On June 13, 2024, our firm filed an application for authorization to institute a class action against the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Gaspé and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Gaspé. This request seeks compensation for sexual assaults committed by members of the clergy or other persons under the authority of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Gaspé.
Our customers’ stories
Both of our clients were sexually abused by clergy when they were children.
For one of them, the sexual assaults took place in the 1950s, when he was only 5 years old. Father Alphonse Anctil abused him once a week for 5 years.
For our other client, the abuse took place in the 1960s. When he was 8 years old and an altar boy, Father Wilfrid Provencher took advantage of his position of authority to sexually assault her. The abuse continued for 3 years, almost every day.
Our clients have suffered several consequences as a result of sexual assault and have decided to bring this class action so that all victims of sexual assault can obtain compensation.
The proposed class action
In accordance with the Civil Code of Québec, the principal or employer is required to compensate for the injury caused by the fault of its servant or employee when the fault is committed in the performance of the employee’s or employee’s duties. We are therefore prosecuting the legal persons responsible for the activities of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Gaspé for sexual assaults committed by members of the clergy or other persons under their authority in the course of the Church’s activities.
We are also suing the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Gaspé and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Gaspé for their own faults. Indeed, we maintain that they have not taken the necessary measures to prevent or put an end to sexual abuse and that they have therefore engaged their responsibility.
We are seeking compensatory damages to compensate victims for the harms caused by sexual assault. We are also seeking punitive damages to sanction the intentional violation of the rights to safety, integrity and dignity of victims of sexual assault, rights that are protected by the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
The target group
All persons, as well as their heirs and assigns, who have been sexually assaulted by a member of the clergy, an employee or a volunteer, lay or religious, under the responsibility of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Gaspé or the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Gaspé who have exercised their authority over the Diocese of Gaspé, during the period between May 5, 1922 and the judgment to be delivered.
Territory of the Diocese of Gaspé
The Diocese of Gaspé includes the following 12 sectors or parishes, which cover the entire Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine region:
- Holy Family
- In the Heart of the Bay
- Saint-François-de-Laval
- Michel-Lemoignan
- Forillon-North
- Haute-Gaspésie
- Îles-de-la-Madeleine
- “Amerindian missions”
- 4 other sectors or parishes currently unnamed
Applications lodged with the Court
Application for authorization to file a class action
Current status of the file
On August 6th, 2025, the Superior Court authorized the bringing of this class action. To read the judgment (in French), click here.
How to be part of the class action?
If you meet the definition of the group referred to above, you are automatically part of this class action.
We invite you to fill out this following form if you believe you are a member of the group.