Episode 17: Using Ptbo's Sexual Assault Center for Political Gain
Guest article written by Peterborough Constituent Jenny, as posted on the "No More MP Ferreri' Facebook group page:
Day (and reason) #1 I won't be voting for Michelle Ferreri. On August 14, 2024, MP Michelle Ferreri posted on her X account that she met with [our Riding's] Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre and stated that "the cost of living crisis has driven parents to traffick their own children."
Michelle Ferreri's statement was harmful on 3 different levels.
1. Her statement minimized the trauma that victims and survivors of trafficking experience/experienced. Her statement essentially gave them the message that if they had money, this never would have happened to them.
2. Her statement gave the message that ANY family in the community experiencing poverty are at risk of trafficking their children. This is simply untrue and puts a label on families that could create further marginalization.
3. The Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre was put in the middle and actually had to release a statement, below, 4 days later due to the press and public outcry. This is an agency that provides life saving services to victims and survivors. They should have never been put in this position. They met with the MP to receive support and advocacy, and instead were used for MP Ferreri's political purposes.
Michelle Ferreri's lie was picked up by the Canadian Press & covered by many national news networks across Canada. Due to the public outcry from local constituents & national media attention, the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre had to answer countless inquiries & issue a statement clarifying what was discussed with their/our MP. This, at a time when the organization is at capacity & severely underfunded. They had to spend their valuable time away from helping clients, clarifying a statement from their elected official who had visited them under the guise that Michelle Ferreri were there to help. She betrayed them.
The fallout rippled across the country, and was a topic of discussion on a podcast hosted by Brittlestar, Lisa B and Steve Boots, shared at the time by another constituent @TanyaRanne. Listen here:
This is the incident where our MP brought negative press AGAIN to our Riding when she eventually came up with the excuse "inartfully worded". Watch here:
- the Publican House "they're not paying the GST",
- our Housing and Homelessness Supports "homeless people are criminals",
- mothers of persons who died from opioid overdoses, turning her backs on them here at home in the Riding and in Parliament,
- survivors of IPV in Committee meetings which you can read about here,
- in June, 2022, a Constituent comatose on the sidewalk "I couldn't call anyone, there's no room at the hospital",
- a homeless person at one of our encampments where she took a photo of herself tying the laces of new boots she was giving him, posing like Mary Magdalen, AFTER she was asked not to take photos!, resulting in support workers on scene being absolutely irate at her behaviour.
The list goes on and on and on.
As our MP's abuse of the Riding's organization resurfaces AGAIN, here's a response from a client of the Kawartha Sexual Assault Center, who courageously speaks up and writes today:
"Ok. Here’s a comment from a former client of the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre. Yes, you read that correctly. A client. And I am a man.
I was sexually abused as a boy by a man on my paper route. And I kept that secret for 38 years. No one knew. Not even my wife. And, for any number of reasons, the house of cards that I had skillfully built up over the years to protect that secret came tumbling down in 2008. I lost it. I became unglued by the shame and the guilt that I had carried for those many years. I thought it was my fault. I thought I was the only one.
The Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre helped me, saved me, and taught me that the guilt and shame I carried all those years was never mine to carry. It was HIS guilt. HIS shame. Who was the adult? He was 50 years older than me.
In my adult life,I was a Clinical Social Worker. For 36 years I have witnessed the worst of the worst. It boggles my imagination even still, at the myriad ways people can hurt each other. Be it with children, or with adults, there seem to be no bounds to the ways humans can harm other humans. I feel like I tried, and did my level best to make it better for the people I worked with. To say that I’ve seen the lowest of the low would be an understatement.
For anyone to take advantage of a survivor of sexual abuse and assault, or an agency that provides services and support to those survivors, that’s a new low for me.
Being sexually abused or assaulted is like the attempted murder of a persons soul. It robs them of the very essence of who they are, or could be. It changes forever the life path that was supposed to be their destiny. What that destiny was will never be known because of the selfishness of the abuser.
I see the same self-serving agenda in our MP’s actions. It’s all about her. Another trophy moment, or a notch in her belt, to make her look good. It’s disgusting narcissism at its worst.
The Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre saved my life when I thought I was about to lose it. Together, with the love and support of my wife and children, I am a man who can now say I was sexually abused without shame. Without guilt. Without fear. I am a survivor, and not a victim."
The election on April 28, 2025 brings Peterborough the opportunity to restore honour to our MP chair in the House of Commons and on Committees by defeating Michelle Ferreri.
Make sure you are registered to vote.
Speak up - our Riding needs to hear your stories.
Talk to your family and friends, give them these examples.
Help get family and friends to the voter's booth.
With Emma Harrison poised to beat Michelle Ferreri, with NDP/Green an extremely distant 3rd and 4th, please visit https://emmaforptbo.ca/ to see how you can help ensure Peterborough indeed has No More MP Ferreri
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