Legal experts say it is highly unusual for a government task force report to be kept under wraps for these reasons. The draft of the task force report recommends stripping medical colleges of this power in cases of sexual abuse. A long-delayed task force report on sexual abuse by health-care professionals is being kept secret over concerns that it defames top medical organizations — including the College of Physicians and Surgeons. The task force filed its report to the ministry in December 2015. “Fear of a lawsuit for defamation is not a very good reason for withholding a task force report especially where the public interest in the issue is so strong,” Osgoode Hall law professor Jamie Cameron said in an interview.

Source: thestar July 13, 2016 09:56 UTC