Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon says he is a target of #MeToo movement
The cross-examination of the disgraced former comedy mogul began Wednesday morning at his civil trial in Montreal, where he's being sued for nearly $14 million.
He told the plaintiffs' lawyer the women had "invented a truth" for financial gain and said their stories have changed over time.
Rozon, who started the comedy festival in the 1980s, says the women who testified against him are part of a coalition and influenced each other.
He also says he became a target of the #MeToo movement, a global campaign raising awareness of sexual violence against women.
Rozon has denied the allegations against him, and has said he chose to fight the case in court to prevent the legalization of extortion.
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National Post
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This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Law Courts building in Vancouver is home to the B.C. Supreme Court. Photo by Arlen Redekop / PNG A British Columbia man whose Tesla was once found to contain more than $47,000 in cash and two kilograms of cocaine while he himself was carrying a bag containing 15.6 kilograms of fentanyl has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for trafficking. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Jason Thomas Howard Conrad, age 45, pleaded guilty on June 4 to two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, contrary to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. One count was regarding fentanyl, the other cocaine. Justice Andrew Majawa sentenced him on June 17. Court documents show that Conrad had been under surveillance since January 2023. Police targeted a home on McLeod Court in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, B.C., and confirmed that it was being used to produce fentanyl. Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again Conrad was first seen at the home on Jan. 25, 2023, and again in February, when he arrived empty-handed and left with a heavy backpack. Police followed his Tesla to an underground parkade in nearby Coal Harbour, where he met with an unknown male. In March, Conrad was at the McLeod property again, this time leaving with a heavy reuseable shopping bag. He was arrested, and the bag was found to contain 15.6 kilograms of fentanyl that was 68 to 79 per cent pure. He was also carrying three cellphones. His Tesla was also searched, and $10,000 cash in $100 bills was found in the centre console. In the trunk was another $37,800 in a shopping bag, and two one-kilogram bricks of cocaine that were 92 to 94 per cent pure. Also found in the Tesla were two more cellphones and a conducted energy weapon described as a jolt stun baton. Conrad was arrested on March 21, 2023, but was released without charges. A year later, a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested again on March 19, 2024, and has remained in custody since then. In his ruling, Justice Majawa noted that Conrad had 'a very challenging upbringing,' adding: 'Both his parents suffered from addiction, and by age 11 he and his siblings had been apprehended by the Ministry. I am told that Mr. Conrad did not have a stable home after his apprehension, and it appears that he was separated from at least some of his siblings at this time. Mr. Conrad's first engagement with the criminal justice system occurred at around age 11 when he was caught breaking into the group home where his sisters were residing.' Justice Majawa also noted Conrad's 'significant criminal history' of 28 convictions: four counts of breaches, 10 of property offences, four of assaults or offences against a person, five driving offences and five counts for drug offences. The last stretched from 2001 to 2008, and 'related to the trafficking of cocaine from British Columbia to New Brunswick and the purchase of multi kilograms of cocaine as part of a larger trafficking conspiracy,' he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The justice noted that, in addition to the record being an aggravating factor in the latest case, so too was the amount and purity of fentanyl. 'The quantity of fentanyl in this case can be fairly described as enormous,' he said. 'The 15.6 kilograms of fentanyl was of a high purity and it would almost certainly have destroyed a very large number of lives.' He added: 'The highly pure fentanyl that Mr. Conrad was involved in trafficking would typically be diluted with cutting agents; and considering that the typical user would consume approximately 0.1 grams of fentanyl at a time, the number of doses to be produced from the nearly 16 kilograms of fentanyl that Mr. Conrad was involved in trafficking is nothing short of staggering. The pernicious effects of cocaine that erode the health and safety of Canadian communities should also not be overlooked, and the profit that would arise from the eventual street-level sale of the quantities of cocaine and fentanyl in this case are of a very significant magnitude.' Conrad was sentenced to 11 years for the possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking, and seven years for the possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The sentences are to be served concurrently. In addition, Conrad received a credit of 683 days for the 455 days spent in pre-sentence custody, at a rate of 1.5 days for each day in custody, to be applied against the 11-year sentence. Justice Majawa concluded: 'Mr. Conrad, I wish you success in your journey towards your rehabilitation.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
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