Manitoba doctor who sexually harassed patients could face long prison sentence

WINNIPEG – A Manitoba doctor who sexually abused seven patients and exploited their trust should be sentenced to 18 years in prison, a prosecutor said in court Thursday.

“The perpetrator held a position of trust and authority,” said Renee Lagimodiere at the sentencing hearing for Arcel Bissonnette.

“He violated his position in the most egregious way.”

Bissonnette, 64, was convicted last year of sexually abusing five patients and pleaded guilty earlier this year to sexually assaulting two more patients.

The court heard that the assaults occurred during physical examinations that Bissonnette conducted over a 20-year period in Ste. Anne, southeast of Winnipeg.

Bissonnette touched the patients sexually without there being any medical necessity, the prosecutor said.

Some victims, whose names are protected by a publication ban, said at the hearing that the attacks had left them with long-term fears and anxieties. Some spoke of depression and of having undergone therapy.

“How can I ever trust another doctor again?” said one woman in her victim statement.

“I should have felt respected, but I felt violated,” another woman said, adding that she froze in panic when she later encountered Bissonnette while shopping.

“I believe Dr. Bissonnette sensed my weakness and took advantage of it,” another woman said in a written statement included in the court record.

“What he did to me will mark me forever.”

The defense is demanding a nine-year prison sentence on the grounds that Bissonnette has lost his medical license, complied with bail conditions and has good prospects for rehabilitation.

Bissonette has not worked since his arrest in 2020. His medical license was later revoked by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba.

His defense team told the court that Bissonnette had already been punished in part by losing his job and having to deal with the stigma associated with his crimes, which were widely reported in the media.

They also said he was at low risk of reoffending, had no previous convictions and was relatively old.

“If he were sentenced to 18 years in prison, he might be 80 years old when he is released,” said attorney Lisa LaBossiere.

Judge Sadie Bond of the Court of King’s Bench said she intended to deliver her verdict on August 29.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2024.

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press