'Sense of closure': Court weighs sentence for ex-priest who abused Nunavut children

Eric Dejaeger leaves an Iqaluit courtroom on Jan. 20, 2011. A Nunavut judge is hearing sentencing arguments for Dejaeger, a former Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing several Inuit children decades ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Windeyer

IQALUIT — The Crown and defence are recommending a prison sentence of six years for a former Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to indecent assault against several Inuit children decades ago.

A courtroom in Iqaluit has heard horrific details of the sexual abuse Eric Dejaeger inflicted on six girls and one boy between 1978 and 1982 in the hamlet of Igloolik, Nvt.

Victim impact statements were delivered Thursday by the five surviving complainants, who described how the assaults led to addiction, mental health struggles, poor self-esteem and mistrust.

Court also heard that some victims have refused to set foot in a Catholic church as a result of the abuse and that the long-running assaults have harmed the tight-knit community as a whole.

Prosecutor Emma Baasch says socio-economic conditions and the lasting impact of colonialism in Nunavut presented the perfect opportunity for Dejaeger to inflict years of abuse on the community.

She says the court must weigh the 77-year-old’s guilty plea, sparing complainants from having to testify, against the horrific harm done in considering his sentence.

“Ultimately no sentence can erase the harm,” Baasch told Justice Faiyaz Alibhai in her sentencing argument Friday.

“Hopefully the victims can now gain some sense of closure.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2025.

The Canadian Press