The former director of the Institut du Nouveau Monde, Michel Venne, was sentenced Tuesday to six months in prison by judge Stéphane Poulin, of the Court of Quebec. An “exemplary” sentence, underlines the victim, the documentary filmmaker Léa Clermont-Dion, who sends a clear message to all the attackers. “The bar is no longer open. ”
Sexual assault: six months in prison for Michel Venne
Question: As a victim, how did you react to this sentence?
Answer: With mixed feelings. I am relieved to have been believed. Relieved that there was a penalty. But I don’t necessarily feel comfortable, it’s a funny feeling. It is not the outcome, the sentence. It was the process that was restorative. But this sentence sends a strong message, it is an exemplary sentence. There is a message sent to the company: for the attackers, the bar is no longer open. The bar is closed. This sentence is also important because we stop trivializing sexual violence. Just because it’s not rape doesn’t mean it’s not important.
Is this sentence a sign that the #metoo movement is changing the justice system?
Yes it is certain. There was like a domino effect. Salvail, Rozon, I saw them being denounced. I saw women like Julie Snyder and Penelope McQuade stand up. Without them, I would never have spoken. The complaint, the verdict, it means that mentalities are changing. And the judicial system, in order to move, it must be criticized from the outside. The metoo movement has a direct impact on the sentences and the process.
You made a documentary, You just have to file a complaint, which shows the long journey of the victims. If you had to do it again, would you file a complaint?
Yes, I would do it again. The documentary allowed me to put into perspective what I was going through. I was talking to other people. I could see that I wasn’t the only one who felt like crap in some stages of the process. I saw that there may be ways of doing things that are problematic.
What was the most painful moment of this journey?
Cross-examination. I felt like I was drowning, I was running out of air. After two and a half days, I was no longer able. With a brain numb with stress, you need to prepare for the most difficult exam of your life. I found that atrocious, inhuman, process. It was like a nightmare. But it’s like giving birth: it hurts, but afterwards, we forget how painful it was.
How could the cross-examination be improved from the victim’s point of view?
There is a need for training for defense lawyers, particularly on the issue of trauma experienced by victims. If the judges are also more aware of all this, they will be able to prevent certain slippages. I am thinking in particular of Annick Charette (the plaintiff at the Gilbert Rozon trial) who was called a sassy girl by the defense lawyer. The judge said it exceeded the limits, but the damage was done. It doesn’t have to be.
If you were facing a victim who was 17, the age you were at the time of the assault, would you encourage her to file a complaint?
She should be well supported, have a good balance of life. If she’s a fragile person, like I was at the time, I would tell her not to go. Because it is the obstacle course. But I also hope that the men of power who have allowed themselves to do so for years will do an exercise in introspection. Because it is not only sexual touching that we are talking about, it is above all a very disturbing power relationship.
What do you think of this denunciation movement taking place on social networks?
For having done it, I understand the intention, which is to want to do justice. It is symptomatic of a broken system. The court route is so cumbersome. Social networks are instantaneous, immediate. The impact is immense. While justice is slow, it is done in silence and in the shadows. I hope we could end up having a happy medium.
The documentary You just have to file a complaint is available on noovo.ca