Good morning. All eyes are on the verdict in the Hockey Canada trial today. More on that below, along with the conclusion of the premiers’ meeting and the rising risk of starvation in Gaza, but first:
Today’s headlinesOpen this photo in gallery:
Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alexandar Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote are shown in court in this courtroom sketch made in London, Ont., April 23.Alexandra Newbould/The Canadian Press
JusticeWhat you need to know before the verdict
Sexual assault allegations against former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team have grabbed attention across the country, raised questions about consent and our justice system, and prompted a reckoning for a toxic culture within our nation’s beloved game.
Now, more than seven years after the incident was first reported to police, followed by a trial plagued by disruptions, the verdict is set to be delivered today.
Who is involved
The five former junior players – Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton – are charged with sexually assaulting a woman, known publicly as E.M., in a hotel room in London, Ont., after a Hockey Canada gala in June, 2018. McLeod also faces a second charge of being a party to sexual assault. All of the men have pleaded not guilty.
Justice Maria Carroccia’s verdict is expected to focus on the nuances of sexual-assault law and what constitutes consent.
What to watch: Many people, both in the legal profession and observers from across Canada, will be paying attention to Justice Carroccia’s every word on the trial and the outcome.
Also read: The judge in the Hockey Canada case is a veteran of the criminal courts.About the trial
The news that Hockey Canada had quietly settled a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by E.M. prompted London police in 2022 to reopen the case at the centre of the trial, which began in April.
After a mistrial and two dismissed juries, Justice Carroccia decided to hear the case herself. The Southwestern Ontario city of London became ground zero for the high-profile trial, which saw weeks of intense testimony and arguments over the admissibility of some key evidence.
The trial has also shed light on what police missed and the roadblocks investigators faced in the initial probe, ranging from missed questions to myths about the role of alcohol.
What to know: The Globe and Mail interviewed more than a dozen central figures connected to this case, as well as legal experts from across Canada, to better understand the specific challenges with the file.
Opinion: When aggressive tactics are praised as legal strategy, it’s survivors like me who pay the price, writes the woman who testified against former Hedley frontman.About consent
In Canadian law, consent is not just the absence of a “no.” It requires affirmation, a “yes” in either words or action. This is further complicated in the trial: what constitutes voluntary consent when there are multiple men in a hotel room with an intoxicated woman most of them had never met?
What the judge will need to decide in this case is if E.M. communicated to the five men at the time of sexual activity with each of them that she was voluntarily consenting, or if they believed that she was.
What to watch: The verdict could break new ground on the question of what constitutes voluntary consent in cases of an apparent power imbalance.
Opinion: Canada’s sexual-assault law is not the problem – it’s the application of it, write law professors Elizabeth Sheehy, Janine Benedet and Isabel Grant. About the verdict
In Canada, a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty, which means prosecutors must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
In this case, a guilty verdict indicates that the prosecution has convinced the judge beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crimes in question. A verdict of not guilty means the prosecution failed to meet the high standard of proof required for a conviction, thus the defendant is acquitted of the charges laid against them.
What to watch: Four of the five players had been playing in the NHL prior to their arrests in 2024. If any players are found guilty, they would also almost certainly appeal the judge’s decision. But it has never been clear if the players would be permitted to return to the game. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman refused to say, in early June, if the league would allow it.
Read more here on what to know about the Hockey Canada trial ahead of the verdict.
The Shot‘Chaos, starvation, and death.’Open this photo in gallery:
Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 23.Mahmoud Issa/Reuters
In an open letter, 115 charity and human-rights groups said that Israel’s blockade and continuing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed another 21 people overnight, according to local health officials.
The WrapWhat else we’re following
At home: At the conclusion of the three-day premiers’ meeting, leaders push for more power over immigration to meet labour needs.
Northern B.C.: Three workers are trapped more than 500 metres underground in a mine after multiple collapses.
Abroad: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky faced his first wartime protests over law weakening anti-corruption agencies. Meanwhile Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met for their first peace talks in nearly two months.
Online: The viral Coldplay kiss-cam video shows digital sleuthing can go too far.
On tour: MAGA-affiliated American musician faces wave of cancellations on Eastern Canadian tour.