(gentle electronic music)
(static hissing)
(woman crying)
(door opening)
[Woman] Melanie Lauzon, is that correct?
[Melanie] Yes, that's me.
[Woman] You are here to report a sexual assault,
is that correct?
[Melanie] Yes.
[Woman] You can give a written statement
or an oral one, we have a recording device here.
[Melanie] I don't think I can write right now.
[Woman] Whenever you're ready.
[Melanie] What do you want me to say?
[Woman] Just say what happened.
[Melanie] I don't remember what happened exactly,
a lot of it's a blur.
I don't remember much.
[Woman] Just tell me what you can remember.
What is the last thing you remember before it happened?
[Melanie] Um, my friends and I were leaving the college
to go out drinking.
We took the bus.
Route 7, I believe?
[Woman] Where do you attend school?
[Melanie] Windsor.
[Woman] What are you studying?
[Melanie] Biology.
[Woman] Did you drink, or take any drugs
before you arrived?
[Melanie] To be honest, I did smoke some weed.
And we had a few drinks before I left.
[Woman] Do you think that could have
affected your judgment?
[Melanie] What is that supposed to mean?
[Woman] That smoking weed
could have affected your judgment.
[Melanie] I mean, I guess it could have,
but I don't see what that has to do with anything.
[Woman] Did you have anything to drink at the club?
[Melanie] Yes.
[Woman] How much?
[Melanie] Um, a lot.
After about four or five I got really drowsy,
and don't remember much else.
[Woman] Do you remember leaving?
[Melanie] No, not really, I blacked out.
It was scary, it was confusing.
[Woman] Anything else?
[Melanie] (sobbing) I remember an intense pounding.
I remember beautiful things, like flowers,
and other things.
And I also remember really horrible things,
like blood, and skulls.
He had a birthmark, it was shaped like a flower.
They were large, I'd never seen anything like them before.
And I woke up somewhere I'd never been before.
[Woman] At a different location.
[Melanie] I don't know, I blacked out, I,
I vaguely remember being at a bus shelter
a few kilometers away from the club.
When I woke up, I was in intense pain.
I'd been badly beaten, I was covered in blood.
[Woman] Were you sexually active
in the days before the incident?
[Melanie] No, I'm a virgin!
[Woman] Do you think anyone you know
could have done this to you?
[Melanie] (sobbing) No, not that I can think of.
I asked Sarah, she's the one who,
I woke up in her apartment,
she found me in the bus shelter, passed out.
She thought I was drunk.
[Woman] Since it's taken you more than 96 hours
to report this, we can't get his DNA.
Are you sure you don't know who did this to you?
[Melanie] No!
[Woman] OK, I'll be right back.
(door closing)
(bell ringing)
(children chattering)
Don't ever do that again.
[Melanie] Hello?
Hello?
[Woman] Melanie?
Oh, hi.
Hi, Mom.
Just one second, I'm gonna put you on speaker.
Hey.
[Mother] Yeah, I'm just returning your call,
why were you calling?
[Melanie] This is actually really hard of me to ask,
but um, with Joseph's birthday coming up,
and rent, and the groceries,
I really need to borrow from you again.
[Mother] I can't keep doing this.
It seems to be every two months now.
Joseph have a job yet?
Yeah, he went to work today.
I promise this is the last time, I swear.
[Mother] Are you still gambling?
No, I haven't been in months.
I don't even play the lottery anymore.
[Mother] We think you should come home,
Joseph's really bad for you.
You were supposed to go to school.
[Melanie] I know, I know, but things happened
that I didn't plan, you know,
and I'm just trying to deal with it.
You know, if I had the resources, I'd go to school,
but I don't.
Can you help?
[Mother] (sighing) OK, I guess we can put some money
into your account.
Your father and I talked about this, and this needs to stop.
[Melanie] Yeah, I know, I know, thank you so much, Mom.
I love you so much.
Joe, do you have anything you want to say to Grandma?
Hi, Grandma.
[Mother] Hi honey, I hope to see you soon.
[Melanie] Yeah, we'll come by for a visit real soon.
Thank you, have a good night.
[Mother] Good night.
(static hissing)
(Woody Woodpecker cartoon)
[TV Woman] These scandals, plus many instances
of actual sexual assault, have prompted debates
about rape culture on campuses across the country.
[TV Woman] Jokes about rape, comments about rape,
songs about rape, depictions about rape,
are trivialized or made to seem commonplace and everyday.
[TV Woman] Universities, including U of O,
have promised change, and focus on the need for consent.
We have work to do.
[TV Woman] That was last year.
This was this week.
[TV Man] We begin tonight with a disturbing story
from the University of Ottawa.
[TV Woman] The Science Students' Association
organized that pub crawl with a contest.
The student newspaper article
says students were encouraged to strip,
and have oral and once at least anal sex
with the event judges, all male.
And that if they did they won points.
[TV Woman] There are reports of sexual harassment
out of that event every single year.
There are reports of coercion out of that event,
and of assault, like almost every year that it's happened.
[TV Woman] But some pub-crawl participants
are pushing back, saying everything was consensual.
And that it was a sexually liberating experience.
I'm joined by our panelists.
Supriya Dwivedi is a columnist with the Toronto Sun.
Elamin Abdelmahmoud is social media editor
at Buzzfeed Canada.
And Jonathan Kay is editor-in-chief of Walrus magazine.
So, Elamin I'm gonna start with you on this one.
The details are a little sketchy,
and the report of exactly what happened this year,
or in previous years, a lot of it, most of it's secondhand.
But if it's true that older, male students, judges,
were setting up this list and encouraging
these younger students to participate for points,
how problematic is that, is that rape culture,
or is that just a wild night?
[Elamin] To me, I look at these details,
and look and see a perfect example of rape culture.
It's a perfect example because these students were going
and they didn't really know what they were consenting to.
They knew that this event was going to be particularly wild,
but the fact that consent was implied in this event
indicates that it is rape culture, right?
So like we don't have a situation where you can
consent to something you don't know beforehand.
I think that creates an environment
where rape culture really thrives.
[TV Woman] What do you think?
[TV Man] Look, rape culture, we know that it's real
in some instances, but I'm not sure this is rape culture.
This seems like the new Puritanism coming from the left...
Let's see...
It's very unsettling, you've got women and men,
acting this extremely unwholesome way,
but does it sound like rape,
does it sound like there's no consent involved?
You actually had two letter writers
writing to the student newspaper saying,
look, you know, butt out, we did this of our own volition,
there was consent, we found it sexually liberating,
we are proud of what we did.
And what's ironic is when I was younger this was coming
from the right side of the political spectrum.
You had socially conservative Christians
who were complaining that campus life had been too sexual.
Now it's from the left side of the political spectrum
you have people calling out rape culture
whenever people are doing stuff
that they happen not to approve of,
so it's a new Puritan outlook
but it's coming from the left side of the spectrum.
[TV Woman] Where are you on this, Supriya?
I gotta say, I think I sort of agree with John for once,
and I would have to say whereas I do think
there's definitely a gradation here that we're seeing,
and the consent thing is absolutely valid,
to me rape culture has always meant any culture
wherein the dominant attitudes towards rape
either facilitate, excuse, tolerate rapists,
while at the same time placing the blame
and the onus of rape prevention onto the victims.
Because there are actual no allegations of sexual assault
or rape in the situation, and we're not talking about
victim-blaming here, I think that consent is absolutely
an issue, I just don't know if I would call it rape culture.
But I realize we're kind of getting into the semantics of,
you know, really the definitions.
[Elamin] I think that part of the problem here is,
one of the students said, I mean like listen,
we don't know a lot about this report.
[Supriya] Right.
[Elamin] But in the report one student said,
I tried to say no, but the judges said
that they were not OK with that.
And so when we have an environment like this,
I think they are going in and they're creating an event
where consent is implied and that becomes a problem
because if you look at it as an event where these students
are just trying to do something
that's sexually fun for them,
totally I can see where you're coming from,
but to me this wasn't that.
There are lots of kink parties
where people participate in these things
but they do it with an understanding and full consent
that what they're going to participate in,
but this wasn't that.
[John] If I could just jump in, because I think
we read the same report and I think if I remember correctly
it was actually the teammates of one of the women said,
you know, I'm not OK with this, and the teammates
were actually encouraging her to do it.
[Supriya] But I mean, either way it's consent,
it's like being blindsided when you get in there.
[John] It's unsettling but there's no allegation
that she couldn't have just walked out,
what we're talking about is peer pressure.
[Elamin] But that's what rape culture is...
[John] No...
Hi Joseph, I'm surprised to see you.
Your dinner's ready.
I'll get dinner on the table.
Dinner's ready!
So how was your day?
Good, it went well I think.
Would you like some more?
Is that enough for you?
[Joseph] Some more.
I don't think we're fragile and need protection.
So, how was work?
Fine, I'll talk about my day then.
You know, I lifted heavy shit all day,
and now I have to deal with assholes like you.
What is going on?
What is it?
[Joseph] Nothing.
We don't have to do this again, do we?
I'm just trying to enjoy my dinner, OK?
You didn't fucking go, did you!
Joe, go to your room.
Close the door.
That's how it is, huh?
Couldn't you at least try to be a good example for my son?
That's right, he's your son.
Yeah, well I hope he's nothing like you!
Fuck off, you can really be a bitch sometimes.
Don't talk to me like that!
So what is it now for us, welfare?
(Melanie crying)
[Joseph] I'm trying my best.
I really wanted that job.
I show up there (mumbling)
I was just too embarrassed to tell you.
[Melanie] I need you to work.
[Joseph] I know.
He needs new shoes, what are we supposed to do,
we're barely scraping by.
I can't keep borrowing from my parents.
We can't live like this anymore,
I can't deal with this shit anymore.
And don't ever talk to me that way again.
And I should note that it appears to be just a PR move
because this is a university that's spent a lot of money
trying to combat sexual violence on campus, and this...
(static hissing)
(distorted radio voices)
[Radio Woman] I mean, I do kind of feel myself
blushing a bit 'cause it's a bit embarrassing to admit that
but it's a conversation that...
(static hissing)
[GPS Voice] Continue on Finch Avenue West
for one-and-a-half kilometers.
Use the right two lanes to turn right
onto Finch Avenue West.
In 200 meters, merge onto Ontario 427 North.
(static hissing)
[Radio Man] Later on tonight, it is Blues-Blackhawks,
game four, that one the St. Louis leads two to one.
9:30 start...
(electronic beeping)
(horn honking)
[Radio Man] Of the 10 horses that were stranded,
they were able to save seven of them...
(static hissing)
Melanie, can you help me with this?
[Melanie] What's that?
Can you move these calla lilies to this cart here.
Move them to the front, I have a big order to fill.
[Melanie] Yeah, I'll be there in a sec.
Thanks Melanie, I can always count on you.
(static hissing)
Fuck you.
Fuck you, asshole.
(static hissing)
I wondered if you wanted to join us for a drink after.
I'm really flattered,
but I have to pick up my son from school.
OK, sorry.
Have yourself a good night.
Yeah, thanks, you too.
(static hissing)
[Radio Man] 37-year-old Steve Stevens is considered...
(bell ringing)
(children chattering)
(static hissing)
(man describing soccer game)
(static hissing)
My gosh Melanie, hurry up, we have a big order to fill.
There's no time to be on your phone.
It's off.
Put it away, please.
Fucking asshole, fuck you.
(static hissing)
[Radio Man] A $50,000 reward is being offered
for anyone who has information that leads the arrest of...
(static hissing)
[GPS Voice] Turn left onto Woodbine Boulevard.
[Radio Man] Back in this country, the remote First Nation
of Kashechewan in northern Ontario is being evacuated.
(bell ringing)
(children chattering)
(bell ringing)
(static hissing)
[Melanie] What's going on?
It's a small fire, mostly smoke.
We're just taking every precaution we can
with the students here.
[Melanie] Where's my son at?
On the west side, he's still there.
[Radio Woman] The Opposition says it is challenging
more than 2 million ballots, some because their envelopes
inexplicably did not bear an official seal.
(static hissing)
[Radio Woman] For those stories,
and all the other news of the day, stay tuned to CBC.
[TV Man] He patrols the perimeter,
looking for females ready to mate.
In the distance, a young bull takes note
of the old bull's age and posture.
What's going on here, where's Joey?
You're home?
Yeah, I'm home, where's Joey?
[Joseph] In his room.
[Melanie] I'll look.
[Joseph] Must have snuck out.
What's going on, I mean I'm away at work all day,
you do nothing, you could at least watch him.
What, excuse me?
You heard me.
- You do nothing. - Do nothing?
I do a lot.
You know no one wants to hire me, so, please.
[Melanie] Give me a break.
I do nothing?
I mean come on, I am working all day, I come home,
look at this place, it's a pig sty.
Everything is misplaced.
I mean, I don't even know where my son is.
Has he even eaten, I don't know.
This is all I do anymore.
I don't have any friends anymore.
[Joseph] Whatever.
[Melanie] Get a job, whatever.
Can you please shut the fuck up now?
No.
Can you please shut the fuck up, you fucking bitch?
Or what, what are you gonna do?
Can you shut the fuck up now, OK?
You can understand?
Don't hit me again you bastard!
How dare you!
[Joseph] Shut the fuck up.
[Melanie] Let me go!
(Melanie screaming)
Let me go!
(Melanie screaming)
Fuck you, fuck off!
I can't take this anymore.
(dramatic music on TV)
[Radio Man] We don't judge
when people come through the door.
It is a true sense of community.
[Radio Woman] The problem has been compounded
in recent months.
Manitoba has seen an influx of refugee families...
(static hissing)
[Radio Woman] We just rely on the fact that
people will give.
(electronic beeping)
(static hissing)
[Radio Woman] Customer appreciation sale is on now.
Visit erinwoodford.com.
(static hissing)
[Joseph] Where have you been tonight?
[Melanie] Just at the casino.
Come here (mumbles)
It's fine.
[Joseph] Melanie,
I'm really sorry about what happened.
I didn't mean to go that far, it's just...
It's been so hard since I got out of jail, and...
Everything, I fucked up, I know it.
I know, I know.
Is everything OK between us?
Yeah, yeah I'm cool.
Sure, Melanie?
I love you.
I don't know what I'd do without you.
OK, want to just go to bed?
Sure.
I'll be there in a sec.
(Melanie groaning)
No.
No!
Stop it!
Joseph, stop it!
No!
Stop it!
(Melanie sobbing)
No.
No!
Stop!
(static hissing)
Hey Melanie, can I have a word with you?
Yeah, just give me a sec.
(static hissing)
(Melanie crying)
(static hissing)
Take a seat, please.
What's up?
I'll get to it (mumbles)
(static hissing)
But, um, we're gonna have to lay you off.
We've been really slow for the last few months.
If you don't mind, just sign these right here.
Are you serious?
I'm not signing this.
Even if you don't, you still can't work here anymore.
I'm not signing this!
(static hissing)
I will have Mark escort you out now.
Thank you, Mark.
(static hissing)
[Radio Man] There's some breaking news,
reports are coming in of an attack,
or quite possibly several attacks, in Paris.
Reports are talking of a burst of gunfire
at a restaurant in the 10th arrondissement.
Details are still sketchy.
Liberation, the paper, on Twitter, is talking about
reports of a shooting at a restaurant.
A journalist from Liberation who's at the scene,
reporting that several people have been killed.
He called it a nightmare.
We have no confirmation at this point.
Police are reported to be rushing to the scene
near the Place de la Republique in the 10th arrondissement.
We are trying to get through to eyewitnesses,
but social media beginning to report a shooting
at a restaurant in the 10th arrondissement.
Close to the canal, near the Place de la Republique.
Some reports saying several people have been killed.
A journalist with Liberation newspaper
tweeted that the scene is a nightmare.
We will try and get more on that
with our correspondent in Paris
and indeed on social media as soon as we can.
Pretty sure that they have killed Jihadi John,
the man behind the beheading videos for Islamic State.
Now this happened in Raqqa, in Syria.
It comes after shootings in Paris and in France,
actually, in August, and the shootings of those cartoonists
at the Charlie Hebdo magazine...
(static hissing)
Also a shootout in a supermarket, a Jewish supermarket,
the following day.
We can speak to Gregory Domine, who joins us on the phone
from Paris...
(static hissing)
(woman groaning)
(man groaning)
(static hissing)
What time is it?
Shit, I have to go!
My son from school.
I'll call you or text you or something.
[Man] Oh yeah, do that.
(static hissing)
(heart beating)
[Radio Woman] A little later on tonight,
Edmonton is hosting San Jose.
The Habs and the Oilers in their series...
(static hissing)
That is Toronto's tenth loss against two wins
so far this season.
After the Raptors dropped the opening game
of their NBA playoff series, they play the Bucks again
Tuesday night in Toronto.
Atlanta beat Washington today, Portland topped Golden State,
and Chicago beat Boston tonight.
Sebastian Vettel held off a late charge from Lewis Hamilton
to win Formula One's Bahrain Grand Prix...
(static hissing)
Hello Ms. Lauzon, where have you been?
I'm so sorry, I got caught in traffic.
We were very worried.
We tried to call all of the numbers on file.
What numbers do you have on file?
You need to update this information more frequently.
We also need to talk about your son's behavior at school.
OK.
We really need to get going to hockey practice,
or some other sort of sport.
(bell ringing)
(static hissing)
[TV Woman] So a lot of people don't see the links
between public transit and violence against women,
but they're actually quite clear.
[TV Woman] Well, I think because our population is small,
and even though we're spread over a large landmass.
Many people are aware of their neighbors,
and they're also very connected to them through work,
or they're related to them.
So everyone potentially ends up knowing everyone else.
[Joseph] Why're you home so late?
I've had a rough day, just leave me alone, OK?
What happened?
[Melanie] Leave me alone.
[Joseph] What happened?
[Joe] Daddy, can you play now?
[Joseph] Not now, I'm talking to your mother.
[Melanie] Give me my phone.
[Joseph] Who is this?
[Melanie] Just give me my phone.
[Joseph] Who is this now, tell who is this.
No, give it to me.
Fucking tell me who is this now!
Nothing, it's nothing, it's nobody.
It's nobody, it's nobody?
(Melanie screaming)
[Joseph] You fucking tell me.
He's nobody, I'll show you who's nobody.
[Melanie] No, stop it!
Stop it!
Stop!
(Melanie screaming)
Stop it!
Back off!
[Joseph] Are you serious now?
Back the fuck off!
Are you serious?
[Melanie] Get out, get out, get the fuck out.
I don't care how you go, just get out of here.
(Melanie sobbing)
Mom?
Can you come?
Something really terrible has happened.
I've been beat up pretty bad, can you come?
Thank you.
We should call the police.
[Melanie] I can't do that.
If I find him, I'm gonna fucking kill him.
It's not fair, it's not right.
We're a tight family, I thought.
We know what's going on.
Your brother's doing wonderfully well.
What would make you be attracted to scum like that?
Who'd treat you that way?
[Mother] What did we do wrong, Melanie?
You didn't do anything wrong, it's not your fault.
Well we're here now, let's talk.
It's too late for that.
Listen, I'm gonna go to the hospital, OK?
[Father] We'll take you.
[Melanie] I've already talked to you guys about this, OK?
You just weren't prepared to listen.
[Father] We've been listening the whole time.
Just listen to your heart.
Everything is there, all of the answers are in your heart.
[TV Woman] And at some point
the reaction always seems to be, just do something.
(static hissing)
(heart beating)
(static hissing)
Fucking bastard.
(static hissing)
[Radio Man] Now here are the top stories this hour.
Police investigating a suspicious package
found near Broadview and Gerrard believe it contains...
(static hissing)
(heart beating)
(door knocking)
(static hissing)
I, uh, fell down the steps, walking into my son's school.
(static hissing)
I brought wine.
Oh, I can do it.
(static hissing)
Yeah, it's my favorite.
(static hissing)
Well, you know, I had to wait for my parents to come by
and watch the kid.
I would have been by sooner.
(static hissing)
You did, didn't you?
(static hissing)
Fuck you!
(distorted harsh music)
Think about what you've done to me, every fucking day!
You knew I was a virgin!
And you took everything anyway!
I could have made a real difference in my life.
But you took it all fucking away!
Fuck you!
You took it all.
You don't fucking care!
Fuck you!
You disgust me, you filthy fucking pig!
Fucking...
(Melanie sobbing)
If there is a Hell, I'm gonna fucking send you there now!
You hear me!
Right fucking now!
(Melanie sobbing)
(static hissing)
(heart beating)
(static hissing)
Oh, Melanie, you're back.
[Melanie] Yeah.
All night?
You know what hospitals are like.
Yeah.
Where's Dad?
[Mother] He had to go to work.
Are you OK?
[Melanie] I'm alive, right?
[Mother] We did call the police last night.
[Melanie] Yeah?
Yeah and they found him a couple of blocks away.
He's in custody?
Yeah.
I'm sure he's never gonna hurt you again.
[Melanie] Yeah.
I really hope this is a wake-up call for you,
please don't let him into your home again.
I won't.
[Mother] I made some coffee, do you want some?
Yeah, thank you.
Are we still going to school today?
Yeah.
I want you to bring me.
Of course.
But Mommy's in a lot of pain right now,
she can't bring you.
Will a kiss make it better?
Yeah, that would help me a lot.
I promise I'm gonna be happy too.
Thank you.
We better get going to school.
Oh, I can take him.
Are you sure?
Yeah, yeah.
OK.
I'll wait here till you get back, OK?
All right, grab your bag.
OK.
OK, let's go.
(static hissing)
(gentle electronic music)