Misplaced Empathy for an Indigenous Psychopath

"[His] risk of violence is assessed as moderate to high in the short term. [He has a] need to dominate and control women."

[There is concern over his] problematic reactions to feelings of rejection, dismissal, and criticism."

"[Ewert's] attitude  towards women indicates that an undue risk to the community continues to exist."

Parole Board 

 

"You informed [the parole officer] that you find her very attractive and distracting. It appears that these comments were not made in the search of aid or for any therapeutic purpose. You made these comments in a flirtatious manner, while smiling, possibly to assert control."

"During the meeting with your [parole officer], another staff member noticed that you were visibly fixated on your [parole officer] in a preoccupying fashion. Your facial expressions were enough to alarm her to the point that she asked for additional supervision of the meeting."

"We are concerned with the rapidity of your behaviour and with your attitude as you have murdered and sexually assaulted two women whom you found attractive, in an impulsive manner. [Your behaviour] represents a risk for the security of our staff."

Quebec Court Incident Report 

Jeffrey George Ewert began attending law classes at McGill University in August. Some students told CBC they were upset his violent criminal past was not disclosed. (Name withheld/Instagram)

 

Convicted murderer-rapist Jeffrey George Ewert despite his serious criminal convictions was paroled in recognition of his Indigenous heritage, where courts are enjoined to giving special consideration to Indigenous criminals, noting their purported vulnerability as members of an underprivileged class known to be disproportionately represented in Canada's penal system. This man, an unrepentant murderer and rapist made application to attend law school at McGill university, aided by a number of faculty with his application. 

 

When students at the university discovered the presence in their midst of a convicted murderer, they rallied to have him expelled. They obviously were unaware that the university administration, according to the lawyer representing Jeffrey Ewert, was "fully aware" of his past. At McGill Law, this man shared classrooms with female students who reported to news media that the man had raped and killed a young woman in 1984, and a month later, beat a 15-year-old girl into a vegetative state from which she has never fully recovered; left completely spastic, incapable of controlling her movements and unable to speak more than several words.  

 

Despite which, other students petitioned in support of Ewert. Denied day and full parole, Ewert had appealed to the Federal Court and won his case in 2024 when Justice Jocelyne Gagne determined that since Ewert had managed a 12-year, long-term relationship through his incarceration years which, when ended, failed to erupt in a violent psychotic reaction was proof enough for her that he no longer held any issues with women. His Indigenous heritage required to be taken into consideration, she insisted.

 

On Friday afternoon, hours after this story was published, McGill's provost Angela Campbell sent an email to its community, attempting to reassure students. (Kolya Hubacek-Guilbault/CBC)

 

Now, in 2026, the man was permitted entry to the McGill law program, while continuing to express his untoward attraction toward women He had accounts on Threads and on Instagram which CBC investigated, reporting that "Ewert is actively communicating with women, commenting on images of women, many of which appear to be altered or created by AI." Writing in one instance: "hotties like you drive  us crazy." This is a man with a frighteningly horrible past with a lawyer who previously taught at McGill Law. 

 

Not only have a number of McGill professors gone out of their way to assist him in his application to McGill, but an outpouring of public support has resulted from people able to look beyond his history of violence against women. A retired lawyer in a LexisNexis publication wrote that Ewert's enrollment represented an opportunity for students to learn about the "difficult realities of rehabilitation". Law students and alumni -- some 100 people -- signed a petition imploring McGill to "rescind the restrictions placed" on Ewert to enable him to continue his legal education. 

"One-third of Canada's prison population is Indigenous, and Jeff's own incarceration is inextricable from the colonial institutions in which he was born."

"Few people in this country have been failed by as many institutions as he has, and McGill University now has a chance to set a precedent."

"Jeff's situation is where our collective commitments to reconciliation and rehabilitation are tested."

Petition arguing for reinstatement 

 

"[McGill has failed to] guide us through critical learning. [We are] shocked by the reactive manner [in which the university handled the matter]." 

"We also believe that a circle discussion led by an Elder would provide an important and culturally appropriate space for our students to process recent events."

"Should the student in question be welcomed back onto campus, we ask that they receive the academic support necessary to continue their studies."

McGill law students' association 

 

McGill University in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz