and testimony were tainted by what they saw in media or [College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario] publications. Some also provided evidence that lacked credibility. Some were also deliberately dishonest with the court,” the decision stated.

One of the women who testified during the trial said she sought medical help after experiencing stroke-like symptoms while she was a student at Wilfrid Laurier University.

“To help understand, I was 18-years-old [at the time],” the woman, who cannot be named due to a publication ban, told CTV News. “[It was] my first time living away from home. [I was] very young and very naïve, so I didn’t really understand a whole lot.”

She described her recollection of an examination.

“[Sloka] was very sweaty and red and the way he was looking at me – it wasn’t right,” she said. “But I pushed that down as much as I could and told myself I was overreacting, because, you know, I’m 18-years-old. What do I know? There’s this big, important doctor who’s telling me that this is necessary.”

The woman, who said she now works in the justice field herself, was disgusted by the decision.

“I would never describe a potential victim like that. Ever,” she said.”

Reintroducing Lydia’s Law

Regardless of Sloka’s verdict, the woman described the trial as its own form of punishment.

“It was a very tough process. And to people who are skeptical of survivors, this isn’t something we did to get anything out of this. I mean, it was a brutal experience to live through.”

That is the kind of process Fife is trying to prevent with Lydia’s Law.

“The law is actually named after a young woman, Lydia, from our riding here,” Fife explained. “She approached me five years ago after she had experienced sexual assault, disclosed it, and then went through a retraumatizing process for two years as she waited for justice.”

Fife said over 1,600 sexual assault causes were withdrawn or stayed before trials this year alone.

“The Attorney General should be looking at this like a case right now. Why did it take four-and-a-half years? Why did women have to fight the entire time to have access to counseling? Every time they went into court, it was a hostile, unfriendly place for them to tell their stories,” Fife said.

Fife plans to re-introduce Lydia’s Law next week.

“It takes so much courage to come forward, so creating a pathway where it is less hostile, less judgmental - meet survivors of sexual assault with more compassion, then you will see more women come forward.”